Page 82 of Mud, Love, and Chemistry

Dammit. I missed him over the break. “Good. No drama. How was yours?”

“Really good. Got to see all my siblings, and Walt. Actually spent a lot of time with him.”

“That’s nice.” I give him a tight-lipped smile. It’s all I can do not to throw myself into his arms.

He shoves his hands in his pockets and sighs. “It’s nice to see?”

“Sam!” Maya’s voice cuts through the air, making both Sam and I wince. She sidles right up to him, not paying me any attention. “How was Thanksgiving?”

He does a double take in her direction. “Um, hi, Maya. Thanksgiving was good. Brynn and I were just talking about ours.”

Maya’s gaze flicks between us, confusion on her face. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s okay, Maya. Mine wasn’t that exciting, anyway.” As I back away to give them some privacy, Sam shoots me a look I can only describe as longing. He’s not pleading with me for help. He seems almost disappointed that I’m leaving. The expression quickly fades, though, and he turns to engage in conversation with Maya.

His entire demeanor changes as soon as he does. The laid-back Sam I spoke to is gone, replaced with an animated, jovial version. I don’t know whether to be disheartened or not.

I don’t get much time to think because Dr. Hinkle comes around the corner and opens the lab door. We all shuffle in, taking our seats while the professor hands out the work for the day. When Sam sits down across from me, we catch each other’s gazes and he winks. My stomach flips, but I set my focus on my tasks.

Part way into our setup, Sam leans over the table to spy at my measurements. I playfully slap my hand over my paper and shake my head. A sly smirk spreads over his face, so I arch my eyebrow in challenge.

“Sam, hey. Sam, I have all the numbers right here,” Maya says in her bubbly voice.

Sam reluctantly slides back into his chair, but keeps his smoldering eyes on mine until the last second. He turns to Maya, seemingly forgetting about me.

I huff, turning to my lab partner, Micah, and continuing our setup. Once we’re ready, Micah goes to fetch the supplies, and I’m left alone with Sam and Maya. Really, I could say I’m left alone, because Maya keeps such a tight leash on Sam, he can’t even glance in my direction. But I stare at him all the same.

I don’t know if I’ve never noticed before, but he has the cutest curl to his lip when he laughs. And the way his hair bounces back after he runs his hand through it? Ugh, so adorable. When his tongue darts out to lick his lips though, that’s when I feel a familiar ache between my thighs. I bite down on my cheek and avert my eyes. I’m not doing myself any favors.

Sam and Maya finish their setup, so Sam goes to collect their supplies. I’m not even going to deny that I stare at his ass the whole time he’s up. It isn’t until Maya clears her throat that I look away.

“Do you need something, Maya?”

She purses her lips as she folds her arms. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing.”

“Uh, I’m sitting here.”

“Nuh-uh.” She shakes her head. “I see you staring at Sam.”

My stomach drops. I feel the need to defend myself. “I was just staring off into space, Maya. I didn’t even realize he was?”

“Oh, shut up.” She rolls her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh.

I await an explanation, but Micah returns with our samples, and I’m forced to switch gears. Not soon after, when Sam comes back to the table, I do my best to ignore him. I can feel Maya’s death glare and I don’t need to add fuel to the fire.

The rest of lab time creeps by. Me trying not to look at, or engage with Sam in any way, is exhausting. Micah and I are one of the first groups to finish, so I bury my nose in my O-Chem textbook. I’m deep into a section on polar covalent bonding when a hand grips the top of my book and pulls it down. I lift my gaze to find Sam smiling at me.

I scan the room to see everyone packing up. “Is lab over?”

“Yeah, brainiac.” Sam chuckles, but glances over his shoulder at Maya returning their equipment. “Can you help me out? I need to get Maya off my back.”

I nod as she comes back to the table. “Okay, Sam. All cleaned up. Ready to go?”

“Uh… well...” He rubs the back of his neck. “You see…”

“Sam, we really need to work on the presentation for study group this Friday since we didn’t this weekend,” I chime in.

The immediate fiery glare I get from Maya is negated by the appreciation pouring from Sam. A comfortable warmth radiates through me, melting my insides. The only way it could get better is if I were also being warmed by his strong embrace.

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