“Research.” Her arms crossed, yet it didn’t hide the pink flush creeping up her cheeks. “Are students no longer allowed to study for their assignments?”
“I’d prefer if more of them did so.”
“Right, of course. I’m not surprised to hear that from the man who boasts about students failing his classes.”
I playfully rolled my eyes. “Now you’re just being a brat, Miss Ashcroft.” Exactly the way I preferred her.
Ophelia offered an exaggerated shrug.
I raised a brow at her in challenge.
“What does it matter?” She gestured at me, stressing the distance between us. “And why do you care?”
“This school—” I started.
“I’m already overwhelmed. I don’t need to hear that speech again,” she cut me off. That was when I got a closeup of her frazzled state. Her nerves seemed worn thin, and she couldn’t stop flicking her eyes around us as if searching for something about to pounce.
It was absolutely perfect timing for me. Exactly what I needed to teach the little brat a lesson—to prove to her that she needed me.
“So, you admit that you aren’t able to handle yourself?” I asked.
She held up a finger to me. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t need to.” The corner of my mouth twitched into a smirk. Her glower deepened. “Why don’t you come with me?”
Her expression melted in surprise. “Where to?”
“Dinner. It’s late, and I’m sure you’re hungry.” She had coffee that morning and nothing else all day. If she declined, I had half a mind to throw her over my shoulder.
Ophelia shifted from foot to foot, seemingly weighing her options. It wasn’t long before she nodded, sighing her answer. “Fine.”
Soon, we were bracing the chill outside, and I was guiding her to my car in the teacher’s parking lot. Her eyes widened at the black Chevrolet Impala, but she didn’t speak a word as I opened the passenger door for her. With the engine purring, I blasted the heat and drove away from the sometimes oppressive gaze of the university.
Silence accompanied us. Not a painful one, but something companionable if fluttering with nerves. I wondered if she was remembering our encounter at the pub like I was. Or if she wanted another round.
“So,” she shifted in her seat, betraying her anxiety, “where are you taking me?”
“Are burgers okay?”
“Oh, yes, please!” She perked up, and my insides trembled. She was pleased with my choice. And I hoped to keep pleasing her.
It wasn’t long before we left town and I pulled up at an old-fashioned diner. A white building with a red and yellow awning,sitting at an angle. An old joint known for the best milkshakes in the area. Ophelia’s eyes lit up when she saw it.
“Wait here,” I ordered before opening the door.
“But—”
“I’ll be right back.” She huffed and crossed her arms but sank into the seat once more. A smile jerked across my lips as I swung open the door and strolled inside. It was lovely to have her obeying, even if it was only because she was tired.
With two bags in hand, I returned to the car. Ophelia was nearly panting at the mouthwatering smell of cheese and fries perfuming the Impala’s interior. She must have been hungrier than I thought because she didn’t ask where we were going as I steered further from town and deeper into the woods. Her eyes remained glued to the white bags, ignoring the twinkling stars in the night sky or the barren trees reaching across the road like skeletal hands.
Ophelia was so drunk on the smell of food she didn’t blink until the engine stopped. I turned off the headlights, allowing her to take in the full brunt of the scene sprawling ahead. When her jaw dropped, my heart did a flip behind my ribs.
“What is this place?” She leaned forward, placing one delicate hand on the dash to peer at the steep drop and glittering town spreading across her vision.
“It was a park ages ago. Until it fell out of popularity. No one comes here anymore.” After a hoard of stolas massacred a group of campers in the area. But that wasn't a pleasant conversation to bring up. I certainly didn’t want to worry her.
“Wow, the view…” she trailed off, breath suspended in disbelief. “It’s lovely.”
