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Sighing, I look down at Egil.
“What the hell am I going to do, boy?”
CHAPTER FIVE
Autumn
Paula paces up and down in the break room, still reeling from what I told her about last night.
I don’t have any classes today, but I’m halfway through my cleaning shift. Paula will often come and hang out with me in the break room between her graphic design lectures.
My best friend is a tall woman, with bleached-blonde hair and the sort of physique that would make a cheerleader jealous… which is fitting since she was the captain of the cheer squad in high school.
Everybody was so surprised by Paula and me staying friends after middle school, but even with her being a cheerleader and me a bookworm, our connection never wavered.
“I can’t believe it,” she says, finally stopping next to a motivational poster with a picture of the school logo. “He was right around the corner. He got a text from a number he didn’t recognize. And he came anyway.”
I shrug. “He’s a good man. He thought somebody needed his help.”
She joins me at the table, dropping down with a shaky laugh. “Okay, I understand that. He wanted to do the right thing. But the fact he was right there, a few blocks over…”
“I know.” I massage my forehead, trying to push away some of the tiredness that has gripped me all day since I couldn’t get any sleep last night. “I’m as shocked as you are. I couldn’t believe it, when he walked in… much less when he helped me to get the heck out of there.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t jump on him,” Paula teases.
I laugh drily. “Yeah, and then he’d have called the cops for assault.”
“It must’ve been crazy, though,” she presses on, “your major-league crush right there in the flesh.”
“Who said I had a crush on him?”
She shoots me a look, as though she can see right through my words. “Nobody needs to say it, Autumn. I’ve noticed the way you always find a way to work him into conversation… and how no other person seems to interest you.”
“Well, after Declan…”
She sucks in a breath. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry. That was insensitive.”
“It’s okay. I know what you mean. And you’re right. I wasn’t even interested in Declan. He just sort of… swept me up, I guess.”
“He swept in like a bird of prey and took advantage of your vulnerability. That’s what he did.”
I nod, hearing the rage in my best friend’s voice. She detests Declan as much as I do, even if I was confused for a little while.
“So you managed not to jump him, then?” Paula says, changing the subject with a smile.
My cheeks heat up. “I can’t even imagine how that would’ve gone down. He was just being friendly.”
“Have you spoken to him since?”
“No, well… we’ve texted a couple of times.”
She stares at me expectantly, wearing her hungry-for-gossip face.
“You’re a vulture, you know that?” I tease, keeping my tone light so she knows I’d have it no other way.
“So?”
I tell her about the texts, trying to keep any excitement out of my voice. “They mean nothing. Sure, he said to let him know if there’s anything he could do to help me, but that’s just what people say, isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure. What did he mean? Help you with what?”
“I don’t know, honestly. Maybe my college courses?”
“Well… then that’s your in.”
“My in?”
She chuckles. “Yeah, that’s your way of spending more time with him and finding out if there’s anything there.”
“But what could be there?”
“Maybe your crush isn’t as crazy as it seems.”
I shake my head fiercely, as though willing any hopeful notions out of my mind as quickly as possible. I can’t let myself believe he feels the same, can’t let myself imagine all the different paths our shared journey could take… Well, more so than I already am, anyway.
“I think the chances of that are pretty low, Paula.”
“Says who?”
“Reality, for one.”
She folds her arms, staring. I glance at the clock, for once disappointed when I see that I’ve still got five minutes left on my break.
“Explain,” Paula says, in her typical no-nonsense best friend way.
“Isn’t it obvious? For one, he’s over twenty years older than me. He’s forty-two. He probably wouldn’t even think of me like that. Then there’s the small issue of him being about a million times more attractive than me. Plus, I don’t even know if he has a girlfriend. It’s a freaking minefield.”
Paula frowns. “Let’s deal with these one-by-one. First, the age issue. Does it bother you?”
“No,” I say passionately. “I love how much older he is. If it wasn’t completely insane to think about it… I’d love to be with a man as experienced and mature as him, who shares the same passion for history and could help guide me. I’m not saying I want any handouts, but I’d love to have his support.”
