Twin Flames, Two Souls Journey Through Time – The Professor - Chapter 19

                  They sat on Daniel’s couch wholly sated after finally being able to tear themselves away from each other.  They were devouring the pizza that they ordered as they discussed what their options were regarding Nadine and Nigel.  Daniel spoke first, “Bennett said we could sue them, but that it would be costly and time consuming, Nadine is just a student, that debt would ultimately fall on her parents,” Amelia responded, “Well her parents shouldn’t have raised a little bitch of an opportunist then,” Daniel surprised by her ire gave her a sympathetic look, “I suppose you never did anything stupid in your entire life?”  “Of course I have, but I have never, not once, tried to blackmail someone.  Youth does not excuse her actions, Daniel; that’s the same bullshit argument that judges and cops use to justify some nineteen year old college jock who rapes an unconscious girl in their frat house.  He’s just a kid, let’s not ruin his entire life, well fuck that, actions have consequences, perhaps her asshole parents should have taught her that we only get to choose our actions, not the consequences of our actions.  Maybe if parents spent less time excusing their spawn’s actions the world wouldn’t be so fucked up!”  Daniel’s eyes got big, he had apparently stepped on a landmine, clearly Amelia had very strong feelings about the subject, and he was unsure how to proceed without further escalating the situation.  They sat in uncomfortable silence, Amelia was unwilling to back down, she was sick and tired of these entitled bastards getting away with their despicable actions, neither Nadine or Nigel gave a single shit about what could happen to her or Daniel with their lies.  In a rather biting tone she said, “Nadine and Nigel didn’t give a moments thought about what would happen to you or to me, why are you so concerned all of a sudden about saving poor little Nadine from facing the consequences of her own actions?”

