Page 94 of Until We Meet Again

"A little, don't you?"

"Sweetheart, I'd love to show you off so that no one thinks you're anything other than mine."

Zane leans closer, his face turning toward me, and I feel his warm breath brush against my neck. His lips trace a path along my bare skin, and my eyes briefly close, savoring the sensation of his kisses. I open the camera app on my phone, desperate to capture this moment and freeze it in time. With a quick adjustment to the angle, I make sure we're both in the frame, and I take the picture.

"Show me," he demands, and I hand it over. "God, you're beautiful." He puts my phone on the nightstand before he kisses the breath out of me.

After a day filled with tears and sadness, Jen stepped in and took my phone away.

During the first few days of what has easily been the worst week of my life, I decided to request a class change, citing my issues with Ashlee as the main reason for it. Thankfully, my request was approved, and I was assigned to Professor Greenwood's class for the final couple of weeks before we graduate.

I know I'll need to face Zane sooner or later, but the thought of sitting in his class, watching him teach, and knowing he's no longer mine—if he ever really was—made my heart ache.

I need distance.

I need to cut myself off from him.

Friday morning arrived, and with it came my first class with Professor Greenwood.Bored. Out. Of. My. Fucking. Head. Maybe it's my state of mind, but it dragged on, and my thoughts wouldn't stop wandering. I found myself checking the time every few minutes, wishing the hour was over.

I bolted out the door as soon as it ended, colliding head-on with Tobias.

"Are you stalking me, creeper?"

"It's possible, Blondie, considering you're playing so hard to get."

As I paint a fake smile on my face, I roll my eyes at him. It's been a week since the night at the bar, and I haven't spoken to Tobias. Despite being pissed with him and the comment he threw at Ashlee about me being a challenge or whatever the hell he said, deep down, I was so caught up in my feelings toward Zane that I probably overreacted.

"Where are you headed? Maybe we can clear the air, and you can stop thinking I'm an asshole."

"I'm going to the library to study."

"You have nothing to study for."

"Okay, fine. I’m going there to read."

"Sweet, me too," he says, and I lock eyes with him, knowing I will never win this fight. "Come on, Tessa," he pleads, his voice full of frustration. "Just give me a chance to explain."

I let out an annoyed huff and glare up at the monotonous white ceiling of the school hallway before slinging my bag over my shoulder. "Fine. But don’t expect anything from me. I didn’t like you that much before."

We walk side by side in silence for only a few seconds before Tobias breaks it. "So, are you planning to give me the silent treatment for the rest of our lives?" he asks with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Nope, just until we graduate, then I don't have to look at your annoying face anymore."

"My face is fucking perfection, and you know it."

"Fine, you're hot, but you have nothing else to offer."

"Ouch." I shoot him the side-eye with a hint of a smile.

Once we finally reach the library, I find a quiet space to sit down. I take my book out of my bag, ready to read, and turn to face him. "Come on, what do you want?"

"You totally misread the situation at the bar," he states, looking me in the eyes. I raise an eyebrow at him, silently calling him out on his bullshit. "I don't see you as a challenge," he adds. "You've never said yes to me, but that's not what keeps me interested in you." His words catch me off guard. I don't often get to see this side of him.

"Then what is it?"

"I like to explore an attraction, and when that attraction is with one of my friends, then I think it would be dumb to ignore it."

"You realize I'm just not into you like that, don't you?"

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