Page 111 of Lovesick
Mrs. Burke pulls back so she can rub her hands up and down my arms, the gentleness of her words forged into a maternal quality that I was never privy to before. “Everyone was so worried about you.”
They were?
Unfortunately, my gratefulness is superseded by guilt, and amessy collage of words hurtles out of my mouth before I can stop it. “I’m so sorry for ruining the fundraiser. I let my emotions get the better of me when I should’ve left them at the door. It was unprofessional. I had one job, and it was to run the auction as smoothly as possible. I completely understand if this affects my overall grade, and I completely understand if you don’t want me to be your teaching as?—”
“Slow down, sweetheart,” she coos. “You didn’t ruin anything. It was an accident, and accidents happen. The most important thing is that you’re okay. You were a fantastic auctioneer for the night, and your grade is going to reflect that. As for me needing a teaching assistant, the spot is all yours. I’ve seen how hard you worked to give this project your all—your leadership and interpersonal skills, your organization, your passion, your perseverance. The fundraiser was a huge success, even if there was a small bump in the road.”
“Fundraiser” and “success” in the same sentence? I don’t believe it.
If the hospital hadn’t given me some happy drugs, I’d probably be knee-deep in my own tears right now.
“It was?”
“We raised thirty thousand dollars. It was the second most successful fundraiser MU has put on in all its years. With your absence, someone had to take your place, and surprisingly, Mr. Mulligan was more than ecstatic to continue things.”
Knox was my replacement? As in, the man who almost showed his junk to an entire room of MU’s most prestigious donors?
The shock on my face must be crystal clear because Mrs. Burke just laughs, dropping her hands by her sides. “Hard to imagine, right? But Mr. Mulligan had a comedic effect that the audience loved. I don’t know if Ipersonallywould’ve picked him, but I’m glad that he volunteered anyways,” she explains.
I guess I owe Knox a huge thank you.
I melt further into my hoodie as embarrassment warms my cheeks with the subtlety of a funeral pyre. “I’m glad everything worked out. Again, I’m really sorry.”
Mrs. Burke flaps her hand. “Don’t be. Just remember to prioritize your mental and physical health first, okay? I know school can be stressful, but in the long run, it’s your body that needs to be taken care of.”
“Thank you. For being so understanding,” I murmur, running my thumb along the mismatched fringes of the schoolwork tucked in my binder.
“Of course. It’s hard to remember to be kind to ourselves sometimes.”
When I step out of the old, brick building, the sky’s maw has opened wide, pattering the ground with a light drizzle. Irelyn flutters her fingers in a goodbye before speed walking to her next class.
Without warning, I feel two arms slither around my sides and pull me backwards, where I collide with a hard body that I’vedefinitelyfelt pressed against me on more than one occasion. My binder clatters to the ground.
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” Crew whispers.
“We’ve seen each other every day this week.”
“It hasn’t been enough. I was dying over here without your attention.”
He ghosts his lips over my carotid, and his mouth teases me with a segue into Makeout Metropolis. Mind-numbing lust curls complacently in my belly, extending an invitation to the lower half of me that wants nothing more than to partake in some after-school activities.
Turning around in his arms, I’m flush against his chest, and the softness of his gaze is impossible to deny.
“Feeling better?” I ask.
“Much.”
“You know, you don’t have to try and win my heart anymore. It’s yours. It’s always been yours.”
His chest puffs with pride as he slides a smirk my way. “Can you say that again? Into my phone’s microphone please? I’m going to make it my voicemail greeting.”
Knowing Crew, he’s serious.
“You’re ridiculous,” I chuckle, feeling the heat of a blush embellish the high rise of my cheeks. I think I’ve had some kind of character growth because I don’t feel the need to hide it anymore.
Fuck it, I’m in love.Hopelessly in love.
“Yeah, ridiculously in love with you,” he says before launching an attack on my throat, tickling me with a fusillade of kisses that make me squirm and giggle.
