Page 2 of Still Here Without You

Joel walks in with a swagger, and I’m not going to lie…it’s hot.Ugh, not now.

“You could have just told me I’d fucked up,” I say with my hands on my hips.

“Now, where’s the fun in that?” he says with a slight tilt of the head.

I huff, regretting the fact that I got out of bed this morning, then remember this isn’t the first shit thing he’s done.

“Okay, that aside. What about the asshole move you pulled outside?”

He looks to the roof, probably scanning his pea brain for the memory, and then looks back with a grimace. “Yeah, that was an asshole move. I’m sorry. But I had a tutoring session to get to. Iassumedmy student would be punctual and didn’t want to be late for her.”

Rolling my eyes for what feels like the millionth time, I shake my head and drop into the seat in front of me. “All right, Joelle. Let’s get this started.”

He barks out a laugh and moves to close the door before joining me at the table. “Guess the first thing I need to know is…how badly are you failing?” he asks, biting back a smile.

Ugh! This is going to be a long session.

Chapter Two

Joel

“Comeon?It’snotthat difficult a question. What are we talking here? I had a bad day and momentarily forgot the English languageorI havenoidea what goes on in that class.”

I continue to hold back my smirk because this girl is so much fun to tease. She looks like one of those types that’s always put together, with a fake smile in place, and never fails at anything. I repeat…never. Being here must be killing her. She sighs as she runs her manicured nails through her deep red hair, drawing my attention to the delicate movement. I’m mesmerized by the way the thick curls bounce back into place after moving through her fingers. My own fingers itch to reach out and pull a couple of strands.What the fuck?It’s been a long day. I’m clearly delusional. But I can’t deny that she’s hot. Her jean shorts are not Daisy Dukes, but they’re short enough to show off her long legs, and her loose-fitting workout tank gapes under the arms, giving me a hint of the sports bra covering her decent-sized chest. Her outfit actually contradicts the rest of her. It’s almost too casual for the vibe she’s putting off. Although maybe she’s one of those girls that doesn’t actually work out but knows she looks hot in the gear.

Delilah’s gaze snaps to mine and her eyebrows pull together, making me think back to what I said. Oh, is she considering which option to choose?

“It’s neither. I know what’s going on. I can keep up. I just can’t seem to apply the theory when it comes to tests. I’ve never had this issue before, and to be honest, it’s eating away at me.”

I stare at her, shocked by her honesty, before quickly shaking my head to snap out of it.

“I can work with that. Look, since we’re passing out truths here, I should mention that I don’t usually do this…” She stares at me with a puzzled expression, until I add, “Tutor, I mean. It’s not something I usually bother with, but here we are.”

Delilah’s eyes widen, and she straightens in her seat, scowl in place. “Here we are? That’s it. That’s all the explanation I get? Are you being forced into it? Because I don’t want someone who doesn’t want to be here—”

“Relax,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m not in the habit of doing things I don’t want to do. I’m not going to phone it in. I’m here to help.”

She eyes me skeptically for a moment and then shrugs. “Not like I have a say in it. I need to pass this class, so I need you. You better put in one hundred and ten percent.”

I raise an eyebrow in amusement. “Whatever you say, Del.”

“Del? Are we friends now? You’re already giving me a nickname?”

“Seems only fair, since you’ve given me one.”

Her lips pull into a small sneer, and her eyes twinkle. “And it fits you perfectly.”

“I happen to agree,” I say, throwing her off guard.Ha, it’s not as fun to tease when the person goes along with it. This isn’t my first rodeo, sweetheart. “Anyway, let's get started.”

She pulls her books out of her bag, and I notice the hint of a dirty footprint on one. I cringe because I now recall seeing her in the distance and should have rushed up to help, or even stopped when her bag hit me. I usually would. Itwasan asshole move. Delilah looks up at that moment and notices what caught my gaze. She raises her eyebrows, waiting for something. An apology maybe. I feel bad, sure. But I wasn't the one that actually stepped on her book, so… “Chapter one…”

Delilah huffs out a laugh and opens her book to chapter one.Let the fun begin.

We finish reading and discussing the first chapter, and Delilah doesn’t seem to be struggling at all, but I hold back from mentioning that, for now. She leans back in her chair and sighs before biting the end of her pen, drawing attention to her mouth. And what a pretty—albeit smart—mouth she has. She notices my eyes on her lips and pulls them up into a sassy grin.

“You definitely haven’t tutored before; you’re being highly inappropriate,” she says, waving the pen in the air.

I shrug. She’s right, but I’m not about to admit it. “I can’t help it if you openly flirt with me while we’re in session.”

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