Page 13 of Lodged

Once we pile food onto our plates, I scan the room for a table. Surprisingly, there are not many people around—we have plenty of options, but I’ll let her take the lead. I don’t want to choose a cozy, far from everything table and make her feel uncomfortable.

When we get to the register, I cut in front of her and show my student ID. “I’m paying for both meals,” I tell the cashier, who gives me a knowing smile.

I decide to play dumb and murmur my thanks as I turn back to look at Ruin. She’s frowning at me, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“What?” I ask, heading toward the sitting area.

“You didn’t have to pay for my meal. Thank you,” she says, sitting down at the exact same table I’d been about to suggest.

“It’s nothing. You’re welcome.” I wave my hand dismissively as I take a seat across from her.

“It’s not nothing, Gio. You didn’t have to do that.”

Now it’s my turn to blush; I feel my face growing warm. Instead of saying anything else, I grab a forkful of salad, busying myself with my food and hoping we can switch topics—I don’tlike being the center of attention. I practically inhale my salad as Ruin carefully cuts her chicken.

“So Ruin, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about this, but I’m curious to know why you transferred to Wolfe?” I ask what I’ve been dying to know since I learned she’s twenty-four and a transfer student. Yes, I looked at her student records. I know—I’m the least ethical TA ever.

Wiping her mouth and placing her utensils on the side of her plate, then folds her hands together on top of the table and smiles softly. “Well, to put it simply, I’m from the mountains. My family has lived in the same town for generations, and I always wanted to see what was outside of those mountains.” I nod in understanding. I’ve always had the same feeling, the same call to see what was beyond Argentina.

“The members of my family who have gone to school, went to a community college in a town nearby. So that’s what I did.” She pauses, and I can tell that whatever she’s going to say next is painful—her relaxed pose is gone, and her shoulders are raised to her ears. She seems tense, like she’s bracing herself for a blow. “But when Daddy passed away, my world crumbled. We have always been a tight-knit bunch.” Her voice grows thick with emotion. Forgetting that we are in a public place and that I’m her teacher, I lean toward her and grab her hands. She gives me a wobbly smile, and I squeeze her hands, letting her know she’s not alone.

“I’m so sorry, Ruin,” I say in a low tone.

“Thank you. I don’t think it will ever be easy to talk about this. But I feel it’s an important step.” I give her a reassuring smile, and after a bite of her chicken, she continues. “Daddy was working the field, but he needed to go to town for something. My oldest brother, who was always working with him, offered to drive, but Daddy was adamant he was the one who needed to go.” She clears her throat and takes a sip of her drink.

“My brother decided to check the truck and give it a tune-up before Daddy left, just to make sure everything was running smoothly. You know how old trucks can be.” I nod at her, letting her know I’m listening, and she continues. “Daddy left home, and a heavy storm came out of nowhere. A couple of hours later, we got a phone call from the sheriff. Daddy had been involved in an accident and didn’t survive.”

A stray tear runs down her cheek, and I quickly wipe it away. “After mourning and feeling miserable for a while, I decided I needed to live my life the way I wanted—before it was too late. When I spoke with my family about transferring, they were very supportive. So here I am.” She smiles, her shoulders relax. A huge grin spreads across my face as I shake my head in wonder.

“See, Ruin? There’s at least a million reasons to be your fan, and I only know a few. I can’t wait to learn the rest.” Her eyes widen as a beautiful crimson blush spreads from her chest all the way up to her forehead.

My heart skips a beat every time I think about all the things this girl makes me feel. I need to figure out why she’s the only person on Earth who stirs my insides this way.

Chapter 8

Ruin MacAllister

Iguess time flies not only when you’re having fun, but also when you’re busy as hell. It’s been a month since classes started, and it’s time for our first set of exams. I’ve practically set up camp at the library, deciding to leave all the distractions in my apartment and truly focus on studying. And I’d say I’ve achieved my goal, except my very hot, very intriguing lab instructor has been at the library a lot these past few days, too.

I don’t think he’s following me. From what I’ve heard, he’s writing his dissertation—I cannot even fathom how stressful that must be. I’ve seen him a couple of times at the cafe on the ground floor. The first time, he just smiled at me after grabbing his order and disappeared into one of the elevators. Today, he surprised me by paying for my order before I even told the barista what I wanted.

It’s not unheard of for teachers to be kind to their students, but I can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, he’s alittleinto me. I mean, he has done so much for me ever since we met. Not to mention how much I enjoy chatting with him.

There’s only one person I trust to help me figure out this conundrum, and I need to text her ASAP.

The library has study rooms that you can reserve for as many hours or days as you want, and anticipating that I was going to need one, I reserved a room when the semester started. After placing my pumpkin-spiced latte and cinnamon muffin on the table, I close the door and take my computer and books out, setting up my mini office.

After taking a sip of the glorious fall concoction, I exhale a contented breath. Letting the delicious flavor fill all my taste buds, I feel a sense of comfort that very few things bring me—all is right in the world. I think if all I could drink for the rest of my life was pumpkin-spiced flavored, I’d be a happy person.

Ruin: Hey! Do you have a minute?

I fire up a text to Rain—I need her thoughts on Gio. I don’t trust anyone at school enough to share my budding feelings.

Rain: Hey, loser. What’s up?

Ruin: Wow, aren’t you the sweetest sister ever?

Rain: Only the best for my little sis.

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