"Trust me, you got this. A smart person like you is going to do so well. I just know it."

Mr. Gilinsky's words of encouragement filled me with hope and confidence. Looking back at him I threw him a smile.

While our last consultation session had brought me unease and confusion, the feeling of getting praised by the school's favorite teacher has surely made up for it. For the moment, at least, it has.

Mr. Gilinsky, if I'm being completely honest, was one of the best educators I've had. He truly cared about the education and well-being of all his students. I remembered one time a student told him they couldn't take a test on the scheduled date so he changed the test date for the entire class.

Why can't more teachers be more like him? He was so cool, kind, and... very attractive.

And with each time I looked at him, I felt more insecure about how I looked, despite the fact he was simply wearing such a simple outfit. As of today, he styled a crisp, white shirt with a perfectly tailored black slacks. Simple yet, he looked so good.

"You know how to write a good admission essay, right?" Mr. Gilinsky asked. I didn't realize I was staring at him for too long until he cleared his throat.

Avoiding his gaze, my eyes fell on the desk where a brochure and some application forms were spread out right in front of me. Why was I here again? Right, to discuss the research summer program with him.

"I mean, sure but I don't know if it's going to be strong enough to convince them," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

He laughed. "Yes, it can be challenging to convince the committee but you're lucky you have me on your side."

"I guess so..." I trailed off, my attention more focused on the papers I'd began reading almost subconsciously. How come I've never heard of this program before?

"Do I hear the doubt in your tone?" he pointed out.

Startled, I instantly corrected him. "N-No I didn't mean it like that."

"Then tell me what do you mean?" he muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, I don't know why I said that."

There was a pause, stretched too long for my liking. Mr. Gilinsky wasn't the silent type as he was always the first to initiate a conversation. His eyes fixed on me through the utter silence and the look on his face was unreadable.

"Am I in trouble?" I spoke again to which he scoffed and shook his head.

Patting me on the shoulder, Mr. Gilinsky finally said something after the awkward pause. "I can never be mad at you."

A sigh of relief parted my lips. I got worried if I had accidentally pushed his button. Sometimes I could be annoying without even realizing it.

One thing I had sensed about Mr. Gilinsky currently was his gaze. It was sharp and rather too unwavering. He always had given his attention to me in the classroom. However, it was rather different this time.

A hidden frustration was buried within those honey-brown pools of his which had imbued me with a sliver sense of curiosity to know the cause of him to be so bothered. Was it something I said just now?

Then to my shock, his hands came down onto my shoulders, and with his thumbs, he started to press on them a little. I was certainly not prepared for what he was doing that my stomach wrenched into a twist.

So, therefore, I looked up at him with the most confused face I could conjure. "Um, Isaac?"

"Relax, Andrew, relax," he said tenderly while plastering on a smile. "You're going to like this."

"I don't think I want ooh—"

His hands worked like magic, his thumbs moving in small circles to try and ease the tension. I had to admit it did loosen me up. I simply thought he was only bluffing before I realized I was slumped back into his touch and my eyes were shut closed.

A soft groan managed to slip when he found a particularly tense spot in my right shoulder. Surprised by it, my eyes shot open and my hand jerked up to cover my mouth.

"Does it make you feel good?"

"Yes," I reacted, the word escaping in a breathy whisper. "How are you so good at this?"

"Part-time masseur in college," he clarified.

"I figured."

Mr. Gilinsky couldn't hold back a small laugh. "Now take a deep breath, close your eyes and listen to what I say."

And I did just what he instructed. I let the cold air fill my lungs which seemed to momentarily calm my nerves.

"I want you..." Mr. Gilinsky's voice suddenly sounded close to my ears.

Breath shuddered, my eyes widened open immediately. I felt like my heart just forgot to function as I froze in his chair.

"To relax your shoulders," he continued urgently after probably noticing my body's reaction.

"Oh-okay," I mumbled sheepishly. Why do I always expect the worst? It seemed that my level of delusional has peaked.

"Look, Andrew. I don't want to give you the wrong idea. You seemed a little tense when you came in so I thought I could help. I guess I was wrong and made you uncomfortable instead. If you want me to stop I will," he told me calmly though I could sense hurt in his voice.

Mr. Gilinsky had always been amiable and his intentions had always been pure. As a student, neither did I want to come off as ungrateful nor mean to offend him. I would hate for us to be awkward in our next session.

A little massage would not harm, right?

"It's alright, Isaac. You can keep doing that," I replied to which his smile widened.

"I'm just making sure you're not overwhelmed by all this," he told me as he continued to massage me.

I nodded. "I know."

One hand was on my scalp whereas his other kneaded the back of my neck. He knew what part needed attention and to my surprise, my muscles felt more at ease than they had in weeks.

After some minutes Mr. Gilinsky stopped and I took the chance to thank him for the experience. I felt like I had just been given a new body and that's not even a full body treatment.

"How you feeling now?" he moved to sit across me.

"Much better. You're really good with your hands," I had blurted out before clapping mine over my mouth.

Mr. Gilinsky let out a laugh. "I get that a lot."

"Sorry, I have no control over my mouth when I'm... nervous," I admitted shyly.

Mr. Gilinsky nodded with an understanding hum. "I see, but you shouldn't be nervous around me. I love talking to you."

"Oh, you do?"

"Of course. You're a such a polite one, unlike the others. I can't have a simple talk without them disrespecting me with the whole flirting thing," he acknowledged.

"I'm sorry you have to go through that, Isaac," I said sincerely, knowing my classmates had done that a lot during his classes and lectures.

"Nah," he answered with a head shake. "I should've not complained about my job to you."

"It's a good thing you did," I responded.

I wished he knew amidst all the catcalling and unwanted flirting, there were still some of his students who had a genuine interest in what he taught. The poor guy only wanted to do his job in peace.

"If you need quick relief from pain after this, do come into my office anytime, I can give you more than just a shoulder rub," he encouraged in a teasing tone.

An awkward laugh escaped from my mouth as I gathered the papers up and pretended to look through them. "Wouldn't it be inappropriate?"

"Only if people find out and I swear on my job they won't," he quietly replied.

I laughed again at his answer, feeling my heartbeat speeding up. "I don't know," I uttered, glancing over at him.

Mr. Gilinsky was biting down his bottom lip and I couldn't translate the expression on his face. "Oh, Andrew, it's an offer, not a demand. I'm not forcing you - just to be clear."

"Looks like our time is up," he suddenly said.

For half an hour I had been briefed about the program as well as the stuff I had to do to get a spot. Though it seemed tough, I would still be willing to do anything to be part of it.

"I'm looking forward to reading your final draft. Remember, you might think you aren't fit, but I have enough reasons to believe you'd be selected. I see something special in you. Your passion for chemistry was unlike any I've seen before," my teacher spoke just as I was getting to the door.

Heat flushed my cheeks at his words. "Thanks, Isaac. Before I go, I've been wanting to ask you something."

"Okay, ask," he said, sitting up a little straighter.

"You happened to be very confident about my application. I just wanna know- like, how are you so sure they'd choose me?" I asked and Mr. Gilinsky looked at me with a squinted expression before he scoffed.

It annoyed me a bit because he waved off the question and went back to his laptop.

"No, seriously, Isaac. I need to know," I insisted in an almost whiny tone causing him to deeply sigh.

"I like to live in a world where reality is whatever I make it to be. If I said you'd be there this summer, best believe you would," Mr. Gilinsky told me, ending the conversation right there.