Page 6 of The Classmate

He lives on the basement floor of a four-story brownstone. It’s a studio type, with no bedroom, one bathroom, and plenty of liquor.

With my hands clasped behind my back, I eye the shelves full of half-empty bottles. “You drink a lot?”

“No, but Viktor does. He enjoys a glass or two when he’s here. I like to experiment with mixing drinks, so he’s my unofficial taste tester.”

“Hmm.”

I’m still trying to read the labels in the bottles when Theo calls from his kitchen island. “What do you want to eat? I can throw in some grilled cheese to pair with the tomato soup.”

I swivel and beam. “My favorite comfort foods.”

He stares at me for a bit and sweeps his tongue across his bottom lip before sucking it between his teeth. Oh, Lord. He might as well have sucked the oxygen in the room.

It’s stifling hot despite the air conditioner droning behind me. I should’ve expected this. I mean, I get turned on just watching him from afar. Of course, that’s going to be ten times worse when I’m alone with him. All those dreams of being with him have nothing on this.

Theo has this raw, undiluted sex appeal. I don’t know if he’s aware, but the air changes when he’s around, which is why I always know when he’s in the classroom.

I change course and head to a wooden bookshelf separating his bed and two-seater orange leather couch. He mostly has textbooks, some magazines about craft cocktail drinks and new techniques to mix them, and notebooks. I go to sit on the couch when something catches my eye.

No way. No freaking way.

On the third shelf, above his copy ofFreakonomics,is a silk rainbow scrunchie.

My scrunchie.

The scrunchie I thought I lost at the gym.

I take it and run my fingers along the cool, smooth fabric. With my heart in my throat, I turn to him.

Theo dips a wooden spoon in the pan and scoops a bit of tomato soup, bringing it to his mouth for a taste. He seems satisfiedbecause he turns off the stove and grabs a bowl from the overhead cabinets.

“Theo?”

He throws a cursory glance at me over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Why do you have this?”

He faces me fully and raises a brow. With a sigh, I lift my hand and dangle the scrunchie.

In the span of ten seconds, Theo goes from horror to anxiety to discomfort and finally, acceptance.

He leans against the sink, takes off his glasses, and pinches the bridge of his nose. This makes me realize that Theo isn’t the unfeeling guy some of our classmates think he is.

No, he’s just guarded.

Him letting that guard down around me is … well, it makes fuzzy feelings erupt in my chest.

Theo breathes out slowly and holds my gaze. “I took it when you dropped it in class.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious by now, Tess?”

“I need you to tell me. I need to hear it from you.”

Tense silence fills the short distance between us. He lives in the city, so there’s no shortage of noise outside—cars honking, loud music, yelling neighbors. But everything is muted to a dull roar.

Theo pushes himself off the sink and pads to me, his footsteps against the hardwood floor echoing. Lust pools in my belly, myheart drumming against my ribs. The need for him to fill me completely almost overwhelms me. I force myself to stay rooted on the spot, but every time he steps forward, I step back.

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