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“Will you be there on Monday? He hinted there would be a pop quiz…” She winced. “Just a heads up.” She downs the rest of her drink and wipes her mouth before looking inside her cup like she’s surprised it’s all gone.
“Oh… umm, maybe then.” My mind is all out of sorts hearing about Aidan. Between the booze we’d drank at Peyton’s earlier mixed with this revelation, I can’t form a coherent thought.
She cranes her eyes towards the keg and begins to walk away. “Cool, see you then! Bye!” She nods before bouncing across the room.
“You’re not going to go though, right? Aidan said you were straight except for the final? I’m sure he’ll ace you for the quiz,” Peyton presses.
My eyes well up with tears. “He’s not doing well.”
“I heard…Sky…” Peyton’s concerned blue eyes bore into mine.
“He misses me too.”
“I could have told you that.”
“Maybe I should go.”
“To class?”
I nod. “I want to see him. I miss him…”
“Skyler…what’s that going to solve? It’s going to make it hurt worse. You can’t look at his Instagram but you can see him in person?”
“Hey guys.”
I’m thankful for the interruption even if it is Dave wielding three shots.
“Thanks,” I say as I down the shot without waiting. The clear liquid burns the entire way down, but frankly, it’s easier to swallow than Lily’s words or the idea of seeing Aidan again.
My hair and eyelashes are perfectly curled, my lips bright red, and my eyelids expertly lined. I’d chosen a dress under my leather jacket that showcased my legs with heels to give me some height. I’m not sure what the purpose of my get-up is. Do I want Aidan’s attention? Do I want to distract him? Do I want to appear like I’ve moved on? That I’m not hurting? I’m not sure, but when he walks into the room, time stands still. His eyes lock on mine instantly, as if he’s been looking at my chair every class to see if I showed up. A ghost of a smile finds his lips before he turns to address the class.
His hair is a little longer and he has more facial hair than I remember. Fuck, he looks good. Really good. I squeeze my legs together as I try to ignore the ache between them. But then I remember the ache in my chest and decide focusing on the thump in my sex is better than the one in my heart.
Per Lily’s tip, we do have a pop quiz and while I know all the answers I can’t help myself from writing something else after the essay on the third page. I know Aidan grades all his students’ papers himself, opting to not have a teacher’s assistant, so I don’t have to worry about anyone else seeing it.
I miss you. I hope you’re well.
For a second I regret it. Is this a bad idea? What if he doesn’t ever see it? Or what if he does, but doesn’t care? I’ve written it in pen so there’s no going back. I rest my head in my right hand as I hear the shuffle of people getting up. I know I shouldn’t wait until the end, to be the last person to turn in their test, but as people file out of class one by one, I long for a second alone with him. I’d caught his gaze more than a few times, and I felt it on me even more times. Look away, Aidan, please.
The minute hand ticks to the ten, indicating the end of class, and I watch as the last few people in class scribble their last few answers in a panic.
“Time’s up, everyone left please bring your papers up.” I’m frozen in place. I’d been done since the first twenty minutes and I can’t force myself to get up. I’m terrified of seeing Aidan. I don’t know how long I stare at my quiz, wishing that I could just disappear when I feel his presence next to me. I look up, avoiding his gaze and notice that we’re alone. “Skyler,” he whispers.
“I…a little birdie told me we were having a pop quiz. I wasn’t sure…I mean…I thought I should be here.” My voice is timid and barely above a whisper.
“I would have told you if you needed to. I was going to give you an A.” His tone matches mine. I slide my quiz across the desk slowly.
“Well, now you can give me a real grade.”
“You look nice,” he tells me, ignoring my comments.
“Thank you.”
“Did you wear this…for me?”
I rub my forehead nervously. “Yes…I don’t know…maybe?”
“Skyler, look at me.” I do as he tells me and I feel my heart actually melt in my chest. He is so beautiful, it almost hurts to look at him. Thank God he’s hurting because I don’t think I would be able to handle seeing him smile with those beautiful dimples. He swallows and collects my quiz in his hand. “Have a good Thanksgiving.” He stands up without another word. I watch as he puts the papers in his bag and disappears from the room leaving me all alone. I doubt he even made it out of the building before the tears are flying down my face.
