Page 35 of Fundamentals of Chemistry

He leaned a little closer, dipping his face toward mine. Our noses nearly touched. Our lips were just inches apart.

“And what’s that?” he asked.

It would be nothing to close the space between us, to slide my hand around the back of his head and pull his lips onto mine.

I bet his hair would be soft.

I bet his lips would be firm.

It was a bad idea. I had to see him again tomorrow and the next day and the day after that.

But it could be so good. I bet he would make it so good—

Then, the damn cat meowed.

Right behind us.

At least sixty-seven decibels.

Cooper ripped away from me as if someone had dumped a bucket of carbonic acid over his head. His face was flushed, and he sucked in a deep breath. He stared at me with a mix of desire and horror.

“We can’t do this,” he rasped. Then, he turned and bolted from the room before I could respond. The door closed behind him with a bang that reverberated through my bones.

Alone in the empty classroom, my mind and body reeled. I leaned back against the counter, gripping the edge for support, and shook my head to clear the fog.

What the actual fuck had just happened?

He had been right there.

So close.

Too close.

Not close enough…

My skin felt like it was on fire. I couldn’t guess whether Cooper’s touch would cool the flame or stoke it even higher. But it looked like I wasn’t going to be finding out any time soon based on the way he bolted. He was probably halfway back to Brookside by now. Or maybe halfway to the moon.

I raked my hands through my hair. Flustered. Agitated.

In general, this interaction had been a huge improvement over our previous interactions, but it hadn’t been satisfying. I ached in the worst way, and I wanted more.

When the gears in my mind finally started turning again, one thought jumped to the front—his parting words.

We.

We can’t do this.

I might have started this—initiated the pranks and the subsequent flirtation—but he had been right there with me.

And we both knew it.

It took me another few minutes to collect myself enough to leave Franklin Hall. The last cat speaker could be damned. Pulling out my phone as I walked, eating up the sidewalk in long strides, I thumbed a quick text to Silvia.

Mel: I did something stupid.

Mel: Maybe.

The phone was barely back in my pocket when it buzzed with my friend’s reply.