Page 74 of Mud, Love, and Chemistry

“Yeah. So?”

“There’s no school Friday, which means no study group.”

Understanding dawns upon his features quickly followed by disappointment. “No labs either.” He shoves his hands into his pockets. “So, I guess we won’t see each other for, like, almost two weeks.”

“I guess so.”

An uncomfortable silence settles between us, like disappointment clogging the air. Sam licks his lips. “Do you still maybe want to come over tomorrow?”

I jerk my head back. “So, now I’m what? A booty-call?”

“No.” He chuckles.

“Well, the reason we started this arrangement was the study group, and since there’s no study group...” I quirk my eyebrow in a pointed expression. “I’d be coming over to have sex. In essence, a booty-call.”

He takes his hands out of his pockets and crosses his arms. “We could order pizza and watch a movie.”

I frown, skeptically narrowing my eyes.

“I’ll lay it out for you, okay? I don’t want to wait two weeks to have sex again. Do you?”

My lower lip works its way between my teeth as I shake my head.

“Okay, then. You can come over at our usual time, we’ll do our usual thing, and then we can watch a movie instead of working on a presentation.” A sly grin spreads across his face. “Or we can spend the entire time fucking, which I’m also okay with.”

I scoff at his candidness. “A movie sounds good.”

“Shucks.” He snaps his fingers before winking. “See you tomorrow, Brynn.”

My name slides from his lips a little more tenderly than normal, but I don’t linger on it for long. “Yeah…tomorrow.”

***

Biting wind nips at my cheeks. I pull my scarf farther up my face to cover my nose. The walk to Sam’s apartment is only fifteen minutes, but today is brutal. Thirty degrees, gusty winds, and a cloudy sky aren’t exactly ideal weather conditions. I know Mother Nature is screaming at me to turn around right now, but I don’t listen.

I cup my hands around my mouth, blowing hot air into my palms. What am I doing? I mean, I know what I’m doing, but is it a good idea? This arrangement of mine and Sam’s is about making it easier for us to work together. There aren’t supposed to be feelings involved, and up until now, we’ve kept it strictly professional.

This feels like a date. Sandwiching dinner and a movie in between bouts in the bedroom feels like something a couple would do. Fuck-buddies, or fuck-enemies, whatever we are, should not simply hang out. The terms were clear. This blurs the lines, and I don’t like it.

But I do like the sex.

Too many variables rush through my mind, and it’s far too cold to focus on any of them for very long. I speed up my pace. If I freeze to death before I get there, the awkwardness won’t matter.

When I reach his building, I take the stairs two at a time, and knock on his door without a second thought. In fact, the only thought I have is to get inside and out of the freezing cold.

Sam opens the door, a pleased expression on his face, but it turns to shock when I push past him and into the living room. “Uh, yeah, come on in,” he says with a chuckle.

“Sorry,” I say through my chattering teeth. “I had to get out of the wind.”

“Did you walk here?” His tone is pure concern.

I give him a questioning look. “Yeah. I don’t own a car, remember?”

“You could’ve called an Uber.”

“For a mile drive? That would be a waste of money.”

“I would’ve paid,” he says out of the corner of his mouth before clearing his throat. “Do you want something to warm you up? Tea, coffee?”

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