Page 13 of Campus Crush
Especially with her curves. She had small breasts, but what she lacked up top, she more than made up for with her round ass. I’d always been a butt guy, and now that I wasn’t buried under anxiety like I was the first day we met, I was having a hard time keeping my thoughts focused on math and not how she looked in her black shorts that stopped mid-thigh but showed off the curve of her behind followed by smooth, lightly tanned legs.
She didn’t seem comfortable with me, but there was something about her that made me feel safe. Something familiar and warm, like a memory that flickered just out of reach.
But it wasn’t really a memory—more like a dream. Because there was no way I’d forget this girl.
Regardless, the last thing I needed was a crush on my tutor. I needed her help with math, and I needed her discretion which meant I couldn’t piss her off.
More importantly, I didn’t have time to date.
But despite telling myself that I couldn’t be attracted to my tutor, I also couldn’t help but try to get to know her. Unfortunately, she seemed determined to stonewall me at every turn.
If I asked her a question about her favorite color or what she did on her days off, I got nothing but a redirection to a math problem.
If I asked her how her day was, I got a “fine.”
She either took her job extremely seriously or she genuinely didn’t like me for reasons I didn’t know or understand. I decided to ease up on my attempts, considering we’d be working together for the next seven weeks.
I’d have plenty of time to get to know her, especially since she’d recommended we meet three times a week instead of just two.
When she looked at me again, the cool detachment was back in her eyes. “Okay, let’s try this one.”
She pointed down to the paper, and it took more effort than it should have to pull my attention away from her and to the paper on the table in front of us.
I tried to focus, but the numbers jumbled and didn’t make sense.
Picking up on my unease, she walked me through the steps we’d already gone over several times.
I swallowed thickly, stress sweat starting to bead at my temples as I looked down at the page. Under the table, I tried to use my fingers to count.
It was supposed to be a simple sequencing problem—or at least that’s what she said when she put it in front of me—but there was nothing simple about it.
My cheeks heated as embarrassment flowed like hot lava through my body, and I wished with desperation it would burn me up.
There was no point in finding Abby attractive because I had no doubt after today’s session, she’d realize how dumb I really was and never give me the time of day.
Popularity and athleticism probably didn’t matter to a woman as smart as she was.
I was the top hockey player in the state—although a player from Montana State’s team was hot on my heels—and yet simple math made me feel like a complete idiot.
But worst of all, it made me feel like an idiot in front ofher.
I’d never wanted to disappear more than I did right that moment.
If I thought she was cold before, I had no doubt she’d get even worse now that she knew my secret shame.
Instead, she surprised me. Her voice softened and she leaned a little closer, close enough for me to catch a whiff of her fresh, citrus scent. “It’s okay, Foster. Walk me through what’s going on in your head.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat, keeping my eyes locked on the numbers on the page. The last thing I wanted was to meet her gaze and see the same frustration and disappointment I’d seen a hundred times before from teachers and even my own parents.
But Abby’s voice stayed gentle. “What do you see when you look at the problem?”
I exhaled slowly. “A bunch of numbers that don’t make any sense.” I forced a laugh, trying to downplay the shamepressing in on me, but she didn’t laugh with me. She didn’t even look annoyed.
She just nodded like that was a perfectly reasonable answer. She looked down at the problem, her brow furrowed, and I could practically see the wheels in her head turning.
“I wonder…” she murmured, more to herself than me.
She opened her laptop and started typing something, leaning toward the screen like she was searching for something in particular. Her eyes lit up a little and I guessed she’d found what she was after.
