The sun barely rises over the horizon, and here I am waiting for my teacher. As promised, near the orchid tree back of the school.

As I glanced through the empty classrooms from the window, surely it's not my class, but it's my school, and my class does not look much different.

It's just on the fourth floor.

The academic year is going to end soon, and maybe I will be in the class this year too.

I will fail.

Running errands, taking care of my sick mother because we can't afford hospital, cooking meals, cleaning, dusting, and then working 3 years in the café as a part-time job, so I could afford to buy my books and other stationery plus some necessities for the home and mom too.

I could only thank my dad for paying school fees.

He's doing his best, but 80% of his salary is going on his mother's medication plus her strict diet.

He loves her to death. Sometimes I have seen him holding her hand whole and singing her angle's lullaby, even though she's already asleep.

I would only be highly ashamed and fail as a daughter if I failed this semester. It's nearly impossible for me to focus on my studies while coping with my situation too.

My dad had sold his blood to pay my school fee. If I fail, my eyes start to blur with tears, but I don't let this flow. because I didn't want Mr. Caspian to know about my situation or me.

He offered me to pass this semester by tutoring extra classes without any fees; that's so kind of me. I can only thank him and God for this.

"Moon," breaking me out of my thoughts, a very masculine voice called my name in a very soft manner. I know it's from Mr. Caspian.

I looked at him, dressed in a very beautiful green sweater on a white shirt. He was looking fine in his early thirties. I adjusted my skirt, and he too sat on the fresh green grass.

"Good morning, Mr. Caspian," I greeted him politely as I smiled at him. He smiled at me, too.

The wind is rushing slowly, and the weather's becoming cloudy. perfect and beautiful weather for studying.

"Shall we start?" he asked in such a soft manner, like he's dealing with a soft petal of a flower, not a student.

"Yes, sir," I stated as he opened the book for mathematics and started to teach me algebra.

Nearly an hour went by like this, with him teaching me different equations.

My legs started to hurt a little with my sitting position as I tried to change my position.

And my skirt rose a little from knee to thighs as I tried to fix it by changing my sitting position.

I looked at Mr. Caspian; his eyes were on my thighs, looking very intensely and wildly. Making my heart beat twice, I never saw him see anything like this.

He was a kind teacher, and even the bad boys at our school do love him. He is so sweet and caring.

"It's hard; I can't solve it," I muttered in frustration.

It's felt nearly impossible to study and understand the concepts that were meant to be learned in one year.

I am doing my best, but still. I breathed heavily and sighed a long huff, making my breasts rise.

"What happened, dear?" he asked in concern and a cool manner as he took the notebook and examined it.

"You're repeating the same mistake again. See, do like this. Now multiply it by the denominator, and it's done."

"Thank you, Mr. Caspian."

I tried to focus on the equations again; they are getting harder and harder. My mind was wondering about my mother and home.

It's really getting hard to concentrate on all of this.

My father must be working hard now. and here I can't solve a simple equation. I know I'll fail this year.

A cold thump came caressing my wet cheeks, until that didn't know that tears were streaming from my eyes to my cheeks, making their way to the valley of my throat.

Now it doesn't matter for me that he's seeing me cry anymore or that he's going to judge me.

Because I have been holding this for a while, and it feels nearly impossible to hold it back. My mother must be awake by now; I should be there to brush her teeth and clean her.

I cooked the meal, so she didn't have to wait for breakfast when I arrived home from classes. I will preheat the food and feed her.

I always used to do the chores and feed her before coming to school, or if it wasn't me, then dad would do that. Most of the time, I have to skip school when her health becomes worse.

But today's dad went for extra hours of work; that's why it's my duty to take care of her. I told her I would be home after the classes before 8.

I don't want her to feel like she's a burden to us. She's so special for us. I don't what's time now, i time was when i arrive here was approximately about 5 am.

"Moon, what happened?" he again asked, holding my hand in his hands and now pressing my cheeks together with both hands. I looked at him with doe eyes full of tears.

"Umm..wh..what's the time now?" Oh, oh, I wish I could afford to have a wrist watch someday.

"It's 6:30 now; why? what happened?" He glanced at his classic golden wrist watch.

"No... nothing, just mom said to come back home before 8," I said, putting my head down in embarrassment and cleaning my tears with my sleeves.

"Oh, still, there's more than an hour left for that." He's right; it took me half an hour to reach my home.

"Moon, look at me." He shifted his seat a little closer to me. as I looked at him with a look that I was okay, but actually I am not.

He shifted his seat a little closer to me. Strong winds started to blow up, making my open hair scatter on my face. I left them because they were wet. I should tie them up now.

I tried to remove the hair from my face. when suddenly a hand came on my face, removing the hair and tucking it behind my ear.

It was Mr. Caspian. who was slowly removing the hair from my face as blush crept on my face from embarrassment and something tingling felt inside my stomach—something weird.

