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"So, sweetheart, are you excited for your first day of school?" Freddie asked his daughter as he glanced at her in the rear view mirror.
"Yeah!" Morgan nodded her head and grinned from ear to ear. "I heard Mr. May is really nice!"
"Oh really? That's great!" Freddie smiled. "We'll get to meet him very soon."
Freddie and Morgan were on their way to her school to do just that. The school was hosting a meet and greet for all of the parents, teachers, and future students. It always warmed Freddie's heart to see his daughter so excited for another school year. He supposed it was because she could see all of her friends again, or perhaps she just really liked to learn. What ever the case was, it was an attitude that he hoped Morgan would keep.
--
Brian finished setting up his classroom and sighed in relief. He'd spent the last couple of hours putting together little goodie bags for all of his new students, tacking up posters onto the wall, and organizing his desk so that it was just the way he liked it.
Brian loved teaching. He'd started out as a substitute teacher a few years ago, and that was what made him realize that this was what he truly wanted to do for a living. He loved seeing so many bright young minds asking and answering questions, always eager to learn more. And even though he taught younger kids, he also liked to think he had a part in helping them realize their potential and helping them grow, not only as academics, but also as people.
Other than teaching, though, Brian... Didn't really have much else going on. He did, however, spend most of the summer break working on his guitar skills. It turned out that he was actually quite good at it. You could say that we was the type that was "married to his work", although he didn't really like the sound of that. He'd thought about putting himself out there in the dating scene, but would he have time for that once school started? He honestly wasn't sure...
Soon, the clock on the back wall of the classroom read 5:00pm, and he heard the sounds of children and adults talking to one another echoing throughout the hallway. Brian propped open the door to his classroom and waited for everyone to come in. He adjusted his tie, used a small amount of breath spray, and took a sip of water.
A woman and her son came walking in, and Brian greeted them with a smile, doing the same thing for the next few pairs of parents and kids. Everyone made small talk amongst themselves for a few minutes; most of the kids had opened their goodie bags already and were happily playing with the little toys and sticking the stickers onto whatever they could find (which would unfortunately be their parents). There was still one empty seat left...
"We'll be starting in just a couple of minutes, everyone." Brian announced as he glanced at the clock.
A series of small hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway.
"Morgan, honey, slow down!" A voice called after them.
Suddenly, a little girl with dark brown (almost black) hair and tan skin stopped in the doorway, looked around for a moment, and then sat in the empty desk in the front row. A man who she resembled then took his place in the chair next to her.
"Hi! My name is Morgan!" the girl introduced herself.
"And I'm her father. Call me Freddie," the man said.
Brian couldn't help but chuckle, "Well, glad to see you've both made it. Welcome!" he said with a smile.
Brian noticed the way Freddie gave him a once-over before shifting his attention back to Morgan. He was certainly attractive, but he couldn't let that distract him right now.
"Alright everyone," Brian announced as he made his way to the door and closed it, "Thank you so much for being patient. I hope you all are excited for another great school year!"
The kids cheered, which made Brian smile.
"Can I ask a question?" Morgan asked eagerly, raising her hand.
"Not yet," Brian told her in a gentle voice, "I'll answer any questions anyone may have at the end. I'll try to keep my presentation short."
Morgan nodded. "Okay!"
Brian clasped his hands together and addressed the entire room again, "Well then, let's get started, shall we?"
--
For the next fifteen minutes, Brian spent his time giving a general rundown of what his students would be learning for the school year and what materials they would need. He answered a few questions the parents had afterward as promised, and everyone was released to roam the rest of the school and meet the other teachers.
After the presentation, Morgan ran up to Brian with a big smile on her face. "I'm really excited to be in your class!"
Brian chuckled, "That's a good attitude to have, young lady," he looked over at Freddie, "I see your dad has taught you well."
Freddie smiled at him and watched them interact.
"Oh!" Morgan clapped her hands together as she remembered her question, "Can I bring my unicorn backpack to school? And my unicorn pencils? And my unicorn folders?"
Brian nodded, "Of course you can!"
Morgan giggled, "Yay! Thank you!" She ran back to her dad to tell him the good news.
"That's wonderful, sweetie," Freddie stood up from his chair and held out his hand to her, "Let's go see the rest of the school, yeah?"
"Okay," Morgan held Freddie's hand and made her way towards the door, and Freddie followed behind.
Brian watched them leave. 'Go talk to him. You'll miss your chance!', his thoughts screamed at him. Was Freddie even single? He didn't recall seeing a ring on his finger... But the longer he sat here and contemplated the man's relationship status, the more time he wasted.
He poked his head out of the door, and he saw Freddie waiting outside of the bathrooms a few doors down, his arms crossed and looking around as he leaned against the wall.
Freddie coincidentally spotted him and grinned. "Looking for someone?"
"Actually..." Brian adjusted his tie again and made his way over to him, "I wanted to ask you something."
Freddie pushed himself off the wall, curious. "Oh?" he lowered his voice, "Coming to ask me out?"
Brian hesitated for a second in surprise, but he nodded, "Y-Yes, I... I was wondering if you were doing anything this weekend..."
Freddie chuckled, "I may be... But for you..." he reached into Morgan's goodie bag and took out a mini pen and notepad and wrote something down. He tore out the page and handed it to Brian, "Just give me a call~"
Brian took the small sheet of paper from him and nodded, a sheepish grin spreading across his face, "I will."
Morgan came around the corner and looked up at her dad. "All done!"
Freddie turned around, "Ready to go?"
Morgan nodded and took her dad's hand again, and they started to walk again. "Bye, Mr. May!" she said over her shoulder. Freddie winked at him.
"Goodbye!" Brian waved at them both, and looked down at the piece of paper. A sudden wave of realization washed over him, and he became a little panicked, but he was also excited. A date, this weekend? He couldn't believe it!
As he walked back to his classroom, Brian felt as if he were walking on clouds. He knew that as soon as he got home, he'd already be picking out what to wear for Saturday.