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They were picking up a meditation mat from the stack near the doorway. The realization crashed into me like a bucket of ice water—I was headed in the wrong direction.
“Crap,” I mumbled to myself, scanning for any familiar faces. When I found none, I went for the kindest-looking girl. Her chestnut curls were pulled messily into a ponytail. She was standing alone while the other three girls were chatting.
On my approach, she glanced at me, a questioning raise to her brows.
“Hey, I’m Kat. I’m kind of lost,” I confessed. “I need to be in the presentation hall for the Behavior and Discipline class. Do you know where it is?”
She grinned and pointed me toward the building, giving a brief set of directions I hastily saved to memory. She left me to join the meditation group.
The silent hallways seemed to mock my panic, my hurried footsteps echoing around me. I finally skidded to a halt in front of the double doors which had to lead to the presentation hall. Catching my breath, I pushed them open.
The hall echoed with the sound of Father Bridge’s voice, followed by the soft tapping of my shoes against the cold stone floor. On the raised platform, Father Bridge sat on the edge of the low stage, legs crossed at the ankles and arms by his side. His short, cropped brown hair sat messily, as if he’d run his hand through it too many times.
In faded jeans and a white button-up shirt, not to mention the addition of dark-rimmed glasses, the Father had inexplicably transformed him into something spellbinding. My heart fluttered at the sight of him. The nerdy yet undeniably sexy aura he exuded was completely unexpected.
“Miss Harper,” he said, his sharp, grey gaze settling on me. “So glad you could join us. Hurry up and take a seat.”
My heart pounded as I made my way to the small circle of chairs in the center of the room. The girls sitting there stared at me with curiosity. I quickly slipped into the only vacant chair—right next to Louise. No sooner had I sat down than she slid her chair further away, her action biting more than any words could. Regardless, I put on a brave face, refusing to let her ruffle me. It was probably a cupcake-resentment thing, anyway.
“Well,” Father Bridge began, leaning back on his hands, his voice like velvet against my skin. “Today, we’re going to discuss feelings.”
A snort escaped me before I could stop myself, resulting in the four other girls turning their heads in my direction. With Bridge’s gaze narrowing on me, that earlier burning sensation across my nape returned.
“Is there something you find amusing, Miss Harper?” There was a gleam in his eyes, and I got the impression he was the kind of guy who reveled in making others suffer. Just like earlier that morning when he came and summoned me from breakfast with a click of his fingers, as though I was his dog or something. Whatever it was, despite giving me a major case of butterflies in my stomach, he had a huge stick up his ass.
I cleared my throat. “Just wondering if we’re supposed to talk about our feelings about talking about our feelings,” I replied, a smirk playing on my lips.
Father Bridge watched me for a moment in a way that, for those few seconds, I felt we were alone, and my heart started thumping in my chest faster before I let out a chuckle, ruining the moment.
“That would be quite meta, wouldn’t it?”
It was a small victory in my mind, but at least I’d managed to lighten up the mood and stop feeling like the leper in the room.
Louise cleared her throat. “Sometimes, it’s better to let your feelings out rather than keeping them bottled up.”
“You’re not wrong, Louise.” Father Bridge pushed off the low stage and started walking around us like a lion sizing up his prey. “However, it depends on the situation. For instance, this morning, Katerina arrived late to class and tried to defuse the situation with humor instead of accepting that she was late. While that can be a useful tool, it can also be seen as a sign of not taking a situation seriously.”
I stiffened, my gaze snapping to him. I wasn’t expecting him to keep calling me out. Embarrassment washed over my face, and I fought to keep my voice steady.
“To be fair, it’s my first class, and I wasn’t that late.”
I watched this man who was ridiculously handsome but also a jerk.
Father Bridge paused for a moment, every eye in the room trained on him, and I didn’t miss the swooning stares from the girls. Then he clapped loudly, and I flinched in my seat.
“Alright then, let’s do a bit of role-playing. Louise, you’re Katerina, and Katerina, you’re me. You’ve just walked into the room late, and I have a class to teach. Get up and show us how to approach this if you put the other person’s feelings first.”
Louise and I exchanged an incredulous look, then she sighed like it was hell working with me. We both reluctantly got up. The rest of the class leaned forward in their seats as we moved to stand in the middle of the circle, me feeling like a performing monkey.
I shot Father Bridge a challenging look, a silent promise to show him just how serious I could be. He grinned a bit too widely, seemingly enjoying my discomfort.
With a sharp breath, I straightened my back, attempting to imitate Father Bridge’s authoritative posture. Louise suddenly walked in through an invisible door and gave a sheepish grin. The other students were doing a terrible job of suppressing their giggles.
She took a few steps in, her gaze low. “I’m so sorry for being late. I have no excuses. I’m just a tardy person who has no respect for other people’s objects or time.”
The whole room burst out laughing.
My mouth fell open. Shewasmad at the cupcake.
