I was this close to unwittingly being his Lolita.

First, I'll just say - I didn't know/realize it was a date until the very end... so keep that in mind. You don't know this is a date.

I went to Spanish class. The last one in the undergraduate series. It was about mid-semester, so my professor and TA knew me fairly well (I am outspoken in class, surprise, surprise). Well, this particular day I had red, puffy eyes and the sniffles (I had just broken up with Thomas, my boyfriend for almost four years [over a 6 year span].) I successfully made it through class, and I was walking out...

My professor (and chair of Spanish & Portugese dept.): "Que pasa, m'ija?"
Me: "No soy una novia."

Anyway, the conversation continues for a bit in the doorway, and the TA wants to lock up. My professor asks if I want a coffee at Barnes & Noble, his treat. I don't drink coffee, but I know there are delicious Italian sodas there and I want one and I'm poor, so I agree. Plus, his class is the last of the day, and I don't have to be at work until 6pm (it is noon at this point). We get to B&N, he buys me the drink I want, and we chat. Somehow we start talking about Che Guevara and how I want to read "The Motorcycle Diaries." We talk of families, my life, my interests, etc. Me, me, me (I'm only realizing now that he didn't mention any of his life, at all.). As we are walking out of B&N, Prof sees the book I mentioned, wants me to know more of Che (he is a fan), and picks up the book.

Prof: "Will you read this?"
Me: "Yeah, I will at some point for sure."
Prof: "No, if I bought this for you, would you read it?"
Me: "No, it's okay."

Professor picks up the book and takes it to the check out. He buys it for me. (Still have never read it, p.s.) So, then - we walk out of the store. He asks what I'm doing for the rest of the day... I say "getting ready for work, homework probably... then I work at six"... he says, "Have you ever been to the restaurants on Lake Austin?" No. "Let's go." No. "Come on, its beautiful." Ok. Fine.

We take the 40 Acres bus to his car (Yes, UT really is so big that you have to take a bus between classes... everything's bigger in Texas). For some odd reason ("odd" meaning - "he is my professor and could totally ruin my beautiful GPA if I am a punk"), I get in his car. We go to this great restaurant on the lake... I say I'm not too hungry, so he orders some Fish and Chips for us to share. We talk. And talk. And talk. He says all these complimentary things that I dismiss with a laugh and a roll of the eyes. At this point, its time for me to go to work, so we walk back to his car, and he drives back to UT's campus (I worked at the College of Engineering). He pulls into the parking lot.

Professor: "Its been really fun."
Me: "Sure."
Prof: "I'd like to do it again."
Me: "Uhhh..."
Prof: [squeezes my thumb]

And that's how I knew it was a date.
The thumb squeeze gives it away every time.

If ya'll are interested, I can go on with the aftermath.