Tearing my gaze from his, I stare at a mismatched tile on the floor right at the corner of the piano. “There’s nothing,” I lie.
He cocks an eyebrow. “Of course there isn’t,” he drawls. “But in case there is, let me get this out there for you. If you don’t show on Tuesday, I won’t come back. Like I said, I’m not going to beg you to come to me.”
Inadvertently, he’s giving me a chance to get all my baggage out in the open, but I still hold on to the idea that I’ll be able to handle my personal issues without involving him. He has yet to figure out who I am thus far so there’s no reason in making him uncomfortable too, is there?
“What are you thinking?” he murmurs, twisting his head a little so he can get a good look into my eyes.
“Hmm?”
“I’ve been trying to figure out what your problem is, and it’s killing me not knowing.”
He’s spent his precious time trying to figure me out? The mere thought of him doing that sends a trill of electricity coursing through me. “And you have theories?” I whisper.
“Besides you doubting me? The only other one I could think of is—” When he cuts himself off, sliding the tip of his tongue over the corner of his full lips and then shooting me a cocky grin, I suddenly have to know the rest. There’s no way I’m leaving this room without him coming out with it. I gesture for him to continue and under his breath he mutters that I asked for it before saying, “I thought you might be afraid to be around me because you couldn’t resist ... my natural charms.”
His natural charms.
Dear lord. Did he really just say that? Giving him a tight smile, I shake my head. “Fortunately for you I’m very much immune to your natural charms, so I think we’re good for Tuesday.”
Looking unconvinced, he points out, “You asked me to tell you.”
“And now that you have, and I’ve told you that’s the least of your worries, we can get through this semester.”
He motions for me to move away from the door, and as he exits, his body skims mine, waking every nerve ending, every pulse point, in the process. From the way his gaze lowers to my face, I have a feeling the touch was intentional just to test me.
“Trust me, it makes things so much easier,” he says. “I’ll see you Tuesday at four. And, Evelyn?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t forget what I said. I’m not going to beg you to work with me. It has to be something you want for yourself or we’re not going to get anywhere.”
“Noted.” I nod. “I’ll be there.”
As I walk back to my dorm to meet my roommate, and probably Hollister too, for dinner, I do my best to ignore the fact that the right side of my body is still tingling from rubbing up against Rhys.
Chapter Seven
“You know, you’ve never mentioned where home is,” Nathan says from his perch on my computer chair late Friday morning as I pack a few pairs of shorts in a tiny duffle bag.
After Ensemble Choir—which is the only class either of us has on Fridays—we ate a late breakfast together along with my suitemate Lara, who’s also in choir, before she took off for her next class. I’d invited him back to my room to help me pack.
Nathan is officially the first guy I’ve personally invited inside my room here—another record for me compared to last year after my breakup with James—but there’s also not an ounce of attraction between us. While I have no intention of prancing around in my bra and panties in front of him, I also know he has no ulterior motives. I can always appreciate that in a guy, especially one with a longtime girlfriend.
“Can you hand me that?” I gesture to the straw hat sitting beside his bottle of green tea. He tosses it to me like a Frisbee where it lands on the top of my bag. “And I know I haven’t mentioned where home is.”
“I can’t even find you on Facebook. Or Instagram. Would it offend you if I ask you if you’re from one of those The Hills Have Eyes type of places?”
I grin and toss my toothbrush in the front pocket of the bag. “No, but only because I’ve never seen the movie.” Pulling each zipper closed, I push myself to my feet and stretch my arms and legs. “I live on the border.”
Nathan lifts both his reddish-blond eyebrows. “There are five borders.” This isn’t the first time he’s rattled off geographical info at the drop of a hat, and I shake my head incredulously.
“God, it’s like you’re a walking, talking map.”
“We’ve gone over this, my father teaches Geography—I have no choice. It was either conform or be cast out,” he teases, rolling the chair over to the wastebasket to throw away his now empty bottle.
“Alright, let’s lock this place up. If I don’t get out of here now, I’ll probably hit traffic and won’t get there until after dinner.” Hoisting my duffle bag on my shoulder, I start for the door with Nathan right behind me. As I lock my room from the outside, I swear I can see the wheels in his brain turning while he tries to calculate distance and times to various border locations.
Although he doesn’t have to, he insists on walking the mile to the off-campus freshman parking lot with me because he wants to check out the music store right across the street. When I hit the unlock button on my key fob, and the front lights flash on my car, Nathan releases a low whistle. Abandoning the subject of tests, he walks in a slow circle around my black Hyundai Genesis Coupe.
“You take the bus everywhere and you have this sitting out here?” he laughs.
“Richmond traffic scares me,” I admit, tossing my duffle bag in the tiny backseat and my purse in the front floorboard. “It’s much calmer in Bristol.”
Lifting his gaze from the rear spoiler at the mention of my hometown, Nathan grins. “Bristol, huh?”
“Uh huh, though I’d appreciate it if you’d keep that to yourself,” I say seriously, and when he nods, I relax my shoulders. Once I’m inside the car with my seatbelt secured and the ignition started, he comes around to the partially open window. Disheveled red hair falls over his eyes when he leans over. “See you on Monday, friend. And please don’t get into too much trouble this weekend.”
Shoving his hands in his pocket, he rocks back forward on the balls of his feet, laughing. “I’ve got too much to do to have time for trouble. If you need me, I’ll be making practice room three my bitch for that sight singing test next Wednesday.”
Ugh, I’d almost forgotten about that. Giving Nathan a grateful smile, I wave goodbye and pull out of the jam-packed parking area, watching in the rearview mirror as he jogs across the street and disappears through the double door of the music shop.
As soon as I stop at a gas station and fuel up, I plug in my iPod, singing along with everyone from Civil Twilight to Pink Floyd to Sia all the way home. Luckily, I miss the bulk of the traffic, and it’s a few minutes before five when I pull into my parents’ circular driveway.
There’s a white Infiniti SUV boasting a thirty-day tag parked in Mom’s usual spot, which is right in front of the triple garage. After walking around it a few times just like Nathan had done to my car several hours ago, I finally go inside the house.
I find my mom in the living room. She’s vacuuming, with her back turned to me.
Since she’s not expecting me, I quickly announce my presence, but I still startle her because she spins around to face me, her hazel eyes wide.
She shuts off the vacuum cleaner, nearly knocking it over in the process. “Jesus, Evie, you scared me!” Holding her hand over her chest to still her racing heartbeat, she eases down on the couch. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home?”
“It was kind of last minute.” Shifting uncomfortably, I drop my bag behind me in the foyer. “Sorry.”