Page 40 of It Has To Be You

It was hypercritical to even think, but difficult to believe— Ethan had won the genetic lottery. He shouldn’t be allowed to like quirky, nerdy things— more specifically, all the same quirky, nerdy things she liked. If he were a fictional character, she would call bullshit. Completely unrealistic. Her readers would crucify her. What kind of perfect book boyfriend land did he hail from?

No.He could take his heart-melting student drawings and panty-melting smiles and keep on walking. Because Indy might be silly enough to want a soulmate, but even her sense of reality didn’t extend that far.

If she wasn’t careful, her crush would spark a wildfire in her chest. Except preventing it felt impossible.

It was the sweep of his thumb along her neck as he passed. The lo-fi playlist he insisted on because his research had said it helped reduce distraction. The companionable silence as they worked, his knee brushing hers too often to be accidental, and the constant smiles he greeted her with.

At least he wasn’t totally perfect.

He still cheered for the Lions.

“You didn’t really need me for this, did you? You could have done this on your own.”

“Of course, but it’s more fun with you.” His gaze flickered down to her lips and up again.

Indy’s heart jackhammered in her chest.

“I don’t need anything from you except your company, Snoopy. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing; I like being around you. So stop worrying that that isn’t enough, because it is.”

And that. That simply wasn’t what Indy was prepared for. Being enough. What a concept. With her zone-outs and lo-fi playlists and over-dramatics. Hours spent hunched over a keyboard or her phone or a controller, sometimes forgetting to eat or talk. That wasenoughfor Ethan? A man who lived outwardly and dedicated his spare time to dioramas and math angles and rock formations. Whose apartment was filled with climbing chalk and craft supplies and nineties basketball memorabilia. Who flirted outrageously and drove like a devil and looked like a prince.

Indy might believe in destiny, but even her hopelessly romantic heart found it difficult to believe she’d be enough for a man like that. No matter how hard she wished for it to be true.

“You all right there?” he asked, bringing her back. “Looks like you’re working over a particularly difficult problem.”

“Contemplating the unknowable laws of the universe.”

Ethan knocked her knee with his, and she knew without looking that he was smiling. “Let me know if you want a hand with that.”

* * *

“Did you always want to be a teacher?”

“No way. I wanted to be Captain Kirk. Drove a motorcycle, outsmarted a Vulcan, and was the youngest captain in the fleet? Hell yeah.”

“He was also a cad and a cheat.”

“But he did it with style.”

“Be serious.”

“I am.” He laughed, the sound making Indy a little drunk with joy. “After that I wanted to play basketball, and I was all right at it, but nowhere near pro level. Plus my grades were shit.”

“Did youeverwant to be a teacher? Sorry, that sounds awful.” Not the best time for her mouth to run away from her. If only she could edit herself in real time.

“It’s okay.” And the soft knock of his knee against hers told her he meant it. “I never thought about teaching, to be honest. I hated school and didn’t really care if I passed. Used to spend most lessons making crude stick figures in the margins of my textbooks or reciting plays to myself.” He’d stopped cutting then, his attention settling on his unmoving hands.

“I acted up in class. I talked back. School wasn’t easy for me, and I got angry when things didn’t make sense— which was all the time. Skipped class when I could and interrupted lessons when I couldn’t. I liked pissing people off. It didn’t matter that I was affecting the progress of other kids. I didn’t care if they didn’t like me. I just knew I hated it and I didn’t want to be there. No one else mattered.”

She stared at him, her mouth slightly agape. “When did it change? Because you’re the most caring, selfless person I know.”

“I had a science teacher, Mr. Mikklesen, who was not like other teachers. Young, eccentric, and had a Welsh accent that no one could understand. But he loved science. Didn’t know a single pop culture reference but could tell you that if two pieces of the same type of metal touch in space, they will bond and be permanently stuck together. Reminded me of thoseMythBustersguys, with how excited he’d get about experiments and theories. When I told him I didn’t care about failing his class, he called my bluff and asked me what I did care about.”

When he turned his head to look at her, Indy’s breath caught in her throat at the raw emotion on his face.

“I’d never actually thought about it before. Outside of Summer, I didn’t care about anything. I wasn’t thinking about the future, and I had no idea what the hell the rest of my life would look like. He offered to tutor me in science, get my grade up. He showed me that being a teacher is so much more than knowing facts. It’s about caring. I made it hard for him because I hated how difficult it was. But he never complained, never raised his voice. He was a great man. I never would have graduated without his help.”

“He made you want to become a teacher.”

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