Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
After a heinous act in his youth, Sterling lost his vision, along with his dream of being a photographer. His world was turned upside down as everything changed around him. Over time, he's adjusted to his new normal, but has kept himself isolated...until a kind professor with a big heart makes him feel seen for the first time, and for exactly who he is.
This is an insta-love, low-angst story of healing, trust, and romance. It contains heartwarming moments and plenty of steam, but no cheating or cliffhangers. It also has a very happy HEA!
Trigger warning; there is mention of violent acts, though nothing is depicted on page.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
I peeked around the corner of the lecture hall, checking that the coast was clear before stepping away from the brick wall. I crept forward a few paces before whipping my head all around, making sure I wasn’t being followed.
I probably looked like a man running from danger, but all I was really running from was irritation, in the form of Arnie Hammond. Arnie was the most brilliant student I had ever taught at Evanston University. Unfortunately, he was also the most arrogant and annoying.
Every day, I ate lunch in my office, which I kept open. I wanted to make myself available to any students who had questions or needs, even if it cut into my break. But Arnie saw the privilege as a right; he marched into my space every afternoon with a laundry list of complaints.
He disapproved of my assigned text choices for students’ research essays. He argued against any revisions or suggestions I made on his papers, and he became irate any time I challenged his analyses of an authors’ works…which was the whole point of my class. Anything I did in my class was meant to broaden my students’ horizons, but Arnie saw it as a personal attack on his intelligence.
Earlier that day, I returned graded essays, and I had to mark two points off of Arnie’s paper for an incorrect reference citation. Not that it mattered; his grade was so high that he could skip the rest of the semester and still pass my class, but it was a matter of pride with Arnie.
It was also a matter that I just didn’t feel like arguing about. I knew he’d show up in my office, and I didn’t have the energy to deal with it. So, I took the coward’s way out by grabbing my sack lunch and running across campus to find a quiet place to eat.
As I scurried across the grass, I got a mental picture from a cartoon of my childhood; a sneaky mouse running from a hungry cat as a high pitched piano rift played. I snorted a laugh before quickly looking around again; I probably looked deranged, creeping around while laughing at myself.
But luckily, I was alone…mostly. I had stumbled upon the campus quad, which was a large grassy courtyard, speckled with trees and benches. Besides people mulling about on the sidewalks, there was only one young man seated on a bench nearby.
The first thing I noticed about him was how sharply he was dressed; he wore a tan wool coat and a gray scarf, which were great for this chilly March day. He also had on nice boots and designer sunglasses, even though it was cloudy outside.
Though they were hidden by the glasses, I imagined that his eyes were as handsome as the rest of his face. He had full, pink lips, and an auburn beard that looked soft to the touch, which matched his perfectly coiffed hair.
The only thing that could have pulled my gaze away from his beauty was the adorable dog lying next to his feet. I couldn’t tell if it was male or female, but it was a lovely Golden Retriever who appeared to be very well trained.
I squinted my eyes to see what was on the ground next to the dog; it looked like a stick, but not one that the pooch would’ve found in the grass. It was white plastic and had a rubber tip on the end.
The sunglasses, dog, and what I now realized was a cane suddenly made perfect sense. I mentally kicked myself when I realized I’d been ogling a blind man. It was bad enough that I was gazing at this guy without his consent or knowledge, but I felt even creepier for staring.
Before I could leave to go chastise myself, the man turned his head towards me and asked, “Can I help you with something?”
I blinked in surprise. “You can see me?”
The man nodded and explained, “The cane is just a fashion statement.” I was still trying to wrap my head around his words when he chuckled and added, “I’m sorry; I’m just teasing. No, I can’t see you. I heard your footsteps and I smell your cologne.”
I was impressed by his astuteness; especially since I was typically surrounded by people his age and I’d seen how oblivious they could be to their surroundings.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” I offered. Hearing and smelling someone in my space without being able to see them would certainly put me on edge.
“You didn’t,” he assured with a smile that could stop traffic.
It was a smile that I wanted to see more of, so I asked shamelessly, “Do you mind if I sit with you for a few minutes?”
The man was quiet for a few moments and his expression went blank. I really thought he was going to tell me to screw off before finally answering, “Sure.”