Page 20 of After Class

I felt awful for blowing him off. But if Ethan saw me lingering to talk to him again, it would only spur him on if he was alreadyfeeling tempted to report this. Could they really fire Adrian for this? After all, all Ethan had actually seen was a kiss on the cheek. Adrian was still technically a student on campus, could they hold him responsible for simply dating someone else at his own school?

Of course they can. This was the kind of crap scandals were made of.

I knew I had to tell Adrian we had been seen. But every time I opened my phone to message him, I couldn't manage to do it. What if he decided things had gotten too risky and didn't want to see me again?

That's exactly what you signed up for, stupid.I had told him from the very beginning I didn't want this to be serious. Casual, emotionless, easy sex. If one of us decided to break it off and go our own way, that wasn't supposed to be a big deal. So how the hell had it turned out that I was sitting here worrying about him protecting his own job by not seeing me anymore?

Maybe it doesn't have to be like that.We would just have to be more cautious. Only meet off campus. Not be seen with each other. That was doable.

Except we had already been seen. If Ethan wanted to do something about it, we didn't have to be caught again.

He doesn't have proof.Surely the officials aren't just going to go off the word of a jealous ex-boyfriend. If we both denied it, who were they more likely to believe?

I was still stressing when I got home that night. I flopped onto the couch, letting out a heavy sigh. I still hadn't texted Adrian, and began to think that this conversation would be more appropriate to have in a call. Charles hopped up next to me and rubbed his big fluffy body across me, as if trying to comfort me with soft fur and kitty purrs. I scratched along his back, stalling.

"What do I do Charlie?" I said. He gave a littlemrrow? in response. "What if he won't see me anymore?"

I imagined Charles' response would be, "Then that would be for the best. If you care for something, let it go. Your individual futures are far more important than temporary pleasures. Have the respect to communicate with him what has happened, so that he may make the choice on his own."

I could interpret a lot into cat meows. My future as a crazy cat lady was confirmed.

I was out of wine, so even my liquid courage had run out. With my heart in my throat, I picked up my phone and called him. One ring. Then two. Then three. It just kept ringing. I tapped my foot impatiently.

Come on, Adrian. Now isn't the time to not answer your phone.My call went through to voicemail. Frustrated, I tossed my phone onto the couch and tried to breathe myself into relaxation. There was nothing either of us could do about it tonight anyway. I would just have to try again tomorrow.

But that also meant worrying about it until then.

I had been staring blankly at Netflix for almost an hour when my phone buzzed. It was Adrian, apologizing for missing my call and saying he had been in a meeting. I breathed a sigh of relief to hear back from him, but now I had to actually put together the words . . .

I asked him if I could call, saying we needed to talk. He responded that he was driving, and would call me when he could. The waiting game was killing me. I began to question myself, wondering if I was making a bigger deal than I needed to.

Almost 20 minutes passed, and my phone finally rang. My hands were shaking when I picked it up.

"Hi, Adrian," I said, realizing how tense my voice sounded.

"Hi, Cass. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's fine. Listen, there's something we really have to talk about-"

"Wait – hold on a second –" There was a shuffling sound, like he was moving plastic bags around. "Open your door first."

I stared at my front door.No way.I opened it like I was anticipating a serial killer. Adrian stood there, hanging up his phone, carrying a plastic Wal-Greens bag. He smiled that crooked, uncertain smile that gave me flutters in an entirely different way than his usual, devilish grin did.

"What . . . what are you doing here?" I asked, in disbelief.

chapter 12

Adrian held up the bag he was carrying, and I could see the top of a wine bottle sticking out. "I know you were upset today," he said. "I don't know if it was me, or something else, but I've heard these things help."

I took the bag, struggling to pick my jaw up off the floor. There was a bottle of red wine – and not the cheap, bottom shelf brand I usually bought – and a half-quart of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. I picked it up, genuinely emotional at the sight of the delicious dessert.

"This is my favorite," I murmured. My eyes were actually teary. Crap. All my worry and waiting and build-up and here he was at my door with ice cream and wine.

He smiled, looking rather proud of himself. "Good. Now I know I'm unexpected. You don't have to invite me in. I can leave and we can still talk on the phone."

"No, no, for god's sake, come in, Adrian," I opened the door for him, quickly shutting it again and sticking out my leg to prevent Charles from making his escape. I was glad he was actually getting to see my apartment clean for the first time. At least this proved I wasn't a complete slob.

"Do you want some?" I said, as I searched for my wine cork in the kitchen drawers. For something I used almost every other day, I somehow managed to misplace it just as often.

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