"I can be very nice," he murmured, low enough that only I could hear.
We reached my classroom too soon. I stopped at the door, turning to face him. Students flowed around us, a river of bodies heading to their own destinations, and for a moment, we were just two people standing in a hallway.
"See you at practice later?" I asked. We had a Pilates session scheduled.
"Wouldn't miss it." His hand brushed mine, fingers tangling briefly before pulling away. "I've been thinking about you all day."
My breath caught. "Derek..."
"I know. Later." But his eyes held mine for a beat longer than necessary, saying all the things we couldn't say out loud.
I forced myself to turn and walk into the classroom, feeling his gaze on me until the door closed between us.
Inside, I slumped into my seat, my heart still racing. This was getting harder, not easier. Every stolen moment made me wantmore. Every careful distance we had to maintain in public made the longing worse.
My phone buzzed.
Derek
Already missing you.
I glanced around to make sure no one was watching my screen before typing back.
It's been 30 seconds.
Derek
30 seconds too long.
Tonight. Studio. 11 pm?
I'll be there.
I put my phone away as the professor started class, but I couldn't focus. My mind kept drifting to Derek, to tonight, to the party tomorrow where we'd have to pretend we were nothing more than friends while surrounded by everyone we knew.
The bell rang, startling me out of my thoughts. I'd barely heard a word of the lecture.
"Rosalie!" Nova's voice cut through the crowd of students filing out. "Wait up!"
I paused, letting her catch up. She was dressed in her typical dramatic fashion, a vintage dress with cowboy boots, her dark hair perfectly styled.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Just checking if you're still coming to the party tomorrow. Ivy's freaking out about decorations, and she needs to know thefinal headcount." Nova studied me with those sharp eyes that missed nothing. "You've been MIA lately."
"I've been studying. Midterms."
"Right. Studying." She didn't sound convinced. "With Derek?"
My heart stopped. "What?"
"You two have been spending a lot of time together. The Pilates sessions. The late-night studio time." Nova's expression was unreadable. "People are starting to talk."
"It's just recovery work," I said quickly. "And I need the studio time for my own training."
"Uh-huh." Nova linked her arm through mine as we started walking. "Look, I'm not judging. Actually, I think it's kind of cute."
"There's nothing..."
