Page 22 of No One Else

6

Evan

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INOD THAT I’M READY, stuffing my fists in the pockets of Dad’s jacket. Well, I guess it’s mine now.

“Is that new? Well, it looks vintage actually.” She strokes my arm, her touch making me shiver, even through the layers of clothes. “Is that real leather?”

I clear my throat. “Yeah. It was my Dad’s. We found it hidden away in his closet.”

“It looks good on you,” she smiles, grabbing her backpack out from under the front desk.

God, how can she so casually say stuff like that, especially after all that’s happened between us? Is she already back in friend mode? “Uh, thanks.”

“Let me just check to make sure I have what we need before we head over to the library.” She sets her bag down on top of the desk, unzipping it and searches through. Everything is tucked away in folders, not a single stray piece of paper to be found. She’d die if she saw Luke’s backpack.

She frowns, her movements more urgent as she flips through it all again. “I must have left my Marketing stuff in my room. I can pull the assignment up on my phone but do you have your textbook with you?”

I make a guilty face. “I thought you’d bring yours and I didn’t want to lug it around all day.”

“Okay, no problem. I’ll run back to my dorm and meet you at the library.”

“Natalie, it’s already dark out. I’m not letting you walk all the way there and back by yourself.”

She gives me a weird look. “I do it every night.”

“It’s not safe. You could run into a rapist or something.”

“Then I’d knee him in the balls and run away. You’ve seen me do cardio. I’m fast.”

I laugh, holding the door open for her as we exit. “Just come on. I’ll go with you.”

As soon as we walk through, a blast of icy wind blows past, making Natalie immediately stop in her tracks. “I thought the cold snap was over. It felt good out this afternoon.”

“I guess it’s back.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, her long-sleeved shirt not doing much to block out the chill.

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