Daniel could feel the anger rising in his chest and he tried to keep his voice steady and calm so as not to exacerbate the situation, “Amelia, I know that you are upset, but I do not appreciate the insinuation you are making.  I’m not trying to upset you, nor am I’m trying to save Nadine from facing consequences.  She is already going to face some big ones as it is, she is probably going to get kicked out of school, which will go on her record.  She will have a hard time getting back into any college because of what she did, especially considering how public she went; this is not going to just go away for her.  She’s nineteen, Amelia, she made a stupid mistake, I was only suggesting that maybe suing her on top of everything she is going to face is kicking her when she is already down.  Don’t you think comparing her to a rapist is taking it rather far?”  “I wasn’t comparing her to a rapist, I was saying that your argument was the same one that cops and judges use to excuse a rapist’s behavior, without showing any concern for the victim.  I’m tired of no one ever facing repercussions, why are the consequences of the perpetrator more important than that of the victim?  There are simply some things that ‘I’m sorry’ can’t fix.  I can’t believe that you are siding with her!”  “I’m not siding with her.  She should face consequences, but the comparison is heavy handed, and you know it!”  Both of their tempers were flared, deep down they knew they were not mad with one another, but with the situation.  Amelia didn’t want to cry, but she could feel tears starting to well in her eyes, she needed to get away from Daniel and get some air.  She got up to get dressed and Daniel watched as she did.  He was deeply upset with her insinuation, and it was probably a good idea for them not to be around each other right now.  Hurt people, hurt people as they say, and he was afraid of saying something that couldn’t be taken back.  She walked towards the door, her hand on the knob when Daniel hurriedly got up and rushed to her side, “don’t go,” his voice low and pleading as he put his hand on hers.  Amelia’s hand dropped from the doorknob, but she had not turned to face him.  She didn’t want him to see her crying, but by the sound of his voice she was more concerned about seeing him with tears in his eyes.  They both could feel that this moment could have implications for their burgeoning relationship.  Amelia knew she was the one who had initiated the argument by losing her temper, choking back her tears and trying hard to keep any inflection out of her voice, and with her back still towards him she said, “I’m sorry for insinuating that you had feelings for Nadine, that wasn’t fair to you, and I know it isn’t true.”  “Will you turn around and look at me please?”  Amelia stood still unable to turn around instead she crumpled to the floor.  The heightened emotions of the last couple of days flooding into her, fear, anger, resentment, anxiety, love, frustration, doubt, shame, sadness, they were all rushing in on her all at once.  Daniel wrapped his arms around her while she was kneeling on the floor, and he held her as she released all her pent up emotions.  As her torrent of feelings subsided, Daniel pulled her onto his lap, and she laid her head on his shoulder as he gently stroked her hair till she calmed down.  He tenderly wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, and tipped her head up to look at him, “I’m sorry for raising my voice, we have both gone through a lot the last couple of days, our emotions are on overload.  We are both exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally.  I think we should table this discussion until our emotions aren’t so heightened.”  Amelia nodded silently as she continued sniffling.  In a hushed voice she said, “just so you know, I wasn’t leaving forever, I just needed some fresh air to clear my head.”  “I figured, but it just felt like it would have meant something more if I had let you leave,” his voice a little shaky.  Amelia pulled him in tighter and nuzzled into his neck, “me too, that’s why I didn’t go,” her voice contrite and heavy with emotion, “I’m sorry,” her tears beginning to fall once more.  “I’m sorry too,” he pulled her away from him and once again wiped her tears, “why don’t we make a deal, when one of us feels like our emotions are getting to be too much we can come up with a code word, and when either one of says it we immediately honor it and know that we need to walk away from each other to regroup?”  Amelia smiled slightly, “I like that idea, what do you suggest?”  “How about when we are angry, we say ‘firecracker’ then the other knows that we need to halt the conversation until we calm down.”  “I like that, and that won’t be a word that comes up naturally in everyday conversations.  How about code words for other things?”  “What do you mean?”  “Like maybe one for when one of us is feeling insecure and needs reassurance,” and then with a devious grin, “and then one for when we…you know…are feeling randy,” Amelia biting her lip as she says it.  Daniel gave her a smirk, “I don’t know if we really need one for that, isn’t that basically a 24/7 thing for you?”  Amelia swatted his shoulder, “Excuse me!  I know you are not insinuating that I’m the only one in this relationship who is erotically charged.”  “My bad, I should have said for us,” the tiniest glint in his eye as he said that.  “Mmmhhmmm,” her eyes narrowing at him, while trying to stifle a smile, “fine maybe we don’t need a word for that.”  “I came up with firecracker, what do you suggest for the other?”  “How about ‘Taj Mahal’ when one of us needs the reassurance that we are loved and need a hug.”  “I like that,” his eyes glistening at the symbolism behind the palace.  He continued to hold her and felt as the tension gradually left her body, each of her muscles relaxing one by one as all remaining traces of anxiety faded away.  “Are we ok,” she asked tentatively, he pulled himself slightly away so he could see her face he replied, “it was an argument Amelia, one of many we will have, I shouldn’t have pushed when I knew you were agitated.” “You were responding to my petty comment; it was wrong of me to infer you were trying to protect Nadine for nefarious reasons.”  She felt so ashamed of herself, unable to meet his gaze.  Amelia had hurt him with that comment, but he also knew she was speaking from a place of insecurity.  “I’ll get over it, but I appreciate the apology.  It’s been an emotionally charged couple of days, apparently sex doesn’t fix everything,” Amelia chuckled, “no not everything, but it sure does help,” she said with a tentative chuckle.  He kissed her temple and then said, “we are both too old to be sitting on the floor for this long,” and they both got up from the floor to sit on the couch.

