“May as well take advantage of my trust fund. You want to go down to the bar and get a drink? Make the most of civilisation?” My voice was still light, determined not to let her drag me into a pit of irritability that I knew too well already.
Soft creamy skin shone under the last rays of the sun. Skin I hadn’t touched. Almost. Once.
“I think I’m just going to chill up here. I’m not in the mood to people.”
I nodded. “Why did you accept this if you knew I was doing it?” I’d wondered since I’d found out that Wren would be with us too. If I’d known it would be her, I might not have signed the contract, no matter the pressure from the zoo.
“Closure. And we would’ve met at some point, Callum.”
“Maybe. At a conference or dinner where all we had to do was smile and say hello. Not spend six fucking weeks in each other’s pockets.”
“Because I’m a masochist.”
I shook my head. “Sadist. You were the one who inflicted pain.”
I backed away before she could respond. Not that I thought she would.
It was too close to the truth.
Wren
Iknew who Jonah McBride was. I’d seen him a few times already in lectures and we’d shared a class but I hadn’t had the guts to speak to him. He was one of those boys, the ones that always had a girlfriend and she was one of those girls who always looked immaculate with eyelash extensions that were just the right side of natural and make-up that was barely there, enough to know it had been done by someone who knew what they were doing. On the other hand, I was just an unmade mess.
Spending a morning in bed, even an early morning wasn’t my idea of fun. I struggled to stay still unless my mind was occupied and even as a student I was finding that idea hard to break so I’d registered as a volunteer at a rehoming centre for dogs not too far from the university. I’d been there that morning, walking the dogs in a field of mud that had resulted in me falling over at one point. I’d changed my clothes, but there hadn’t been chance for a shower, which meant I was heading for coffee with Callum Callaghan and my crush with mud splatter in various places.
It could only be a disaster.
“This is Wren,” Callum introduced me as if he’d known me for years and we’d spent summers and tea parties together. “She takes better notes than any of you so I’m going to be sitting with her in lectures in future.”
“Excellent!” Jonah slapped Callum on the back. “Get copies for me and you’ll make me a very happy man. Good to meet you, Wren.” His accent was clipped, Liverpudlian – just about and my stomach tipped. While Callum was model beautiful, cut cheekbones and the sort of nose people took to a surgeon and demanded, Jonah looked like a bad boy which was my catnip. He had a scar above his right eye and another on his cheek, his nose looked as if it had been broken and I figured he played rugby. Sandy blonde hair and blue eyes gave him a slight softness and I wondered if he only dated girls who looked like they’d stepped out of the pages of a magazine.
“Hey,” I smiled and glanced around at the other two boys. “Where’s this coffee Callum’s promised me?”
We walked over to the union café, which wasn’t run by the students’ union at all. Instead, it was a greasy spoon known for the best fry up this side of a hangover and coffee strong enough to be used as paint stripper. It was the shining star before an exam when all-night cramming was statutory and rumour had it that the souls of students who had made a pact with Satan himself in order to pass finals were stored there and added to the eggs.
I’d only been there twice, not being part of the crowd who were the regulars. Banter flew like feathers on the air, and there had been known to be improvised dancing on tables when someone lost a bet.
“Coffee all round?” Callum said, heading to a table that looked like it had seen better days. “Just a bit too early for shots.”
Somehow I ended up sitting next to Jonah, the hard muscle of his leg pressing next to mine.
“Where’s the scar from?” I’d never received the gene that meant I thought before I spoke.
His hand went to his eyebrow and he grinned. “Dog. An injured one when I was twelve. Didn’t think it through but it could’ve been worse.”
“Hence vet school?”
He nodded, grinned. “Why are you studying what has to be the world’s hardest course?”
“Because I like stress and dislike sleep.” It hadn’t been that long since our first set of exams. The PTSD was real.
He gave a nod. “Sounds about right.”
“I grew up with horses and cats. I like being with animals.”
“Guess you have to. So how do you know Callum?”
I followed his gaze over to where Callum was standing, arms folded, grinning at the waitress who was pretty much a pile of goo in front of him.
