Chapter Text
The smell of pine overtakes you as you step into an empty office. You take a little look around all the books and trinkets in the office and you make note of the medals placed next to the name plaque. You realize that these are medals that are granted if you served in the military, you don't remember the professor mentioning his years of service to you but then again he doesn't have to.
You're not really sure what to do with yourself, as you were hoping that the professor would already be in his office before you. Taking your best bet you sit on the comfy leather sofa in the corner of the office. You fiddle with your fingers, trying to make the time pass by. You look over at the clock that was placed on the wall in the left corner of the wall and it reads 8:07, the professor wanted you at his office at 8 am and you wonder what is the reason for the tardiness. Another two minutes go by and you hear the door knob rattle.
"Ah good morning, I apologize for being late there was a lot more traffic than I expected", The professor says walking in with a duffel bag and some rolled-up papers under his arm.
"Good morning and no worries, I wasn't waiting long", you reply politely.
"That's good news", he says as he puts his things down and walks over to his desk.
Your mouth becomes dry as his figure struts over to his desk he is tall, obviously very fit, and he's also got a very nice beard going on. You're not sure what to add to the conversation because you are kind of intimidated by his presence. He is wearing a brown button-up with a black corduroy jacket over it and dark navy blue jeans that fit him oh so well. He's very nicely dressed for a man his age you think to yourself.
"Well, my first class of the day doesn't start until another 20 minutes so that should give me enough time to run down the basics with you. Come take a seat right here", he points slightly with his head motioning to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. You get up from the leather couch and make your way over and he starts his explanation.
He goes over his course which is Early American history also known as the colonial period. He explains how attendance is counted in class but he doesn't care for a student's tardiness, he understands that his students have a life outside of class and if they want to abuse that privilege it will be the students who suffer and not him. Of course, he has zero tolerance for plagiarism and if he catches anyone plagiarizing he will fail them immediately.
He goes over the assignments he will give out in the first month and they are writing assignments that will require students to write a 1-page, double-spaced assignment on any historical event that is happening around the same time period of the material they are learning. He also grades participation as he wishes for lots of class discussions and finally there is no final test, just a project that is due at the end of the semester.
He also seemed very open to students coming into his office hours for any questions that they may have. He seems to be very engaged and wants his students to succeed which makes you excited to work with him.
"I hope that wasn't too much to remember, but you will mainly help me with the grading of the analysis and taking over a couple of classes throughout the semester", he says.
"No, it wasn't too much Mr. Price, I look forward to working with you", you say jotting down some notes in your small notepad.
"Well enough about me, tell me a little bit about yourself. Not just the stuff that I read on your resume", He says leaning back in his office chair, running his fingers through his thick beard.
"Ah well, I guess I wrote everything about myself on the resume", you slightly laugh but you continue on anyway
"Obviously I love history, and I have both my sophomore and junior-year high school teachers to thank for that. They really were an inspiration for me and I would always look forward to their class. This is my second year at the school so I am used to the routine of it. I specifically like American history but I do know my fair share of world history. Also, I am minoring in political science, just because I was always interested in why things were the way they were. Plus history and politics are sort of entwined with each other", you stop your sentence there and are a little bit afraid that you rambled on too much. You wait patiently for his response.
"We sort of had the same paths, except for the minoring in politics part. I hated all politicians", he puts bluntly.
"Hating politics but you served in the military?", you question him. He quirked an eyebrow at you, wondering how you knew he was in the military. Then he realized that it was the medals on the desk that gave it away. Price lets out a small laugh before he responds.
"Yeah I guess so, it was the military that made me hate politics and politicians", he says
"That's understandable, it does get more frustrating the more you learn about it", you respond.
There's an awkward pause between the two of you, he keeps his eyes on you. There's no denying his attraction towards you, you seem to be very knowledgeable on American history, you are of course hardworking he can already tell, and very beautiful. He shakes these thoughts from his head and looks down at his watch not wanting to look at you for much longer, worried that his attraction might grow even stronger.
"Alright class starts in 10 minutes we can head over, there are usually students there before me anyways", he says standing up and grabbing a couple of notebooks out of his duffle bag. You stand up and follow him out the door. The walk to the classroom is quiet but it's not far either, just about a two-minute walk to the classroom. His classroom is of course located in the social science building and this includes courses like econ, government, political science, and even psychology.
