His eyes widen and his lips part. “Jahlani, I’m really sorry. I had a thing.”
She cocks her head, her voice wavering in pitch. “I wonder how this meeting would be going if I were a man. If I wereJackson.” She points at the phone flashing on and off in his lap. “Would you still be playing on your phone? Would you have gotten here on time? Would you be prepared,Roman?”
Roman stands from his chair, mouth opening and closing. “I have the materials. I thought I grabbed them, but I guess I must’ve …” He trails off, shaking his head. “Shit, I’m sorry.Truly.” He shuts his eyes, breathing heavily. They snap back open. Wide and unwavering. “Look, I didn’t mean to come on to you before. My intention wasn’t to demean you like that. I swear.” He blows out a breath. “I guess I just thought … it’s our thing.”
Jahlani lets out a broken laugh, resuming her packing with more force and urgency.
“We don’t have athing.”
From the corner of her eye, she sees him take a step forward. “Jahlani, really?—”
She turns to him, unable to control herself. “And if you were going to show up late, the least you could have done was be prepared,” she snaps before letting out a sardonic chuckle. “Silly me for thinking you would actually try.”
Her chest heaves as his head jerks back. She shoves her laptop the rest of the way in, shouldering the bag before moving around the desk to the door.
“Wait, I can explain.”
“And let you waste more of my time? Yeah, I don’t think so.” He steps in front of her. “No,” she says. “I’m exhausted. I’m hungry, and I don’t feel well, and I waited for you like an idiot,” she mumbles to herself, pressing a trembling hand to her forehead. “I don’t know why I waited for you.”
His face twists. “Waited for me?” Realization flashes through his face. “The event. Shit.Shit.” She sidesteps him, reaching for the door, but turns.
“I’ll have Professor Jackson assigned to you for the rest of the semester. There is clearly a conflict of interest here.”
“Jahlani, you’re upset, but if you would just let me explain. It was a family emergency.”
Her laugh is dry as she steps closer. “That is always your excuse.”
His nostrils flare. “It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth.”
“And they happen. I get it, but last I checked,common courtesymeans giving someone a heads up.”
He exhales sharply, tugging on the back of his hair. “You’re right, and I’m sorry, but my situation is a little more complicated than that.”
His phone begins blaring, and this only incites her more.
She inhales deeply, tightening her hold on her bag. “Have a nice night, Roman.”
He steps forward, grabbing her arm. “Wait, this isn’t what it looks like. It’s not what you think.”
His fingers are warm against her flesh. Rough, and …
Pleasant.
She steps back, pulling away, feeling disarmed. “Roman. Please. Save it for someone with the tolerance, because you’re not going to find it with me. I don’t care. Not anymore.”
At this, his expression hardens. “You sound just like him.”
“Like him?”
“Like Jackson.”
Jahlani sputters, her arms flailing. “What are you—what?”
He rubs his hands down his face. “He did the sameexactthing to me last year. Judged me with only bits and pieces of information. Assumed things about me.”
Jahlani presses a hand to her forehead. “What else am I supposed to think, Roman?” Her arms rise and fall at her sides. “Assumptions are sometimes all we have. They protect us.”
He takes a step closer, his figure towering over her. “No. They cloud you. You’re supposed to give me the benefit of the doubt,” he says in a hushed tone.
