A soft voice breaks through my thoughts. “You’re actually taking notes?”
I glance to my right and see Emily leaning toward me, resting her chin in her palm, her pen twirling between her fingers. She’s wearing the worn-in college sweatshirt she loves, which swallows her whole. Her eyes are still somehow bright, even though we’ve been trapped in this lecture for almost an hour.
“I enjoy passing classes,” I murmur, turning my eyes back to the projector. “Wild concept, I know.”
Her smile tilts. “I wasn’t judging. It’s kind of cute.”
The corner of my mouth twitches before I can stop it. “Happy to know my riveting study habits do it for you.”
She laughs under her breath and faces forward again.
We’ve sat side-by-side since week one. She loathes note-taking, so she borrows mine, and as a thank you, she buys us coffees. It works for both of us. She reminds me of Izzy in a way. She’s smart and hardworking, but stubborn when she wants to be… and, of course, loves to tease me.
Emily bumps my elbow with her pen. “I’m still waiting on last week’s notes, by the way. Or did you finally cut me off?”
“They’re in my room,” I tell her. “I’ll send them over to you later.”
“You always say that,” she teases, shaking her head. A strand of hair slips loose, brushing her cheek as she looks at me, grinning.
“And have I ever let you down?”
She pretends to think about it, then smiles. “You’re right,” she says, tapping her pen against my arm. “You’re reliable.”
I glance over. “That’s the most boring thing I’ve ever been called.”
“It’s a good thing to be,” she says as she lifts her shoulder in a shrug. “Some girls like that.”
I lift a brow at that, unsure if she means anything by it, but before I can figure it out, my phone buzzes against my thigh.
I slide it out under the desk, but my thumb stills when I see the name on my screen.
My pulse skips when I see Logan’s name pop up with an incoming message.
We haven’t really talked since… that night. Mostly because I’m not sure what the hell came over me when I admitted to him—and myself—all the thoughts that had been running through my head.
Even thinking the words again makes my stomach twist into knots.
Because I don’t say shit like that.
But a big part of the reason I’ve smiled tightly whenever we see each other, never saying a word, is because… I don’t knowwhatto say.
And now I’ve got no clue where the hell that leaves us.
And every time I see him—every time he glances my way with that unreadable expression and doesn’t say a word—I can’t tell if he’s waiting for me to take it back or waiting for me to do something about it.
Either way… I’ve got no idea what the hell I’m supposed to do.
The professor’s voice fades into the background. I couldn’t repeat a single word he’s said in the last ten minutes if someone paid me.
My thumb hovers over Logan’s name.
Just check it,I tell myself.Then I’ll stop thinking about it.
I swipe the screen and?—
My pen jerks across the page, dragging a black streak through my notes. I suck in a breath too fast, and I choke on absolutely nothing.
A couple of heads turn my way, which makes me want to fucking die.