Page 4 of Lodged

“Yes, I’ll tell you, Penelope María,” I say as I remove the paper from my face, just in time to see her rolling her eyes at me. “I got the notification for defending my dissertation.” I’m practically oozing with pride.

“Aww, this makes me so happy! We’re finally leaving this forsaken town.” Mischief dances in Penny’s amber eyes as mine fill with fire.

“I’ll never understand how on Earth you chose to come to thisforsakentown and spend four years of your life here when the world is your oyster. Literally.” I raise my hands and shoulders in question, watching a smirk spread across Penny’s face.

“We’ve had this conversation so many times, dear Gio,” Penny starts, taking a bite of my croissant and setting it back down as I stare at her, mouth agape. The audacity. “Daddy might be a rich motherfucker, but he wouldn’t accept any of his precious kids attending any other school that isn’t his beloved alma mater,” Penny finishes as she tries to snatch my croissant—or whatever is left of it—from the plate, but this time I’m prepared, and I eat it in one single bite.

“You’re no fun. Now what am I going to eat?” Penny asks with a pout as I grin with my mouth full of buttery goodness.

“You know you can buy your own, right?” I ask after taking a sip of my coffee. It’s perfection—the right cream-to-coffee ratio.

“But if I buy my own, it’ll be too much, and I need to watch what I eat. But if I just share yours, it’s the right amount!” Penny exclaims, as if this is obvious knowledge.

“You know I don’t understand girl math,” I say, shaking my head in mock indignation. Penny cackles at my comment, and suddenly, all eyes are on us. I’m laughing, too, when I lock ontoa set of clear green eyes. I knew I’d see her tomorrow in the lab, but seeing her outside of class makes it extra special.

I get up from the loveseat and make my way toward the counter. I need to buy a couple of croissants before Penny becomes cranky and has a bad day—or at least, that’s what I tell myself. As I approach where Ruin is waiting for her order, I notice the flush on her face, her rosy cheeks dotted with freckles like a beautiful constellation.

“Hi, Ruin, fancy seeing you here,” I say once I’m close enough to her. A pleasant aroma of apples and honey invades me, and I can’t help the smile that forms on my face. Of course, the girl with red, fiery hair and rosy cheeks would smell like red, delicious apples.

“Oh, Mr. Bianchi. Good morning.” I grin at her greeting, and her eyes immediately squeeze shut. Now, not only are her cheeks red, but her neck is, too.

“I’m so sorry.ProfessorBianchi,” she corrects herself, biting her lip. “No, wait, that didn’t sound right either.” She huffs in exasperation, and after taking a deep breath, tries again. “I’m just trying to be polite and trying to greet you in a respectful way, but so far, it all sounds so old and antiquated.”

Ruin covers her face as she finishes her sentence, and a genuine belly laugh rolls out of me. She looks so cute, all flustered. Ruin peeks through her fingers, and my laugh calms down, transforming into a huge smile. I cross my arms and stick my hip out, waiting for her to uncover her face.

“You’re not upset with me?” she asks hesitantly.

“Why would I be? You were simply trying to be polite. And I might be many things, but being insecure about my age is not one of them.”

A sheepish laugh escapes her lips as she rearranges her perfectly braided hair. “Oh, Mr. Bianchi, you’re truly the kindest. I’ll see you tomorrow in the lab.” She grabs her to-go cup andgives a two-finger salute before power-walking toward the exit. This girl is so intriguing.

Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I order the croissants and head back to the loveseat, where Penny sits, raising an eyebrow in question.

“What?” I ask as I take a seat next to her, offering her one of the croissants.

“Who was that, and when are you going out on a date?” I choke at Penny’s question.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I take a huge bite of my fresh croissant, hoping it’ll give me time to avoid answering what I know she’s asking.

“The pretty redhead. You,” Penny says, pointing first at the door, then at me. “I mean, hello—I could feel the chemistry between the two of you from here.”

When I don’t say anything, she presses further.

“And don’t try to deny it, Giorgio. It’s the first time in four years I’ve seen you smiling at a girl like that.”

I know she’s right. I’ve never felt so captivated by a girl before, but there’s nothing there. Ruin is just a nice girl. And my student. That’s all there is.

“Oh, Ruin? She’s one of my students this semester,” I finally say, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Oh, forbidden love—I like it.” The sass in her tone is palpable. She’s enjoying this way too much, and I cannot go there. She’s right—it’s forbidden. I cannot engage in a relationship with a student, especially when I’m so close to graduation.

“You just read too many romance novels. There’s nothing there, Penny,” I say, finality in my tone. She shrugs as she eats her croissant, and I release a deep breath. I think I’m finally off the hook.

Chapter 4

Ruin MacAllister

August came and went, and it was just so hot. It never gets this hot in the mountains, so it would definitely take me a while to get used to the weather in the Piedmont. I still haven’t been able to make a trip back home to visit my family. I’m hoping I’ll be able to go Labor Day weekend, but there’s just so much to do here that I barely have time to breathe. Even though it was my choice—my dream, really—to come to Raleigh to get my bachelor’s degree, I miss Azalea Creek tremendously.Some might say I’m a silly small-town girl, but when you have everything you need and more with the most gorgeous mountain views, there’s really no need to leave.

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