Guess That Is How I Know You - Chapter 34: Chapter 34

October 15, 2017
I had realized the thing I liked the most about waking up early was getting an unfiltered first-row seat to Cecilia's beauty.
The years had been merciful to her features, the soft lines on the side of her eyes complemented her beauty, especially when she smiled in her sleep. The tip of my fingers would often find their way to those lines, lightly trailing as I was careful not to wake her up with my cold touch.
It did not take long for my apartment to become ours.
The bedroom smelled of her perfume, and every time my senses got a hold of the smell, it reminded me of one of Cecilia's first mornings officially living with me.
We were both getting ready to leave the apartment and she was spraying her perfume, only I did not realize it as I approached her to kiss her neck from behind.
She ended up spraying it on my mouth, and the bitter taste took over me. I did not have it in me to be mad as I heard her uncontrollable, and carefree laugh taking over the whole of the room.
That morning I could not help but stare at her as a knew feeling took over me. After being together with her for a while I figured, there was no knew feeling she would be able to evoke from me. How wrong I was.
I had not fully grasped what it meant to love someone before that morning.
I did not just love her in that present moment. I was loving her for who she had been, who she was, and who she had yet to become.
I loved her wholeheartedly. I finally let it sink in, in that moment, we were there to last. That would be the rest of my life and I was more than content with that outcome.
But for a split second the age difference had gotten to me.
In that moment I had to come to terms with the age difference meaning there would be a day, much farther in the future, in which I would outlive her. I would have to see her go and I would be left here alone to morn her parting.
I soon convinced myself to never again think of that, if that day ever came, I would be at peace for I would have had a lifeful of memories with her, and no one would ever be able to take my memories of her from me.
I decided then it was best to start creating more those memories sooner rather than later.
I had gone all out and prepared her a full breakfast in bed, or at least what she considered to be a full breakfast.
As I left the tray with her favorite yogurt, fruits, and granola beside her in bed, I leaned in on top of her, rubbing her cheek with my nose as I whispered a good morning close to her ear.
"I figured we could go mudding today, it's been a while." I said as she adjusted herself in bed, siting against the headboard.
She was still half asleep by the time she finished her breakfast and decided to mutter a response. All along I had carefully watched her as she ate, making sure to register the memory in my mind.
"Eve invited us to spend the day at her place, I mean, her brother's old place, it has a pool, and she is staying there while her bedroom is being remodeled." I swear that woman would never be done with her remodeling projects.
"Sounds good to me. A little bit of color would do you some good as well, lately it feels you are imprisoned to your classroom." I answered in a playful banter before kissing her shoulder.
"I'm gonna get ready then. Call her for me to say we are on our way." She threw her phone on my lap before running to the bathroom, our bathroom.
Evelyn and I were chatting as we sunbathed by the pool after Cecilia had excused herself to answer her phone.
"How is married life treating you?" The professor asked making me blush.
"We are just living together." I felt the need to clarify even though I knew far too well she was only messing with me.
"It's been great. Better than I thought it would be if I'm being honest. Not that I was imagining it would be a disaster, but you know her, she likes things her way, I thought it would be harder for her to adapt, but it just feels like it has always been this way."
I turned to look at her, but the sun hit my eyes making me put on my sunglasses.
"She never even considered living with Miranda, you know." Eve said between sips of the drink I had prepared her.
"I know, Miranda told me. I feel awful whenever we talk. Not because I feel bad that I can see she is still in love with Cee, but rather because I don't feel bad at all." I confessed, it was something that had been bothering me for a while and I felt I had no one to share it with.
"Don't beat yourself up. I can understand why you would feel like that. You were hurt by their relationship. Your subconscious probably think you are even now." The professor tried to comfort me, but it did not do much to ease my guilt.
"Don't overthink it. How is job hunting going for you?" Evelyn changed subjects, and I was grateful she did so because I could see Cecilia walking back to where we were.
"Honestly, I don't really know, I thought if I started early, I would be more confident about where I want to apply when the time comes, but I feel like there is no right fit, I will just have to suck it up and go with the flow."
Cecilia sat beside me as I talked, I could not properly see her face, but I noticed there was an unspoken conversation going on between the two professors.
"You know this thing between the two of you is going to be a hazard wherever you end up at, right? There simply is no way the first years won't eat you alive. They will believe you were granted special favors because of your relationship."
Evelyn had taken a motherly tone as she sat facing us, but mostly exchanging secretive looks with my girlfriend—I had a feeling it was not the first time they were talking about it.
"You think I don't get crap already from people on campus about it?" I said trying to show it did not bother me.
"We know, babe. But on campus they don't know for sure, it is nothing more than a rumor. It's going to be harder once you start working. Half the people who can end up being your bosses have either studied with me, under me or faced me in court." Cecilia explained. I was all too familiar with that possibility.
At campus, the other students were not competing with me, but in a law firm, every other first year who knew of us, even if just as a rumor, would be sure to mention it to make the partners think twice before granting me anything.
They would most likely know Cecilia and would not want to seem like they were doing it out of a favor to a friend or colleague.
"I would much rather we didn't worry about it, because I know what it is going to be like, but I will just keep my head down and do my job until people realize my relationship and my work don't mix." I said before complementing, this time sitting down to look right into Cecilia's eyes.
"As long as I got you to go home to, I will be okay." I could see from my peripheral vision the approving smile in Evelyn's face.
All I could hope for was that my statement had been enough to calm both their nerves.
After that I pulled Cecilia towards me and before she could realize what I was doing I threw both of us in the pool. It was not like I was about to waste the chance of getting my hot girlfriend, wearing the smallest bikini I had ever seen, all wet and bothered, even if it was not the wet and bothered, I was accustomed with.
"Okay, this is my cue. You two can have the pool to yourselves, I will go fix something for us to eat." Eve said walking away.
"Remi Hayes, I cannot believe you just did that." Cecilia was properly fuming by the time she caught her breath.
"Honestly, I have half a mind to worry about your tone, but I can't be bothered when you say my name like that." I was biting my lip and wishing it were hers instead.
The professor was still floating close to me, so it did not take her long to fix both her arms around my waist as her cold lips met my left lobe.
"Does it turn you on when I say your name like that?" Like she even had to ask.
"Cecilia Bailey, you are one hell of a tease." I said back just as seductively before taking her lips on mine to properly kiss her, "I love you. You know that, right?"
Moments like those were rare and far in between, but whenever I did find myself in one of those, I made sure to print the in my mind.
"Not as much as I do you." She said back, and I could see it in her eyes, she believed it to be true.
"Don't even try woman, I am still wining here on the who-left-who counting." I said happy to know those moments were behind us so much so we could make fun of them.
"I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I were ever to lose you again, whereas you survived just fine without me, so I'm still winning." Cecilia said back, turning our sweet moment into a competition, typical for the both of us.
"Babe, I was miserable without you. I told you before, you are the best drug someone could ever get addicted to, and I have the whole existing supply of it to myself."
After we agreed we had both won, Cecilia and I left the pool to go look for Evelyn before she started thinking we were doing it in her brother's pool, not that I would have put it past us.
Remi