Two

Even after a few days, Miranda already found herself in a new routine. She would go to work, complete her morning daily tasks. Eat with Sharon and a few of the other people in the office. Complete her afternoon tasks, and then go home.

Today was a bit different though. Today was going to be the first ‘tutoring’ session. Sharon normally got the bus to and from work, so she got in Miranda’s car to give her directions. They both waved to Kevin as they exited the car park.

“Kevin is such a nice man, shame he doesn’t work in the actual building!” Sharon commented.

Miranda laughed. “I agree, you were the second nice person I met on my first day. Kevin was the first.”

“Didn’t like our receptionist then?” Sharon chuckled.

Miranda shot a sideways glance. “Pfft! She is one of the rudest people I have ever met!”

“Yeah, she’s a cow to everyone. Bitches about everyone too, especially about what they wear.”

“I noticed she’s worn some very fancy clothes. All branded.”

Sharon nodded. “Yeah. Don’t think that comes from her wage. There are rumours she’s fucking the CEO. So maybe he buys them for her.”

Miranda had a guilty love for office gossip.

“What’s the CEO like?”

“Old. Fat. And balding.”

They both started laughing, Miranda was glad she had said yes to this.

Sharon turned to Miranda. “What about you? I know you live alone but are you dating?”

Miranda rolled her eyes. “Trying to. I’m on dating apps, but they are mostly idiots who think I will enjoy a photo of their genitals.”

“Ah yes. The perils of modern dating. I don’t think I’ll bother, at least not for a long time.”

“Are you and Josh’s dad not together anymore?”

Sharon went quiet, and Miranda hoped she hadn’t offended her new friend. “He died three years ago. Cancer. We knew it was coming, but it was still hard.”

Miranda’s heart panged. “Oh, Sharon. I am so sorry.”

“Oh, it’s alright love. We had 25 years of happiness. That’s a lot more than some people get.” Miranda gave her a small smile.

It wasn’t long after when Sharon pointed out a house on the left. “Here we are, number 34. Just park in front of the drive.”

As they went inside, Miranda couldn’t help but be impressed by Sharon’s home. She clearly had impeccable taste when it came to decorating. The hallway was a combination of soft hues of blue, and there were fresh flowers in an ornate vase that sat on a charming side table.

“Just through here, Josh will be down in a sec. I’ll get us some coffee” She pointed to a doorway that led to the living room. It was just as lovely as the hallway, with a huge L-shaped sofa that was adorned with plush cushions.

Just as she was about to sit, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, she turned to the doorway. Oh fuck. Her eyes widened as she took in the boy, no. Man. That stood before her. He was over six foot. His tight black t-shirt allowed her to see just how toned his arms and chest were. He had dirty blonde hair that was pushed back from his face. Sparkling blue eyes were staring back at her. He was 100% fuckable.

Suddenly, he broke the silence. “Hey, I’m Josh.”

Miranda was melting at his voice. Fucking hell she couldn’t wait to hear him say her name. Trying to regain some of her composure, she hurriedly replied. “I’m Miranda.”

He smiled at her a little awkwardly. God, why did he have to be so attractive?

Sharon appeared behind Josh. “Ah, I see you’ve met! I’ve bought some coffee.”

Miranda needed to pull herself together, and she was starting to feel very self-conscious about the way she looked.

“Sharon, do you mind if I use your loo?”

“No problem love, it’s upstairs. First door on your right.”

Miranda reached the bathroom. She closed the door and pressed her back against it, attempting to regulate her breathing.

She could not under any circumstances fancy her new friend’s son. She was also probably at least nine years older than him. This was completely inappropriate.

She went over to the mirror and checked her reflection. Fuck. Her makeup had not lasted well. She could have screamed with joy that she’d bought her bag up with her so she could touch it up. She hurriedly rubbed under her eyes where the mascara had smudged and covered up the area with concealer. A little blush and concealer went on next.

