“Jahlani, it’s—” His phone rings again, and his eyes drop. “Fuck. I have to take this. I’m sorry. I want to talk about this—fuck.”
She nods, stepping back. “Take it,” she says, throat hoarse, looking down.
Sick. Someone close to him is sick.
Her mind reels at the possibilities. His mom? Dad? The sister he mentioned on the way to the bus stop that night?
He grimaces, looking at her before pressing the phone to his ear. She licks her lips, her chest rising and falling as he stares intently at her while the other person speaks.
“Yeah, I’ll be there soon,” he says, his gaze burning into her as she shifts on her toes.
Why can’t she leave?
He ends the call, blowing out a breath. “I have to go.” He slips the phone into his back pocket.
She nods, twisting her mouth, a dull throb in her chest, as if someone just ran through it with the blunt end of a knife, not fully finishing the job.
Bitter and twistedreverberating through her skull, spreading through her body.
Her gaze must look far off, because he steps into her space again and her head snaps up. His eyes dance across her face as she tries to regulate her breathing.
“Jahlani, I have to go, but … I want to talk about this properly with you. I’m going to explain?—”
“Just go, Roman.”
He exhales deeply, throwing his head back before slipping his bag on his shoulder. He slides past her, brushing the tips of her fingers with his and she shuts her eyes at the tingling heat that spirals from it.
“You’re wrong, Jahlani,” he says quietly. “We have a thing.”
CHAPTER 13
OFF LIMITS
JAHLANI
The funny thing is, Jahlani knows how inflexible Professor Jackson is and she still finds herself in his office the following morning. He outright refuses to transfer Roman to his group.
During the next lecture, she feels his presence more than ever. Her skin heats, and when he looks at her, they hold eye contact for astranglingamount of time. At the end of the lecture, as everyone files out, the hairs on her neck stand up.
She watches him making his way toward her, and her mouth dries. She remains rooted when several students suddenly crowd her with questions. She inhales, pulling her eyes from his.
From her periphery, she sees his jaw tick, and his hand tighten on the strap of his bag before he shakes his head, moving out of the auditorium. She lets out a slow exhale, turning her attention to the girl in front of her.
It’s suffocating, really.
The hold that he has over her. His words. The guilt gnawing at her because she exploded on the wrong person. She exits the room, feeling more exhausted than usual, when her phone vibrates with a message from her cousin, Trent, inviting her out for drinks.
She gets ready to decline whenhecalls her name. Her eyes shut, and her shoulders tense when he moves in front of her. His eyes lack their usual lightness, dark shadows resting underneath his eyes, and his mouth is set in a firm line.
Jahlani scratches her forehead, letting out a deep exhale as she looks at the cracked pavement.
“Roman, I?—”
“I have a daughter,” he says, his voice hoarse. Jahlani’s eyes meet his light green ones, her breath hitching.
Daughter. He has a daughter.
“What?” she asks, stepping back slightly to look at him.
