Meet the tutor

The next afternoon, I make my way across campus to the tutoring center.

Doug had given me the location the night before and told me there was a tutor there who could probably help me with the class.

I walk inside and look around.

There are a few students scattered around the room, most of them working quietly. I check the schedule posted near the front desk and find the subject I’m looking for.

Then I hear someone speak.

“Are you here for tutoring?”

I turn around.

She’s around my age, maybe a year younger or older, with a stack of papers tucked against her side and a laptop under her arm. She has long dark hair and a confident, easygoing presence. She’s wearing a fitted sweater and jeans, and she’s clearly in great shape. She’s got an athletic, curvy figure that catches my attention immediately.

“Yeah. For this class.”

She smiles.

“I’m Lauren.”

“Ethan.”

“Nice to meet you.”

She points toward an empty table.

“Have a seat.”

I sit down and pull out my notebook.

“So, what are you struggling with?”

I hand her my latest exam.

“This.”

She looks over it for a few seconds.

“Okay. I think I see what’s going on.”

I lean forward.

“That’s good, because I don’t.”

She laughs softly.

“Your answers aren’t terrible. You’re just making some of these problems harder than they actually are.”

“That’s probably my problem.”

She starts walking me through the questions one by one, explaining where I’m going wrong and showing me a different way to approach them.

And surprisingly, it starts making sense.

After about an hour, I look back over the material.

“Okay… I actually get it now.”

“Good.”

She closes her notebook.

“You’re not as far behind as you think you are.”

I let out a breath.

“That might be the best thing anyone’s told me all week.”

She smiles.

“Come back tomorrow. We can work through some more problems.”

“Yeah. Definitely.”

I pack up my things.

“Thanks, Lauren.”

“No problem.”

I walk out of the tutoring center feeling a lot better than I did when I walked in.

I came here because I was worried I was going to fail the class.

But as I walk back across campus, I keep thinking about Lauren.

Not the material we went over.

Her.

And that bothers me.

Sarah and I have been together for a long time. I’ve never cheated on her, and until now, I’ve never really had a reason to question where my boundaries are.

But finding someone attractive isn’t something I can completely control.

What I can control is what I do about it.

I shake the thought off and keep walking.

Still, when I think about going back tomorrow, I know I’m looking forward to more than just passing the class.

And that little realization leaves me feeling guilty for the first time.