“Where am I supposed to go?”
“I'm sure you'll figure that out. You didn't seem to care when the shoe was on the other foot.”
Rhys gets off the bed, slowly dragging his feet back to the guest room. Earlier it made my heart hurt witnessing the sadness in his eyes, but not now. In the end, I'm still second choice. I want to be someone's only choice.
20
Taylor
I stareat my phone with my finger hovering over Jamie's name. I know once I hit call, I won't be able to take it back. Sighing, I slide my phone back in my pocket and push my feet through the snow. The campus is much quieter this time of day and it's my favorite thing about morning classes. I took my coffee to go this morning and it’s the only thing keeping me mostly warm on the way here.
Once I enter the science building, the walls covered in paper hearts and fliers for romance films in the park remind me that Valentine's Day is only a few days away. The club will be packed more than usual, like it always is on this holiday. My book slips from under my arm and, when I bend down to pick it up, my head collides with someone else. Holding my hand against my spinning head, I peer up at the person handing me my book and my heart speeds up. “Thank you.” I wrap my fingers tightly around the textbook, pulling it free from his.
“I think I would have been better off letting you pick it up yourself. At least then you wouldn't have the headache you have now.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, but it's the thought that counts, right?”
“Yeah.” Jamie stands up, running his hand through his dark hair. He has bags under his eyes this morning, which takes me by surprise since the man always looks so put together. He's still gorgeous either way. Nothing a little lack of sleep or a few blemishes could ever take from him.
“Everything okay? You're supposed to be the morning person, not me.”
Sighing loudly, he stares around us, taking in the empty hallway. “Yeah, just didn't get the best of sleep the last few nights. Had a surprise visit from my ex.”
My eyes go wide and my book slips from my hands again. “Oh.” At a loss for words, I'm not sure what else to say. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around Jamie talking to me in the hallway. We haven't talked this way since the day he said he wanted to stop sleeping together.
“Yeah, he uh... wants to get back together and he slept over Friday night.”
“Oh,” I say again like an idiot. My throat goes dry, and my next words come out strained. “Well, congratulations. I guess this means you got what you wanted. I'm happy for you. I should probably get to my first class.”
“Taylor, wait.”
I don't stop and hurry past him, trying to hold back my tears. I actually am happy for him, but I hate that I was wrong about everything. I read all the signs wrong. Every time he looked at me, I could have sworn the chemistry and feelings were mutual. I really was nothing more than a rebound and even though it shouldn't, it hurts like hell. My chest feels tight and it’s painful to breathe the whole time I sit in my physics class. I don't even remember what I jotted down in my notebook. It may not even make sense next time I look at it.
I push through all the people rushing down the hallway after class, wanting more than anything to just be home and far away from campus, far away from Jamie. Someone's hand wraps around my arm, keeping me from rushing out the door.
“Taylor, wait. Please. I think you misunderstood things earlier.”
I glance back at Jamie's stormy eyes. “It's okay, you don't owe me anything. I'm only your student and you're my professor, remember?”
“Yes, but it doesn't have to be that way.”
My eyes widen and I swallow the lump in my throat. “What do you mean?”
“I'm not back with Rhys and I’d rather not do this in the hallway,” he says, glancing nervously around us. Even though everyone passing by remains completely oblivious, it doesn't seem to stop Jamie from shuffling nervously. “Will you come to my office?”
I nod. “Yeah, okay.”
I take a seat in the gray chair across from Jamie, placing my hands down on the cherrywood desk. “What did you mean back there? Are you dropping me from the class?”
He shakes his head, smiling, shoving his glasses up his nose. It's another thing I notice he does when he's nervous. “No. Not exactly, but I did some more investigating. We wouldn't technically be breaking any rules as long as you're not my student and, even if you are, as long as I let my boss know about us then it should be fine. They can have you put into another class or something to ensure our relationship doesn't have any influence on your grades.”
I lean in closer, unsure why this even matters if he ended our little fling a week ago. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because Taylor, I would really like to take you on a date. If that would be okay.”
My cheeks flush hot and my nails scrape against the wood. “Like a real date?”
His smile grows wider, and he reaches for my hand. “Yes, I want to take you to dinner and back to my place afterward so I can make you breakfast in the morning.” His fingers are warm when they wrap around mine. “Maybe it's crazy, but I'm not ready to walk away from this yet and it took these last few days for it to really sink in. I couldn't give Rhys what he wanted because it's not something I want anymore.”
