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Callan drops to his knees, fixing his shoes one by one, not looking at me as he speaks. “Your sandwich and coffee are on the counter. I’m sorry we don’t have time for you to eat them here.”
My coffee is in a to-go thermos and my sandwich is wrapped in foil to keep it warm. Thoughtful bastard. “You don’t have to do that for me, you know. I could have grabbed something on campus.”
He glances up, gazing at me through thick brown lashes and then he smirks. That smirk. That killer fucking smirk with enrapturing dimples never fails to slice my insides to pieces.
“I didn’t mind.” His chin juts toward my hand. “You should probably take that off before class.”
“Oh.” I glance down at the sparkly diamond on my hand. “Good call.”
I race back upstairs and slip it into the box and then immediately return, grab my sandwich, coffee, and my schoolbag, and then head for the door, following behind Callan and Katy who are already there.
Callan drives us while Katy belts out Taylor Swift lyrics at the top of her lungs. I join in with her, twisting around so we can duet. This is what I do with my nieces, and I love how Callan plays whatever she wants to hear. He pulls up in front of her camp and I say bye to Katy, watching as he walks her in.
A few minutes later he’s back and then we’re driving to school, which I shouldn’t have let him do. “Next time I’ll take the T.”
He taps his fingers along the steering wheel. “Should I let you out on Huntington then?”
“Probably,” I agree.
“Feels like we’re living a double life, right?” he muses, and I bite into my lip, turning to stare at his profile.
“A little, but it’s not forever.”
He doesn’t respond to that and a moment later, he’s pulling over at the edge of campus so I can hop out of the car.
“See you later,” he whispers, his eyes on mine.
Christ. The way he’s looking at me.
“Later,” I murmur, feeling my chest heat. I lick my lips and then leave him behind, making my way across campus while eating my breakfast sandwich and drinking my coffee, and forcing myselfnotto think about my present life choices. Trying not to imagine this as my real daily routine with him where I get out of his car but only after we say goodbye with a searing kiss.
I hike the steps to the front of the building, but before I can open the heavy doors, I’m intercepted by a tall, blond, not-so-welcome figure.
“Move, Patrick. I don’t have time for you.”
“You’ve been quiet in the group chat,” he says, standing over me. I shift to get around him, but he’s quick and blocks me.
“Move! I need to get into class.”
“You have ten minutes, Layla. All I’m asking for is five of them.”
I growl, in no mood to deal with his shit after everything that’s happened the past few days. I peer up at him, squinting against the early morning sun. “Why are you here?”
“You’ve been quiet in the chat,” he repeats like that’s an actual answer to why he’s on campus when he doesn’t need to be.
“You’re in the chat. That’s why. I don’t need you in my business, Patrick. You lost that right months ago. Go stalk someone else.”
He grabs my arm and drags me along the front of the building and pushes me against one of the massive stone pillars. Then he gets right up in my face, his hands on either side of my head. “I need to tell you something.”
My insides hiccup even as I feign indifference. “What is it?”
“Molly wants to be with me.”
I roll my eyes. “No shit. You came all the way over here to tell me that?”
He makes an annoyed noise in the back of his throat, but his eyes hold mine, steadfast yet cautious. “No. I came all the way over here to tell you I’m going to be with her.”
The wind leaves my lungs.
