#you don’t understand. i’m literally crying over photos I TOOK OF LITTLE PLUSH MEN | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

trulymadlysydney · 5 years

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I always associate you with TBND! 🥰

YAY ugh rip I miss that story so much

But okay, so there’s a deleted scene that I’m actually so glad I took out because it read like a cheesy ass Hallmark Christmas movie lmao

You know in part five, when she gets caught not listening in Dr. Hoffman’s class, and then decides she needs to go talk to Rick? Originally I had her stay after the class and talk to Dr. Hoffman for a bit. It was really sweet, and I’m going to include it below the cut, but yeah. Ultimately it felt way too cheesy and to me I thought it dragged the story on for two long, so I ended up cutting it!

“Miss Leary,” he says, in a voice that, to Nova’s detriment, indicates absolutely nothing. Is he angry with her? Is he going to talk to her about their assignment? Does he know she’s struggling?

He clears his throat, stopping only a few feet away from her as the last of the students file out of the room. “Miss Leary,” he repeats, lowering his voice quite a bit. “I don’t mean to pry, and perhaps it’s none of my business, but I couldn’t help but notice you’ve seemed a bit… preoccupied? I don’t know if that’s the word I’m looking for.”

Nova nervously cracks her knuckles, trying to remain calm but feeling her face ignite with the fire of a thousand suns. “That would be a good word, yes.”

Dr. Hoffman smiles softly. “I see. Is everything alright?”

Nova swallows, considering her words carefully. Is everything alright? Is anything alright? It isn’t really, and she knows that lying to him would do absolutely no good. Dr. Hoffman is a smart and very kind man. A short, older man in his late 50s, early 60s maybe, with a wedding ring he wears faithfully every day. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, and Nova wants to cry just knowing that he cares enough about her to ask. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Dr. Hoffman looks at her from over the top of his glasses, reading her face before speaking slowly and gently. “I only ask, Nova, because you’re one of my smartest students. You always speak up and participate with the best questions and counterpoints. And this week I’ve gotten next to nothing out of you..”

Nova looks down, unable to meet his gaze anymore. The only words she can offer him are “I’m sorry,” followed by a promise to try harder and a lie that she’s struggling with the current lesson they’ve been on.

Dr. Hoffman smiles knowingly. “You don’t need to apologize to me. I get it, believe me. I just want to make sure you’re still doing alright.” When Nova doesn’t say anything, he continues, even softer. “You know, I may just be your professor, but I really do care about you kids a lot. I worry about you, you know? And I’m an old man, but I do happen to know a thing or two. And I know for a fact that you aren’t struggling with my material right now. Especially knowing how well you did in Rick’s class.”

Nova considers his words very carefully, playing the last few sentences over and over in her head. This man is so incredibly sweet, and he’s looking at her with the most kind eyes she’s ever seen. She lets out a sigh. Maybe she should just tell him what’s going on.

“Dr. Hoffman,” she speaks slowly. “I just… don’t know what to do. I like this guy--”

He nods understandingly. “Happens to the best of us.”

“And… I messed up. A lot. But I don’t know if I messed up enough to like, warrant how upset I am. Or how upset he is. Or if he’s even upset anymore. He… “ She sighs again. “He tried to tell me how he felt in a super public way, and I didn’t hear him and now he’s upset. And this is so stupid. It’s literally SO stupid, like I shouldn’t be this upset, but I can’t help it. And now it’s interrupting my class time? Like why on earth am I letting my thoughts about a stupid boy get in the way of school? And also, it’s a fairly new relationship. In fact, I’m not even sure you could call it a relationship just yet, although it probably would be official by now if I had only paid attention. But god, how could I have known, you know? I didn’t know he’d had that plan! And now I just feel like… like…” She groans. “Dr. Hoffman, I really, really like this guy. Like more than I’ve ever liked anybody, and it’s absolutely terrifying that, even in such a short amount of time, I know that I’ve never felt this way before. But why am I letting it take over my life, you know? Like, none of this matters that much… but it kind of does…. and I’m a huge idiot and I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

The sympathetic smile never leaves Dr. Hoffman’s face, and he nods understandingly with every sentence pouring out of Nova’s mouth like word vomit. When she finishes her rant with a long, dramatic groan, he only chuckles. He lets the weight of her words sink in a bit, nodding his head along as he processes it all. He tugs at his bottom lip as he thinks, and it annoys Nova how just that simple action reminds her of Harry. After a few moments, he finally speaks slowly and thoughtfully.

