In Senior English, Tess was working on yet another research paper, and that Thursday night was a typical tutoring session; she came with a printed second draft of the paper, and she and Miguel took turns reading the paragraphs aloud.

"So this should actually be a semicolon, because otherwise it's a—"

"—run-on," said Tess. She had gotten better at identifying her most common grammar mistakes, but some still slipped by her.

"Yes!" Miguel grinned. As Tess marked the correction on her draft, he continued, "And I really think you should have a citation here, because the date that polio was officially considered eliminated is probably not common knowledge."

"Good point. I really thought it would have been earlier than 1994." She made another note. "I think this came from the Jones article. Can you please hand it to me, Miguel?"

"Tess, sweetie?" Tess's mom came into the room. "Your father's just getting off work, and I said I'd meet him over at the theater. Are you going to be okay?"

Tess's parents had tickets to see a local folk musician perform—something that Tess had zero interest in experiencing. She'd assured them they could go without fearing that she'd feel left out. "We'll be okay. Have fun at the concert."

"Work hard, you two. We should be back by, oh, 10:00, but I'm hoping you'll be home in your dorm by then, Miguel. Tess, the pasta should just be another ten minutes or so; just take it out of the oven when the timer goes."

"Thanks, Mom. Love you." Tess closed her eyes and leaned into her mother's forehead kiss, and then Clarette headed down the hall toward the garage door.

Tess and Miguel continued to work. When the oven beeped, Tess served up supper for the both of them. They were so used to having supper as they studied that it was second nature now to trade off discussion with bites of food, occasionally talking around a mouthful like casual friends.

As he skimmed one of the articles Tess had used for a source in her paper, searching for a specific phrase she needed to cite, Miguel said, "Hey, on a random note, have you given any more thought to the essay contest?"

Tess's stomach dropped. She hadn't thought about it at all. It had only been a few days, after all, and she'd had a lot on her mind after everything with Isaac. "Not really."

"Okay." Miguel waved a hand, pushing the matter aside. "No problem. Just wanted to let you know that since the deadline is late March, we probably want to get started on revisions by mid-March if you'd like to enter. No pressure."

With a small smile, Tess said, "I'll keep that in mind." But she knew she wouldn't be entering the essay contest. Of course, she waited until they were wrapping up their lesson for the night to speak with Miguel about it. She was surprised at how sad she felt.

"There," said Miguel, making a few final notes on the last paragraph of her paper. "Spend a little time on this over the next couple days, and I think you'll have a very strong final draft, Tess." He looked up at her with an unsuspecting smile. "I'm really proud of you."

Touched by his comment, Tess found herself unable to meet his gaze. "Thanks."

"Is something wrong?"

She drew a breath, knowing that there would never be a good moment or a comfortable way to talk to him; best just to face it and get it over with. "I don't think I can keep meeting you, Miguel," she said.

There was a brief silence. She glanced up at his face, catching an expression of shock on his features, which he quickly smoothed away. "Really? Why?"

Tess had not thought this far ahead; she had no answer ready. She stumbled over her response, twisting her fingers together. "Um, I just don't think it's working...I don't think it's going to work out."

"Did your parents say something? Is it something I've done?"

Anxiety grasped Tess's heart. She hadn't even talked to her parents, and she was not looking forward to that conversation. "No. Not at all. You've been great."

He cocked his head. "Okay, then what do you mean, 'it's not working out?'" As if he had noticed Tess's distress, he was quick to add, "Don't worry, Tess. I'm not upset. I mean, ah...I'm a little upset. I have really enjoyed working with you. I just want to understand why. If I get another student—another client—I can do better."

Tess hadn't expected the conversation to go this way. Why did it suddenly feel like she was getting rid of a friend?

Maybe she was getting rid of a friend. Miguel was an excellent tutor and had made a world of difference in her academic life, but she had grown to enjoy their time together; he was funny and kind, and he made her feel smart and capable. She hadn't fully considered how much she would miss him. "It's hard to explain."

Miguel pushed back from the kitchen island and turned in his chair to give Tess his full attention. "Listen, Tess. I hope I can be honest with you here. I thought we were working really well together. Your grades are up, you're doing stronger work every day, and you seem ten times more confident in yourself than you did when I first met you. Can you understand why this feels out of the blue to me? It isn't about the job. I can get another job. I just thought...you know. I thought we had a good thing."

