Page 17 of Limbo

“You’re going to sleep with him,” she says.

“Take that back, Cameron.”

She shakes her head. I tear through the room and dive over the couch at her.

After class, I see Jordan waiting for me through the glass doors. In the spirit of upping my game, I head in the opposite direction toward the exit at the other end of the hall. Let’s see how well his ego tolerates a disappearing act.

I walk out into the courtyard with a closed-for-winter fountain and concrete benches set next to bare flower boxes. A depressing sight compared to the first time I saw it, humming with students and vibrant colors everywhere. Proof nothing stays bright and shiny forever.

As I follow the sidewalk, I keep to the side, out of sight of the front of the building. All for nothing when Jordan calls my name. He rushes around the building to catch up with me. Rather than make it easy on him, I speed down the sidewalk, pretending not to see him. Again, pointless. Heads start to turn in his direction, and when I glance back, he’s full-on sprinting toward me.

“I brought coffee!” he shouts.

I stop, well aware that coffee will cause my downfall in life. While everyone around us stares at him barreling toward me, I turn around and wait. Once he catches up, he doubles over, hand on his knee, panting. Unless he sold his soul for the abs hiding under his shirt, I doubt forty seconds of physical activity has him half as bad off as he wants me to believe.

Not receiving the pity he desires, he straightens up. The twinkle hits his eye as he lifts the cup to his lips and proceeds to chug my coffee. It catches me off guard, his dramatics somehow both irritating and charming, and a smile slips out.

“Here.” He thrusts the half-empty cup into my hand. “Do you need a ride?”

“No.” I back away from him. “Thanks for the coffee … kinda.”

“See you later, beautiful.”

“We’ll see.” I spin around and glance over my shoulder. “I might get better at hiding from you.”

By the time I get to the dorms, I’ve developed a game plan for the afternoon. I’m studying in the middle of a circle of books on the floor of my room when I hear a knock.

Expecting Jordan, I swing open the suite door and scowl at … a sack on the floor. It has a recognizable logo from the deli downtown. I check inside and find the soup I texted Felicia about earlier. I poke my head into the hallway, spotting Jordan walking away.

“Thank you, but you should stop wasting your time,” I call after him.

He rounds the corner, never looking back.

After eating what tastes like victory, I gather up my books a few hours early. For my afternoon class, Jordan can knock all he wants. I won’t be here.

Take two of my disappearing act leads me to the library in the middle of campus. Less than convenient, given the location of my next lecture, but effective for evasion. With a novel for Lit, I sink into an overstuffed leather chair, settling in for the duration.

Or so I think.

A few chapters in, a throat clears across from me, and the spark of him watching me hits my chest. My eyes widen, slowly traveling from the pages to Jordan freaking Waters sitting on the arm of the chair facing me.

“A safe house is a much better choice when going underground.” A smirk accompanies his unsolicited advice.

“Are you…” I trail off, not wanting to outright accuse him of following me, but I never told anyone about going to the library.

“Following you?” He takes care of the accusation for me. “Absolutely not. I only show up where I already know you’ll be. There’s a difference.” I tip my head to the side, questioning whether a differentiation truly exists, so he holds up his laptop. “Paper due tomorrow.”

Once again confident that he fits the description of horny college guy and not that of a psycho stalker, the tension leaves my shoulders. “Oh.”

“Do you need a ride to class?” he asks.

My gaze drops to the book. “No.”

“You would make all this a lot easier if you would just—”

“Sleep with you?” I supply the honest end to his sentence.

That damn smile appears. “Not what I was going to say, but we can do it your way. I’m only trying to make your life easier. You should consider leaning in.”

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