“Well, miss Nova. I have a few things to say here.” He removes his glasses, wiping them on the bottom of his shirt. There’s silence as he rubs at the glass, and Nova waits patiently for him to formulate his thoughts. When he pushes his glasses back up his nose, he turns to walk to his desk and speaks. “Can I tell you something?”

Nova finds herself following him. “Of course.”

Dr. Hoffman is smiling still, and he lowers himself down into the plush chair behind his desk with a soft grunt. He reaches down to play with the wedding band on his finger, not raising his eyes to look at Nova. He speaks slowly. “My wife passed away. Years ago.”

The words hit Nova like a truck, and her mouth falls open. “Dr. Hoffman… I’m so sorry…”

He nods at her apology. “We were married 41 years. She was my best friend, the love of my life.” He twists the band around his finger and smiles to himself, clearly remembering something. “But god, could we fight.” He chuckles softly, finally looking back up at Nova. “We fought like you wouldn’t believe, I’ll tell you what. That woman drove me up the wall and I did the same to her. But you know what?” Nova doesn’t say anything, hanging on his every word and waiting for him to finish. “We loved even harder than that.”

Nova swallows, nodding her head. “That’s the best kind of love,” she finds herself saying.

Dr. Hoffman nods. “That it is, Nova. And god, do I wish she was still here to drive me crazy. There are so many things I wish I could tell her. So many things--” He trails off for a moment, and Nova is almost worried he could start crying. Instead, his smile only deepens. “A lot of things I wish I could apologize for. A lot of fights over things that were so stupid. Things that didn’t matter at all.”

“I understand.”

“Is what you’re going through really all that negative? Is it worth the stress you’re experiencing? Because if it is, that’s fine. Sometimes things fall apart and don’t come back together for a reason.” He leans forward in his seat. “But I get the feeling that this isn’t one of those things.”

It’s then that Nova spots a framed picture on the desk, and she squints to get a better view of it. It’s a black and white picture of a much younger Dr. Hoffman with a cheeky grin on his face, and he’s got his arms around a beautiful blonde woman. The woman’s eyes are closed, and she’s laughing. They look so beyond happy, so young. So in love.

Nova smiles softly. “It isn’t.”

Dr. Hoffman’s eyes travel to the framed photo, and they both spend a quiet moment observing the picture. “Sometimes,” he says slowly, “things fall apart so that we realize how important they really are to us. And they don’t fall back together, because you know, it doesn’t work that way. It takes time and effort to put something back together; stitch it up, glue it up-- whatever. And you might even get a few cuts on your hand from the broken pieces, and it might hurt a little but in the end you’ll realize…”

“That it’s worth it.” Nova finishes his sentence with a smile.

Dr. Hoffman nods his head. “As your professor, I say that men are all awful and you should absolutely stay away from him. Get yourself a cat, see the world, and don’t ever lower your standards for a stupid boy. Boys smell bad anyway. Trust me.”

Nova giggles at his words, feeling at ease for the first time in days. He smiles as he continues. “But, as a man, and as someone I hope you could consider a friend, I say don’t let something miniscule get the best of you. Talk to that boy.”

She feels like crying, really, because he’s right. Even though he was the last person she thought she would talk to about this. “Thank you so much, Dr. Hoffman.”

Once again Dr. Hoffman nods his head. “You can always talk to me about anything, Nova. I may not know all that much, but I have been known to say some smart things once or twice in my life.”

Nova giggles. “You helped me more than you know. Really. Thank you.” She turns towards the door to leave.

“Anytime.” She smiles at him over his shoulder and is about to exit the room when he calls out. “Oh and Nova?”

“Yes?”

“You should pop into Rick’s room. I don’t believe he has a class right now and I’m sure he would love to see you. Plus I’m sure he could offer you some excellent advice as well-- that doesn’t involve a sob story about his wife.”

Nova laughs again. “That’s a good idea actually. I’ll head over there. Thank you!”

Dr. Hoffman smiles. “Take care, Nova. See you next Tuesday.”

#Tbnd blurbs #im so glad i cut this out lmao

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