You walk into his classroom and like he said there are a couple of students inside already. His classroom is very much decorated in the same way that his office is decorated. Posters of maps all over the room, he's got a large bookcase filled with history books, and lots of little historic trinkets like pyramids, even more medals, propaganda posters, and different American flags. You take it that he has officially claimed this classroom as his own since you know professors teach in many different classrooms. It almost felt like you were back in high school with it almost feeling home-y in a way. You can tell just by his classroom that he's a great professor.
His students greet him as he walks into his classroom and he greets them back. The students walking in take a quick look at you, and you're certain that they are wondering who you are. The professor has set up a small area for you to set up by his desk and he mentions for you to take a seat. It's literally just two small desks put together and he apologizes for the inconvenience it might cause. You assure him that it won't be a problem and you pull out your laptop.
"Sorry for the crappy setup", he tells you in a low voice. His words make you laugh a bit in response.
"Don't worry about it, Mr. Price I don't mind", you assure him.
The professor starts his lecture on the dot and you start jotting down some notes. After all, you are still a student, and taking extra notes on Early American history won't hurt. You start to notice the overwhelming ratio of students in terms of young men and women and you think it's about 8 women to 1 man.
This doesn't surprise you though, Mr. Price is probably the most attractive teacher on the entire campus. You know you would've taken this course if you knew he was teaching it, instead you took this class with the head of the History department. He was amazing there's no lying about that but, he was not as pretty as the professor. Maybe it was good you didn't take Price's class, you start to think you would've been too distracted.
It's only day three of class and they meet every Monday and Wednesday. Professor Price is briefly discussing how the Spanish invaded Mexico in the 1500s, he also explained what the culture was like in Tenochtitlan also known as Mexico City. It was the biggest city during its time with a population of over 20 million people and as more information is studied and found, that number continues to rise.
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The class ends an hour and twenty minutes later but, it certainly feels like time is flying in his classroom. Your hypothesis was correct, he is a fantastic professor and you can tell he is very passionate about his work and history. There are a few students who stay behind after class to ask him a few questions and for some clarification on some topics. After two minutes pass by you and Mr. Price are alone in the classroom
"So what'd ya think", the professor asks. It might be good to get a student's opinion on his lecture.
"I think you are an amazing professor", you say honestly
"Thank you, that's a boost for the ego", he says in a slightly cocky tone
"But what did you think of the lesson today", Price adds
"Oh I thought it was great as well, I mean you might be getting a bit of a biased opinion since I already enjoy this stuff. But I liked how you talked about the colonization in South America like Brazil, I feel like that doesn't really get talked about in high school", you reply getting up from your makeshift desk.
"I've had a couple of students tell me the same thing, that's why I do it. South America not only got Europe rich but, also had a very rich culture", he says gathering his notes and textbook.
"Yeah we got Puerto Rico to thank for sugar", you say.
"That we do. You ready to head back to my office?", he asks and you hum in approval.
The walk back was quiet but not an awkward quiet and you find yourself stealing a glimpse at the tall professor walking beside you. Once you reach his office he opens the door, letting you in first. He guides you in by putting a hand very, very gently on the low of your back. It was barely a touch, it could pass as an accident but it was enough to get you're heart to start racing. He follows behind you and shuts the door.
"You ready to start grading?", he asks you, breathing out a small sigh as he sits in his chair. "That's what I'm getting paid for", you joke.
"You're telling me you aren't doing this out of the love for American history", he jokes back at you, liking this conversation the two of you are having.
"I'm doing it for the pay, being a TA for a history professor is just a bonus", you lie and you hope you made it obvious enough for Mr. Price to know that you are lying. You are sure you are going to love being a TA even if it meant no pay. He gives you a small smile and again he makes your heart beat slightly faster.
"I've emailed you a few of the papers from my other class. It's the same assignment and the same course just a different class". He says opening up his laptop.
You try to make yourself as comfy as possible on the leather couch and fight the urge to kick your feet up. You doubt the professor would like that. You open up your email and see 5 papers Mr. Price sent you and you start your reading.