Me:All good! Just a misunderstanding about a deadline.
Ben: If you need any help, I’m here.
Me:Thanks, Ben.
I slam the phone down and rub my hands down my dress.
Was this some kind of prank? I should’ve known better than to trust her. She’s never been kind to me, but what about the other five reporters?Why?I’ve never been anything but courteous to them.
How could I be so blind? I bite my lip to hold back the tears gathering behind my eyes.
I will not cry.I. Will. Not. Cry.
My thoughts are interrupted when the waiter comes back.
“The kitchen will be closing in fifteen minutes, miss. Would you like to order something before then?”
Clearing my throat and wiping away the lone tear that’s fallen, I look back at the bottle of wine I ordered. A three-hundred-dollar bottle of wine. Thank God I didn’t order the most expensive one on the menu.
It’s sad to see it go to waste, but it’s even more tragic to drink it alone.
I look up to the kind waiter whose name tag has been hidden until now. “I’ll just take the check, please, Charles.”
He bows his head, and I see the pity in his eyes. I turn around to hide from the few people left at the restaurant. It’s quiet, and it seems like only two couples are left. I thank whoever’s watching over me for that. That is, until I hear a group of men laughing, coming from what seems to be the back of the restaurant, where special events are usually held. Their deep chuckles catch me off guard.
The back room must have thick walls and doors to hide thosekinds of laughs and voices. Then again, I wasn’t paying much attention to my surroundings while getting stood up.
I keep facing forward and tip my glass, pouring myself my last glass of wine for the night.
I’m about to take a sip when I look up at the ceiling, where a small chandelier hangs. I lift the glass just a little, thinking of my cousin. “To you, Charlotte.” I take a big gulp. “I’d appreciate it if you’d show me a sign that this semester will be better than it is now.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, Charles’s shadow appears. Only when I look up, I don’t see a short sixty-year-old man, but a six-foot-three, perfectly shaped body.
“Professor Hayes?”
Chapter Fifteen
EMMA
“Emma?” he asks, eyes slightly wide. He quickly shakes his head as if about to apologize for calling me by my first name when a man’s hand lands on his shoulder. They’re both dressed formally in suits without ties.
“Hayes, you coming? Everyone’s outside waiting.” The unfamiliar man glances at me briefly and smiles.
It takes Grayson a moment to look away from me and toward the large, empty table. I look down at my wineglass, wiping away another tear that seems to have escaped.
Fuck, how embarrassing.
“Um, I’ll catch up with you next week, Jamal.”
I whip my head toward him to tell him to leave, but he’s shaking his friend’s hand goodbye. Based on his body language, it’s clear that the two men are close.
Averting my gaze, I sit straight in my seat while playing with the sleeves of my dress again.
He really shouldn’t be staying here with me. Not when other adults saw him approach me—and where is Charles with my check?
After checking my phone for the umpteenth time, I see thatthe kitchen is closing in five minutes, and I’m starving. I’ll grab some pizza on the way to my dorm and eat it in private, with a half-pint of strawberry ice cream to help soothe the pain of tonight’s embarrassment.
“Are you okay?” Grayson’s voice startles me. I almost forgot he was here.