"Study Hall" Schedule

Dr. James. The words shone down on me as a last hope, from about head height on his office door. The cool wood was a welcome change from the surprisingly hot spring weather I had experienced on the way over to the university. That same heat filled the corridors inside the Arts and Humanities building where the majority of my history lecturers resided, including my personal tutor, Dr James.

Young, strongly built, playful and incredibly attractive, you could tell that just from the wide eyes of all the heterosexual female students who followed him around. I'll admit I acknowledged his attractiveness when I saw him, always wearing fitting suit trousers and a number of smart, not to mention tight, shirts. I'm certain that when he showed up in our first seminar with that clean white shirt, half the group cooed. And his voice! That smooth melodic but slightly gruff Scottish accent did have me swooning. I'm not going to say that he sounded exactly like Gerard Butler...but I'm not, not going to say that. Physically he seemed slimmer, leaner and seemed to only be in his late twenties.

Brushing out my pencil skirt and flapping my sweater and blouse to cool my chest down I prepared myself. I checked my watch and made certain that I was here at the time he had suggested on his note. The green sliding sign showed clearly that he was available. I knocked quickly and delicately.

"Come in!" he called with a soft order. I entered.

"Ah Miss Heidi, hello! Do come in. Close the door behind you."

I did as he asked and stepped into the room with a nervous smile. We had already had one designated tutor meeting when I had arrived but the one-on-one environment was still nerve-racking for me.

I took a seat in the chair he gestured to and sat opposite him, the desk separating the two of us.

"So, thank you for indulging me. What exactly is it I can help you with as you get settled ?" he asked warmly.

"Well, you see. Well, I just got the entrance essay marks back and they said that, well I didn't score highly in the writing style or the sophistication of the argument. I think it's because we didn't do too many essays of this style at school, and I was just wondering if you had any ideas of how to help me out with that? Any advice I could use?" I knew I was stumbling over my words but I couldn't help myself. His gaze was intense but his casual, welcoming posture put me off guard.

He paused for a minute before replying, "It is true that academic essays at university are a step above what you will have done at school, even sixth form or college." He tapped on his keyboard and looked at the screen, from what he said next I could tell he was looking at my results.

"It seems you are doing quite well in the knowledge criteria and evaluating the evidence you bring up; those would be the issues that it would be most appropriate to visit me for. For issues of academic style and sophistication it might be better for you to approach the Academic Skills Service the university provides. It is student run and they conduct sessions that will help you improve." He turned to me with a smile of an easy job completed but the smile soon faded slightly as he looked at me. I sensed that my face was portraying more than I meant as I could see the hesitation in his eyes. The hesitation of someone who knows they haven't solved your problem.

He bit his lip considering it and slowly nodded. "So, you just need a little help right now and don't want to create any stressful issues for yourself."

I felt tears at the corners of my eyes as I gazed up into the kind and considerate face that sat across from me, leaning forward as though the small physical distance had translated into understanding. I brushed the forming tears from my eyes.

"Yes. Yes, that is exactly what I need. I can go to the Skills department afterwards if I still need help and I won't bother you anymore I'm just really worried about the timed exams coming up. I want to improve before then!"

He stood up with kindly raised eyebrows. "You're a smart young lady, I hope you are aware of that. Knowledge of your own flaws and the desire to better yourself." Looking at me he smiled. "How could any self-respecting personal tutor, any self-respecting academic, turn someone like that away?"

He started rummaging around in the papers that were piled on his half of the long desk at the side of the room. With a little "aha" sound he returned and placed a sheet of paper in front of me. I took it and examined it.

"They're sources, from one of the later seminars I'm running. You would have been asked to read some of them in preparation for the session's discussion but I'm going to ask you to read every single one of them. When you return next week, you can work in my office or the side room-" He gestured first to where the long desk continued onto my side of the room and then to the corner of his room where a desk sat, almost entirely enclosed by a freestanding, shoulder-high fabric privacy screen, "-and complete an essay under timed conditions. From that I will go through it with you and give you feedback."

"Work in here?" I asked surprised, expecting I would be working at home and bringing in any kinds of essays that I would get feedback from.

"Yes, I prefer to discuss things in person and I have a time slot available where I can do my own research while you work and then give you feedback on Fridays, 3-5. That should work for your lecture schedule shouldn't it?"

"Um...yeah." I unconsciously pulled at my blouse as I thought about working inside his office, weekly. Working in the warm arts building under his watchful gaze. I felt my temperature curiously rise at the thought.

"And I would suggest you dress a little more comfortably than you are now. I appreciate the formal attire you wore to both this session and our last meeting, you look very professional, but with the heat of this spring I think you'll find a great benefit in lighter more comfortable clothes to work in. I know it can be hard to judge formality for lecturers but I like to think of myself as a little bit more casual than some of the old academics here."

His cheeky but friendly demeanor and the casual compliments I had just received had thrown me completely off my game, which I believe, combined with the heat, is the only explanation as to why I would have ever said what I said next.

"Please with this weather I'd need a bikini to be comfortable in here."

Both our eyes rose with shock at what I had said and I clamped a hand over my mouth in a not-so-subtle display of completely, totally regretting what I had spoken.

Laughter filled the room. He burst into a booming laugh and threw his head back and I for my part fell into a fit of giggles.

"I am so...so sorry. I didn't mean..." I struggled to say through laughter.

"Not at all, that was a good laugh. You've had a stressful and hot day, we'll put it down to that." He supposed as an explanation and continued to laugh. "I mean I would advise wearing something over the top of it for the journey here but..." he stopped himself, knowing when to hold back on a joke. "Perhaps shorts and t-shirt or a light dress would be a better choice right off the bat."

"That's...that's probably wise. I'm sorry." I blushed ferociously.

I was strangely turned on at the thought of wearing a bikini for the professor....