Page 66 of Where We Met

"Okay, forget about her and her hormones. What was it like? Is Tuscany as amazing as it seems in pictures?" Tricia asks.

With my hand to my heart, I let out a sigh of wonder. "It was better. More beautiful than any picture you've ever seen, times a hundred. The hills— they just go on forever. And the towns, they're so old but preserved. And the people, they just all have this energy about them. It's calming, and it makes you feel that way too."

"It sounds amazing," Aubrey says.

"And what about Professor Luke?" Shannon asks as she wiggles her eyebrows. "What was it like being so close to him all that time?"

"Seriously, Shannon?" Aubrey interrupts.

"What?" she defends. "We've all commented about how gorgeous he is. That's a valid question to ask."

"Maybe, eventually, but she was in Italy. You'd think you would start by asking about the food and the wine," Tricia joins in.

My body starts to sweat as they go back and forth. I hate this lying, especially to my closest friends. But I can't jeopardize Luke's trust by telling them. Instead, I try to divert the conversation.

"The food was heavenly. I mean seriously…it's like there's some kind of magic in their soil that makes everything that they grow taste better. Learning about the winemaking process was so fascinating. There's so much to it that I had no idea about," I tell them.

We get lost in conversation when Tricia points out that we need to get to class.

We're sitting in our usual seats in the front when Luke walks in.

"Good morning, class" he begins. "I hope everybody enjoyed their spring break."

His eyes meet mine and he smirks. Last night was amazing. We cooked dinner together, a large grilled shrimp salad. We sat outside while the dogs played, and we enjoyed our food. It was perfect.

Aside from it being nearly impossible to turn off my sexual attraction to him, it's surprisingly easy to be around him. There's no awkwardness. We fit together so easy.

He had me cracking up as he told me stories about his family with so much animation. It's a side that I don't think many people see of him, and I'm soaking in every second that he reveals his true self to me.

Since the jetlag was starting to set in, both of us went to bed right after dinner. I'm feeling mildly better today, only slightly dragging.

Luke starts to go over our final assignment. We're going to get assigned to our international student this week. I'm excited to find out where my student lives.

Ever the professional, Luke keeps his eyes focused on everybody else. Maybe we can do this. Like he already said, he doesn't give the letter grade, Rebecca does.

Most of class is otherwise uneventful, apart from a few stolen glances my way from Luke. When he spots me, he tries his best to hide the smile that wants to creep up. I love that just the sight of me does that to him. It makes me feel so…loved. I know we haven't even begun to date, so the idea of love is crazy, but I just don't know how else to label these growing feelings.

Class ends and once again, the girls are inviting me to come hang out, and I decline. They don't even seem fazed by it anymore, they just nod their heads and walk away with promises to see me again next class. I don't know if I feel relieved by their lack of surprise, or guilty.

Both, I decide.

Luke told me this morning he didn't want me walking to my car alone at this time of day, so I start for his desk as he packs his things. All the students have filed out of the room. Once again, it's me, Luke, and Rebecca left in the room.

Her eyes hold mine, giving me a strange feeling. Instead of walking up to him, I move passed his desk and head for the exit. I turn back around and both sets of eyes are on me. I don't know what the hell he wants me to do. I can't wait for him with Rebecca on his ass.

Not knowing what else to do, I continue out the door and head to my car.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Luke

"Lookslikesomeonewantsmore alone time with you," Rebecca says, pulling my eyes away from Savannah. "You'd think she got enough of it in Italy."

I'm not sure what she wants me to say back to that. She's been making strange comments to me all semester, telling me when she's free, like she's waiting for me to make a move.

You'd think if I haven't taken the bait yet, she'd take the hint that I'm not interested.

"Italy was busy. The family that hosted us were very accommodating, and always with us." I barely look up, feeling annoyed that she always seems to pick on Savannah just because she's come to my desk a couple of times after class. It's not out of the ordinary for a student to approach me after class with questions, male or female.

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