Page 6 of Untruly With You

“Tutoring,” Jeanie hums. “Right. Doesn’t hurt that he’s drop-dead sexy.”

“So much for your new no-dating rule,” Macy adds.

Looking at Sutton on the makeshift stage, I can see why I am needing to bid so high. With how overwhelming my entrance to class was, it was hard to see exactly what Sutton Davis looked like. But objectively speaking, heisgood looking. He has a square, sharp jaw and a strong nose fit for a Greek statue. He’s tall—verytall—and broad, and all at once I can actually see him as a Montana cowboy. Though, admittedly, my knowledge of the cowboy life is minimal, so in my imagination, Sutton is at a high-noon duel, backdropped by twirling tumbleweeds.

“We can do better than that!” The announcer laughs, wrapping an arm around Sutton’s shoulders, which are more rigid than a piece of plywood. “Come on, you know what they say. Save a horse, ride a cowboy!”

Immediately, Sutton covers his face with one hand. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone look more like the embodiment ofkill me now.

“Two fifty!”

I curse and rifle through my Mary Poppins bag of a purse, shoving past loose hair ties and crumpled receipts. I count out all the cash I can wrangle, even desperately resorting to digging for coins.

Looking back up, I find Sutton’s eyes already on me, and Iswear I see a hint of disappointment shadowing his features. I shrug and mouth out the words:I’m out.

“Two fifty going once…twice…”

Just then, Macy and Jeanie both shove bills into my palm. After a quick squeal, I add all the cash up.

“Two hundred eighty-seven dollars!” I yell, thrusting my cash into the air. “And thirty-seven cents!”

The announcer whistles into the microphone. “That’s our biggest bid of the night, folks!” He counts down the longest three seconds of my life until I finally hear, “Sold!”

It’s impossible not to smile when I see Sutton walking down the stairs of the stage, hunching his shoulders in a failed attempt to disappear into the shadows.

I flick the brim of his hat. “This is a good look.”

“I’m not supposed to go out with students I TA for,” Sutton says, still blushing.

I shrug. “That's no problem.”

“And you won’t be saving any horses, if you know what I mean.”

“Nowthatis a disappointment.”

Instead of answering him, I say a round of thank-yous and goodbyes to Macy and Jeanie, who promise to snag some more quotes for the article on my behalf.

“Come on, cowboy.” I grab Sutton by the elbow and lead him inside. Once the door closes behind us, a tense silence fills the hallway. I release him, clearing my throat.

“Where are we going?” he asks, looking like I might say something like “to harvest your organs.”

“We’re going to study.”

“How do I know you’re not planning on something sinister? Like torturing the exam cheat sheet out of me.”

“Do I seem like the kind of girl that would do that kind of thing?” I raise an eyebrow. “More importantly, would that actually work? Because I’m pretty desperate.”

As we wait for the elevator, I turn to face Sutton head-on, needing to crane my neck to look up into his eyes. This close, I can smell his cinnamon gum, which he chews anxiously. “I promise I won’t torture you for sensitive information.” I hold my pinky out. After a few seconds, he wraps his pinky around it, and the warmth of his hand travels up my entire arm. “I must say, you don’t strike me as a frat boy, Sutton.”

“Frat boyalumnus,” he corrects, a hint of a smirk at his mouth.

I snort. “Like that’s much better.”

“It wasn’t really my scene. But rent was way cheaper if I stayed at a frat.”

“Fair.” I know all too well the struggles of New York rent.

I don’t waste any more time. The entire walk and subway ride to my apartment is filled with questions for Sutton about the first two weeks of class I missed. By the time we get to my front door, he has already explained the major bullet points from the first week of class.

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