                  Amelia was afraid to broach the subject again but since she was the one who initially got upset she knew it would have to be her that would raise the topic, “You are right, Nadine is going to face the consequences of her actions, no need to pile on with a law suit, however,” Daniel braced himself for what was coming next, “I do think my attorney should send her a letter demanding that she recant everything publicly, and if she does that we won’t sue for slander.”  “That is fair, should Nigel get the same chance?”  He tentatively waited for her response, “Bennett is right, suing for slander is timely and costly, do you think a letter would work on him?  He seems rather douchey to me, he doesn’t strike me as someone who will want to admit his mistakes publicly, and I think it’s only fair that he does that.”  “I think that is a fair assessment, he’s shown himself to be a dick.  I think we have go for the letter first to give him a chance to rectify the situation.  Legally speaking, if you threaten to sue someone you need to follow through if they don’t comply with your request.”  “I know, I worked in collections for several years.  I’ll call my attorney tomorrow, it’s been a long day, and I just want to go to bed and sleep for about a thousand years.” 

                  As they lay in bed Daniel felt like Amelia was one hundred miles away, she normally snuggled into what she affectionately referred to as her nook in Daniel’s arms, yet she was sleeping with her back to him, and her arms wrapped around herself.  He tried not to let it bother him, but for some reason her sleeping apart from him made it difficult for him to fall asleep.  When Amelia woke up, she was facing Daniel and he was watching her with a concerned smile, she smiled at him, “good morning,” Daniel responded, “Taj Mahal.”  Amelia sat up and immediately and pulled him into a tight hug and asked, “what’s wrong sweetheart,” while rubbing his back.  “You slept with your back to me; you have never done that before.  Your half is always in the middle.”  A twinge of guilt hit Amelia, “I’m sorry about that, old habits die hard Daniel, I’m used to comforting myself, and I suppose part of me assumed you wouldn’t want to snuggle with me.  I’m sorry if that made you feel bad, that wasn’t my intention.  And what do you mean my half is in the middle?”  She was hoping it would make him smile, which it did, pulling himself away from her he asked, “are we ok?”  “Yes Daniel, we are ok, tempers flared yesterday, and our emotions were elevated.  I’m sorry I made you feel otherwise.”  “I still feel as though you are holding something back from me Amelia.”  She exhaled deeply and said, “I need some time to decompress after an argument, it’s nothing against you, but I have been taking care of myself for so long, it’s what I know…” Daniel could tell she was holding something back and he implored her with his eyes to let him know what she was hiding, with a heavy heart she continued, “I need to know that I will be ok should you leave me, if we break up Daniel, I won’t have you to comfort me anymore, and it’s a way for me to tell myself that I will be fine.  Forty-eight years of trauma isn’t going to resolve itself in one week, I am trying Daniel.”  He could see her eyes starting to glisten, and he put his arm around her, and she cozied into her nook.  “Don’t you need to get ready for work?”  Daniel looked over at his alarm clock and saw that it was 6:30am, “unfortunately yes, I need to jump into the shower.  Care to join me?”  While Amelia is not a fan of showering with a partner, she also knew that Daniel would need to know that they were indeed ok and if she said no, it would make him question that, so she nodded sweetly at him, and he led her to the bathroom.

                  Amelia was gathering her belongings while Daniel got ready for work, “Are you going to call the attorney in the car?”  “Yes, I will see what he suggests in regard to Nadine and Nigel.”  Daniel was tentative to bring Nadine up again, “Are you going to go with the cease and desist letter for both Nadine and Nigel?”  He was hopeful that that was generic enough of a question, “I will bring up your concerns with the attorney and see what he suggests.  My lawyer isn’t cheap, he charges a small fortune per hour, I doubt that she or her parents have the money to fight anything, and I will plan on asking for my attorney’s fees should they choose to go to court.  I will also want that with Nigel as well.”  “That seems fair, you still want the public apology?”  “Of course!  They slandered both our names in public, and if they don’t want to lose everything they have, will ever have, and their kids will ever have, they will apologize.”  Daniel could see the fire in Amelia’s eyes, she meant business, he decided to change the subject.  “You don’t have to leave just because I’m going to work.”  “I know, but I have spent a couple nights here this week, which meant Lucy has had to take care of things that I normally do.  I may even be able to write a little.  It would be a welcome distraction from the last couple of days…Are you coming over tonight?”  “I was planning on it, unless you would rather be alone?”  Amelia walked over to Daniel and kissed his cheek, “I always want to see you Daniel,” he reached for her hand, and they made their way to their respective cars.  Daniel gave her a quick kiss and whispered “too many camera’s otherwise…”  Amelia just smirked at him, “have a good day, and I’ll see you later tonight.  What sounds good for dinner?”  “You,” he replied with a devilish smile, she shook her head and rolled her eyes at him, and he arched his eyebrows at her.  “You’re going to be late, again, go to work!  I’ll see you later, love you.”  He gave her another kiss, “I love you too,” and swatted her behind as she turned to get into her car. 

