She laughs softly and shakes her head. “It’s not that bad. Most of the time they’re just stressed out.” She shrugs one shoulder as if it’s no big deal. “I get it.” When she leans toward me conspiratorially, I get a glimpse of the top of her creamy breasts and swallow hard. “It’s the worst during finals.”
“Which are coming up,” I point out to tease her.
Her eyes sparkle as she takes me in, her voice light, “True enough, but it’s not here yet.”
“You went to school here too, right?”
“I did,” she confirms with a nod. “I’m glad I still get to stick around. I like it here.”
“You’re not from Chicago?”
“Nope,” she pops the p. “I grew up in Arizona in some little town that was way too small for me.” She scrunches up her face which is fucking adorable. “The winters here were an adjustment, but it worked out and I’m used to it now.”
I wince, not being able to relate completely since I was born and raised in Chicago, but it does get really fucking cold. “That must have been brutal the first year.”
“The first two and a half really,” she admits before biting her lip as if she’s embarrassed by her own confession.
“I’m glad you’ve adjusted,” I keep my voice soft even though everything in me is screaming to pull her into my arms and make sure she’s warm enough.
I never want her to feel the bite of a cold winter.
“Thanks,” she chirps. She lifts the stack of books again and smiles at me. “I should get to putting these away. It was nice to see you, Jude.”
She gives me a little wave before she leaves, and I can’t help stand there as I watch her walk away from me. I hate it when she does, and it happens far too often. It also reminds me of the first time I saw her months ago.
My sister, Maria, is a student here and since our mom was off traveling the world, I was the only person here to make sure she got moved into the dorms. After we got everything moved in, we decided to take a walk around the campus together. I wanted to make sure my little sister, a later in life surprise for my mom with 12 years between us, knew where everything was located.
I was worried Maria would be overwhelmed considering that being at school, even in the same city where she grew up, is the first time she’s been out of the house and away from her family.
As we walked around, my eyes caught on Edison. I couldn’t help but follow her, but Maria didn’t even seem to notice and just happily babbled about the library. That was when I realized Edison had slipped inside the large building. When we walked in, I saw her get settled behind the circulation desk. The way she held herself and spoke with her coworker, Kent, I found out later, told me she wasn’t just some work study requirement.
That was when my plan was hatched. I wanted to be as close to her as possible and the only position open was for a janitor. It’s far outside of my experience, but I was willing to do anything to find out about the girl I couldn’t tear my eyes away from.
In the last few months, I’ve found out everything I could about her and my fascination only grew with each kernel of information. I’m obsessed with her. I’m stalking her, but I can’t stop now.
I won’t stop until I make her mine.
I’m able to do most of my other work at night. That’s the one bonus of working for myself and owning my own tech business. I can take on the clients I want and do the work when I want to do it. I’ve devoted all my free time to Edison, and she has no idea.
If I wait too much longer, she’s going to slip through my fingers.
I wheel the janitor’s cart to the small supply closet, needing to get to the next building, but hating the idea of leaving my girl. I crave having my eyes on her, knowing what she’s doing and who she’s talking to. It’s a damn good thing Kent is in a happily committed relationship, even if it’s unconventional. He and his two best friends, one of whom is a professor here, are in one relationship with a woman who I’ve seen stop by a few times.
I’m not sure I could share my woman, but there’s something intriguing there.
Before I can wheel the cart in completely, I’m pushed into the small room from behind, my hip hitting the metal handle of the cart and throbbing. I bark out, “What the fuck?”
“I should be asking you the same fucking thing. I’ve seen the way you watch Edison, but she’s not yours to look at that way,” a voice grits out through his teeth behind me.
I whirl around, barely able to do it in the small space. The man who is crowding me into the room has dark brown hair, longer on top and shorter on the sides so it flops down over his face. His eyes are hazel, darkened with anger, and his jaw is clenched. I can’t help myself when I look down to where his long-sleeved shirt is pushed up his arms to expose the tattoos there.
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” I deny.
He scoffs, “I do know. I bet you don’t just watch her while she’s here at work either.”
I should deny it, I should be shoving him, but I find my jaw drops instead and words evade me completely. There’s something like knowing and understanding in his eyes and I feel a click inside of me.
I challenge him, “And how would you know anything about it?”