“You got it,” he replies before moving around the bar with lightning speed. I adjust my hat and take as deep a breath as my corset will allow while waiting for our drinks.
“A Guinness and a Cosmopolitan, please,” a deep, familiar voice says from behind me.
“Sure thing,” Dave says as he continues making my martini.
Asher leans against the counter, close enough that his arm brushes mine, and I resist the urge to yank my arm away.
“He doesn’t seem like your type.” Asher smirks.
“Oh yeah?” I fire back. “What exactly do you think my type is?” I ask as I jab a sharp elbow into his side, forcing him to take a step away from me. “Emotionally unavailable professors?”
He places a hand on his chest, feigning wounded pride. But my anger is real.Hekissedmein the elevator. Maybe some of what I said wasn’t exactly appropriate, but he was the one who made the move. Then he’s ignored me and avoided me ever since. Now he thinks just because another guy is showing me attention that he’ll talk to me again?
Fucking ridiculous.
“Is she yours?” I nod toward the girl dressed as a cat that he left behind. “She seems a bit young,” I muse, hoping to hit a nerve. “But that’s not exactly out of character for you, is it?”
He bristles as the bartender sets my martini and Matt’s beer in front of me. “Summer,” he growls in warning.
I pick up the toothpick with the apple slice from my martini and slowly put it in my mouth before pulling it off. His eyes darken, and I smirk at him as he takes a step forward. I snagboth drinks off the bar and give him my sweetest smile. “Happy Halloween, Professor.”
Matt gives me a peculiar look as I plop back down in my seat. “Isn’t that our Counseling Theories professor?”
“Yes,” I grumble. “There should be a staff-only bar near campus that they can go to.”
He nods absentmindedly, still staring at Asher, who has rejoined his date. “It is weird to see teachers out and about.” He takes a swig of beer and laughs. “Why come to a bar for Halloween and not wear a costume?”
I shrug. “He seems to have a huge stick up his ass. Anything fun would probably make him combust.”
“He’s the hardest grading professor I’ve had in the program,” Matt agrees. “You think he’d let loose a bit in his free time, though.” I curl my lip at the idea of Asher ‘letting loose’ with the girl dressed as a cat. The look goes unnoticed by Matt as he continues. “Good to know he’s getting some, though, maybe he’ll give everyone A’s on the midterm presentations.”
I grit my teeth. “Maybe.”
The next half hour is spent with me barely listening to Matt, who has to repeat himself multiple times to get my attention. I can barely draw my gaze away from Asher, who has certainly dialed up his charm for his date. His fingers run up and down her arm in a light caress, and whenever he catches me looking, he gives me a smug smile, making my blood boil.
Matt leans closer to push a stray strand of hair behind my ear, carefully maneuvering it under my hat. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” he murmurs.
I laugh. “You have a thing for dolls stuffed with hay?”
He shakes his head, pink flushing his cheeks. “I think maybe I just have a thing for you.”
He starts to lean forward, his nose brushing mine before I place a gentle hand on his chest. “Uh,” I breathe out.
He pulls away and clears his throat. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes hastily. “I shouldn’t have?—”
“No, it’s not—” I grasp desperately for the right words. Why didn’t I want to kiss him? Why couldn’t I feel the same spark and heat I feel whenever I’m around Asher? “I would just hate for something to affect our grade,” I say lamely. He looks down at his lap, and I sigh. “I’m sorry, I’m doing a really bad job of explaining. I’m really weird about dating. I need to keep my GPA up, and school is more important than anything to me right now.”
He nods. “You don’t owe me an explanation, Summer.”
“I know… I just wanted you to know that.”
“Maybe a rain check then?”
I smile at him. “How about a date after we turn in our presentation?” I offer.
He grins back at me. “I’d like that.”
I hope that I will too. Maybe a date is a good way to start Thanksgiving break. It’ll be a small way to celebrate finishing midterms, and if it can get Asher off my mind, I’m open to trying anything at this point.
