Page 40 of No One Else

I open my eyes, startled. “How did you do that?”

She looks back at me wide-eyed. “Do what?” She leans forward, bringing her hands up in front of her face. “Do I have mystical powers?”

Eden giggles from the other side of the table. “Did you get your answer?”

I nod, swallowing heavily. Now, I just have to figure out what to do with it.

And that starts with confronting Evan about it after class. He can’t avoid the question then.

***

WHERE THE HELL IS HE?

Dr. Kaufman has a strict attendance policy and it’s already ten minutes after class started. If Evan doesn’t show up in the next five minutes, he’ll get counted as absent.

Though it’s a fascinating lecture on market segmenting, targeting, and positioning, it’s hard to focus. Evan’s not the type to flake out on class. Is it a coincidence that it happened right on the day we were next supposed to see each other? Is he feeling guilty about that kiss? He seemed fine throughout the hours we manned the kissing booth, but we had Angela there as a buffer, not to mention the scores of women wanting to kiss him.

My post with him shirtless had proved to be even more popular than I expected. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who found him attractive. I mean, what isn’t there to like? Especially when I had posed him. The hint of desire I’d seen in his eyes had transferred perfectly to the camera, making him look like sex on a stick. The kind of guy you see in those sexy firefighter calendars.

Okay, mind out of gutter. Dr. Kaufman’s going over things that’ll be on the midterm next month. I can think about this later.

When class ends, I pull out my phone but there’s nothing from him, not that I really expected there to be. Well, screw this waiting around game. I pull up his contact, hitting the green phone icon harder than necessary and bring it up to my ear, growing more restless the longer it rings. Just as it’s about to kick over to voicemail, he answers, his voice rough with sleep.

“Natalie?”

“Did I wake you?” I ask, taken aback.

“Yeah, I guess so.” The sound of sheets or pillows rustling comes through the line, along with a hoarse cough. “What time is- oh God, I missed Marketing.” He coughs a second time, clearly congested.

“Evan, are you all right?”

“I started feeling bad last night, but I thought a good night’s sleep would fix it.” He clears his throat, the congestion sounding even worse now. “I slept right through my morning alarm, though. I meant to go to my second class, but I guess I fell back asleep again. God, I missed all three classes.”

Guilt layers on me thick. “Do you think it was someone from the kissing booth that got you sick?”

“I have no idea,” he groans. “I just want this mack truck to stop rolling over my head.”

“Do you need me to come bring you anything? Some soup?”

“No, you don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.” He sneezes then, three times in a row.

“You’ll be fine, hmm?”

“Uh huh.”

Yeah, real convincing. He obviously needs someone to take care of him.

Oh, oh! The perfect idea comes to me.

“You should have Sarah come over and take care of you,” I say casually. Inside, though, my heart is beating overtime.

“I-” He gives a strangled cough. “That’s not necessary.”

“That’s what girlfriends are for, Evan,” I insist. “Really, I’m sure she’d be happy to.”

He lets out a long sigh and then goes into another fit of coughing. “Yeah, all right,” he says defeatedly.

An evil villain laugh wants to burst forth but I keep it at bay. Part one of my plan is complete. “You get lots of rest, okay? Feel better soon.”

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