"We did. We do." Tess drew a breath, trying to steady her nerves. She suddenly felt very emotional about the whole situation, and for reasons she couldn't explain, she was nervous about telling Miguel the truth behind why she had to end their sessions.

"So, even if it's hard to explain, will you try? Please?"

He was right. She owed it to him. After all he had done for her, the least she could do for him was to be honest. "The truth is that my boyfriend doesn't like me meeting with you." Seeing the startled expression on Miguel's face, she said, "It's weird, I know, but I don't think he'd mind if you were a girl or if you were like, older, but since you're a college student and everything, Isaac is just...not comfortable with it. So he wants me to stop seeing you."

Miguel didn't say anything; it was clear that whatever he'd expected, it wasn't this.

She had to make him understand that it wasn't anything personal. "You have done so much to help me, Miguel, and I hope you know I realize that and how grateful I am."

But he was still stuck on her reasons. "You're firing me because of your boyfriend?"

Heat crept up into Tess's cheeks. "It's not that, exactly..."

"He doesn't want you to meet with me because I'm a college-age guy? Does he realize we're meeting in your house, with your parents here?" He ran his fingers through his hair, looking bewildered. "I mean, this night is literally the only exception since we first started working together."

"I told him that. I told him how much you've helped me, how much you're teaching me. And I told him you were nice, and I just don't see why he feels this way—"

"Why is he making this decision for you?" Suddenly putting up his hands, palms out, Miguel added, "I know this is out of line and it's none of my business, but isn't it your choice what you do?"

"He isn't making the decision for me. I'm deciding because we had a fight—"

"You fought about me?" Miguel looked at her in disbelief.

Grasping for words, Tess broke eye contact. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, and although she was looking down at her linked hands, she could tell Miguel was struggling to maintain his composure.

At last, Miguel said, "Before I go, Tess, I need to say something. As a friend."

Still looking down at her hands, she nodded. "Okay."

"I won't pretend to be wise and I won't pretend like I know the first thing about relationships. But it seems to me that if your boyfriend wants you to give up something that's good for you because he doesn't trust you, he—"

"He never said he didn't—"

"But he doesn't. He doesn't trust you. I like you, Tess. I guess it doesn't matter if I tell you that now, since we won't be meeting any more. You're interesting, you're smart, and I enjoy our time together. But I like to think I've kept my distance, and I certainly hope I haven't given you the impression that our meetings are anything but a professional engagement. If you felt like I crossed a line, I need to apologize to you."

Confused, Tess stammered, "No—you've been totally professional—"

"What matters is if Isaac trusts you. Even if I were to make a move, which I never would because you're like, my employer, or your parents are, I guess? Or maybe your school—it's weird—" He raked his hand through his hair again, obviously flustered. "What I'm trying to say is what matters is whether Isaac would trust you to turn me down. Isn't that the long and short of it?"

Tess looked at him helplessly.

"So he doesn't trust you. Unless you've given him a reason not to, and I can't see that being the case, he wants you to give up something that's good for you because it will make him feel better. Rather than dealing with his own shit—I'm sorry, Tess. I'm sorry." He stood up, once again raising his hands. "I'm so far out of line right now I'm not sure where the line is, and I need to just shut up."

Tess stood up, too. "You're angry."

"I'm not angry. Well, not at you. But you'll be angry with me when I tell you what I'm really trying to say, Tess. Be careful, because this guy sounds pretty controlling. I hope you feel safe with him." Miguel looked at her for a moment, an expression of concern on his face. Then, shaking his head, he took his jacket off the back of his chair and slipped it on. "That's all I'll say. Please, just think about it."

"Please, Miguel, I didn't mean...I just wish this could be different."

Miguel gave her a sad smile. "I know. It's pretty clear this isn't coming from you, but it's clear your choice is made, and I understand. Well, I'll try to. You have my number if something changes."

Tess followed him as he made his way to the door. She tried to find something to say, something that wasn't goodbye, but nothing came to mind.

"Good night, Tess. And good luck with everything. I mean that. Sincerely."

The door opened, and Miguel stepped out into the cold, gently closing the door behind him.