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And utterly rejected once again.
Frustration builds like static behind my eyes and I force my smile wider. “Okay. Thank you, Professor.”
Finn flashes me a dry smile, and it’s the last thing I see as I turn away and head out of the lecture hall.
Is this a sign I should give up? There were times in the past when his eyes would linger on me as he scanned the hall, or our fingers would stay connected long after I’d taken something from him. When he smiled at me, it sometimes felt like it was a secret smile only for me.
After that display, however, maybe I was wrong. Maybe there is nothing, and I’m just throwing myself at a man who has to deal with countless student crushes in his daily life.
“How did it go?” Ana pushes up from the wall as I trudge toward her. I don’t say a word and her face melts into a sympathetic smile, then she wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. “I’m sorry, babe.”
“It’s fine.”
It’s not fine. We make it four steps.
“He was completely unaffected! I might as well have been wearing a potato sack stuffed with straw.”
Ana snorts. “Maybe he’s just not into women. Then it doesn’t matter how hot you are. And trust me, no hot-blooded man with a love of pussy could resist you looking like that.”
I roll my eyes and sigh, linking arms with her as we walk. “Maybe. Fuck. Either I have to up my game, or it’s about time I found someone much more deserving of my affection.”
2
EMMA
“Iknow what will take your mind off things,” Ana says as she leads the way through a set of double doors and out into the warm air. “We should start planning for the summer!”
“Why,” I groan. “That’s so far away it’s hardly a distraction. If anything, it’ll just make me wish more of my time away.”
“Don’t be such a bore,” Ana scolds with a smile. “Hot teacher might not be interested but that doesn’t mean things have to end there. Think about it. We could go on vacation somewhere scorching hot where the men are sexy and covered in tan.”
She’s trying her best to lift my spirits and while the disappointment of rejection sits high in my heart, I do appreciate her attempts.
“Maybe I need time away from men,” I decide, tilting my face up toward the sun as we walk through the courtyard. “What about going up into the mountains?”
“With all those bugs?” Ana gags loudly. “No, thank you. I don’t need to get that close to nature.”
“Come on, it could be fun! My dad has a cabin up in the woods. The three of us could go for a girl's trip and spend two weeks disconnected from everything. Utterly chill, one with the world and all that good stuff, hmm?” I squeeze her elbow with mine, trying to make the idea sound much more alluring than an expensive trip to another country.
“I forgot about that,” Ana says, starting to take wider steps across the stone slabs and avoiding the cracks. “You’re so good at hiding how rich you are.”
Her dancing steps grow wider, and our elbows unlink as she dedicates herself to making sure she doesn’t step on any cement cracks.
“Correction: my parents have money, but they’re always so disappointed in me that there’s nothing but mothballs in my account,” I remind her. “However, I am feeling generous, so come on. I’ll buy you a coffee.”
“I knew I loved you.” Ana flashes me a grin; then together, we head toward our regular coffee cart. It’s a little more expensive than the ones off campus, but there’s something about how they caramelize the sugar here that it’s worth the few extra dollars.
“Two coffees please, whipped cream on one.” I pass over the required amount then sidestep the crowd that forever seems a constant around this cart. Ana waits nearby, one arm crossed over her middle while she taps through her phone. Keeping an eye on the pickup area, I stop next to her as she lifts her head.
“Come for drinks on Friday.”
“This Friday?” I squint at her, trying to protect my eyes from the glaring sun.
“Yep. We deserve it.”
“Like we deserved it last week?” I meet Ana’s withering glance with a wide smile.
“Well, exams are coming up and we deserve to let our hair down before we’re buried under textbooks and essays.”
