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MEGHAN
Imust be the biggest fool on the planet. Lying to Julian was wrong, but my desire for him was so strong that I was willing to do anything to have him. Even pretend to be someone else. What harm was there if all we had was a summer fling? I never expected him to accept a position at Danville because of me.
But he wants nothing to do with me and refuses to let me be his TA, which puts my graduation status in jeopardy. On top of that, my capstone project is currently dead in the water. Stephanie rejected my proposed topic after I returned from Cambridge, and now I have to start from scratch.
Despite my somber mood, I head to Stephanie’s office to give her the bad news. No doubt she’ll be angry with me, but I can’t force Julian to accept something—or someone—he doesn’t want. If summer school is my only option, then I have no choice but to take it.
But when I knock on Stephanie’s door and turn the handle, I’m shocked to see her in front of Julian, on her knees with her hands wrapped around his belt.
Fucking bitch.
“What the hell?” she screeches, scrambling to her feet. “What makes you think you can just barge in here?”
“I-I-I’m sorry,” I stutter. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“Obviously,” she snaps as she straightens her blouse and sits down behind her desk with a huff. “You’ll have to come back later, Meghan.”
The air in the room is heavy with tension, and I shift nervously on my feet. I’m feeling too many emotions and I’d rather get this ugly mess out of the way.
“Actually…” I say with a quick glance toward Julian. “I’m glad Dr. Armstrong is here. He doesn’t want a TA, so we need to make another arrangement.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter what Dr. Armstrong wants, because he is a guest at Danville University, and I’ve assigned him a TA.”
“Absolutely not!” Julian bellows, jumping to his feet. “We have a contract! If you break our agreement, I’ll have no choice but to file a grievance with the union.”
The smile Stephanie plasters on her face is fake as fuck. I recognize it easily enough because it’s the same one sorority sisters use to your face right before they stab you in the back.
“I apologize, Dr. Armstrong, but we put our students first here, and Meghan’s graduation is in jeopardy.”
“I don’t give a damn whether she graduates. You offered me a position, which I accepted with certain parameters. Now, either honor my contract or I’ll be on the next flight back to London.”
Stephanie’s cheeks flush, but I’m not sure whether it’s from embarrassment or anger. “This is only a temporary problem, Dr. Armstrong. I’ll talk to the board tonight to see if they’ll agree to extra compensation. Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I have a meeting to attend.”
She looks at us expectantly until finally Julian relents and leaves. I follow him, hurrying to catch up.
“Julian, wait!” I hiss, hoping my voice is loud enough for him to hear.
I’m desperate to talk, to explain why I lied and why I stopped returning his emails.
He stops abruptly, spins on his heel, and walks into an empty classroom. Like a lovesick puppy, I scurry after him.
The moment I cross the threshold, the door slams shut, and Julian has me pinned against the wall. Closing my eyes, I inhale his familiar clean, spicy scent and the mint of his breath. My hands shoot out and grab his shirt.
“Julian,” I breathe out.
His hands skim my waist before they wrap around mine and push them away. “What do you think you’re doing, Meghan?”
“Give me a chance to explain,” I beg.
“Why?”
“Because I’m in love with you,” I confess.
He laughs. “In love with me? Love isn’t built on lies, Meghan. Clearly, you’re too young and stupid to understand that.”
His words sting like a sharp slap across the face, but I refuse to submit to his cruelty.
“I understand you’re angry with me, but you don’t have to be an asshole. Lying about my age is nothing compared to the lies you’ve told.”
