Page 7 of Dare to Fall

“Yeah, why wouldn’t they be?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I thought they still might be taking a break after they got into that fight over the summer.” Her face dropped, and I immediately realized that my best friend was still clinging to the hope that Brent would one day notice how she felt for him.

Unfortunately, I knew Brent all too well. He and Caroline may have gotten into drag-out fights on a regular basis, but they’d been dating for longer than Connor and I. They had a mutual understanding that innocent flirting was okay as long as nothing more happened. But their little agreement didn’t bode well for Paulina, because when she got any kind of attention from Brent, it sparked the hope that he might be falling for her.

She’d dated a few guys on and off, but she always kept herself “available” for Brent. I’d begged Connor countless times to talk to Brent about flirting with her, but he always shrugged it off and told me it was none of our business.

I nudged Paulina again and forced a smile. “Listen, you donotneed Brent. Could you imagine having that kind of drama in your life every single day? The only reason Caroline is okay with his endless flirting is because she does the same exact thing. But that’s notyou,Paulina. You wouldn’t be able to stand for your man to flirt with other women. And you shouldn’t have to. It’s fucking disgusting.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Her shoulders drooped.

“I know I’m right. And you deserve someone who will cherish you! You’re fucking badass.”

She smiled at that, and my heart lifted. I hated seeing any of my friends upset, especially her.

The professor raised his voice an octave higher as he mentioned something about next week’s homework assignment, so we both turned our attention to the front of the classroom. Just as I opened my laptop to make a note of the assignment, the door behind us creaked open.

I looked over my shoulder to see what poor soul had walked into the wrong classroom when the most beautiful man I had ever laid my eyes on walked through the door. Wearing black jeans and boots with a white V-neck t-shirt, he looked like trouble. Dark stubble accentuated his perfectly chiseled chin, paired with perfectly placed waves of ebony hair. I swallowed against the dryness in my throat as his eyes met mine.

We locked gazes for what felt like an eternity. A strange feeling washed over me. It was as though he saw right through me and the layers of facade I carefully crafted around myself. Pieces of me that not evenIwas privy to. His eyes flicked toward the front of the room, and as he broke the momentary bond, I let out a whoosh of breath.

Holy fuck.

I faced forward again, my cheeks flushed.

“Whoa. Who the hell is that guy?” Paulina nodded toward the mystery man.

All words evaded me, so I just shrugged and tried to catch the breath he stole from me.

I snuck another glance back over my shoulder and found that he was watching me again, but this time, a subtle smirk played at his lips. My brows scrunched together, wondering what the hell he could have had to smirk about. Heat crawled up the back of my neck as I took him in. He leaned against the wall beside the door, not even bothering to take a seat. Clearly, he didn’t care about getting a good education, being forty-five minutes late and not even bothering to sit down.

Somewhere in the room, my professor was rambling on about the details of the homework assignment, but his words were nothing but a blur as I continued to stare at the mystery man. Unable to peel my gaze away from him, it felt like I was ensnared, frozen in time as the rest of the world breezed by.

The sharp angles of his face were shadowed as he studied me in a way I had never experienced before. Sure, I’d locked eyes with Connor while we made love. But this man. He practically bore a hole right through me, and I suddenly realized it pissed me off. How he rudely interrupted our class and didn’t even have the courtesy to slip into a seat.

Conflicted emotions spiraled within me. The void of emotions I experienced before now became a deep well filled to the brim. I hadn’t felt this much in areallylong time. Maybe ever.

“See you all on Wednesday!” I heard the professor call out from somewhere far away.

Shit.

The room erupted into chaos as students quickly packed their bags and scrambled toward the back doors, eager to get moving after sitting for almost an hour.

I shot the mystery man an unwarranted glare as I shifted back around in my seat, the feel of his gaze hot on my neck.

“Please tell me you got the assignment notes,” I said to Paulina, fidgeting with my laptop case.

“Yeah. Here.” She turned her laptop toward me, and I copied down the notes.

We packed our bags, and as the last ones out, there was no avoiding the mystery man as we walked straight past him. With no other students to act as physical buffers, I tried to make myself as small as possible. But I couldn’t help but glance toward him as we neared the door.

He drank me in from head to toe, and my stomach did a series of flips. As the distance between us shortened, I realized that he had the most gorgeous eyes I’d ever seen. Hazel with bright spots of green and yellow under thick black lashes.

“Can I help you?” he asked with that dangerous smirk playing at his perfectly bowed lips. His voice was smooth and deep, setting my nerve endings on fire. Every inch of me ignited with some unfamiliar flame that pooled in my core.

And then reality closed in. I stopped right in front of him, only a couple of inches separating our bodies, his muscular frame towering over me, pearly white teeth peeking through a simple smile.

“Uhhh,” I said dumbly, completely unable to form words. Thankfully, Paulina yanked on my arm, pulling me away from any other devastating mistake I was about to make.

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