“I heard him singing on the stage for the first time last night.” Her eyes light up, and she leans forward. “We were doing the ballroom scene during rehearsal, and when the pianist started playing, Ryan just—” She closes her eyes briefly. “Opened his mouth, and Honey, I felt things in places that I didn’t think possible.”
I wince, not needing that kind of detail.
“You know that feeling when a song comes on and you didn’t know you needed it, but then you do and your whole chest just feels like it collapsing in on itself?” She presses her hand flat to her sternum.
“I know the feeling.” I used to get it at every one of Zach’s games when the crowd would cheer so loudly it would flow through every part of me.
“It was like that. For four full minutes, I forgot I was standing in the wings holding a cable, and I thought it was just him and me in the theater, and he was going to come over and grip me with all his might.”
“Did he?”
“Yeah. He had no idea that I was floating on air because of it, but that’s okay. I’ve been told my thoughts can get a little aggressive at times.”
“You should just ask him out.”
“What makes you think I’m interested in dating him?”
I lift my finger, listing all the reasons. “Well, you’ve just told me that he’s hot, he likes to grab you when he’s nervous and he can sing. Sounds like the full package.”
“Yeah, but what would Professor TooHotToHandle think if I suddenly start walking around campus with a lacrosse player on my arm?”
I raise a brow. “Probably the same thing he thinks about you now.”
Her eyes narrow. “Is that your way of telling me that his opinion won’t change because he doesn’t have an opinion on me?”
I raise my hands, unable to hide my smile. “You said it. Not me.”
“Wow.”
“I’m just saying, for all we know, Professor Stephenson is married, so don’t hold yourself back because you’re waiting on something to happen with him.”
“Oh, is this your way of telling me there’s something going on between you and Professor Stephenson?”
“What?!”
She raises her hands. “I’m just saying, you do spend a lot of time with him after classes end.”
“That’s because he’s helping me with my book.”
Her lips flatten and then pull into a smile. “I mean it’s a good cover for an affair.”
“It’s not a cover. Believe me, I’m not interested.”
She barks out a laugh. “Oh, you’re too easy. I know you’re not interested.”
“You do?”
She nods. “I know you’ve got some secret athlete man you text.”
I look up. “What are you—”
“Don’t deny it, Honey. You’re the only person immune to Professor Bae, and that can only be because you have someone better.”
I look up. “How did you know that?”
“You do this thing.” She sets her fork down so she can do an impression of me. She drops her chin slightly, as she looks at her phone. The ghost of a smile appears on her face before she pushes the phone away and frowns. “About twice a lunch.”
“Oh, man.”
