"You did great," I whispered as the next pair stepped up onto the stage.
"You too," he whispered back.
He's lying.
I swallowed hard and shifted in my seat, forcing my gaze forward. The Devil was right. If Nathaniel hadn't completely captivated the room, my poor performance would have cost us a high mark. It would have been all my fault.
It doesn't matter. You won't see him again anyway. What reason will you have to spend time together now that your assignment is over?
I hadn't considered that until now. But it was true. Nathaniel and I had only spent time together because of the assignment. But now…there was no reason for us to see each other outside of lectures. I would return to being alone.
You willalwaysbe alone, little monster. You should know that by now.
***
Miserable. That was how I felt all the way home, Nathaniel appearing behind my closed eyelids every time I blinked. His dimpled smile, his brown doe-like eyes, his long lashes, his ensemble of knitted vests. I had no right to feel this way when I was the one who refused his offer of friendship, but it hit me, with the threat of never seeing him again, that I'd alreadyconsidered him a friend. And now…I had no reason to reach out to him. No excuse to worm my way into his life.
As if I’d summoned him with my thoughts, my phone rang, Nathaniel’s name lighting up the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?”
I blinked, slowly, debating my answer. “Why?”
“Are you working?”
“Why?”
“Let’s do something.”
“What—"
“Just us.”
My stomach flipped at those two words.Just us.I bit my lip, fighting back a smile that threatened to chase away my scowl. Hewantedto spend time with me. Justus.
“Augustus? You there?”
"Uh, yeah, yeah." I cleared my throat, running a hand over my face as I tried to ease my fluttering heart. "I'm free. To do something. Tomorrow. Free to do something tomorrow."
"Great!"
"What uh…what were you thinking?”
“It’s a surprise."
“A surprise?”
“I can't wait!”
“Nathaniel, what are we–”
“I’ll pick you up at twelve,” he spoke over me. "We'll be outside so don't forget sunscreen."
“O–Okay.”
“Perfect! It’s a date!”
