But the second I glance at the board, the words start doing somersaults. Swirling together, twisting into a blur of shapes and symbols that don’t mean a damn thing. My brain taps out instantly.
I blink hard, shift in my seat with a sigh and let my gaze drift right back to her.
Maisie’s still completely absorbed, her face lit by the soft glow of the laptop screen, highlighting the curve of her cheekbones and the faint pink of her lips. They’re parted just slightly as she reads, her brows pinched with concentration, that tiny crease between them practically begging to be smoothed out with my thumb.
I catch myself smiling before I even realize I’m doing it.
She’s cute.
Like, stupidly cute.
I lean over again, dropping my voice to a whisper. “Psst. You got a pen?”
Her fingers don’t pause. “No,” she grits out.
“But I need one.”
“Then go get your own.”
“You really won’t share?”
She turns slowly, her eyes narrowed, sharp, and still so unfairly gorgeous.
“You really won’t shut up?”
I shake my head, tutting. “Afraid not. Not how I roll.”
She stares at me for a second, like she’s trying to decide if I’m worth the energy. Then she exhales, drops her hands from the keyboard, and finally turns to face me head-on.
“What do you want?” she asks.
I blink. “A pen?”
“No.” Her voice is flat, but her eyes never leave mine. “I mean, from me. Why are you here? What do you want from me?”
Her words throw me off balance, and I lean back in my seat. “I want you to tutor me.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. She lets out a breathy, humorless laugh and shakes her head. “Seriously? You didn’t even know who I was five days ago.”
I scratch the back of my neck, glancing down at my notebook. Still blank. “In my defense, I’m around a lot of people. Doesn’t mean I remember all of them.”
She gives me the slowest blink I’ve ever seen, then turns back to her laptop like she’s officially done with me.
“Amazing. You’re not only unprepared, you’re also self-centered.”
I lean in again, trying to close the distance between us just a little. “Come on. Help me out. I’ll owe you. Name your price.”
Maisie doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t even look up. She’s locked into that screen like I’m just another annoying buzz she’s trying to ignore.
I ease back in my seat, letting the silence hang for a moment. I don’t really know her, but one thing’s clear. She’s not the type to jump at an offer. Definitely not the type to make it easy.
“Alright,” I say, watching her from the corner of my eye. “You want something in return. That’s how this works, right?”
Finally, she pauses. Her fingers hover above the keyboard for a beat, then she turns her head toward me. Not all the way. Just enough to make it clear I’ve got exactly ten seconds of her attention before she decides I’m not worth the effort.
I tap my fingers on the desk, thinking it through.
“Okay. You want my lecture notes? Wait, no, I don’t have those.” I sigh. “How about I carry your books to class?”
