Page 14 of Starstruck

The t-shirt Mr. No Name had handed me had been a band t-shirt, although the name of the band was so faded that it was useless trying to figure out which one it was. Not even the tour dates that were printed down the centre on the back gave me any clue as to who I was promoting.

And the thing was at least four sizes too big, even with my hips, it still swallowed me. Luckily, I had a spare hair tie in my backpack, so I could tie it in the middle and make the bagginess look purposeful.

But, like I said, it wasn’t wet, and it didn’t reek of coffee, so I guess that was all that mattered.

It did, however, have those same notes that hovered around the guy to whom the shirt belonged sewn into the seams. That’s how it felt, anyway. Like he was still around it.

But it was dry. I’d ignore them soon enough.

I pulled my phone out of the side pocket of my backpack as I left the bathroom, my heart sinking when I realised I only had about three minutes before the class started. After a minute or so of running, I came to a door, Intro To Psychology: Prof. Etoille, bolted to the front and if my breaths were quieter, I would have been able to hear the hallelujah chorus cheering me on from the clouds.

But my breaths stopped altogether, though, as a certain overly tall man appeared at the opposite end of the hallway.

That mischievous yet pretty smile only grew as our eyes locked.

I shrugged my shoulders, my hands raising slightly as I did. “Did you change your mind about the shirt? Is this actually your emotional support blanket?"

His head fell forward as my words reached him, but I didn’t take notice for long, because my class which was starting soon was only a few feet away. I stepped closer towards the door, but my attention snapped back to him once I saw where he was walking.

In the same direction that I was.

I squinted my eyes before tugging at the shirt. “Is this like one of those bikes that you can rent? Do I have to give you a pound for every hour I have it?”

He smiled again, the kind that pissed me off more than it tempted me to smile back. I shook my head, pretending he didn’t exist as I made for the door—the same one he was heading toward. I tried to ignore him, tried to act like I didn’t see his hand reaching for the handle. But the second I grabbed it, his hand landed right on top of mine.

Frustration radiated through me as I snapped my head up and asked the guy with the permanent smirk, “What the hell is your problem?”

He shrugged like he had no idea what a pain in the arse he was being. “Care to elaborate?”

I felt my brows pull inward. “You’re following me.”

“Trust me, I’m not following you.”

“Then what are you—”

“I’m just trying to get to class.”

I felt the colour fade from my cheeks when it hit me. But before I could so much as blink, I felt his hand, the one still covering mine, begin to turn the handle for us.

“Oh.”

I can’t help but fall deeper into his eyes as he opens the door. I can’t help but lap up the way his eyes are taking me in, as I let him control my hand the way he is.

The way the door creaks snaps me out of the moment, pulling my hand from under his as the mini-lecture hall reveals itself to us. From the few seconds I glanced over the room, I could tell the class hadn’t started yet, making the panic that had solidified in my chest start to melt.

“Well, this has been fun,” His voice stole my attention, as I tilted my head up to face him. “But if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go and grab a seat at the back before they’re all gone.” As he brushed his way past me, I couldn’t help but drop my head, finding the breaths that felt harder and harder to catch the longer—

“And hey,” My eyes pinged back to him, just as he was reaching the steps that lined the seats. “Feel free to keep the shirt, Sunshine, it suits you.”

Before I knew it, my first class was over and I was speed-walking out of that lecture hall.

This wasn’t fair. This was my first class, on my first day and my thoughts were on another planet entirely. It was supposed to be this special moment with myself, realising just how far I’d come to get here.

Still, I raised my hand for nearly every question my professor asked. It was going to take a helluva lot more than an accent and brown eyes to stop me from chasing my dreams.

.

chapter five

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