Page 8 of The Band Geek

“Did any of you see Rowan?”

They nod and point at the door. “She just left with her roommate.”

I force my way through the crowd to get to the door as quickly as I can. There’s a chance I can catch her before she leaves, and we can have a real conversation about this. I know she feels as intensely about me as I do her, so I'm not just letting her get away.

As soon as I step out on the lawn, my eyes scan the curb for any sign of a car with her in it. Finally, I see her and her roommate climbing into the back of an Uber and run to catch up to them. It takes off before I reach her, and I stand on the sidewalk watching the car drive away.

SIX

Thankfully, I was able to avoid Sawyer all weekend, and despite how often Corinne asked me about what happened between us, I managed to avoid the subject. I just don't know how much longer I’ll be able to do that having to see him today.

Sure, there's a chance he isn't going to show up to the library for our meeting. But if I've learned anything about Sawyer since knowing him, it's that he’s dedicated. He's more than likely going to be there, and he's going to ask me once again about why I won't just give in and be with him. As if it's simply that easy.

I never tune out lectures when I attend them. I pay good money to enroll in these courses and want to make the most of them. But as I sit in the front row of my French literature class, I can't help but zone out thinking about Friday night. The memory of his hands on me, his finger sliding inside me, and his lips hot against mine is heavy on my mind.

Even thinking about it makes me flustered enough to squeeze my legs together and shift in my seat uncomfortably. I'm grateful for the class to be over. I don't even notice people are packing up until the professor clears her throat and lets me know.

The last thing I have to do today is go to the library and potentially work on my project with Sawyer. I'm torn about whether I want to see him there. A part of me is excited at the prospect of seeing him again, but the other part is terrified. He does something to me that I can't explain. Nobody else has been able to elicit a response like this from me. Maybe with the exception of Tyler back in high school, but that was all a lie.

I guess I can't help but wonder if that's the same thing with Sawyer. Is this some kind of a cruel prank? Is that why he's so desperate to be with me? If he manages to sleep with me, are the other people on the football team just going to clap them on the back and high-five him, telling him he's won some elaborate prank?

The thought of that makes me sick, and I hug myself as I walk into the library. Okay, I'll wait here for thirty minutes, and if he doesn't show up, I'll leave. After that, I can go to Professor Nichols and tell him Sawyer is blowing me off and work alone.

I scan the mostly empty library for any sign of Sawyer, feeling excited when I don't see him initially. However, luck has never been on my side, and I spot him in a far corner of the room waving at me with a cocky smile on his face.

“Why can't you just leave me alone?” I whisper under my breath as I slowly make my way across the room to him.

Maybe he doesn't remember what happened on Friday. He had been drinking a lot, and I figure most of his flirting was just drunken friendliness. But at the same time, the look in his eyes was sincere, which couldn't have been faked with alcohol. Still, his conveniently forgetting about what happened between us is my only hope in getting out of this situation.

I stand in front of the desk and see that there are only two chairs, both on the same side. The empty one is directly next to Sawyer, which I immediately think he planned. I walk around and pull it out, taking a seat there instead of moving it to the other side. I don't want him to feel like he's winning by pulling my strings.

“I almost thought you weren't going to make it,” Sawyer remarks.

“I'm not easy to scare off,” I reply, crossing my arms and staring at him with a stoic look.

Sawyer stares at me unblinking, a soft smile on his face as he studies mine. I almost want to ask him why he's staring, but I know the reason. I can see in his eyes that he's clearly thinking about Friday night. I spent a good part of this weekend wondering what might have happened if that guy hadn't walked in on us, and I know he thought about it too.

“Go on a date with me,” Sawyer says, folding his arms on the desk in front of me.

“No.” He waits for a moment, expecting an explanation, but I don't give one. I've already given him my reasons, but those don't seem to be enough to deter him, so I'm not going to waste my breath. He and I don't work. It's as simple as that.

“What if I finish what we started on Friday and make you come? Will you go out with me then?” He flashes me a devilish grin, cocking an eyebrow as he licks his lips. His eyes fall on my legs, barely covered through the jean shorts I'm wearing today to fight off the extra warm September heat.

“Absolutely not,” I say, shaking my head and backing away in my chair.

He's testing me to see how much I'll let him get away with. I don't know why he feels like he needs to know that, but it worries me. Tyler did the same thing when I “dated” him.

Sawyer's hand reaches for my thigh under the table, his finger tracing along the soft skin toward the hem of my shorts. My breath catches in my throat, and I stare at him in shock, pushing his hand away.

“We're in public,” I say through gritted teeth as I try my best to keep my voice down. Only a few other students occupy desks with their noses shoved in books, so nobody looks at us. We're in the very back of the library, and I'm all too aware of how secluded we are now.

“So if we weren't in public, you’d let me? Because we can go right back to my house.”

I shake my head and let out a long-drawn-out sigh. I grab my backpack and put it on my lap, making it clear I'm ready to leave. “No, I wouldn't if we were in private either. I turned you away the other day, remember?”

The tip of his tongue peeks out from his lips, immediately catching my eye. I remember what that felt like in my mouth, against my neck, and the growing wetness between my thighs wishes I could feel it again.

“But that's not what you wanted. We both know that,” Sawyer continues, leaning closer to me to whisper in my ear. “I could feel how badly you wanted me to fuck you then. I promise, one day, I will.”

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