Not to mention, I’ll probably miss some important introductory explanations of
how the class is going to work…
I’m so busy beating myself up that I don’t even notice the person standing directly in my path until I nearly walk headfirst into them. I stop myself just a foot short of collision and look up to find Vin grinning at me, eyebrows lifted. “Lost?” he asks, and part of me wants to deny it just to wipe the grin off his face.
Because that grin is too irritatingly sexy.
But I don’t have time to play games right now, so I just sigh and admit defeat. “Totally turned around. I’m trying to find room 305, but…”
“Yeah, this building is a complete maze. C’mon, I’ll walk you.”
I fall into stride beside him, trying to ignore the fact that there’s only an inch of space between his arm and mine. I can almost feel the heat radiating off of him, and I can definitely tell that he went home and showered after practice—he smells mint-fresh, with a hint of cologne, and something else underneath, a scent I recognize from our shared room. The scent that’s all him, pine and dark woods and mystery.
His dark eyes cut sideways to find mine as we walk, the ever-present smile still lingering on his narrow mouth. “Excited for your first day?”
“I guess so. More nervous than excited, probably,” I admit, sighing as our steps speed up.
“Not what you expected?” he replies, quoting our conversation the day before.
My cheeks flush. “At least now I know I have no idea what to expect, actually,” I reply, trying for a smile. It’s an olive branch, and he takes it in stride, his smile widening.
“Don’t worry. Between the three of us, I think we’ll do just fine here.” He comes to a halt, and I nearly walk straight past him because I was distracted thinking about what he meant by between the three of us.
Then I realize we’re standing outside a classroom. My classroom. 305. And not a moment too soon, either. The bell sounds overhead, signaling the start of the hour, and of my bio course.
“Thank you so much,” I gush as I step inside. But to my surprise, Vin follows me in, his grin widening. I swallow hard as we slide into the only two remaining seats at the back of the 80-odd person lecture hall, side-by-side. “I didn’t know you were taking bio,” I whisper as our professor turns on the screen at the front of the room.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me yet, Cassidy,” he replies smoothly, winking as he pulls a notebook from his bag, then assumes a jaunty lean in his seat, eyes on the board.
Even with his gaze directed elsewhere though, it still somehow feels like he’s staring at me. The space between us feels almost physical with weight.
As I figured, it’s difficult to focus on the professor, when all I can concentrate on is the feeling of him beside me. Wondering what he’s thinking. Why he’s taking this class, too. Is he also planning to be a Bio major, or is he just filling a science requirement? What does he want to do with his life, besides playing lacrosse?
There’s a break in the lecture as the professor tries to make his slideshow keep advancing, and Vin scribbles something on the corner of his notebook. Slides it sideways so I can see, and I have to stifle a laugh when I read it.
Might be a Bio pro, but he’s no techie, huh?
Vin offers me his pen, and with a reluctant glance at the professor—still lost in his laptop—I accept it and lean over his notebook.
Got to admit, I expected a little more from this class than just a PowerPoint presentation.
Don’t worry, he writes back, his letters long and looping. Prof. PowerPoint here is just the main lecture. The bio labs themselves are supposed to be pretty epic, and we have a better prof who runs those. So I’ve heard.
I cast another long sideways glance at Vin, again reappraising everything I thought I knew about him. If I had to guess, I’d have taken him for your standard jock, here on an athletic scholarship, willing to blow off classes, not actually interested in learning much aside from how to win at his chosen sport.
Clearly, I was way off the mark.
Something about the way I’m staring at him must tip him off that I’m surprised, because Vin leans across the desk between us to whisper in my ear, his breath hot against my cheek.
“What’s the matter, surprised that a jock actually gives a damn about class?”
He’s so close to the mark that my cheeks, bright red, answer enough for him. But I lean back over to whisper a reply all the same. “It’s a pleasant surprise, don’t worry. I’ll stop pre-judging you now, promise.”
Now it’s his turn to smile in surprise, eyes widening. “I knew I’d grow on you,” he replies, smirking. “It’s inevitable. Side-effect of the jock super-powers.”
I punch his arm lightly, but he catches my hand and squeezes my fist once, fingers curled around mine for a breath of a second, before he lets go and turns to face the front of the classroom.
The professor is talking again. Crap. I didn’t even notice.