The man gestures to my drink with a smirk. “I have something you can add to that.”
“No, thank you.” I smile, not wanting to cause a scene as I edge my way around him.
My eyes are down as I move away through the crowd. I can’t be here anymore. The room is too crowded, too noisy. Too full of people who want to get to know me, and who I have no interest in getting to know right now. Screw finding a faculty member. I need to leave. My ears ring as I rush to the exit.
Reaching for the handle, a firm hand grasps my wrist. His touch spreads warmth up my arm, calming my racing pulse. His woody scent dazes me.
“Are you okay?” Oliver’s voice is soft, but even with the incessant noise around us, I hear it perfectly.
I nod. “I just need air.”
He doesn’t let go of my wrist as he guides me out. Walking down the hallway, he slips his hand down to mine. Our fingers intertwine as we wander. I don’t know where we are going, but Oliver does. He tugs me around corners, through doors, and eventually out of the building.
In the dim light, I can make out the basic shapes of the terrace. A tree in the far corner, a bench off to the side and an odd-shaped garden bed in the middle.
Lit only by the light shining through the window on the door, shadows hide most of its beauty.
“What is this place?”
Instead of answering, Oliver pulls me into a firm kiss. I collapse into his arms, allowing him to pull my body towards his.
His lips feel rough on mine, but when he drags his tongue along my lower lip, I open my mouth. Tilting our heads, we deepen the kiss. I savour his taste as our tongues dance together and I feel alive. My heart starts racing again, but not in the jittery, haphazard manner it was before. Now it’s sprinting.
Our foreheads rest together when we come up for air. His deep brown eyes see through mine, into my soul, and I want him to see it all.
My hands trail up his chest, toying at the buttons on his shirt. I reach around his shoulders, massaging the nape of his neck, tickling my fingers with the feeling of his buzzed hair.
“What are we going to do?” His voice drops and I catch the hint of sorrow.
Closing my eyes, I consider our options.
Today has made it very clear that we can’t stay away from each other. Neither one of us can stand being in the same room as the other without aching to reach out. But if we do, he’ll lose his job. I might lose my scholarship. Professor Dausset made that very clear when she nearly caught us earlier today. Strictly prohibited, those were the words she used.
“We hide,” I whisper. “We don’t get caught.”
I hold my breath, waiting for his answer.
Before he can, laughter erupts from the hallway. He pushes me back as the door opens.
Two girls stand, silhouetted in the doorway.
“Oh, sorry!” One of the girls calls out as she drags the other back inside.
“Sorry,” the other repeats with a laugh. She turns to her friend asking, “Where do we go now?”
The door starts to close behind them, and I release the air that had caught in my lungs.
“Do you think they saw?”
Oliver shakes his head. “It’s too dark out here, they couldn’t have seen who we are.”
Relief washes over me, and I shake my arms to release the tension.
“But it was close,” he adds. “Too close. We can’t do this Madison. No matter how much we might want to.”
I nod. My throat constricts my eyes start to sting.
Walking away, I get lost in the hall, but I refuse to turn back to him.
