“Forget something, Bennett.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Orion leaned in the doorframe, arms crossed, Langford’s list dangling from one hand.
“You ran out of there too fast, love.”
“You scared the crap out of me,” I said. “And stop calling me that.”
“Apologies…love.”
Orion pushed off the wall and hopped onto the table, long legs dangling. Today he wore black jeans, boots, and a cream-colored hoodie with a black zipper. I didn’t know designer labels, but my instincts told me the hoodie alone probably cost more than my entire closet.
He looks like a model…
I clenched my teeth, as if that could shut up my inner voice, and glared at him.
“Well? Are you going to help or not? I’d like to get this over with.”
“What’s the rush?” Orion said. “We have a break from class. Let’s enjoy the dim ambience of the storage room.”
“No, thanks. I don’t like it here.”
“What’s not to like? Just you, me…” He glanced around. “Graduated cylinders for days…”
Outside the door, footsteps, a man’s voice grumbling under his breath, and then the door shut with athunk.
“What…?” I rushed at the door and pushed at the long bar handle, but the door wouldn’t budge.
You’ve got to be kidding.
I spun around. “Did you do that?” I demanded, glaring at Orion, who was in the middle of the room, nowhere near the door. Panic was already making me stupid.
He frowned. “Clearly…no. But I’m not mad about it. Trappedtogether. It’s fate.”
“Don’t start.” I gave the door handle another shake.
“I’m not starting anything.” Orion leaned back on the counter and shot me a knowing grin. “But I’m here if you change your mind.”
I ignored him and took a deep breath against the tightness in my chest. The room was small. The air thin…
“It’s fine,” I murmured. “We just have to wait for Langford to realize we’ve been gone too long. A few minutes, tops.”
“Or,” Orion said, “we could make the most of this time together.”
I rolled my eyes and snatched the list out of his hand. “It’s cute you’d think I’d call that an upside. Let’s get the required supplies, as instructed.”
He tilted his head, cocky smile dialed up to eleven. “You know, most girls at this school would be thrilled to be locked in a room with me.”
“Is that a fact?”
“Thatisa fact.”
“Good for them.”
I set about what I came to do, putting beakers, boxes of test tubes, and filaments into the box and trying to ignore Orion’spresence.His charisma was so strong, it practically glowed around him like an aura. Against my will, I could seeexactlywhy most girls would want to be locked in a room with him. Orion was also keeping the smallness of this room from feeling menacing, and so I was glad too.
Not that he needed to know that.
“Are you going to sit there, or are you going to help?” I jerked my chin at a shelf. “Clamps, stands, stoppers. Go.”
