“If that’s what you’re calling it, then yeah.”
Her lips twist with a flirty smile that I’ve never before seen. I’m intrigued and then hypnotized. Now, I’m struck as if by lightning. This woman has done something to me that’s at once electrifying and changes my molecular makeup.
But she leaves me hanging and starts walking again.
Our conversation turns easy and before I realize what’s happened, I’m in front of Cateline’s suite door as if I just walked her home from a date.
We exchange a bashful look as if realizing what happened.
In almost a whisper, I say, “Yesterday and today were different. Dare I say,fun, which is a three-letter word I didn’t expect to find in your vocabulary, what with the tight bun and all.”
Her cheek lifts in a half smile. “Takes one to know one.”
“A bun?” A laugh builds inside.
“A fun bun?” When she lets her laugh loose, it’s infectious.
We’re being silly instead of slick and strict and I like it.
A long minute passes before either one of us can keep a straight face.
“Thank you for your help today,” Cat says.
“What about tomorrow?” I ask, hoping we can continue the trend.
With her hand on the doorknob, she says, “Tomorrow, we have a meeting. Then we’ll be leaving the school for the real-world application of your lessons.”
I jolt, anticipating being torn from this idyllic fairytale of life in Concordia with Cateline. “Right. Almost forgot.”
My thoughts race with everything to come and how it’ll work with her there. But I can’t fail the team. I have to prove over the next few weeks that I’m a team player and can pass this program.
“Thank you for everything today, Connor,” Cateline says and disappears into her suite.
I stand frozen outside the door, because I realize that was the first time she called me Connor. I like the way it sounded in her accented English. I like it a lot...and maybe I like her too.
Worried about how that’ll work for the next few weeks, practicalities come to mind. I knock on the door, but she doesn’t answer. I try again and when there’s no response, I turn the handle.
From across the room, the bathroom fan hums and the shower runs. I hesitate, feeling like I’m breaking a rule, but I remembered something important Cateline needs to know about our trip off the Blancbourg campus.
Her suite is exactly as I expect—as neat as a pin. Polished antique furniture, very much in keeping with the rest of the manor, decorates the space. Perhaps, even the headmistress’s suite came pre-furnished. It’s nosy, but I take a spin around the space. To my surprise, there’s little in the way of personal touches other than Cateline’s purse on a table along with a few loose hairpins.
A door stands slightly ajar and from beyond, I hear faint singing. The door must lead to Cateline’s bedroom and beyond that, the ensuite bathroom.
I push it open slightly and am shocked by what I see. No, not Cateline standing in a towel. That would make for an interesting turn to the evening. One which I wouldn’t soon forget. Then again, I won’t be able to ignore what I’m seeing until Cateline helps me make sense of it.
Then the shower goes silent, and I panic. Should I leave or tell her what I meant to? Legs frozen, my torso twists left and right, unsure which way to go or what to do. What if I startle her? What if I get kicked out of Blancbourg for being in a girl’s room? Why am I being such a weirdo right now?
I realize I’ve wandered too far into Cat’s lair. There’s no going back. Standing in the doorway to her bedroom, the bathroom door opens. A little gust of steam puffs out.
“Hey, I didn’t want to scare you, but?—”
Of course, Cateline gasps. Her hand flies to her chest. Cheeks rosy, she says, “What are you?—?”
“You probably ought to start locking your doors.”
Wearing her robe, bunny slippers, and a towel on her head, it’s Cat’s turn to stand frozen, unsure what to do. Then her eyes narrow. “Wait a minute. Don’t tell me you came back to prank me, especially after what a nice day we had.”
“You thought it was nice too?”
