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Most of the students were entering the stairwell headed downstairs. I jogged over and joined them. Craning my neck over the crowd, I couldn’t see him. I was about to hate myself for not leaving sooner when I saw the back of someone who could only be Quin exiting the stairwell onto the main floor.
“Excuse me. Excuse me,” I said squeezing past everyone.
It only got me down a few seconds sooner and by the time I was there, he was again nowhere to be seen.
Looking into every classroom as I ran past them, I didn’t see him. I was about to give up hope when I popped open the door to the building and spotted his sexy frame walking away. Warmth washed across me. It felt like a spot of sunshine on a cloudy day.
Jogging towards him, I slowed when I was a few feet away. I couldn’t lose my cool just because I was about to talk to the best-looking guy I had ever seen. I had to at least pretend like kissing him wasn’t the only thing I could think about since the moment we met.
“Quin?” I said trying to be as casual as I could.
He stopped and turned around. He did not look as happy to see me as I was to see him. It triggered a twinge in my chest but I pushed past it.
“I thought that was you. How have you been? Hit up any big parties since I saw you last?” I said with a smile.
When he didn’t reply, I said, “Cage. Cage Rucker. We met at the Sigma Chi party.”
“I remember,” he said coldly. Ouch! There was that twinge of pain again. “How’s Tasha? That was your girlfriend’s name, right?”
“Tasha? Oh, yeah. She’s good. She’s fine. Ah, did I do something to piss you off? If I did, I’m sorry,” I said desperately wanting to see him smile again.
Quin stared at me with a look of frustration and then relented.
“No. You didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t mind me. I’m just being stupid.”
“You? Being stupid? I find that hard to believe,” I said with a smile.
He stared at me again. This time he looked like he was searching my soul.
“Why would you say that?”
“I don’t know. I guess you strike me as being someone really smart.”
He softened the intensity of his gaze.
“I’m not smart about anything that matters,” he said before continuing his walk.
I caught up to him.
“I don’t think that’s true. In fact, I’ll bet you’re pretty smart at Intro to Childhood Education. I bet you’re at the top of the class.”
Quin looked at me when I said that.
“You are, aren’t you?”
Quin looked away.
“I’ll be damned. Okay. Then that will make the next thing I say less awkward. It turns out that I need this class to stay eligible for football and ultimately, the NFL draft. And, since I haven’t been attending classes, I’m a little behind. I kind of need a tutor. The football program is willing to pay you for your time.”
“I can’t tutor you,” he said dismissively.
“Why not?”
“I just can’t. Sorry.”
“Okay. Then how about if I make the pot a little sweeter?”
“What do you mean?”
