Page 5 of Can't Have Him

Afterward, I stare up at the ceiling, feeling simultaneously amazing and awful. And I keep lying there like that, motionless, until the alarm on my phone goes off. I turn off the alarm and then hop into the shower, turning the water as hot as I can stand it.

At least I won’t have to face Olivia in class anymore.

Chapter Three

Olivia

“How can I help you today?” my adviser asks.

“I need to drop one of my classes,” I say.

The adviser nods and pulls up my file on her computer. “Which class are we looking at?”

“Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology.” I drum my fingers on my thigh. It’s the second day of the school year—I wasn’t able to make it in to see my adviser yesterday. “I want to replace it with a different Art History class.”

She nods but doesn’t take her eyes away from the screen. “Did you have another specific class in mind?”

“There’s a Greek Art and Archaeology class offered this semester, right?”

“There is,” she says. “But it wouldn’t work with the rest of your schedule.”

“Oh. Well…what classes would?”

“Unfortunately,” she says, frowning, “it doesn’t look like any other 300-level Art History courses would work.”

My lungs suddenly feel constricted. “Really? There’s nothing?”

“I’m sorry. No.”

“But therehasto be something.”

My adviser shoots me a strange look. “There’s not. And while I’m sure we’d be able to find a course outside of Art History that works with your schedule, I’m sure you’re aware that you need to fulfill the credit requirements of your major.”

I nod, saying nothing.

My adviser sits back in her chair and offers a gentle smile. “Can I ask why you were looking to drop the class that you’re enrolled in?”

For a split second, I wonder how she’ll react if I tell her it’s because the professor and I are lusting after each other.

“I’m just not interested in it,” I say. Which, of course, is a lie. But it’s the only reason I can come up with in that moment.

“I see,” says the adviser. “Well, considering the lack of other options, how do you feel about sticking it out for a while longer? You may find that you’re more interested in the subject matter than you realize.”

I open my mouth to protest. But there’s nothing else I can say. It’s over. The professor and I are stuck together.

“I guess I don’t have any other choice,” I say.

“I have high hopes that you’ll come around,” my adviser says cheerfully.

* * *

The next day,I get up earlier than usual and show up to class before anyone else arrives. James is surprised to see me—surprised in a bad way.

“Olivia?” he says as I walk into the otherwise empty classroom. “What are you doing here?”

“I can’t drop the class,” I say, trying to ignore how handsome he looks today. I mean, every time I’ve seen him so far, he’s handsome, but today…oh God.

He squints his eyes at me. Shit. That makes him even hotter. “What do you mean, you can’t drop the class?”

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