Page 20 of Meet the Teacher

I consider if there’s any risk in actually opening up to Zayn about Liam.

“No, it’s okay,” I say. “You know, to be honest, I’m not sure myself what happened. One minute, things seemed perfect, and the next they weren’t. Part of it doesn’t feel real. Seems like a distant dream.”

He nods before taking another bite.

I continue, “It’s normal for people to ask. I really don’t know if he met someone else, cheated on me, or if we were maxing out our time with fake happiness. Either way, he wasn’t supportive with Summer. That’s when I knew we were truly over. And as you know, I regret not being here for her final days. Sure, I take full blame and responsibility, but my actions were influenced by him . . . unfortunately.”

His eyes widen at my admission.

“Wow, well thanks for sharing that with me, Autumn. I’m sorry for all that—Summer getting sick and for Liam being a dick. You really deserve so much better.”

I fight back the tears, taking a long sip of water. I clear my throat. “Thanks.”

We both glance down and continue eating until the boat of sushi is empty.

I break the silence. “Oh my, that was so delicious! I’m so relieved it wasn’t terrible like I was expecting,” I admit.

“I’m relieved, too,” Zayn says.

“Thank you for this. It means a lot that you took the time to help me check an item off the WOLO list.”

“I’m happy to do so,” he says. “I hope you don’t mind, but I have something else big planned for us this evening, too.” He clears his throat. “To help you check off another item from the list. You up for it?”

I stare at him for a moment. Before I can reply, the server comes over with the check. He quickly snatches it, leaving me with zero chance of snagging it first.

“You don’t have to buy me sushi,” I say.

“I know I don’t have to do anything. But I want to.” He smiles another glowing grin and I can’t help but feel a slight flush in my cheeks.

“Well anyway, I haven’t really had time to plan out exactly what I’m doing from the list and when,” I tell him. I really do want to plan for it.

He looks away for a moment. “Okay, no worries. Just thought I’d throw it out there, but I understand.”

I take one final bite of sushi. “Thank you, Zayn,” I say.

“You’re welcome,” he says.

A moment of courage hits me. Hopefully I don’t regret this. “You know what? Screw it. Where we headed next?”

* * *

We pullinto the parking lot of a paint-and-sip place. I look over to Zayn, raising an eyebrow. “A painting place? Does this count as learning something new?”

He shrugs. “Wait, do you paint professionally, and I don’t know it?”

I let out a laugh. “No, I’ve actually never painted anything unless you count high school art class. Well, okay, I’ve painted with some watercolors with the kids before, but that’s about it.”

“Good to know. I’d say it fits the WOLO list perfectly, then. Wait, have you ever painted an axolotl before?”

“You’re joking.” My arms fold across my chest.He can’t be serious. “We aren’t really painting an axolotl, are we?”

He unbuckles his seatbelt and flashes me a smile. “Yeah, I think it’s riding a narwhal or something.”

He really is unbelievable.I watch him walk around to greet me on the passenger side. Even though he can’t see me, I roll my eyes.

He opens the door for me. “Come on, granny. Let’s get in before we’re late.”

The woman at the front of the store greets us. Her messy bun and paint-splattered apron instantly give away she’s the artist. “Welcome! Have you guys been here before?” she asks.

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