“If that’s what she’d like, then yes,” he answered.
Oren gave me a look of warning. “Be sure to know what you’re getting into with choosing him as a mentor. He’s a perfectionist when it comes to students he thinks have potential.”
“Says the man whose every decision is backed by data analysis,” said Ronan. “I wouldn’t be throwing stones from glass houses, friend.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to poach my student,” Lucas said easily. But there was a bite of something else behind his words, and I wasn’t sure if it was just the wine making me hear things.
Ronan looked at Lucas, then at me. “I’m not a thief. But if June finds herself needing another mentor when she starts her PhD program, I’d be more than happy to oblige.”
There wasn’t anything inappropriate about his words on the surface. But his tone…
The smoothness behind what he said, the lazy smile he offered me was enough to send a rush through my head. Was I imagining this? Because surely there was no way someone likeRonan Locke would be seriously flirting with me at a table right in front of two of his colleagues and friends?
“I might just take you up on that offer,” I said over the rim of my wineglass. His eyes snagged on mine like a trap. “I’m a fast learner.”
Where the hell did that come from? Did Madison’s spirit somehow possess me through the wine?
But Ronan merely winked at me before continuing to conduct the rest of the conversation. By the end of the evening, I was very, very tipsy. One of the men called me a cab back to campus despite the fact that it was only a five minute drive.
As they walked me to the car, I felt high on both the wine but also the intellectual stimulation I’d received for the night. And as I climbed into the backseat, I thought I caught Ronan’s eye for a few moments longer than was necessary to say goodbye.
3
~
June
I had only the lightest headache from my escapade the night before, a quick fix thanks to Madison’s veteran hangover cure. Fortunately, she hadn’t prodded too much for details about how the night had gone..
Because the truth was that I wouldn’t even have been able to explain it..
Thinking back, I couldn’t believe how… informal the conversation had gotten. But at the same time, it didn’t feel unnatural. I’d actually enjoyed myself. That wasn’t something I’d been able to say in a very long time.
Besides, it wasn’t like it was all for nothing, anyway. I was still making contacts, still simply being friendly with people who could end up playing a big role in my future goals. It wasn’t a big deal. Or so I thought.
During Lucas’s Monday morning class, I hadn’t expected him to acknowledge me in front of everyone at all. But when he didn’t return my greeting smile, I was surprised at the sharp slice of hurt it caused.
I sat down, set up my laptop and notes as usual, and ignored Chloe and James’s banter as the world continued to spin around me. But I felt like a deflated balloon. Did I do or say something that night that I couldn’t remember? Had I been drunker than I’d thought?
It didn’t take much for me to start thinking that I did something wrong. Lucas continued on with the day’s lecture as seamless as usual, which only amplified the hollow pit in my stomach.
I had to force myself to concentrate on the actual lesson, and by the time class was dismissed it was just as well I didn’t have an actual plan of action because he called me to stay back anyway.
I made my way to his desk as everyone else filed out. Not sure what to expect, I shifted nervously from one foot to the other.
“Was there something wrong?” I asked.
Lucas looked at me for a moment, then sighed. “I’m glad that we got a proper chance to speak on Saturday, June. I enjoyed getting to know more about what led you down this career path and what your ideals and principles are. But I also noticed something else that I need to warn you about. Whatever was going on between you and Ronan Locke…it needs to end before it starts.”
I felt my throat clam shut.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said dumbly, but it was true. I’d picked up that Ronan had been flirty with me, and yes, maybe I’d flirted back a little, courtesy of the wine. But it wasn’t anything serious.
If I was any good at reading people, I was sure that Ronan was the type to flirt with any and everyone for sport. He was just enigmatic that way, and I hadn’t thought of myself as special because of it.
But Lucas looked unconvinced, his face stone cold and a far cry from the friendly warmth I’d witnessed on Saturday. For some reason, that bothered me more than I wanted to admit.
I’d liked hearing him praise me. I’d enjoyed the smiles he shared with me. I was receiving none of that now and I hadn’t anticipated how much I would miss that already.
