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I’m shocked but not shocked. Sasha is just one of those people that knows everybody. If I asked her to get in touch with Taylor Swift, I have no doubt she could find a way.

“Yes.” I nod sheepishly. “I mean…he’s handsome.”

“Handsome?” Sasha scoffs as we pull up in front of the bar. “Girl, he’s sexy. Hottest guy on campus for sure. No wonder you’re smitten.”

I can’t help but smile, but at the same time, her words make my stomach sink. If Clark is the hottest guy on campus—which is pretty much undebatable—what would he want with a girl like me? A girl who’s never even kissed a guy? Who knows nothing about her own body?

I mean, there’s a reason I took his anatomy class…

“Let’s just get a drink,” I reply, hurrying out of the car. I’m not really a big drinker, but maybe one or two will help take my mind off him.

It’s loud outside the bar, and the music is blasting inside. Some kind of classic rock that I should probably know but don’t. But despite how loud it is and all the chatter going on around me as Sasha orders for us, I can’t stop thinking about Clark’s voice…the way he tossed Matt out of the class.

He spoke like a king. There was no room for discussion, no room to argue. His word is gospel. If he says you need to leave, then you need to leave. And Matt knew that.

I wanted to thank Clark after class. He basically saved me there. Matt was coming on too strong, like a guy who is not used to hearing the word no. He kept insisting I give him my number or my Instagram ‘or anything really.’ And I had no interest at all.

It’s not like I’ve never been hit on by guys before. I have. But I’ve either been not into them or I’ve been so afraid that my mom would find out and kill me that I had to turn them down. Even now, it’s hard to believe I have a phone that she’s not tracking. Once I went off to college and started paying my own way, I summoned up the courage to have the talk with her. The one where I finally declared my independence.

Sasha waves a hand in front of my face, and I realize I’ve been staring off into space, visions of Professor Durand running through my mind. Seriously, what is happening to me? I’ve never been smitten like this by a man before. Not even close. And I haven’t even spoken to him one on one.

It’s like I’ve been injected with some kind of love potion that’s causing every bit of my body to want him.

My thighs are tingling, and that’s something that’s never happened before. Is that normal? I want to ask Sasha, but I’m too embarrassed.

“Drink!” she shouts over the noise of the crowd. “Cheers to being twenty-one!”

I don’t even know what she got me, but I clink glasses with her and take a sip. It’s fine but burns as it goes down.

“You trying to get me drunk—?” I start to ask, but my voice falls off when I notice someone sitting behind her at the other end of the bar. A muscular, gorgeous man wearing brown pants and a white dress shirt. A perfect mix of professional and casual.

“What?” Sasha asks.

I lean close and whisper, “It’s him!”

“Who him?”

“Him!” A sense of excitement and panic mix together in me like conflicting ingredients being blended in a smoothie. My heart leaps with excitement as his eyes meet mine, but my body also goes cold from a massive adrenaline dump.

I wasn’t planning on seeing him until my next class, which is in two days. This isn’t even a college bar, and yet here he is.

And he’s coming this way…

The world slows down as he gets up from his seat and walks toward me. The crowd parts for him like he rules the room. He doesn’t move for anyone; they move for him.

I’m blushing again but not like when Matt was pressuring me for my number. That was discomfort. This is different. It’s like the pressure of the universe coming down on me. All of a sudden I’m worried about my hair, my makeup, and the silly red dress Sasha convinced me to wear.

Will he like them? Or will he think I look stupid?

I can feel Sasha’s eyes on me as he stops in front of us. There’s a long pause as he runs his eyes up my body, starting at my feet and ending at my eyes. My heart’s skipping so fast I might just pass out, and my legs are starting to tremble as I try to hold it together.

“Hey, there.” His voice is bold. Solid like the ground beneath our feet. “You’re in my anatomy class, aren’t you?”

It’s a question we both know the answer to. All I can do is nod. Thankfully, Sasha chimes in for me.

“Maisy. Her name is Maisy.”

Clark nods, a slight smile curling over his lips. “Maisy,” he repeats, almost like he’s tasting my name on his tongue. Then he extends a hand. I take it automatically. “It’s nice to meet you.”