Page 6 of I'm Not in Love (I Promise)

“I know, little bee. I miss you too. I’ll be back soon, okay?” Shouting cuts in from the background. “Gotta get going. Tell Mischa I’ll call her tonight.”

“Okay?” I start to ask why he can’t just tell her himself, but I realize he already ended the call. “Weirder and weirder,” I mumble.

Counting down the minutes before I need to go inside, I sip my coffee and lean against the wall of the building. The cool stone soothes the back of my head. I breathe deeply, pushing away the bubble of worry that creeps up every time I hear from my brother. It kills me that he’s gone so much but I know he works this hard for me. To pay my tuition. Even though I argue with him every time I see him, he still insists.

I’ll become a doctor but lose the most valuable thing of all: time. It’s a trade off I question daily. The one resource we can never get back. But becoming a doctor—helping people like Mom and Bryan pull through. It’s what I’ve been working toward for years.

My hand instinctively moves to fidget with my necklace, but I touch bare skin instead.

“Blake, you okay?” Julie calls, pulling me from my thoughts. “You look upset.”

Plastering on a smile, I walk over to her. “I’m good, just realized I forgot to put my necklace on this morning. Didn’t sleep well.”

Julie shifts her bag and gives me a shoulder bump. “I hear you. I haven’t slept since classes started.” Her gaze lingers on my coffee cup, so I hand it to her without a word. She takes a long sip. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“No worries, it’s my second cup.” An engine rumbles and my attention shifts toward the parking lot, where a black muscle car is pulling in.

“Do you think Ethan is already inside?” she asks. I blink, breaking my stare away from the car.

“Oh…umm, no idea. I haven’t seen him, so probably.”

She squeezes me close and I have the overwhelming urge to shove her off. “I’m so sorry again. You guys were one of those dream couples. Everyone’s been in shock over your breakup.”

Yeah, no one was more shocked than me to find him screwing someone else. I give a quick nod and clear my throat.

“Sorry, I’m the worst. You probably don’t want to talk about him. Come on, let’s find seats in the back.”

She pulls me forward into the lecture hall and my gaze lands on Ethan sitting in the seat closest to the door. He knew I’d have to pass him if he sat there. My shoulders tense automatically as his eyes rake me over.

I steal a final glance at that car one last time, wishing I could hop in the driver’s seat and get out of here. Away from Ethan’s watery-eyed stare.

“Bee, look at me,” he whispers as I pass him.

Steeling myself, I let Julie pull me toward two empty seats in the back. Ethan’s pained gaze follows my every move until the professor begins.

By the time class ends, I have a throbbing headache. I need more caffeine, food, and a nap, preferably in that order.

Julie puts her laptop away and turns to me, looking me over way longer than normal. “Want to grab some lunch?”

“I wish I could, but I have plans,” I lie. I’ve had about as much of Julie as I can muster for the day.

She raises a brow. “A date?”

Why would her brain go there?

“No. Definitely not?—”

“Baby, can we talk?” I jump at the sound of Ethan’s voice, but quickly regain my composure. Ignoring the fact that he’s standing behind me waiting for me to turn around, I answer Julie.

“Actually, I do have a date.” I force confidence into my voice, squaring my shoulders. “Yeah, it’s just super new so I didn’t want to tell you, but we’re meeting for lunch.”

Julie’s face lights up. I know she’s being nice but God, why are some people only happy if someone’s in a relationship? What if I want to be single? Would she look at me with pity eyes everyday?

“I know what you’re doing, Blake,” Ethan says under his breath. He lays his palm on my shoulder. “We both know you don’t have a date.”

I stiffen and shrug his hand off. Every one of my instincts tells me to avoid his smug face but I can’t stop myself from turning to confront him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Julie lets out an awkward laugh and backs away. “I’ll just give you guys some space.”

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