Page 45 of Wish You Were Mine
Yeah, he was definitely the hottest professor I’d ever had.
Way too attractive for my own good.
“I’m glad it’s going okay,” he said, opening the lab door and stepping aside so I could enter first. “I know you mentioned chemistry wasn’t your favorite. Are you feeling like you’re catching on?”
“Uh huh.” I nodded as I entered the room, glancing around. “So far it’s been good. You’re a good teacher.”
“Oh. Thanks.” His cheeks colored slightly, and he glanced down like he was embarrassed.
Ugh. He was cute.
Dangerously so…
He walked ahead and flipped on the lights, motioning toward the long black tables set up around the room. “You can sit wherever you like.”
I nodded and made my way to a table near the windows, dropping my bag onto the stool beside it. As I started unpacking the gear I’d bought from the supplies list online—goggles, gloves, a lab notebook—I scanned the rest of the room.
A few students had trickled in behind me, most of them familiar faces from my lecture hour, though there were a couple I didn’t recognize. Probably from one of Owen’s other intro sections.
I sat down and glanced around, wondering if I was supposed to pick a lab partner. Most of the students were already chatting in pairs or settling into their usual cliques.
No one sat next to me.
I bit the inside of my cheek. Maybe I needed to move and find someone to pair up with.
But then, a few minutes before one, Brody—the hockey player Josh had tried to fight at The Garden—strolled in, wearing a beanie and a crooked smile. His gaze swept the room until it landed on me.
“Hey, Archibald.” He grinned. “Want to be lab buddies?”
I blinked then gave a half-smile. “Sure.”
“Sweet.” He dropped his bag on the stool beside mine. “We can be the old farts in this class together.”
I laughed. “Seniors unite.”
“You know it.” He held his hand out for a fist bump.
Okay. So maybe lab wasn’t going to be a total disaster.
At least I wouldn’t be blowing things up alone.
“This station here is for waste disposal,” Owen said, gesturing to the back counter as he gave us a quick tour of the lab. “Label all your beakers, wear your safety gear, and please, for the love of science, don’t mix anything without reading the directions.”
A few students laughed quietly, and he cracked a smile, glancing around the room before continuing. “Today’s a basic intro to lab safety, along with a simple reaction to get you comfortable working with your partner. The procedures are printed out at each station. If you need help, just raise your hand—there’s no need to light anything on fire to get my attention.”
My eyes flicked up to the front of the room, just in time to catch the smallest smile on his face before he looked away.
He was acting in a totally appropriate way.
Completely professional.
But even though I knew I shouldn’t, my mind wanted to think that all his jokes and little smiles were just for me.
“All right, let’s do this,” Brody said, rolling up the sleeves of his hoodie as he plopped onto the stool beside me and scanned the laminated procedure sheet. “Ready to get nerdy, Archibald?”
“As long as we don’t blow anything up,” I said, pulling on my goggles. “Then I guess I’m ready.”
“Don’t worry.” He grinned. “I got a B-plus in high school chem, so I’m basically a pro.”
