Calvin wasn't known to be the most caring teacher.

Given, he didn't necessarily belong at a high school. He was genius in ways you couldn't start to understand, and you knew it was a miracle your school even got him.

But as the new AP program was being launched nationwide, and there wasn't anyone in your area better suited to teach AP Chemistry.

One class, every other day. That was what he signed on for, his sole commitment. He would be in and out as the bells rung, like his class was one errand to run in a day's packed schedule.

You caught him one passing period, stopping him on his focused pace to the front gates.

It was an inexplicable pairing, the two of you.

Your room was always open to during lunch, you volunteered for more positions than anyone else. It seemed like if anyone at that school had found their calling, it was you. But then Calvin met you.

Slowly, he would spend more and more time on campus on his days working. He let you decorate his classroom, and would bring you breakfast from the bakery near his house. You convinced him to agree to be the chemistry club's faculty advisor.

There was an unspoken sort of comfort between the two of you, but never one that crossed the professional line he seemed to have built a wall on top of.

One lunch, after his single class, before your next one, he stopped in your doorway, jacket over his arm. *"Would you like to chaperone a club event?"

You agreed before you even knew the specifics.

A chemistry competition. It was a bus ride to Los Angeles, a night in some hotel, and a ride back the next day.

Maybe you weren't the best suited to guide young chemists, but that was Calvin's job. Watching over students? That you were good at. Moral support? You should have a shelf full of awards.

So you stood on the sidelines of the final competition, your team against one from San Diego. A buzzer rang, and hands flew up.

It was like the air stood still in the auditorium as the judges walked up, examining whatever mixture each team had made. A minute of deliberation. Bated breath. And then, the announcement.

Distinguished among student chemists across the state, the club Calvin had been hesitant to even agree to advise had won.

You turned to find him in the surprising crowd that had amassed, only to see him rushing over with uncharacteristic excitement. And in a move that probably broke each and every rule Calvin maintained, he swept you into his arms.

You swear you could feel your feet leave the floor for a second.