Page 227 of Castings & Curses

“Professor Payne does not like incomplete charts, Miss Montrose, and since this is the last class I need to finish before I am a fully licensed healer, I can’t afford to allow you to play around with your health.”

“Ah, now it makes sense. You’re here foryou, not me. Gotcha,” I muttered, ignoring the hurt his words surprisingly caused.

“Yes. I am here for me, Miss Montrose. But I am also here for you. May I?” Arlo nodded his head, indicating he would like to come inside.

I exhaled deeply and stepped aside, allowing him entry.

“We were just about to have some tea. Would you like some?” I offered. Good manners were ingrained in my very soul. There was no way I could ask him in and not ask him to join us. I turned to see Rio was practically gleeful as she watched him take a seat at our tiny table.

Geez.

He was big.

Like BIG big.

Bigger than I realized, but maybe that was because I was surrounded by the hulking shifter males mated to my best friends most of the time. Even Maia’s boyfriend, who was a mage and not a shifter, was tall and well built.

Looking at Arlo, he would more than fit the mold. Handsome, long, and lean, but muscular too, judging from his broad shoulders and impressive pecs showing through his tight t-shirt. He was built like a rodeo cowboy.

Pretty face, athletic body, and smart as a whip—basically, he was everything I wasn’t. Not that I wasn’t bright. I mean, I passed, but I was not all that into my studies. I enjoyed growing things.

I was good at it.

Sue me.

Fact was, Arlo Glenn was my polar opposite. He probably dated girls who looked like waifs. Tiny, pretty, petite things, whose clothes wouldn’t fit on one of my pinkies. I had nothing against skinny girls, it’s just that I would never be one. Kind of limited my prospects, romantically speaking. I waited for him to answer, fully expecting him to turn me down.

“Tea would be great, thank you,” he returned, his eyes focused on me.

“Oh.Okaaayyy,” I muttered my reply.

Walking slowly on my booted foot to get another mug out of the cabinet, I was keenly aware of him watching me. I hated the stupid thing. It was clunky and uncomfortable, but at least I could remove it when I showered.

I’d been wearing the healing boot for a couple of weeks now, after the hard cast had come off. It was light, if bulky, and I hated wearing it. The dumb thing made my other foot cramp as I tried to compensate for the uneven height.

“You’re favoring your uninjured leg,” he murmured.

“She’s been doing that,” Rio added. “I told her to use a roller to stretch it out.”

“Good advice. It happens more often than not in these cases where one foot or ankle has been injured. The cast or support boot creates an imbalance, and the patient unknowingly causes injury to the healed appendage by favoring it,” he told my roommate, his smile warm and open for her.

Figured.

Rio was so very, very pretty. Men loved talking to her. Not that I was a dog or anything, but Arlo had never even bothered to look at me the couple of times we actually spoke. Mostly, he barked orders and ignored everything I said.

Typical hot boy wizard.

“Have a cookie,” Rio said, handing Arlo the tin.

I expected him to refuse since he was always talking about healthy habits whenever I was around. Maybe that was just a dig at me though, cause he took a couple of iced lemon shortbreads with no qualms. Huffing out an annoyed breath, I poured his tea and placed it in front of him.

He was still chatting with Rio, animatedly at that, and I felt ten times more annoyed than usual.

Why the heck should I care if he was flashing his pearly whites and laughing charmingly at something Rio said?

She was a great girl. Vibrant and funny. Only natural he’d like her. Of course, she was mated to a big ass kraken shifter who’d likely squash Arlo if he saw him flirting with his girl.

Good.

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