Page 12 of Give In To Love
“For class or pleasure?”
“What?” He flicked his eyes back to mine.
“Your book. Are you reading it for a class or for pleasure?”
“Oh, um…” He glanced back at the book as if he’d forgotten it was there. “For pleasure.”
“What is it?” He flipped it over to reveal a tattered copy ofHeartstopper, Volume 2, and my brows shot up in surprise. It was one of my favorites. “Have you seen the show?”
He leaned in, warming to the topic. “Ilovethe show!”
“Same! Nick and Charlie are so sweet.”
“Good morning, class.” Our professor strode through the door, heading directly to the front of the room. “My apologies for my tardiness. Let me just get my laptop set up and we’ll get started.”
I turned back to Jimmy to finish the conversation, but he’d already tucked the book away and was leaning back in his seat, putting distance between us. The tenuous moment of connection we’d established was gone. Dammit.
* * *
The fifty-minute classfelt at least three times as long and had anyone quizzed me over the information covered, I would have failed spectacularly. I spent the majority of class hyperaware of Jimmy’s every movement. And though I’d done my best not to, I’d found myself glancing in his direction so often I was surprised I didn’t have a crick in my neck.
Finally, Professor Samuels wrapped up his lecture and Jimmy and I began to pack up our belongings.
“You want to grab lunch?” I watched him, steeling myself for his usual polite rejection.
He closed his eyes for a moment, as if he were collecting himself, and I frowned, unsure what to do with that response, but then he opened them and said, “Okay. Sure.”
“Really?” I smiled wide as if he’d given me the most precious gift rather than simply agreeing to share a meal.
He shrugged, suddenly looking unsure, and I quickly schooled my features before my over-the-top enthusiasm scared him away.
“You want to grab something at the union? What time is your next class?”
“Not until three.” He shrugged. “We can go to the union.”
We stepped outside into the hot August sunshine, the humidity causing me to sweat almost instantly, and began strolling down the sidewalk toward the union. “How did you end up in my Ad Psych class? I didn’t see you there on Tuesday.”
“The section I was originally enrolled in had a couple of last-minute drops, so they shuffled the rest of us into other sections due to low enrollment.”
“Lucky me.”
He didn’t look at me, but I caught the upturn of his lips. I considered it a win. We stepped into the cool air of the union and headed toward the food court. I let him take the lead and followed him to the sandwich bar, where we each got sandwiches and chips, then found a spot to eat near the window.
“How are you liking your classes?” I asked before biting into my ham and Swiss.
“They’re fine.”
“Are you finding your way around okay?”
“Yeah.”
I took another bite.
“How does it compare to your classes the last couple of years?”
He studied me. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m asking if you like it here?”
