Page 10 of Stranger to Love

I watched Ms. Davies’s face, enjoying the tiny, controlled twitch near her mouth as she avoided my gaze. You're doing great, Blondie.

“Alex?”

Holly’s quiet voice snapped me out of my staring contest with Ms. Davies’s collarbone. I raised an eyebrow at her, a silent Yes?

“Is this the concept you were talking about after the lecture yesterday?” Holly pointed to a hasty annotation in her notebook.

I tore my gaze away from Blondie, forcing myself to look at the board where Dr. Carter had projected the discussion points.

I leaned over Holly’s notebook. She had definitely confused two similar concepts—the definition of 'Utility' seemed to have been conflated with 'Demand Elasticity.'

I gently tapped her page with my pen. “You’ve got the two mixed up, Hol. Remember, Utility is about satisfaction—it's subjective. Elasticity is the measure of how quantity demanded reacts to a price change. They're related, but you can’t use them interchangeably in the essay.”

As I spoke, explaining the difference simply, I felt a shift in the energy beside me. Ms. Davies was then looking at me, not at the notebook. She seemed genuinely impressed by the clarity of the correction.

I met her eyes, a slow smirk spreading across my face. I couldn’t help myself. “I’m not just a pretty face,” I murmured, my voice low enough that only she could hear the taunt.

A sudden flush crept up Ms. Davies’ neck. She bit her lip and ducked her head in a swift, gorgeous effort to hide it, ignoring the remark altogether. She pivoted to Holly, double-checking her understanding of the newly separated concepts, before retreating to the front of the room where Dr. Carter waited by her laptop.

I watched her go, thoroughly enjoying our little game. She was walking back toward the front, and I let my eyes follow the sway of the pencil skirt. Damn.

My gaze drifted from Ms. Davies’ smooth movement to meet Dr. Carter’s definite, frosty look. She must have noticed my gaze lingering. I tried to pull off an innocent, wide-eyed smile, but Dr. Carter just stared back at me with a hard, unreadable gaze. She pointedly turned away to engage Ms. Davies in conversation.

A cold, sharp look caught my eye, instantly cutting through the room. Yeah, that was a warning shot if I ever saw one. Apparently, my subtle checking-out hadn't been nearly as subtle as I thought—and the third party was thoroughly unimpressed.

By 1:00 p.m., I was heading to the library, all my seminars and lectures done for the day. I made a straight line for my new favourite spot, setting up at one of the computers in the business section. Probably because it was still the first week, the library wasn't very busy; most of the Freshers, at least, were probably napping between classes after spending every night on the lash. I didn’t envy Mia one bit; Freshers’ Week—or two weeks—is a new kind of hell every year. Tuesdays and Wednesdays were the worst with every promotion under the sun in full swing.

I was eternally grateful to Mia’s Dad for changing my contract to guarantee just weekend work. He was reluctant at first because, obviously, I’m amazing and they need my bartending skills on busy nights, but he had grown to respect me over the last couple of years and he believed in education. He didn't put up too much of a fight. Mia, however, would probably never forgive me for abandoning her.

Speak of the devil, my phone buzzed.

I looked down to see Mia calling. I laughed every time at the horrendous picture I’d swiped of her during one of our glossier-eyed shifts; even from this terrible angle and blurred focus, she still looked like a damn goddess.

“Well, hello, if it isn’t the Goddess of War herself,” I smiled, answering the phone and doing my best to keep my voice down.

Mia’s voice sounded husky, exhausted, and slightly manic on the other end. “Can you work tonight?”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Absolutely not.”

“Alex, please.”

“No. It is literally the first week, babes. I’m exhausted as it is. There is no way in hell I’ll survive the rest of the week if I work tonight.”

Mia groaned, and I could practically hear the pout. “The newbies suck, and I practically had to sprint around the bar last night. I need you.”

“Of course you do, because I’m incredible, but it is still a no.” I loved the woman, but I couldn't risk screwing myself over, especially when I’d only just started. “They’ll get better,” I added, trying to be comforting.

“Not fucking quick enough,” she groaned, sighing in defeat. “So, how is it going? Are you a business genius yet?”

I smirked. “Oh, absolutely. I’ve actually been told I’m so much of a genius that I’ll be able to graduate in a month instead of the three years expected.”

She chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure that’s the case.” Then, as if I could see her big grin, she asked, “Have you fucked Blondie in the staff room yet?”

I mocked a gasp. “I would never do such a thing.”

Mia laughed so loud the sound actually caused me to glance around, hoping not to disturb any other students, but the area was thankfully empty. “Sure you wouldn’t. What, were you not good enough on Saturday, so she isn’t up for another round, or is she too flustered by your presence she’s avoiding you?”

“The latter, obviously, because I rocked her world.”