My thighs clench beneath the table, thinking back to the closet.
His blue eyes take me in, and then appear to shift to the left. I glance in the direction and realize Ian’s arm is resting on the back of my seat. I look back at Bradford, but he’s leaned into his buddy, no longer noticing my existence.
Anddammit, I feel the loss.
“You have Molly Bradford in your class, yes?” Elaine grabs my attention, a smile on her face. “She’s a very bright student. Hard worker.”
I nod. “Absolutely. I’m actually helping her strengthen her writing skills outside of class. She’s very driven, wanting to be a lawyer.”
Elaine sighs. “Just like her mother.”
Because of course, Calvin wouldn’t be with someone who wasn’t as intelligent as he is.
I frown, my eyes bouncing to the blonde professor and then over to Bradford. I have moment of pure jealousy that ravages my chest, of always being the unseen woman, but then push it away, my eyes dropping to the wine I don’t even like.
Really, I have horrible taste in men, anyway. If I’m attracted to a man, then it should be a red flag in and of itself.
“Jenna,” Ian reaches around and squeezes my shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry.” I jump at the unwanted contact and choke on my words, whicheveryoneseems to notice, even Calvin, who apparently has gone back to monitoring me.
Calvin’s gaze is direct, but there’s a flicker of something else, somethingverydark. I force myself to look away.
“You seem tense,” Ian comments, tilting his head at me.
“Just a long week,” I reply, keeping my tone easy. “You know how it is.”
“Oh?” He tilts his head, giving me some sort of smirk. “I do.”
For a second, no one says anything. Ian starts to fidget, obviously uncomfortable. Elaine coughs and dives into a conversation with the other ladies. The crowd noise swells, then recedes.
I pick at the hem of my sweater, my hand no longer bandaged but still aching. Calvin noticed it last night, and I still can’t decide if he was alluding to something.Ugh.
“Holy shit,” Ian chuckles. “Calvin Bradford seems to like to stare at you. You two have some kind of beef?”
I shake my head, but honestly, I don’t even know. “Not at all.”
He narrows his eyes, then shrugs. “Hmm… Well, you want to get out of here? I have tequila back at my place? Then you can avoid the total stare down?”
“You know,” I let out a sigh, pushing my still mostly full glass of wine away. “I think I might just head home now. My stomach is feeling a little queasy.”Not a lie.
“Suit yourself,” he says, but he looks almost hurt.
“Rain check,” I pat his shoulder as I slide off the stool and tell everyone else goodbye. “This was fun. Can’t wait till next time.”Which I hope never happens.
I put down a bill enough to cover my one drink, and then head for the exit. I duck outside and then lean against the brick wall, breathing slow and steady as the cold envelopes me. My hands go to my hair, adjusting, smoothing, and always attempting to fix something that can’t be. I replay every second of the encounter, searching for signs that I gave myself away.
A shadow falls across the pavement. And I snap to attention, heart in my throat.
But it’s just Ian, weaving a little, eyes glassy.
“Hey,” he says. “You sure you’re okay? It’s just now nine. You’ve got me a little worried.”
I muster a smile. “Like I said, my stomach… The wine hit me harder than I thought.”
He grins, sloppy. “You’re a lightweight. It’s okay.”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
