Page 21 of Devilry

“Hey, if I can cover an elective with some extra work, and get out of here a semester earlier, then why not?”

“When you put it like that,” Aiden ponders. “I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for you.”

“Thanks, man. And if this job works out, I’ll owe you big time.”

Aiden’s phone rings and he obnoxiously puts it on loud speaker. “Hey, baby,” he greets.

A female voice purrs through the phone, surprising me.

I guess he’s into girls too.

Aware that I’m not going to get any actual studying done with Aiden, the phone call urges me to get going. Rising, I catch his attention and point to the door behind me with one hand and carelessly pack my books up with the other.

Slinging my backpack over my shoulder and holding my folder to my chest, I offer Aiden one last wave before making my way out of the room.

As I’ve been doing almost every day for the last three weeks, I head to the noticeboard near the exit doors and scan through all the miscellaneous flyers that have been pinned there.

There are at least fifty pieces of paper crammed all over the felt board, and the unorganized placement of each notice has me giving up on the idea of finding something altogether.

I should just focus on getting the job at the café; it seems like the more doable route right now. And maybe Callie and Aiden are right, there’s no absolute rule that says I have to exhaust myself from both ends and maintain my status as a loner.

Wanting to get to the coffee shop before someone else swoops in and takes my job, I spin on my heels and collide with a solid wall of muscle.

Immediately, my folder dislodges from my grip and lands open and face down on the floor.

“Shit,” I utter under my breath, as I bend down to pick up the casualty of my clumsiness.

“I’m really sorry.” The voice is vaguely familiar, and as I raise my eyes to meet the person who’s also crouched down trying to retrieve my belongings, I realize why. “Elijah.”

My eyes zero in on his masculine lips, and a knowing smirk pulls at either side of his mouth. Unable to speak, I pull my folder out of his grasp and stand, trying for some distance between us.

In acknowledgement of the effect he has on me, I have purposefully stayed away from him since that day in class. I have forced myself to continue being boring, rigid Eli, even though I promised myself I wouldn’t do that here. But I need to, because boring is safe, and around Professor Huxley, I need safe.

Entertained by my continuous display of awkwardness, he just stares at me while I swiftly fix the papers in my folder and clutch it back to my chest.

“I think my flyers got caught in the mix up,” he informs me while eyeing my folder.

Fucking Hell.

Not trusting myself to speak or move with coordination, I hand him the bulky folder. He can find them himself.

With ease, he flicks through the mess and finds what he’s looking for. “I was just coming over to pin these to the notice board.” He hands me a paper. “Maybe I won’t need to put them all up if you’re interested?”

Taking it from him, I look down to see what he’s talking about. It’s a research project funded by the History department. If you’re successful, it’s a guaranteed spot on the team for the duration of your degree. It might not give me extra credits, but to have this listed down as one of my achievements is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

If there ever was a right place at the right time moment it would be this. “Wouldn’t you need more than one student for this?”

“I would only need one freshman. We’re taking on one student from each year,” he explains. “I’d really like it to be you.”

So forward.

Stepping closer, he crowds in on my personal space. “What do you say, Elijah?”

Regardless of how seductive my name sounds falling off his tongue, I correct his blatant dismissal of my request. “Please call me Eli.”

“How about I make you a deal?” My heart hammers in my chest at his closeness. “Say yes, and I’ll call you Eli.”

I press my teeth into my bottom lip while I weigh my options. It might be a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it also means being swept up in Professor Huxley’s intoxicating presence.

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