Page 42 of The Dating Coach
"You absolutely do," I agreed, watching her confidence return.
She squeezed my hand once, then turned and walked into the building with the same determined stride I'd seen her use approaching starting blocks. I stood there watching until she disappeared, sending up a prayer to whatever deity watched over pre-med students and the idiots who fell for them.
My phone buzzed. A text from Frank:Mia wants to know if you kissed her good luck. I told her you're too respectful for that. She called me naive.
I typed back:Tell Mia her sister is going to ace this exam.
"That's not what she asked," came the immediate response.
"I know," I replied, then pocketed my phone.
Chapter 20: Gemma
The exam room door closed behind me with a quiet click that felt like the end of a symphony. Two hours of my life condensed into a blue book filled with molecular structures and reaction mechanisms, each answer flowing from my pencil with a confidence I hadn't dared hope for. My hand ached from writing, my brain felt wrung out like a sponge, but underneath the exhaustion was a bubbling certainty that made me want to laugh.
I'd done it. More than done it – I'd absolutely crushed it.
The fresh air hit my face as I exited the science building, sharp and clean and tasting like victory. I stood on the steps for a moment, letting the reality sink in. No more sleepless nights staring at chemical equations. No more panic attacks about losing my swimming scholarship. No more feeling like a failure who couldn't hack it in the sciences.
"So?"
I turned to find Liam leaning against the brick wall, trying for casual but betraying his nerves in the way he kept shifting his weight. He'd changed since our morning walk – athletic shorts and a Pinewood Hockey t-shirt that suggested he'd been working out while I was conquering organic chemistry.
"Nailed it," I said, and then I was laughing, the sound bubbling up from somewhere deep. "I mean, absolutely destroyed it. There was a synthesis problem that should have taken twenty minutes and I finished it in ten. I actually had time to double-check everything!"
His face transformed, pride and joy and something deeper flooding his expression. "Gemma, that's—"
I didn't let him finish. In an instant, I closed the gap between us and threw my arms around him, propriety and careful boundaries forgotten in the rush of accomplishment. He caught me effortlessly, one hand at my waist, the other sliding up my back as I hugged him tight against me.
"Thank you," I said into his shoulder, breathing in the scent of clean sweat and that cologne that had haunted my dreams. "I couldn't have done this without you."
"You could have," he murmured against my hair. "But I'm glad you didn't have to."
I pulled back just enough to see his face, becoming suddenly aware of our position – my body pressed against his, his hands spanning my waist, our faces inches apart. The celebration atmosphere shifted, charged with weeks of unspoken feelings and almosts.
"Liam," I started, not sure what I was going to say.
His thumb stroked along my ribs, the touch burning through my thin sweater. For a moment, neither of us moved, caught in the space between friendship and something more complicated.
Then he smiled, the tension breaking into something warmer but safer. "Come on, chemistry genius. Mia's waiting at the house with what she claims is a victory cake but looks suspiciously like a pancake stack with candles."
The mention of my sister broke the spell enough for me to step back, though his hands lingered on my waist before falling away. "She made me a cake?"
"Frank helped. Well, 'helped' might be generous. He mostly provided enthusiastic supervision while she did the actual work." He reached behind him, producing a small potted plant I hadn't noticed. "This is from me."
I accepted the succulent, its tiny purple flowers catching the afternoon light. "It's beautiful."
"It's called a Desert Rose. The florist said they're practically indestructible – they can survive neglect, extreme conditions, even chemistry students' study schedules." His smile turned softer. "Reminded me of someone I know. Beautiful and resilient and impossible to kill no matter what life throws at her."
Tears pricked my eyes. "That's either the sweetest or most backhanded compliment I've ever received."
"Definitely going for sweet," he assured me. "Though comparing you to a succulent might not be my smoothest move."
"I don't know," I said, cradling the little plant carefully. "It's pretty perfect. Practical and beautiful and thoughtful. Very you."
Something flashed in his eyes at that, but before he could respond, my phone exploded with texts. Karen, Mia, Frank, Henry – everyone wanted to know how it went. The real world rushed back in, reminding me that this moment was just a pause in the chaos of our lives.
"Ready to face your adoring public?" Liam asked, gesturing toward the parking lot.
