Page 18 of Echoes of the Banshee

We finish up the last few things and he emails himself a copy to turn in.

“See you,” I say, already pulling out my English work. It’s not a goodbye. It’s a door closing. I don’t expect to see him again. I’m surprisingly disappointed. After a few minutes, I realize he hasn’t left. Peeking up briefly, I catch him watching me, his expression warm and bemused.

“What?”

“Do you ever stop working?” he asks.

“Not when there’s work to be done.” I turn back to my assignment.

“Of course,” he says with a low chuckle. “Thea: part student, part machine.”

“You only get one life. I’m not about to waste mine.” Well I got two. And I’m definitely not wasting this second chance.

“Some would say hiding here alone is wasting yours,” he quips.

“Some, but not you,” I reply confidently. “You hate the games as much as I do.”

He bites his lip ring and then cocks an eyebrow. “I don’t know, Thea. I think I’m starting to enjoy this game we’re playing.”

“We’re playing a game?” I ask innocently. Like I’m not enjoying the banter.

He taps the table. “Definitely.” His grin sharpens. “Which is why your nook might be my new favorite place on campus.”

“You find me in here again, I’ll rip that lip ring out,” I warn with a smile.

“You say that like it’s not the hottest thing you’ve ever threatened me with.”

I roll my eyes, but there’s a laugh I can’t quite smother. Instead of leaving, he casually pulls out his Spiritborne History book and flips it open like he’s got all the time in the world. Like staying here with me was the plan all along.

“Have you started this yet?”

“I already knew the answer,” I admit. “Do you need help?” The words are out before I can second-guess them.

“You’d be the person I ask. Seriously, your pencil didn’t stop moving the entire class. I think I managed, like, three notes.”

I let out a soft chuckle. “I didn’t write any notes. I was working on something else.”

“Thank god,” he says with mock drama. “I was ready to believe I somehow missed the earth-shattering complexities of Nightblind Bylaws.”

“Nope. They’re as asinine as ever.”

“What are you working on then?”

“English,” I say, flipping the page. “As you saw from the lab report, I’m no Tolkien. My version of Lord of the Rings is: he took the ring, dropped it in the volcano, boom, the end.”

He laughs, then gently takes the paper from me and starts reading. For the next half hour, he walks me through it. Then we switch. I help him with his Magical History assignment, and for the first time since I got back, I don’t feel like I’m running. Definitely the nook. Not the company. The hours slip by. I stifle a yawn, exhaustion tugging at me.

“I didn’t sleep well,” I say, rubbing my eyes. “I’m going to call it an early night.”

“This is early?” he says, clearly appalled.

“Thanks for studying with me.”

“This is probably the best night I’ve had in a long time,” he says, his smile soft and genuine, warming his eyes. “And definitely the most productive. I might have to take advantage of your little nook again,” he adds, flashing a teasing grin.

I raise an eyebrow. “You don’t like that lip ring much, do you?”

His laugh is quiet, but it makes me smile. We gather our things, and as we leave the library, the campus is nearly empty. The only sound is our footsteps echoing as we make our way to the nightblind college. My dorm is the closest to the secret entrance, only about a ten-minute walk. Zair walks me to my door before turning and heading in the other direction to his room. It’s a small gesture, but there’s something unexpectedly sweet about it.