The English Teacher
Copyright© 2026 by DutchMark13
Chapter 7
The next Monday James sat in the teacher’s lounge before class started, nursing a cup of coffee as he flipped through his lesson plan for the day. The room smelled strongly of freshly brewed coffee and tea and faintly of cleaning chemicals, a comfortable space where teachers could take a breath between classes. The sound of the door swinging open made him glance up. Jake strode in with his usual confidence, his long blond hair slightly tousled, a cocky smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Jake grabbed a cup of coffee. Then, without waiting for an invitation, he plopped down into the chair next to James, stretching his legs out and sighing dramatically.
“Man, I had a night last night,” Jake said, running a hand through his hair.
James didn’t look up from his notebook. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah,” Jake said, leaning in as if they were co-conspirators in some great secret. “Two of my students – well, former students – wanted a private tutoring session, if you catch my drift.”
James sighed and closed his notebook, giving Jake a sideways glance. “I don’t think I want to catch your drift.”
Jake laughed, completely undeterred. “Oh, come on, don’t be so uptight. You’ll learn soon enough that Japan isn’t like back home. These girls want foreign guys. It’s a status thing. And besides,” he shrugged, “they’re adults. I don’t go for the underage ones – too much trouble.”
James frowned. “That’s ... reassuring,” he muttered sarcastically.
Jake ignored the tone. “You’ve been here, what, a full week now? Have you seriously not had any fun yet?”
James hesitated, knowing where this was going. He had barely thought about dating, let alone sleeping with anyone. Between his classes, adjusting to the culture, and exploring the country, romance – or anything resembling it – hadn’t really been on his mind. He had convinced himself that his outing with Hana had just been a guided cultural experience.
Jake, however, saw the hesitation and pounced. “Don’t tell me after a week here you’re still a virgin?”
James tensed, hating the way Jake said it, as if it were some tragic affliction. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
Jake smirked, shaking his head. “Jesus, man. You’re, what, twenty-two or three. You’re in Japan, surrounded by women who practically throw themselves at foreign guys, and you’re just sitting here drinking coffee?” He scoffed. “You sure you’re not gay?”
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