There's a moment of tension between us, not hostile, exactly, but… tense. I'm suddenly very aware of how close he's standing, how his eyes are watching me too closely for comfort.
"Anyway," he continues, breaking the moment, "you guys doing the scavenger hunt?"
"We're making an appearance," I say quickly.
"The prize is a $100 campus bookstore gift card," Gavin mentions casually. "Could buy a lot of highlighters with that."
It's such a specific reference to my colour-coding system that I can't think of anything to say.
"We'd love to join you," JP jumps in, earning another death glare from me. "In fact, why don't we combine forces? Seven heads are better than three for a scavenger hunt."
"Great idea," Gavin agrees before I can object.
And somehow, just like that, I find myself part of a combined team of pre-med students and athletes, wandering from department to department collecting ridiculous facts for a scavenger hunt I don't care about.
The worst part? I'm having fun. Gavin talks to everyone, asking questions about their studies and sharing random, weird facts. He has a way of making people feel comfortable and drawing them out. It's irritating how charming he is.
At one point, we're alone briefly at a literature table while the others have moved ahead.
"So," Gavin says casually, "if you hate Psychology so much, why take it?"
"It's required for med school," I answer. "A box to check."
He nods thoughtfully. "And medicine itself? Is that a calling or another box?"
The question catches me off guard. "What do you mean?"
"Some people really want to be doctors because they love medicine. Others do it for the status or money or because their family expects them to." He shrugs. "Just curious which camp you fall into."
"That's a rather personal question," I reply stiffly.
"Personal questions are kind of my thing," he says with a grin, not elaborating further.
Without thinking, I tell him the truth. "Medicine is... everything. The human body is this incredible, complex system, and understanding it, being able to heal it, that's not a box to check. It's the only thing I've ever wanted to do."
He looks at me with those gorgeous brown eyes, and I get the clear feeling he's studying me. "Yet you dismiss Psychology, which is essential to understanding the people inside those bodies."
"The brain is an organ like any other," I say. "It operates on chemistry and electrical impulses."
"And emotions? Behaviours? Relationships? Also, just chemistry?"
"Essentially, yes," I say, though even as the words leave my mouth, I know that's not the whole story.
Tell that to Nonno. All the chemistry in the world didn't matter when Papa wouldn't take him to see a doctor. "They just want your money, these doctors." Two months later, the cancer had spread everywhere.
Nope... Not going there. Not now.
"Interesting theory," he says. "So when you look at me, you just see a collection of organs and electrical impulses? Nothing more?"
The question feels like a trap, and I'm suddenly very aware of him, not just as a collection of biological parts but as a man.
Christ, when did he get so close? Eighteen inches. No… less.
There's nowhere to look except at him. Soap-clean skin and that stupid, perfect hair with its stupid natural highlights. Like he walked out of a shampoo commercial.
I swallow so hard my whole throat moves, my Adam's apple bobbing like a traitor.Fuck, was that audible?
"I should catch up with my friends," I say quickly, avoiding the question entirely.
