“Where did you come from?” I asked, deciding not to make a big deal out of this. At least not yet. Besides, I was having a really hard time remembering why exactly I didn’t want to be tucked in to his warm side.
“Study group,” he said simply.
“Oh, which class are you having trouble in?” I had to ask. Ihadto! Fin failing at something might just be enough to make him appear human to me. And that could be enough to shake him off forever.
“Ileada study group for some math classes, but tonight’s was a statistics group.” He looked down at me, over the scruff of his beard and straight into my eyes, although I knew my chest was kind of on display from his position towering over me. It was the stupid wet, low cut tank top and he was staring into my eyes. Not fair. He was supposed to ogle me so I could resent him for his uncontrollable lust.
“Of course you do,” I grumbled. He just smirked down at me.
“You guys had Econ?” Fin asked with notes of possession in his tone that he wasn’t even trying to hide.
“Mmm-hmmm,” I allowed but then wiggled away from him. We were going to have to talk about this. Soon. Once free of Fin’s touch I said, “Alright guys, see you later.” I lifted my hand and waved at them but Britte grabbed it and forced it back down.
“Ellie,” she quietly squeaked.
“You ladies have plans this afternoon?” Jameson asked with a smirk.
“I have class later,” I said quickly. It was still hours away, but eventually I had class.
“Well, we were going to go grab lunch in the cafeteria, want to come?” Fin asked. His eyes were boring into the side of my head but I refused to look at him.
I let Britte answer with a casual, “Sure,” knowing she was holding back her excitement while I was fighting the dread pulsing through me.
And this time it wasn’t just Fin and the boundaries I was desperately trying to maintain between us. I also had to worry about running into Beckett, possibly even Grayson, although that was less likely. And the biggest concern of them all was the fact that I couldn’t afford it!
“Actually, that sounds really fun,” I tried to make it sound like I believed what I was saying.Tried. Probably didn’t succeed, but at least I tried. “But I owe this one guy a ton of money and I can’t afford it. You guys have fun though!”
“What were you going to do for lunch then?” Fin asked as if he was actually concerned.
“I’ve got a hot date with a pack of spicy chicken Ramen back at my apartment,” I smiled confidently but the truth was the thought of eating another pack of too-salty noodles made my stomach churn with defiance. I knew I didn’t have a choice, I literally couldn’t waste any of my money on food, but there had to be something else out there with more than a four flavor rotating menu that also cost only thirteen cents a meal.
Fin scowled at me again, his eyebrows drew down and the corners of his mouth turned in so that I knew he was serious, but most of all dangerous.
“I’ll buy your lunch,” he declared and it sounded every ounce the command that it was.
“No, I don’t think-“ I started with every intention to go from carefully polite to a full on refusal.
“I’ll buy it,” Britte volunteered before I could come up with any real defense. “I owe youanyway.”
“For what?” I raised my eyebrows and waited for her answer, daring her to come up with something. She didn’t owe me for anything.
“For that thing, the other day.” She countered my eyebrow raise with one of her own and I knew I was defeated. At this point I was just being selfish.
Besides, there was this nervous fluttering in my stomach that insisted I wanted to eat lunch with Fin.
“Fine, you can pay me back. By buying me a huge, gigantic lunch that will distend my stomach and make me gain at least five pounds.”
Britte laughed out loud but agreed while Fin and Jameson just shot each other a confused look.
Britte explained, “She’s been traumatized by Ramen Noodles.”
Fin led the way to the cafeteria through the rain. By the time we navigated the sidewalks and around others running from the weather we were even wetter, my clothes even clingier. We stood panting and catching our breath in the lobby of the cafeteria, dripping water onto an already sodden mat. Well, Britte and I were panting, the boys looked none the worse for wear. Fin and Jameson shook out their hair while Britte and I worked hard at adjusting our clothing and wringing out our own hair.
She was doing much better than me since she had the foresight to wear a jacket today with a hood. Her hair was only damp and her clothes relatively untouched although her skinny jeans were now even more molded to her than before.
Fin was giving me an incomprehensible look as I pulled my tank top away from my skin and fanned it a little bit. His jaw was working back and forth and his arms folded across his chest. All in all, the rain had done nothing but make him more irresistible. His t-shirt clung to all his rigid, sculpted muscles, his eye lashes were spiked with moisture and his hair just damp enough that I had visions of him just out of the shower.
What?
