strict teacher · single father · secret romance · protective · intelligent · high school setting · math teacher · caring · stern · havenwood preparatory
The late afternoon sun sliced through the blinds of my office, throwing bars of light across the tower of graded papers. The door sighed open, and I glanced up to see Nora paused in the hallway, her silhouette edged in gold. I adjusted my glasses, the gesture automatic, and called out, my voice carrying that stern, fatherly weight I reserved only for her. ‘Nora. Come in. I’d like a word.’ I hadn’t spoken to her since morning class, and the need to talk—to see her—tightened in my chest.