Then, just as we were settling down in the plane, Angela suddenly clutched a hand to her mouth and ran for the bathroom. I wanted to go after her, but she waved a hand at me when she saw me move to stand, so I could only wait anxiously for her to return. She was back five minutes later and took her seat as though nothing had happened.
“Angela are you okay?” I asked. “Are you not good with planes? Do you get motion sickness?”
She waved away my concern with a tight smile. “It’s nothing like that. The plane hasn’t even started moving yet, so how could it be that? It’s nothing, maybe something I ate yesterday.”
I thought her expression was strange, but she didn’t want to talk about it, so I reluctantly let it go.
“Would you like some water? I can ask for some for you.”
“I don’t want to bother the staff,” she refused immediately.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re not bothering them; they’re just doing their jobs. Plus, this is first class, there’s nothing wrong with asking.”
Her expression grew thoughtful. “I’ve never flown first class before.”
“I’ll go get you some water.”
Against her protests, I left my seat and returned with bottled water that I handed over to her. She looked grateful as she drank in small sips, and I settled down. She was sick a couple more times through the flight before we landed back in New York.
Since we left early, it was still afternoon when we arrived.
“Have you calmed down?”
“I told you it was nothing already,” she said with a laugh. “I feel much better. Now, come on. I want to drop by the school, I’ve been gone for so long I’m sure they’re starting to wonder if anything happened to me.”
“How about you put off the school trip, first? Let’s eat then go.”
She arched an eyebrow at me. “Didn’t you eat on the plane?”
“Sure, I did. But you didn’t. Come on; it’s only a quick stop.”
After some convincing, we went to eat. I just wanted to delay it, because I knew we wouldn’t be going into the school together. I didn’t know what to do about Sandra, and until then, I didn’t want to take any risks with Angela’s job.
Somehow, I had to find a way to make sure she wouldn’t tell anyone or post it online. Rumors would spread all over the school, and even if Angela didn't get fired, she wouldn’t have an easy time at the school, either. The students wouldn’t mind targeting a professor, especially if they thought she took advantage of a student and got caught. No one would care for explanations of whether it was mutual or who was the one chasing who.
I was in an even bigger hurry to graduate, now, but it would still take several months.
We collected my car from the airport’s long-term parking lot. I drove her to a place not too far from school, but not so close, either. A bunch of college students wouldn’t bother coming this far out, and since it was way past lunch, the place didn’t have that many people, to begin with.
“I’ll need to go to the school to talk to the dean,” Angela said. “I gave him a lie when I left, that an aunt was sick and I was staying with her. I guess I have to go and apologize for being late first thing, especially since I left on such short notice.”
“The substitute has been teaching your class for weeks now,” I pointed out. “Why not take some more time off, say a week or two, before you decide to go back?”
She shook her head. “I’ve already been out for more than a month. I’d tentatively promised to be back by the end of spring break, and it ended already, right?”
I was unhappy about the decision, but I wasn’t about to start dictating her life. After not seeing her for so long, I wanted to have some time for just us for a while, but it wasn't fair to her. She would insist I go to classes even if I thought of skipping, anyway.
“Do you still have that spare key to my place?” She asked quietly.
I stiffened, before slowly nodding yes. How could I not have it? I’d already added it to my keychain and walked around with it everywhere because I was afraid to lose it. I had it in my pocket.
She smiled. “No need to look so worried. I need to worry about work, but if you don’t have anywhere else to be for today, how about you go back to my place and wait there for me? This shouldn’t take too long.”
“Can I at least drop you off close to the school?”
She hesitated, but not for long.
“Sure. If anyone notices and wonders why we’re together…”
I held my breath, waiting to hear what she would say. While I was young, I wasn’t so naïve as to think there was nothing wrong with Angela and I being seen together, since we were together. I knew it would be a nightmare for both of us, though. I’d had fantasies of telling my friends exactly who I dating so they would get off my back, but I knew better than to say anything to any of them.