Blurred Lines by M. Lynne Cunning Read Free Book Online Page B

whole of our being.” Anthony’s hand came up to his chest, a gesture of how much he meant what he was saying.
    Dean and Lauren turned to look at each other at the same time, their eyes transfixed in a knowing stare. There was no arrogance or cockiness in the fact that they both knew Anthony was discussing their work. They had felt it as well when they’d written it together. The despair, turmoil, and internal hatred at wanting and needing something or someone so intensely that no amount of physical or emotional release could ever quench the unyielding thirst for that person’s mind, body, and soul. It was the thought they had attempted to portray through simple words, and evidently their attempt had been successful.
    “The reckless robbing of breath and passion of others…” Anthony’s voice echoed loudly throughout the room as he read the words Lauren and Dean had painstakingly pieced together the previous day.
    It was a short poem, but the hours it had taken for them to get it just right had been worth it. Even as Lauren heard her professor recite the words she now knew so well, she was struck by the demanding presence of the piece, how she heard the words as though she could see their meaning with her eyes.
    She thought she would be humiliated to have those sensual, intimate words read out loud, but upon hearing the artful seduction of the poem they’d created, how perfectly it all had come together, she felt the sudden urge to announce to everyone that she had been so intricately involved in the making of it.
    “Congratulations, Sarah,” Dean whispered, leaning in close to her ear. “Our first success.”
    Lauren beamed back at Dean. Success was putting it mildly in her eyes. Right now, she was convinced she could do anything, write anything, and be anything. She also knew that she had Dean and his creative mind to thank for it.
    “These two melded their minds together and made pure, passionate love on paper!” Anthony announced as he waved his hands around. The classroom erupted into fits of laughter, brought on both by Anthony’s theatrical methods of explanation and his enlightening phrases. From the corner of Lauren’s eye, she could see that Dean was glancing her way. She kept her focus ahead, but bit her lip to stifle the grin she knew was threatening to appear.
    “I shall be honored to behold what this heavenly pair of minds will conceive in our next assignment,” Anthony said, and Lauren noticed he was careful never to make eye contact with her or Dean while singing their praises. There was the possibility that he didn’t know who they were, but more plausible was that he was being careful to allow everyone their anonymity. Lauren respected him for that. Her and Dean’s secret was theirs to keep or theirs to share if they sought fit.
    The room grew quiet as Anthony began to pass around a list of pages for his students to read if they chose to keep up with the required curriculum. Once again, he stated his belief that, after reading the first assignments handed in, he was more than convinced very few of the people enrolled in this program would have any trouble with such basic writing requirements. However, the choice was theirs to follow along or not. Lauren wondered idly how many printouts would be left strewn across the chairs and floor of the auditorium when everyone went home later that afternoon. After the pages were passed out, Anthony smiled mischievously and explained the next assignment.
    “Take an excerpt of something you’ve already written, or, if you need to, you can write something new. Either way, I want you to write something in the voice of someone else. Take a gamble, my friends! Who have you always wanted to be? Is there a particular trait you’ve always yearned to possess? In this assignment, you can be exactly who you want to be! There is no right or wrong answer. I just want you to take on the persona of a character, someone so unlike you that you struggle to see how