Page 3 of Keep Me Never
Myfamily.
That’s sort of the magic word now, isn’t it? Because I no longer have one of those.
Unless I count him.
I’d like to, I think, but this is all so…well, unbelievable. And new.
My smile is small, as unsure as it is hopeful, and he accepts it. Grant excuses himself then, and I’m left alone with my thoughts in a multimillion-dollar home he bought for fun.
Sighing, I drop back in my seat and look out over the Pacific Ocean, my shoulders feeling even heavier than they did before I walked through the door. But hey, at this point, what’s one more worry added to the overflowing list already threatening to take me down, right?
Dang.
I thoughtlastyear was challenging.
What the heck am I in for this time around?
CHAPTER TWO
Paige
Holding on to the handle and the frame, I close the door as slowly as possible, doing my best not to draw too much attention, but when I turn around, I freeze. The professor stares back at me with a sharp frown, along with half the lecture hall.
My cheeks turn red, and I offer a tight smile in apology, tipping my chin down so I can use my hair as a shield as I climb the stairs up toward the middle row.
“As I was saying before the interruption.” Professor Michaels enunciates his words a little louder than normal, going back to his lesson.
The girl on the end of the row rolls her eyes, dramatically swiveling her head to make it a point that I’m blocking her view of the overhead for the whole two seconds it takes me to scoot past her and settle into the spot that’s been saved for me.
Chase reaches out in offering, so I gratefully pass him my shoulder bag as I slip into the seat, taking it back just as quickly so I can pull my things out.
“Ignore him,” he mutters. “He’s been too busy giving us his opinion on budgeting for retirement to actually get the lesson started.”
The frustration hidden in his tone has my eyes shifting his way, spotting the small frown that’s pulling at his brows, and I wonder what caused it, what he’s really thinking inside that head of his.
He can be really hard to read sometimes, and at others, his emotions are right there for all the world to see, even if the reason behind them remains a bit elusive.
He is elusive.
The guy who is always there but never quite in reach. It’s almost as if there’s a part of him he keeps hidden from everyone else, and just when you think you might understand, he pulls back and suddenly you aren’t so sure. But there is something alluring about the way he guards himself.
Maybe it’s because I know what it’s like to feel the weight of self-deprecation, now more than ever since my grandfather suddenly landed into my life, offering me a new one.
Somehow, it only makes me want to know him even more.
Of course, the only guy I’ve found myself curious about since my dad passed away during my freshman year here at Avix University comes with a billion complications. He’s a core member of the new friend group I’ve found myself welcomed into, so we’re a bit of a tangled mess of overlapping history and feelings, and sometimes it seems like Chase is as emotionally available as a locked door with no key in sight.
Or maybe it’s just you he’s not interested in, Paige, and it has nothing to do with the fact that your oldest friend and two-minute boyfriend is the guy who is going to marry the girl he thought he was in love with when you met him three years ago…
Dang, we are literally like a soap opera, aren’t we?
But at least in ours, everyone is still close, a family of irreplaceable friendships.
Chase’s eyes slide this way, locking onto mine, and I can’t help but notice they’re a little greener than hazel today. His gaze narrows in question, and I realize I’ve been staring at the side of his face this whole time.
“Sorry,” I mutter, quickly dropping my head to my notebook and hoping the heat crawling up my chest doesn’t make it past the high collar of my sleeveless bodysuit. And because I’m clearlyhopeless, I peek at him in my peripheral, just in time to catch the smallest twitch of his lips as he refocuses forward, but his tongue comes out, erasing it with a swift lick before I can be sure.
“I’m going to keep the slides up,” Professor Michaels announces. “But I want you to work on the section questions the rest of class. When you’re done, drop them in the basket and you’re free to go. Make sure to highlight or tab the answers. We have our first exam next week and these will not be returned to you beforehand.”
