Page 31 of Wish You Were Mine
But I’d never actuallybeone of them.
“Hey, is Ky around?” I asked, tearing my gaze away from Lucy to look at Nora. “I wanted to thank him for the party before I head back home. Can’t be late for my shift tonight.”
“He’s still sleeping,” Nora said gently, clearly trying to ease the tension. “But I’ll tell him you stopped by.”
“Thanks.”
I turned to Bash. “Should we head out?”
“Yeah,” he said, shooting me a glance that said we’d debrief all this later.
I paused before walking out and looked at Lucy again. She still looked flustered, her mouth slightly open like she was trying to figure out what to say.
“I hope you guys enjoy your New Year’s Day plans,” Isaid. Then I gave her a little smile. “And if you ever feel like slumming it again…I’m usually at The Garden on Saturday nights.”
I didn’t wait for her reply.
I just walked out.
I’d been hoping I wasn’t the only one who’d felt that spark last night…but who knows, maybe I’d been wrong.
It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.
9
LUCY
I slidinto an open seat near the back of the lecture hall in the university’s science building, tugging my hoodie sleeves over my wrists as I pulled out my notebook. First day of spring semester. First class after my morning strength and conditioning workout. And it had to be chemistry—my sworn academic nemesis.
The room smelled faintly of dry-erase markers and old carpet. The giant whiteboard at the front had a few ghost-like equations from some other poor soul’s chemistry class still half-visible. I stared at the blank page in my notebook, tapping the capped end of my pen against the corner.
Maybe this would be the year chemistry and I finally got along.
Unlikely.
I sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, glancing toward the door as another student walked in. Then another. Then?—
My heart did a triple twisting double tuck in my chest.
Owen.
He was here.In my chemistry class?
Had he registered for classes after our conversation?
A smile burst across my face before I could stop it, and I lifted my hand in a wave. He looked up, caught sight of me, and a range of emotions seemed to pass over him—first shock, then confusion, then something else—dread?—before he settled on a polite smile.
Which, yeah, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that he wasn’t excited to see me after the way we’d left things at Ky’s house.
Stupid Nicole saying stupid things.
And stupid me for panicking and just saying even more stupid things.
“Hey,” I said once he made it to my row, sliding into the seat beside me to make room for him. “What are you doing here? I mean, not that I’m not glad to see you. I am. Really glad. I just…I didn’t realize you were in college, too.”
“I figured you’d be surprised to see me here after our last conversation,” he said, sitting down and setting his leather bag on the floor beside him.
“Were you already signed up before New Year’s, or did something we said make you decide to enroll last-minute?”
