Page 49 of Written in Scent

“She’s never going to like me,” I mutter to Adrian, who’s still standing beside me at the railing. “Not after the way I acted in the woods that night. And now she just ran from me again like I was some kind of monster.”

The words come out rough and heavy.

I can still picture the exact look in her eyes when she spotted me coming toward them, that quick flash of panic mixed with something else I can’t name. It’s the same look she gave me under the moth lights, when I growled at her for being out there alone in the dark.

I rub the back of my neck, jaw tight.

“I keep fucking this up before it even starts.”

Adrian doesn’t speak for a second, but I can feel him thinking, the way he always does, like he’s already three steps ahead of the rest of us.

I just hope he has a better idea than I do. Because right now it feels like Elodie is never going to give me another chance.

“I wonder what happened,” Adrian says, adjusting his glasses. “Maybe she felt intimidated or overwhelmed seeing two of us at once. She was already on edge after the game, and then you and I were both standing there…”

He trails off, but I can see the gears turning in his head. He’s already trying to solve the problem like it’s one of his math equations.

Before I can answer, I hear footsteps pounding across the grass. Jamie comes running up to us, camera bag bouncing against his side and a hopeful, almost boyish look in his eyes.

“Was that really Elodie?” he asks, a little out of breath. “I thought I saw her hair. Did you guys actually talk to her?”

The hope in his voice makes my chest tighten. He looks so damn optimistic, like maybe this time things went better than they actually did.

I rub the back of my neck and let out a low groan.

“Yeah, it was her,” I say. “And I scared her off. Again.”

The words come out harsher than I intend, but there’s no point in pretending. Jamie needs to hear the truth.

His hopeful expression collapses right in front of me. The light in his eyes dims instantly, shoulders dropping as the reality sinks in. For a second he just stands there, mouth slightly open like he can’t quite process what I just said.

The sight of it twists something in my gut. Jamie’s usually the optimistic one, the one who keeps trying with that easy smile of his. Seeing that hope drain out of him because of my actions feels worse than I expected, I want to pull him to me but it’s not what he needs.

He runs a hand through his floppy blond hair and lets out a disappointed breath.

“Damn,” he mutters. “I really thought maybe…”

He doesn’t finish the sentence. He doesn’t have to. We all know what he was hoping for.

Adrian clears his throat, the smallest smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Actually,” he says, pushing his glasses up his nose in that thoughtful way of his, “I somehow managed to land a study session with her tomorrow in the library.”

The words land like a silent bomb.

Jamie’s head snaps up so fast I am surprised he doesn’t get whiplash. His eyes go wide with fresh hope. Even I feel my eyebrows shoot up.

Adrian just shrugs like it’s no big deal, but I can see the satisfaction in his expression.

I scoff before I can stop myself.

“Studying?” I say, folding my arms tighter across my chest. “There’s nothing flirty about studying, man. She’s going to sit there with her color coded notes and talk about bugs while you try not to stare at her. That isn’t exactly sweeping her off her feet.”

Adrian’s smile only grows, small and knowing.

Jamie’s already grinning again, the earlier disappointment fading fast.

I shake my head, but I can’t quite hide the reluctant spark of hope that flickers in my own chest.