"Um, I should tie it," I said, taking the rubber band in my hand.

"Don't!" he suddenly responded in rage.

"Um?" Confusion struck my face. Why doesn't he want me to tie my hair?

"I mean, open hair looks good on you; that's why you shouldn't tie it." I like them," he said in a very cool tone. I looked confused.

My hair has nothing special; it is a dark black colour with waist length. I put my fingers between my hair and brushed it softly.

"My hair?",

I was slowly brushing my hair when I felt a hand on my head and then inside my hair.

Mr. Caspian slowly brushed my hair with his long fingers.

"Yes, your hair," he said softly as his hands travelled from my hair slowly towards my neck, cupping them for a second, then onto my shoulders.

My breath hitched, and my face became red like tomatoes as he slowly drew his hands back to him.

I looked at him as he was looking at my neck. then in my eyes.

I kind of felt exposed in front of him, even though I was not.

I started to focus on the equations again.

"Moon, tell me, why were you crying?" He asked in concern as he stopped her from touching the notebook.

"It was nothing, Ju. I was just worried about exams." I tried to speak in a trembling voice as tears started to build again in the corners of my eyes.

"Moon, come here," his thump again on my cheek, caressing it softly on my cheek.

"Um... what?" I asked as my heart rate increased from his touch.

"Come here, on my side. "Here," he told me to come to his side as he patted the seat that was inches apart from him.

I hesitated before standing up and moving into the space. and slowly fixing the hem of my skirt, I sat down.

"Now tell me what has happened." He took my wrist in his hands, slowly pulled me towards him, and shifted his seat even closer to me.

"Nothing has happened." The scent of him, which was mild and a bit distant, has become stronger now.

He took a strand of my hair in his hand and tucked it behind my hair again before speaking.

"If you will not tell me what has happened, how am I going to understand it and help you, and if you keep crying like that and there will be stress and tension, you won't be able to focus on studies?" he stated again.

"I know," I said to him, feeling so hot being this close to a man.

"You have been skipping classes a lot, not eating your lunch, and your focus on your studies is zero; you were not like this. I have known you for two years.

Tell me what has happened, moon; is everything okay?" He asked with a worry in his voice for me. I don't understand why he's being so kind to me; no one ever did.

He is right; I was a very bright student when my mom's health used to be fine. But now everything's different.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to continue my studies after high school.

"Nothing is okay." I broke down completely in front of him now. Sobs and hiccups started to escape from my mouth.

He puts his arms softly around my waist and then puts me on his chest. rubbing my back up and down and then patting it, soothing me.

To be honest, it felt so good to be cared for and held like that. It's been a while since someone did.

Slowly, I looked at him and blurted out everything that I had inside myself—all the pain, all the suffering, and literally every situation I had been struggling with. A burst of tears threatens to come out of my eyes.

"And...And I know I will fail this semester," I told him, hiccupping and sobbing.

His hands went back again on my back, rubbing, and then he offered me to drink water from my bottle. "You won't," he stated coldly.

"what?",

"You won't fail this semester; you won't until I am here for you."

"how? You know I haven't even studied 10% of the syllabus."

"I will make sure you pass the semester, Moon. You know that, right? Am I in charge of the grading department? and, of course, the headmaster of this school?

I will bend the rules for you, even if you are failing.

I will increase your grade, but yeah, that doesn't mean you will stop studying. You will do your best and keep taking classes from me," I said, all in a promising manner. I was awestruck, but no kind of relief washed over me.

"What, but why?"

"Because I don't want you to fail, Moon," his hand was now snaked around my waist. I look at him with utter confusion at why this man wants me to pass the semester when he owns me nothing.

"Why are you being so kind to me? without asking for anything? No one ever did that," I asked, feeling overwhelmed by his kindness. and timid by his actions as his hands are snaked along the sides of my stomach, pulling me closer to him.

"I never said I'm asking nothing as a favour from ou." His eyes became intense again, like a wildfire was burning from them.

I was literally shaking from his strong gaze. I was feeling very small and timid in his big arms, so close to him that our chests were barely inches apart.

"Wh..what do you want? What can I give you?" Each passing second was like a feeling to me; this is not the tuition I was kind of expecting.

"Many things, moon, but for now, I want a specific one thing from you, and you won't deny it." His hand went inside, and the side of the place between my cheek and neck was slowly rubbing and caressing it.

That was sending chills and shivers straight to my spine.

For a minute or two, neither of them spoke anything, and he kept rubbing and massaging the sides of his neck and cheek.

clouds started to make sounds so horribly, and slowly it started to downpour through; it was barely noticeable and was very light with some drops.

Some drops settled on my nose, some on my neck, and some went directly inside the valleys of my bosoms through my upper chest inside my thin w

hite blouse, creating more shivers.

The weather was getting very cold, but I was getting more and more hot from his sensual touches and rubs on my neck and waist.

***

see you in the next part.