Page 113 of Wish You Were Mine
And even if we found a way to make it work somehow—if we waited until after I graduated, until we were technically in the clear…
There would still be a stigma.
He’d always be the professor who fell for his student.
We could never tell the story of how we met.
Not without it sounding…tainted.
Not without people wondering how he’d navigatedteaching someone he was attracted to—if it had ever crossed a line. If it might ever happen again.
We stood there for a moment, the quiet stretching between us like a fragile thread.
Like neither of us knew what to say next.
Or maybe we were both just too afraid to say the wrong thing.
A gust of wind came tearing down the sidewalk, slicing through my coat and making me shiver.
“I should let you go,” I said, gently pulling my hand back. “It’s freezing, and you still have to walk home.”
He nodded, but he didn’t move. He just lingered, like he wasn’t quite ready to leave either.
Then, after a quick glance around—to make sure no one was watching—his arms slid around me, warm and protective, and he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.
And for a second, the world stilled and I forgot how to breathe.
My chest ached with a deep, hollow longing. Because I wanted this. This little moment right here. I wanted this kind of tenderness, of mutual understanding. This something that felt so right, even if it was completely out of reach.
His clean scent wrapped around me like a memory I didn’t want to let go of. I closed my eyes, letting myself feel it. If only for a moment.
But just as quickly as he’d pulled me close, he eased back. Enough for our eyes to meet. And there was something flickering there—quiet, unreadable, and maybe just a little bit heartbreaking.
“Have a good night, Lucy,” he said, his voice low and rough around the edges.
I couldn’t answer at first. My throat wastoo tight to speak. But eventually, I blinked and managed to say, “Goodnight, Owen.”
He turned and walked away then, his footsteps fading into the quiet.
I stood there for a moment, my heart thudding in my chest, then slowly turned toward the dorm entrance.
Before I slipped inside, I glanced back one last time.
And there he was—standing at the edge of the property line, watching. Making sure I got in okay.
I lifted my hand to wave.
He waved back.
And all I could think as I stepped inside was, so much for getting over Owen Park.
Because I was pretty sure I’d just fallen even harder tonight.
34
LUCY
The restof the week flew by.