                  In the car Amelia contacted her attorney’s office, his secretary Emily answered, “Hello Emily, this is Amelia Jenkins, does Gavin have any availability today to discuss an issue of slander I’m having?”  “Good morning Ms. Jenkins, Mr. Baker has a deposition this morning that will probably take most of the day, I can leave a message for him to call you during a free moment?”  “Yes please, I appreciate that, and please call me Amelia.  It will probably take about thirty minutes of his time, and I don’t have anything time sensitive on my schedule today, so he can feel free to call me at any time.”  “Ok Amelia, I’ll leave him the message.”  “Thanks Emily, I appreciate that, please do let him know that while the issue isn’t life and death, there is a need for a swift resolution.  Have a great day.”  “You to Amelia.” 

Amelia sat in silence in her car, the car is where she did most of her thinking.  The past couple of days have been a blur, seeing Daniel again after five years, finally being able to act on their feelings, then having all their sexual bliss collide into the current cluster fuck of a situation that they found themselves in.  She knew that she loved Daniel, but the past few days had been so emotionally taxing, and while they had resolved their disagreement the previous day, it still weighed heavy on her mind and heart.  Despite her antagonistic reputation, Amelia truly hated conflict, which is why she avoided it most of her life.  Certain things though will cause her to put aside her discomfort with confrontation, the main being any sort of negative insinuation of her character, or that of someone she loves.  She was also aware that she had quite a jealous streak, and that it was mainly jealousy that caused her to react so harshly towards Daniel.  While Amelia generally tried to live by the golden rule of treating others the way she wanted to be treated, she turns very cold and vindictive when someone messes with her or someone she loves.  Showing kindness to someone who is actively trying to fuck you over is not in her repertoire, and she took it as an act of disloyalty when Daniel suggested going easy on Nadine.  This is why she needs time away from a situation, in the heat of an argument her mind is clouded, and she needs time to understand her feelings and why she feels the way she does.  She knew he was just being the voice of reason, trying to show patience and grace towards his student, much like he showed towards her as a student, and even more so now as a partner.  It threw her for a loop when he said Taj Mahal this morning, never in a million years would she think he needed reassurance from her, it has been her who was in constant need of it this past week.  There was still so much that they didn’t know about each other, regardless of the late nights talking or sharing things from their past, it is no substitute for time.  The time getting to know a person, time to see how they react in different situations, time to learn what makes the other tick.  While their souls definitely knew each other, Daniel and Amelia the individuals knew very little about one another.  Despite the short time, she had no doubt whatsoever that she did indeed love him, and as hard as it was for her to believe, Daniel also loved her.  “Hey Siri, text Daniel… Hello baby, I left a message for my attorney Gavin with his secretary, as soon as I speak with him I’ll let you know.  I’m still in the car, but I should be home soon.  What is your favorite dessert?”  She knew he was in class, so she wasn’t expecting a response, but the message dinged and his reply of, “you,” came through the speakers.  Amelia couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his chutzpah, she responded, “You have a one-track mind you know that?  That particular dessert is always on the menu for you, I was talking about the type of food that you eat.”  “But you are my favorite dessert, you taste absolutely delectable.”  Amelia had to shift in her seat, “I’m driving, are you trying to make me crash?  Aren’t you supposed to be professoring at the moment?”  “I am ‘professoring,’ they are currently working on a printout.  As long as you are still on the menu, whatever other sweet treat you want is good with me honey.”  “Okie dokie, now get back to work.”  Still smiling from their interaction, a call from Gavin came in.  “Hello Gavin, thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly, I really appreciate it.”  “Good morning, Amelia, Emily’s message said that this was a matter of slander, what happened?”  Amelia went into the whole sorted story, after which she said, “Daniel and I discussed everything, and we think that a cease and desist letter with a public apology from the both of them is called for. What are your thoughts?”  “Why is your dating Daniel an issue?”  “Oh sorry, I guess I forgot to mention that my book is loosely based on Daniel, so Nadine took that as some sort of confession.  We are unsure what her intentions were, not sure if she has a crush on Daniel, or was thinking she could blackmail him into an ‘A’ we have no idea what her motivation was.”  “Slander is normally incredibly difficult to prove, but it sounds like these two think that if they stick together it will make their story seem plausible.  I think a cease and desist letter would more than likely fix the problem.  I have no problem preparing one for the two of them, I will have Emily contact you to set up an appointment for the three of us to go over everything next week.”  “Ok that sounds great, thanks Gavin, good luck on your deposition and have a great weekend!”  “Amelia you should know, I don’t need luck, and same to you.”  Amelia felt immediate relief, while Gavin is expensive, he is worth every penny, and rather easy on the eyes, though Amelia would keep that comment to herself. 

