Page 40 of Keep Me
“What?”
“Her last name is Brennon.” Technically, and her middle name was Mackenzie, but I’d keep that to myself, considering her roommate already had suspicions of me being a stalker. I wouldn’t want her looking into it. If Britt did, then she might figure out that I’d hacked her phone so she couldn’t block me anymore.
“What’s your name?” I asked, giving her the best smile I could muster.
“Pfft. Do you really think I’m going to tell you after all this?”
“Fine. Can you just tell her I dropped by?”
“Suurrrre.” It was sarcastic and drawn out, so I was almost certain she wouldn’t.
“It was nice—” She slammed the door in my face.
I dropped my head, wondering if there was some dark force working against me. Were Britt and I never supposed to have a moment together?
I tried calling her again, but she didn’t answer. If she was squatting, then it wasn’t like she’d be checking her phone.
Glancing down the hallway, I wondered what I should do next. I could go to the gym and surprise her, but not only would that solidify my stalker status, I might also get an unintended hard-on seeing her in those tight gym clothes she liked to wear.
Classes started in the morning, and she’d be there. For the last three years, we’d sat together in the same spot in the hall, and I had no intentions of changing that. For me, tomorrow would be no different from any other day we spent together.
Only, it would be different. The wedding happened, and it was a night that would be burned in my memory until I died.
We couldn’t avoid the consequences of it, even if she wanted to.
Chapter 9
As the students filtered into the room, I pushed my limp hair to the side and wiped the sweat off the back of my neck. It was ninety degrees outside, but I was adamant for this Covey Crushers beanie to stay on my head.
I was hiding.
Or, at least, trying my hardest to be inconspicuous because I didn’t want Matty to see me in our first class of the year together. This hat and sitting toward the back of the room, far away from our usual seats, were my only disguise.
My skin prickled, and I didn’t have to look up to know Matty entered the room. My body had this innate ability to sense him no matter where he was. My eyes betrayed me, looking to the door, and when I saw his floppy hair, my stomach flipped. His eyes tracked the room, stopping at the two seats we’d normally occupy, and he frowned when he realized I wasn’t sitting there waiting for him.
I couldn’t move or stop looking at him.
Matty.
My Matty, but not really.
His hair had grown shaggier since I last saw him, but his chiseled features and bow lips remained the same. Why did it have to hurt so much to look at him? Why did I still want him, knowing what I know now?
His eyes darted across the room, and I sucked in a breath, slouching into my seat, using the burly guy in front of me to obstruct Matty’s view. Then, I pulled my beanie down, covering my eyes.
Matty continued searching, and my heart felt like it would beat out of my chest. What would I do if he found me? How would I explain myself? Did I even need to? I was shaking as his eyes slowed on my section. Slowly. Slowly. His eyes were tracked my row, and I cringed, whimpering slightly.
I knew this was coming. Even if my new roommate, Lydia, hadn’t given me a heads-up that some floppy-haired stalker had come to my door last night, I knew I would have to see him in class but hadn’t really thought of how that would make me feel.
My heart was pounding, and my legs were itching to run. There was no way I could avoid him forever, but I was happy to try to put it off for as long as possible.
“Big Crushers fan, huh?” the guy next to me asked with a bright-white smile. It was only then I realized someone was sitting next to me. Had he heard me whimper?
Staring at him, I didn’t know what to do. It almost felt like he could hear my thoughts and was mocking me. When I didn’t answer, he pointed to my head. “Just figured you must be a big fan if you’re wearing the beanie when it’s so hot outside.”
I laughed, but it came out hesitant and awkward, before drawling out a long, unconvincing “Yeah.”
The guy stared at me, and it was disconcerting. He was cute, in a rugged kind of way, which made the fact I was mildly sweating that much harder to handle.
