Page 26 of Mud, Love, and Chemistry

The questions won’t stop coming, and I’m getting dizzy. I need to concentrate on the lecture, but I can’t focus on anything. Luckily, I know Professor St. James will spend a good thirty minutes going over the class expectations and structure, but there will be actual teaching soon, and I need to listen.

Fortunately, I’m able to tamp down my worries, and manage to sit through the whole class. Unfortunately, I don’t hear a lot of what is being said. I’m sure the professor would give me some notes on the lecture, but I’ll have to explain why I wasn’t paying attention and I’m not ready to do that.

When Professor St. James finally excuses us, everyone packs up and files out. As Sam leaves, we make eye contact, and he nods toward the door before stepping into the hallway. I shove all my belongings in my backpack and race after him.

I push through the flood of students and find Sam waiting across the hall. Even though my nerves are on edge right now, I can’t help but notice how handsome he is. Better than I remember in Grand Junction.

He’s got his hands in his pockets, backpack slung over his shoulder, his chin dipped. His light-brown curls hang down, framing his gorgeous face. Those brown eyes stare at me through his lashes, and a warm smile dances on his lips.

He takes a hand from his pocket to hike the backpack higher on his shoulder. “Hey, Brynn.”

Even the sound of his voice is better than I remember. “Hey,” I say quietly. Silence fills the hallway as the other students dissipate, leaving us to stare at each other. When Sam tilts his head, his glasses catch the light. “I didn’t know you wore glasses.”

“Oh, yeah.” Sliding them off, he holds them out as if to admire them. “I don’t wear them often, but I ran out of contacts and my order got delayed.” He slips them back on. “I hate these things.”

As I study how handsome he looks with the glasses, I bite my lip. “They’re not so bad.”

“Thanks.” His cheeks tinge pink before he ducks his head. “So, uh, fancy meeting you here.”

My heart leaps into my throat. I swallow it down. Right, I’m here to get answers. “What are you doing here?”

He runs a hand through his hair before rubbing the back of his neck. “Finishing my chemistry degree.”

“You never said anything about going to college.”

“Neither did you.”

I fold my arms across my chest, annoyed at his turning the tables. “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to make you feel bad. You had lost your job, were worried you’d be losing time with your best friend. I didn’t want to rub it in how good my life was.”

“Oh, so you were pitying me?”

With a frown, I shake my head. This isn’t the sweet, understanding Sam I met back in July. “Not pity, just…I don’t know. I didn’t want to gloat.”

“So, you decided to lie instead?”

I scoff. “Me, lie? What about you? This isn’t Wyoming, Sam.”

“Technically, I didn’t lie.” He holds up his hand, index finger pointed to the sky. “When you asked me that, I was living in Wyoming. I only moved down here, like, a week ago.”

“And you didn’t think that was pertinent information to share? I mean, moving to Colorado couldn’t have been a snap decision.”

“No, it wasn’t.” With a sigh, he shoves his hand back into his pocket. “I transferred my credits down here at the end of last semester. That’s why I quit my job. I wanted to take the summer to hang out with Walt before I moved.”

My jaw hits the floor. “You lied about losing your job, too?”

“It wasn’t really a lie. Mis-worded maybe, but not a lie.”

An offended laugh escapes me. “You’re so full of shit.”

“Shh.” He puts his finger to his lips as he takes a step closer to me. “What about you, huh? Greeley isn’t exactly Aurora, Colorado.”

I bristle, swallowing deep before speaking. “I never said I lived there, just that I grew up there. Which is true.”

A dismissive look crosses his face. “Unbelievable.”

“Don’t spin this on me. You could’ve told me you were moving down here, but you chose to omit that tiny detail. Why?”

He groans as his head falls back to gaze at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I had just met you, and we lived so far apart, at least I thought we did.” He gives me a pointed look. “I guess I didn’t think the details mattered.”

---