Page 6 of Trusting Tanner
“Right.” Since Tanner had moved out of the frat house a year ago, he hadn’t paid much attention to who was living there anymore. “What about you, Juliana? Are you going to be there?”
Finally, she lifted her head and met his gaze. “Maybe.”
The possibility she’d be there, however small, was all the motivation he needed.
Devon flung his arm around her again. “C’mon, I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving. It’s amazing you don’t weigh a ton.” Juliana rolled her eyes but smiled.
“Wouldn’t matter if I weighed ten tons, you’d still love me.” He leaned toward her like he was going to kiss her cheek, but she pushed his face away, laughing.
“You’re a dork.”
Tanner listened, watching the way they interacted effortlessly with each other. He’d seen them together a lot and had wondered if they were a couple. Based on the way Devon was acting right now, Tanner no longer had any doubts. Juliana was off-limits. That sucked some major ass. “Well, you two have fun. I’ll catch ya later.” He headed toward his next class, disappointment weighing him down.
Tanner entered his Forensic Pathology class and sat in the back next to his friend and roommate, Jason. “Hey.” How long had Devon and Juliana been dating? Was it serious? Of course, the one girl he was interested in was already involved with someone else.
“Did you hear me?” Jason nudged Tanner’s arm.
“No. I wasn’t listening. Sorry.”
“I asked if you’d seen Holly around this morning.”
Tanner shook his head. Jason and Holly had been dating, on and off, for two years, but recently, they seemed to be off more than they were on.
“She’s blowing me off again.” Jason frowned.
“You don’t know that. It’s the first day of classes. She’s probably just busy.” He grabbed his pen from where he’d shoved it in his pocket.
“Maybe.”
Class passed slower than a snail stuck in tar, and Tanner’s eyes closed. Jason elbowed his arm. Tanner’s head fell forward, and he abruptly sat up, his eyes snapping wide open. Only then did he realize class was over. Yawning, he stretched his arms over his head. “What did I miss?”
“Everything. You were out cold five minutes in.”
Shit.This wasn’t going to be good for his GPA. “I don’t know why I let you talk me into taking this class. I want to deal with people who have a pulse, not corpses.”
Jason laughed. “It’s not too bad. You’d know that if you stayed awake.”
“Maybe next time.” Tanner slung his backpack over his shoulder. “I’m going to make a detour to the dining hall before my next class. You coming?”
“Nah, I’m gonna see if I can find Holly.”
Tanner clapped his friend on the back. “Good luck.” He left Fallon Hall and was headed across the quad when he noticed Juliana. She was leaning back on her hands beneath a tree, head tilted up, eyes closed. She appeared perfectly at ease. Devon was one lucky son of a bitch. Tanner made his way over, sidestepping the notebooks, pens, and papers scattered around her. “Want some company?”
She glanced up at him with those alluring brown eyes. And then she smiled broadly, like she was genuinely happy to see him. “Sure.”
Excitement swelled in his chest. He dropped his bag to the ground then sat next to her. “How was Medical Ethics?”
“Not bad. You forgot to mention Donaldson talks in a monotone.”
Tanner smirked. “Sorry. It has to be better than Forensic Pathology, though. I was out cold in five minutes flat.”
She sliced him a disbelieving look. “Did you snore?”
He laughed. “I never snore. And I would know. I’ve stayed awake to listen to myself.”
She tilted her head as if contemplating whether he was being serious. “That’s probably the strangest thing anyone has ever said.”
