Page 82 of Until We Meet Again

"Not much, but he could be tempted. I mean, there was, like, zero conviction in his words."

"I'm thinking he wouldn't be that stupid to risk losing his job over you." Ashlee looks at me like she's ready to squash me.

"Speaking of those that teach us, a couple of them are chilling at a bar across the street. I saw them when I was having a smoke," Tobias says.

My gut twists, and I know he's there.

In the Cordova Lounge.

In our place.

I slowly tilt my head toward Jen, feeling her gaze on me, and she subtly shakes her head as if she can sense the storm whirling in my mind.

"Bro, what the hell are we even doing here then? Let's go and make them feel uncomfortable."

God, why am I here with these morons?

"Why, you fucking weirdo, would you want to hang out with your teachers?" Tobias says, staring at Josh as if he's gone insane.

"I agree, shitty idea, especially since you'll have to see them on Monday and be embarrassed by every dumb thing that comes out of your mouth," Jen responds as she takes a sip of her drink.

"What bar are they at?" Erik asks, but I already know.

"Cordova Lounge. Anyone been there? It’s pretty nice."

"No," I answer Tobias fast, guiltily, before continuing, "but I haven’t been here before either."

"What have you been doing all these years?" Ashlee laughs—just her—with an almost silent giggle from Josh.

"For starters, I haven't been trying to fuck my teachers." The words fall out of my mouth before I have time to think about them, and the guys around the table bust out laughing.

"Don't be jealous because no one has taken your V-card. We all know you're a prissy little prude who no one wants to screw."

"Shut your fucking mouth, Ashlee." Rage rises within me, but Tobias's voice settles me when I hear the anger in his tone.

"Fuck you, Ashlee. Nobody here even likes you." I get to my feet and reach for Jen's hand, a silent thank you for always having my back, but I need to get away from everyone here.

I need air, and I need some space.

I need him.

A welcoming breeze brushes my face as I make my way out onto the street, urging me to close my eyes and simply breathe. After a few seconds, my eyelids flutter open, and I find myself staring straight through the window of the Cordova Lounge, focusing on the bar like some psycho stalker girlfriend. It doesn't take me long to find him.

Zane and Professor Liu are engrossed in conversation. The way they look at each other shows how absorbed in each other they are—or maybe I'm that crazy girl now, the irrational onewho imagines things that aren't really there.Fuck, I'm that girl,and no one wants to be that girl. Two other professors, one of whom I vaguely recognize, are also sitting at their table, immersed in their own conversation. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it looks like a double date, judging by the way both couples are smiling and talking.

Admittedly, I'm jealous, and even though he's done nothing to make me feel insecure, I know it's because I can't truly have him. The situation we're in means I can't be his, and he can't be mine, and it fucking sucks.

I think a lot about how graduation is just a month away and that we'll be free to do whatever we want after that, but he won't ever give me what I want. I want his heart—all of it. I want his love, and I want him to feel about me the way I feel about him, but he never will. That's the horrible reality, whether he's my teacher or simply Zane.

My palms begin to sweat as I reach inside my purse and grab my phone. In a moment of courage, I hit the call button, saying a firm "Fuck it."

I watch him pull his phone from his pants pocket. The way he immediately stands up from his seat, distancing himself from the table, stirs something deep within my heart, and I hate him a little for it.But I love him for it too.

"Hey, sweetheart." His voice permeates every part of me. I can feel him everywhere, and the way he says "sweetheart" with that smooth southern drawl sends shivers down my spine and makes my stomach erupt with butterflies.

"Hey."

"Are you alright?"

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