Page 104 of Wish You Were Mine
Maybe Owen had a thing for the chemistry-nerd aesthetic?
One could hope.
Though, in reality, it probably just reminded him that I was his student.
Ugh.
The crowd at the rink was electric—horns, cowbells, chants, the slap of sticks echoing against the boards. Nora and I had squeezed into the student section near center ice, three rows upfrom the glass, bundled in puffer coats and school colors, our hot cocoa long gone and our voices mostly hoarse.
The game was nearing the end, tied 3-3, and we were all on edge.
And that was when I saw him.
Directly across the rink, I spotted Owen sitting among a small group—two guys and two women. From this far away, I couldn’t make out much, but one of the guys had the confident, relaxed posture of someone who owned the room—or maybe the whole town. The other looked more like a GQ ad come to life.
Unable to resist, I tugged my phone from my coat pocket and shot him a text.
Me:I see you.
I probably shouldn’t be texting him while we were in such a public place. But apparently, the stretch from Thursday afternoon to Monday was too long for me to go without having at least some sort of contact with him.
I watched Owen as he checked his phone. His head tilted down, the light of the screen lighting up his face. Then, just as he read it, I saw him smile.
He angled the phone downward, like he didn’t want the people around him to see, then lifted his head and scanned the stands.
His gaze passed right over me and Nora without a flicker of recognition, so I texted again.
Me: I’m right across from you. Three rows from the front.
His phone lit up again, and a beat later, his eyes found mine.
And there it was. That smile again. Easy. Warm.
Secret.
Like it was just for me.
My breath caught.
Me: Who are you here with? I don’t recognize the couples you’re sitting with.
A few seconds later a text came through.
Theo’s friend: I’m here with my friend Evan and his wife Addie. And Ian and his fiancée Maddie.
Me: Fun. I’m guessing Evan is the same Evan that owns The Garden?
Theo’s friend: Yep. And Ian is the guy I’ve been best friends with since we were kids.
Me: The son of the billionaire?
Theo’s friend: Yep.
Me: Fancy friends for my fancy professor.
I watched him read it, and sure enough, he seemed to chuckle again. Probably his low, genuine laugh that I loved.
Theo’s friend: Says the girl with the last name Archibald.