Daniel and Amelia were sitting in Gavin’s office discussing the issues with Nigel and Nadine in depth.  Emily had managed to get them in to see him on the following Tuesday morning, and since Gavin’s office is by the San Francisco Ferry Building they decided to take the ferry since Amelia lived right by the Vallejo Ferry building and they could avoid the morning commute traffic.  Gavin listened as they retold the story for the umpteenth time in a week and he took notes.  “So what resolution are you hoping to get in this matter?”  “We would like both Nigel and Nadine to recant their lies publicly, if they choose not to then we will pursue the issue legally through the courts where we will be asking for damages as well as your legal fees,” said Amelia.  “And you are both in agreement with this?”  Daniel responded with an empathic yes.  “I have to ask Daniel, am I going to find anything questionable in your background, is there any validity to what they are saying?”  “NO, there is absolutely no validity to what they are saying.  I have never dated a student prior to Amelia, and it has been more than four years since we had seen each other in person before we started dating.  I’m already getting weird glances from the kids in my class, I have no idea what Nadine has said to her fellow classmates about me.”  Daniel hadn’t told Amelia about that, she looked at him concerned, “you hadn’t said anything to me about that?”  “There has been so much going on this past week I hadn’t really noticed, but her friends keep giving me weird looks the past two classes.  I could also just be imagining it.”  Amelia reached over and squeezed Daniels hand.  “It is amazing how quickly rumors spread, I will start on the letter’s today to both Nigel and Nadine.  How harsh do you want me to get?”  “Gavin, you are my lawyer for a reason, please use that thousand watt smile of yours and your shark mentality and scare them into oblivion.”  Gavin chuckled, and Daniel responded, “I believe your exact words were ‘if they don’t want to lose everything they have, will ever have, and their kids will ever have, they will apologize.’”  Gavin turned to Amelia flashing his thousand watt smile and said, “that’s why you are my favorite client.”  “I’m your favorite client because I pay your ransom…I mean your bill, immediately.”  Gavin gave a raucous laugh, “Ransom, now that’s a new one.  I’ll work on the letters and send them over to you to review before I send them off.  It was a pleasure to meet you Daniel, and Amelia, charming as always.” 

