Page 84 of Wish You Were Mine
Sitting in her usual spot in the back row.
Which was probably a good thing.
I’d teased her last week about moving up to the front so she could see better—just because I’d wanted a better view of her myself. But today, I was grateful for the distance. The last thing I needed was her sitting close while every part of me was still on edge from this morning and last night.
Because I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it.
About her.
About what she said about someone following her.
I rubbed the back of my neck and glanced down at the watch on my wrist. Three minutes left.
I should’ve been prepping for tomorrow’s lab. But instead,my mind wandered back to that moment she’d shown up at my apartment. Breathless. Scared to death.
Had someone actually been stalking her?
Or had it just been bad timing? A stranger walking in the same direction? An unfortunate coincidence?
I wanted to believe it was the latter. That the guy she’d seen hadn’t meant to cause any harm. That he’d just left a building and headed the same way she was going.
That he might even live in my same building.
But the truth was…creeps existed. The university had emergency call posts for a reason.
And Lucy… She was tiny.
She’d told me she was five one, right? Maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet. And sure, I knew she was strong—she was an elite-level gymnast, after all.
But to someone looking for a target? She’d look like easy prey.
My jaw clenched as I imagined what could’ve happened if she hadn’t known where I lived. If she hadn’t recognized my building from the week before. If I hadn’t been home.
If she’d been hurt.
My stomach twisted.
No. I couldn’t let my mind go there.
Couldn’t picture her as some unsolved case on a crime show, the kind that started with “She was a promising college gymnast” and ended with too much blood and too little justice.
Even if that guy on the sidewalk had been harmless, it still wasn’t safe for her to be walking alone like that. Not that late.
Did she usually study that late? Walk home from the library in the dark?
Heck, even six o’clock was dark in winter. The cold and ice making everything feel worse—lonelier, more vulnerable.
I checked the time again.
“Two minutes left,” I called out. “If you’re already finished, you can go ahead and turn in your quiz. Otherwise, wrap it up and I’ll see you next time.”
A few students started writing faster.
Lucy’s head was still bent, her teeth lightly tugging on her bottom lip as she finished the last of her answers.
I shouldn’t have said anything. I really shouldn’t have. But the words left my mouth before I could stop them.
“And Miss Archibald—” My voice was smooth, professional, though my pulse kicked up half a beat. “Could you see me after class? I have something to discuss with you.”
