Love beyond the book

Days had passed, and Alex had settled into her new routine in the science class. She enjoyed the subjects immensely and excelled, just as Mr. Max had predicted. Her family couldn't have been prouder, constantly impressed by her achievements.

As time went on, Alex and Mr. Max grew closer. He had started tutoring her during his free hours, and Alex found herself spending more and more time in his office. Whether it was for a lesson or simply to chat, she would often leave her classroom to visit him. Their conversations were lighthearted and filled with laughter, but they occasionally led to Alex missing her regular classes—a fact she didn't seem to mind.

One afternoon, during a general class, Alex was in Mr. Max's office. They were laughing and talking, completely unaware of the time. She had forgotten about her economics class with Mr. Henry, who was known for his strictness and aversion to being corrected.

Meanwhile, in the classroom, Linda and the other students noticed Alex's absence. Linda, who had observed Alex frequently visiting Mr. Max's office, decided to check on her.

"Excuse me, sir," Linda said, standing up. "May I use the restroom?"

"Be quick about it," Mr. Henry replied curtly.

Linda nodded and hurried out, walking briskly toward Mr. Max's office. When she arrived, she saw Alex and Mr. Max chatting and laughing together. At first, she didn't think much of it.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Max," Linda greeted politely.

"Afternoon. How are you?" Mr. Max replied.

"I'm fine, sir," Linda said.

"What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Nothing, sir. I'm here for Alex. Mr. Henry is in class, and he's teaching us right now. I came to get her," Linda explained.

"Oh," Mr. Max said, turning to Alex. "You didn't tell me you had a class."

"Damn, I totally forgot," Alex said, standing up quickly. She followed Linda out of the office.

Linda waited a few moments before entering the classroom, careful not to arouse Mr. Henry's suspicions. Alex walked in first, feeling the weight of her classmates' curious stares.

"Alex, where have you been, and why are you just entering my class now?" Mr. Henry asked, his tone sharp.

"I… I was in the restroom," Alex stammered, her voice shaky. "I didn't realize class had started. I'm sorry."

"You were in the restroom for that long?" Mr. Henry asked, his skepticism evident.

"I'm really sorry, sir," Alex repeated, avoiding his gaze.

"Fine, take your seat," he said gruffly.

"Thank you, sir," Alex said, quickly sitting down.

A few moments later, Linda entered the classroom and sat beside Alex.

"Why did you take so long to come in?" Alex whispered.

"I had to wait," Linda replied. "I told Mr. Henry I was going to the restroom. If we entered at the same time, he would've figured out I went to get you."

"Oh, I see," Alex said with a small laugh. "So I ended up lying."

"Of course. I didn't want you to miss the class," Linda said.

"Aww, thank you," Alex replied, smiling.

Their brief conversation caught Mr. Henry's attention. He turned to them, his expression stern.

"Alex! Linda! Why are you two talking in my class? What's so important that it can't wait?" he asked, his tone both angry and sarcastic.

"Nothing, sir," they replied in unison.

"Really?" Mr. Henry said, his eyes narrowing. "Alex, you were already late to my class, and now you're talking? You should be focused!"

"I'm really sorry, sir," Alex said, her head low.

"Get up and come sit at the front where I can see you," he commanded.

"Yes, sir," Alex said, standing up and walking to the front. She glanced at Linda as she passed, and Linda gave her an apologetic look.

"Sit here," Mr. Henry said, pointing to a seat.

Alex sat down, and the class continued without further interruptions.

When the class ended, Alex immediately stood up, ready to head to Mr. Max's office again. Linda stopped her.

"Where are you going this time? Don't tell me it's to Mr. Max's office again," Linda said, crossing her arms.

Alex laughed. "Yes, it is."

"Why? You've been spending almost all your free time there. You don't even hang out with me like before. What's going on?" Linda asked, her tone serious.

"Nothing," Alex replied. "I just enjoy going there. He's tutoring me, that's all."

"You're sure that's all it is?" Linda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course! That's all it is," Alex said defensively.

"Okay, then," Linda said reluctantly.

"Can I go now?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, sure," Linda said, returning to her seat.

Alex walked eagerly to Mr. Max's office. When she arrived, she found him marking students' classwork.

"Can I help?" she asked.

"Sure, you can," he said with a smile.

"Okay," Alex replied, her face lighting up.

"But are you done with your classes?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," she said confidently.

"Good. I don't want you coming here if it affects your other classes or schoolwork, okay?" he said, his tone gentle but firm.

"It won't. I just forgot about Mr. Henry's class earlier," Alex admitted.

"Hmm, alright," Mr. Max said. "Help mark these. The correct answers are here, and you can use them to grade the work."

"Okay," she replied happily.

As Alex worked, Mr. Max found himself watching her. Each time she looked up, he quickly turned his gaze back to his papers. Alex noticed but said nothing, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I'm done," Alex said after a while.

"Good. Please distribute these to the students," he instructed.

"Okay," she said, standing up to take the papers to the other class.

Mr. Max watched her walk away, a smile forming on his face. His feelings for her were growing stronger, though he wasn't ready to name them yet, dismissing them as something harmless.

Meanwhile, as Alex handed out the students' papers, she couldn't stop thinking about the way Mr. Max had been looking at her. Her heart raced at the thought, and she knew this was just the beginning of a new chapter in her life.

This was the start of something more—a love story waiting to unfold.