“Do you want to get some lunch downtown before we go back to Vallejo, there are several restaurants inside the Ferry building?”  “Sounds good.”  Daniel seemed reserved, “is everything ok sweetheart?”  “How did you meet Gavin?”  “My publisher recommended him, as well as Sherry.  I used Gavin to review my contracts and for general legal advice.”  “Why did he call you his favorite client.”  “Because he is a lawyer and thus a professional liar.  He is a shark, I’m sure he took that as the highest form of praise.”  “He’s a good looking guy.”  And there it was, the reason for Daniel’s reticence.  “Yes he is, and very charming, but he is also conniving and egotistical, qualities that make him an excellent lawyer, but not so much a good partner.  I believe he is on wife number three if I’m not mistaken.  Are you jealous of Gavin?”  “You seemed awfully taken with him.”  “Gavin is pretty to look at Daniel, but no I am not interested in him that way.  You were the one who said that there is a difference between finding someone attractive and being attracted to them.  He has an excellent record, which is why I hired him, it had nothing to do with his looks.  And he has one very irredeemable quality.”  “Which is?”  “He isn’t you, no matter what you think he has, he doesn’t hold a candle to you.”  He pulled her closer to him and kissed her temple, “how much does he charge an hour?”  Amelia hesitated, there were plenty of cheaper lawyers and plenty twice as much as Gavin, “$750 an hour, I know it’s a lot, but he never loses.”  Daniel’s eyes got big, “No wonder you refer to it as a ransom.”  “I mean thankfully I don’t need him all the time, I probably spend $15,000 a year on legal bills, but I’m also not worried about getting taken advantage of.  He found a pretty lopsided loophole in my first contract, and since then I have never doubted him.”  With a coy smile he asked, “is that the only reason you stay with him?”  “My little green eyed monster, it’s his legal skills alone, besides men like that tend to be overcompensating for their shortcomings.  And you my love, have absolutely nothing you need to compensate for,” and with a wink she gave him a kiss on the cheek.  His cheeks turned a slight pink, and he squeezed her hand as they walked to the Ferry Building. 

By the time they made it home Gavin had sent in the draft of the two letters.  They reviewed the letters together, “I see why he’s worth $750 an hour, his letter is equal parts rude, threatening, and congenial.”  “So, you are fine with the letters, I can tell him to go ahead and send them off?”  “Yeah, they are great, I’m ready to apologize publicly myself, and we didn’t even do anything.”  Amelia sent Gavin an email with a thumbs up and with that the letters went out to both Nigel and Nadine.  Amelia wished she could be a fly on the wall in both of their houses when those letters arrived.  Gavin is definitely worth every penny. 

Nadine responded the same day she got the letter to Gavin; he had sufficiently freaked her and apparently her parents out.  She made a public post recanting her previous statements about Daniel and Amelia.  She apologized profusely and stated that she had acted rashly out of fear and embarrassment, as well as being spurred on by Nigel who encouraged her to join him in going public with the story.  She even offered to pay for Gavin’s fee’s, Amelia had Gavin pass on the message that she appreciated the offer, but that it would not be necessary.  Nadine quietly left the school and transferred to the next county over to continue her education.  Nigel, faced with the fact that Nadine had recanted was left with little choice in the matter, and he too contacted Gavin to settle the situation.  Much to Amelia’s delight Gavin made him sweat, unlike Nadine, Nigel could not use youth as an excuse.  Gavin advised Nigel that he would need to make a public apology just as Nadine had done, and that if he covered Amelia and Daniel’s attorney fees for this matter, they would consider the matter closed.  Nigel quickly agreed and sent Gavin a certified check for $3,750 to cover his fee’s and made his very public, and Amelia hoped, very humiliating apology where he recanted his accusation.  “I told you Gavin was a shark, and he even got his fee’s covered,” “Nadine’s friends also apologized to me for believing her, I’m glad it’s finally over.”  “Yeah me too, I’m even happier that Nigel had to cover Gavin’s ransom.”