That’s precisely what I have been doing. No wonder it hasn’t been working. It’s all wrong.
Dom rarely gives advice. At least, not like this, but when he does, it lands with a precision I fucking hate.
“And patience. You’re going to need a hell of a lot of that.”
“Patience?” I scoff, shaking my head. “I don’t exactly have time for patience. I’m graduating soon. She’s?—”
“Already on a completely different timeline,” Dom interrupts, cutting me off with a raise of his hand. “If you think this is something you can rush, you’re already screwed.”
Patience isn’t exactly my strong suit.
Hell, waiting for my next adrenaline fix is hard enough, let alone waiting for someone like Professor Rossi to even consider me as more than just another student in her class.
“You learn all this from your old lady?” I turn the spotlight back on him to deflect from my hurt feelings and to stop him from spewing more truthful shit I don’t want to hear.
Dom chuckles, shaking his head.
“Hollister talks too much.” He suddenly clamps his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it hard. “Just meet this woman where she’s at. Prove you’re worth the risk.”
“The risk?”
“Think about it, Diego.”
He lets go of my shoulder, his gaze drifting around the party like he’s already planning his escape. That familiar restlessness settles on his face.
The one that says he’s about to bail and move on to something or someone more interesting. Probably to the older woman, he keeps sidestepping every time I bring her up.
“They’ve got their shit together. They’ve built their lives. Letting someone in, especially someone much younger, means risking everything they’ve worked for. You have to convince her you’re worth disrupting her world for.”
His words seep into my swirling thoughts to cause more mayhem than clarification.
“And with that sound advice, I’m out of here.”
He turns to walk away, but then stops as if he’s forgotten something. He glances over his shoulder.
“Text me if we’re riding tomorrow.”
He doesn’t wait for my reply, nor do I give it. Too preoccupied with his unwelcome advice of becoming everything opposite of what I am. Not cocky, no bullshitting, and patient.
Worth disrupting her world for.
That’s the climb.
And for the first time, I’m unsure if I’m ready for it.
If I ever will be.
6
ISABELLA
The classroom is empty now, and the faint hum of the overhead lights is the only sound. I sit at my desk, staring at the notes spread out in front of me, but my mind refuses to focus.
Everything is exactly as it should be. Orderly, calm, in its place. So why do I feel like I’m coming undone?
I cross my arms, pressing my fingertips into the fabric of my blazer. The pressure grounds me, and my thoughts wander back to Diego Kahale. His oddly subdued presence today. A continuation of Friday has left me off-kilter. He came in early, quietly slid into his usual back-row seat, and stayed there.
No disrespectful comments. No flirty interruptions. No playful smirks. Just him, sitting quietly.