She looked at what she was wearing. Why on earth had she decided to wear the frumpiest dress in her wardrobe today. She had to remind herself this was not a date, and she needed to stop acting like it was one. Giving herself a shake, she walked out the door.

She almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Josh leaning against the bannister with two cups in his hand.

“Mum’s going to start cooking. She suggested we get on with it.”

Get on with what? I know what I’d like to get on with. Miranda thought. “Sure” Miranda tried to smile as normally as possible.

“If it’s alright, all my stuff is laid out in my room. Mum’s a bit funny about mess.”

Miranda nodded, not trusting herself to speak without it coming out high pitched.

Josh’s room was similar to a lot of teenage boy’s bedrooms. Dark colours and a tower of beer cans in the window. There was a couple of film posters on his wall, but it was the music posters that interested Miranda. She hadn’t expected him to like rock music. He caught her looking.

“Mum tells me it’s all noise.”

Without thinking, she replied, “well you have good taste in noise then.”

He smiled at her curiously and she took a moment to enjoy his gaze.

“So…er…tell me what your topic is at the moment.”

They sat down at the desk. Miranda attempted to not be affected by their close proximity. He even smelt good.

“The Tudors at the moment. We finished War of the Roses and Henry 7^th. We’re on Henry 8^th currently, and the breakdown of his first marriage.”

Of course. It had to be about one of the most sex-filled parts of British History. Pushing that out of her brain Miranda asked, “So are they asking you to write about why his marriage broke down with Catherine of Aragon?”

“Yeah pretty much.”

“Okay so, what do you think?”

“Well, Catherine hadn’t given him a male heir.”

“Yes, that is the main part to it, but what about Anne Boleyn? Why wasn’t she just another mistress?”

“She refused to shag him unless they got married?” A wry smile appeared on his lips. Just hearing him say the word shag had made Miranda feel hot.

She stifled a laugh. “Try and put it a bit more eloquently than that, but yeah. She wouldn’t let him touch her until she was sure they were going to be married.”

They talked through more of the reasons, and Josh began to make some notes. Miranda particularly enjoyed these moments because she could stare at him without him seeing. A stray hair fell in his face, and Miranda had to bite her lip to stop herself from reaching out and tucking it behind his ear.

All too soon, Sharon was calling from the bottom of the stairs to tell them that dinner was ready. Miranda reluctantly got out of her seat. She would have rather stayed in Josh’s bedroom all night.

Sharon had already laid out the plates. A huge dish filled with shepherd’s pie was sitting in the middle of the table.  There were also steamed green beans and carrots. Miranda was actually really looking forward to eating some vegetables. She lived off mostly junk. 

“Help yourselves.”

Miranda wasn’t sure if she was actually hungry, she was still feeling overwhelmed in Josh’s company.

Not wanting to be rude, she spooned on a helping and began to eat. Despite her lack of appetite, Miranda had to admit that Sharon was a good cook.

“So, how did you two get on up there?”

“Good. Miranda’s a great teacher.”

Fucking hell he’d finally said her name. It sounded amazing. She reckoned it would sound even better if he whispered it in her ear. She realised that while getting caught up in her fantasy, she’d not actually replied.

“Er well, to be honest, I think Josh knows more than he thinks he does. All his ideas are right.”

Sharon grinned. “Sounds like it was a success then.”

Not really knowing what else to say, Miranda smiled and continued eating. She sensed that Josh was watching her from across the table, but she didn't dare look. She was probably only imagining it anyway.

After they had finished, Miranda got up to leave.

“The food was great Sharon, really. Best meal I’ve had in a while.”

“Least I could do.”

Josh stepped forward and looked into Miranda’s eyes. “Thanks for your help.” He shot her an easy smile.

Miranda buckled a little. How did he manage to disarm her so easily? “No problem at all.” 

When she got back in her car, she took a moment to rest her forehead against the steering wheel. This was a problem. A big problem. She without a doubt wanted to fuck Josh’s brains out.