The Journey Ch. 04

*** It's time for the 2020 Reader's Choice Awards friends! This year I'm nominated in four categories, Most Genre/Literary Transcending (for Wheels In Motion), Best Erotic Horror (for The Hunt), Best Lesbian Story (for 'Twas The Night Before - Chapter 2) and Best Review a pair of bell-bottom jeans hugged her hips, flaring out below her knees with enough fabric to make a spare denim jacket. She had on a yellow and green tie-dyed t-shirt, covered with a leather vest which had a fringe of beaded tassels hanging off the bottom. Her hair was caught up over her head in one of her ever-present colorful head wraps, this one tied-dyed and matching her t-shirt. She'd recently shaved the sides and back even closer than I'd seen them before, and her ringlets formed an attractive tawny pile above her head. Her bell-bottoms must have been hiding heels or platforms, as I was usually a few inches taller than her, but tonight her eyes were a level with mine.
"What are you doing here?" I asked dumbly.
"Seventies Night, what else? How have you been?"
"Can I get you something?" I heard the bartender behind me.
"I'll have what she's having," she said past my shoulder. "I'm really happy I ran into you!"
"Um, yeah. Are you, uh, are you here with someone?"
"I came with some of my friends. They're dancing over there." She waved towards the mass of bodies on the dance floor. "I got thirsty, only to find you here at the bar. Surprise!"
This Dr... Jane... wasn't anything like my teacher from class. And not very much like the Jane I'd ridden home with all those times. Her personality seemed... bigger. More boisterous. She was clearly having a blast, shimmying her body to the music as she stood in front of me.
"So, are you out by yourself? With anyone?" she asked me.
"No, flying solo."
The bartender came back with another margarita and set it next to mine. Jane picked it up and took a sip.
"So, uh, I didn't know you were... I mean, uh, what I mean is, are you, uh... you're..."
"Am I gay?"
"Yeah, sorry. This is like the last place I would have expected to run into you."
"Wow, your gaydar must be seriously broken."
I flushed, "Well, I..."
"I'm teasing. Yes, I'm gay. I know I keep things pretty close to the vest in class. It's kind of important to keep a little distance between my personal life and my students. Things can get awkward fast if you let your interactions become less than professional."
"I see. So, how's your job at Howard going? Better than NOVA?"
"Well, I'm a smaller fish in a bigger pond there. It's where I did my undergrad, so it's kind of like coming home, but also really weird being a professor at a place where I started as an eighteen-year-old student. I'm really happy though. How was your spring semester? You should have gotten your grades this week, right?"
"I got a 3.79. Taking a full load now too."
"Nice! I'm proud of you!" She held up her hand and I tentatively slapped it.
"I should thank you for giving me that A in your class."
"I didn't give you anything, Viv, you earned it. That was a fantastic final paper, I was really impressed."
"Well... Thank you anyway."
"Enough about school, want to dance?"
This is the most whack thing that's ever happened to me. My professor is asking me to dance? I thought.
"Sure. Let's finish these first. I don't ever leave a drink alone when I'm out."
"Good idea. I like to think the chance of being roofied in a bar with only women is at least a teensy bit smaller, but you never know, right?" We finished our drinks, then I tried (and failed) to not look at her ass as she led me to the dance floor. She was curvy in all the right places. She had a wagon, as the guys at work would say when they didn't think I was listening, and her wagon was working her bell-bottoms overtime.
That is a nice badonk-a-donk, I thought, then checked myself. Cut it out, Esparza, she's just being friendly. There's not a chance in hell your professor is picking up on you. She was so far out of my league, I couldn't see the fence around her field from where I was.
We got to the floor just as Diana Ross' I'm Coming Out started and I found that while seventies music wasn't normally my jam, it was still really good for dancing.
I also found myself shocked at how good a dancer Jane was. As soon as the horns kicked in I started moving. She hesitated for maybe half a second watching me, then started mirroring my moves like we'd practiced together. We were in sync through the whole izmit escort song, and didn't stop when Let's Groove followed.
After five or six songs I still couldn't believe how well she was hanging with me. The last beat faded away and the DJ decided to slow things down, as the organ tones of Just The Two Of Us started playing.
I slowed down, breathing heavily, and nodded my head back towards the bar. "Want to get another drink or...?"
"Or, we could keep dancing?" She stepped a little closer to me and held out her hands. "I'll let you lead."
I can't believe this is happening, I thought, as my hands found her waist. She wrapped her arms around my neck.
"Of all the things that I thought might happen tonight, slow dancing with my professor isn't one of them," I said looking into her eyes. She had closed the gap between us so our bodies were pressed together.
"Can I make a confession to you?"
"Sure, I guess."
"I've been attracted to a student or two before, but I've never let myself act on it, and--"
"You're attracted to me?!"
"Do you think I call every student who drops my class to try to convince them to come back? Or any student, for that matter? Besides, I love a soft butch."
"Soft?" I said with a nervous chuckle.
"Just soft enough for me," she said with a wink, "But like I said, I never act on it. I thought it would just be a passing crush that I'd get over. But the more you and I talked, the more I liked you. I like the way your mind works. But I was your teacher. So... I couldn't do anything."
"I see." I have to find something more original to say.
"But, I haven't taught at NOVA for an entire semester. I'm in no position of authority over you anymore."
"I... wait, is that why you didn't want to mentor me?"
"That was one of the reasons. I told you I'm teaching two classes and writing a book, right?"
"If you want to call that busy."
Her laugh was musical.
"Some might. Not me, though. So, having gotten all that out in the open... are you enjoying our dance?"
"I am, actually."
"Me too."
"So, if you were interested in me..."
"I was really tempted to call you after the semester, but it felt unethical to use your contact info that I had access to from being your professor, so I just decided to fondly remember our rides after class together. I never thought I'd see you again. But then I spotted you by the bar and thought 'thank you, fate, for giving me a chance'."
"I have to admit, I missed riding home with you this semester. Partly because it takes me forty-five minutes longer, but also for the company."
She shook with laughter. "Are you always this honest?"
"I think the kids call it being blunt."
She giggled again, and pulled me closer so she could lean her cheek against mine as Lovely Day started playing.
"So, you're a big disco fan, huh?" I said in her ear.

"Seventies R