I decided to shift gears. “Since you seem to have some inside intel, any idea what my field studies assignment will be?”
“I think yours is going to come as a surprise to everyone.”
“Wonderful nonanswer,” I teased. An idea occurred to me then, and my face fell once more. “Wait. Since my powers are blocked on campus, will that impact my ability to find an envelope?”
Callan shook his head. “I don’t think so. The envelopes are set up with the professor’s plant powers, not yours.”
I let out a breath. “I hope you’re right. If I can’t get a field studies assignment, I’m officially screwed this year.”
“You’ll get one.”
I was taken aback by the sureness in his voice.
Callan’s face relaxed, and he gave my shoe a gentle nudge with his. “It’s really good to see you again, local.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I thought you might be a college dropout with how long it took you to come back.”
“What? And leave you here to have all the fun without me?” He spun on his stool so that he was facing me directly. We were sitting so close that our knees brushed and that scarily attractive cologne he was wearing momentarily distracted me.
“Well, you already know Meadow and I can get ourselves into some good trouble. We need you here to bail us out.”
Callan let out a breath. “I don’t know. Keeping an eye on both of you would be a full-time job. I might need some scouting plantsof my own. So, fill me in on what I’ve missed. How many new tree affinity first-years are there?”
“A bunch,” I said and embarked on filling him in on the first few weeks of class. I soaked in the time with him like this, where he was lighthearted and his passion for science and plant life broke through all his other burdens. For this one evening, at least, life felt just as it should.
Before I knew it, I checked my watch and was shocked to see how late it was. Coral’s words rang in my mind.Sneaking out at midnight to meet your lover, Juliet?
I was loath to end the time with him, but I needed to get back to my dorm before even Yasmin was tempted to speculate. We began to clean up the notes and sketches we’d made all over the table, and our hands briefly touched. I felt a spark of warmth shoot all the way through me.
I pooled my courage and broke the silence in a quiet voice. “So, there are no scouting plants here in the treehouse, correct?”
Callan paused what he was doing and leaned a hip against the table, crossing his arms. “Why? Have some secrets to spill?”
“Just wondering if we always have to watch our backs or if we can be… friends when no one is watching.”
Callan was so silent and still for a moment that I worried he’d turned into a tree.
“Callan?”
“You’re trouble, local.”
I made an innocent face. “What? It was just a question.”
Callan stepped closer, so close that the sandalwood and peach fragrance felt like it nestled into my hair. “No, there are no scouting plants in here. But if we become… better friendshere, I’ll have a very difficult time faking it outthere.” He nodded his head toward the window.
From the way his intense expression was turning me into a puddle, I had to admit he had a point. But I wanted a little more. After an entire summer and the first weeks of school spenteagerly waiting to see him, I needed to know where we stood. “Fair. But hypothetically speaking, what if we were both the world’s greatest actors?”
Callan’s mouth twitched at the corner. “We aren’t. And with the way things are going this year, I don’t want there to be a whiff of something for the board to pick up on between us.”
“Isthere something to pick up on between us?” I pressed, putting all my chips on the table.
Callan looked me straight in the eyes. “You know there is.”
I sucked in a breath but tried to play it cool.
“But as far as anyone else is concerned… we have been and still are tutor and tutee?” I suggested, relieved that his words confirmed how I thought we both felt but wanting to confirm how things had to be.
Callan took a step back and leaned his head back against the wall, a little smile touching his lips. “Still think you need tutoring?”
