She crosses her arms over her chest. “You must think I’m such a loser,” she says softly.
“I don’t. I get it. And I’m on board.”
Her brow lifts. “Really?”
“Yeah. That asshole deserves to suffer for hurting you.” I grin. “And I’m happy to be the reason he’s suffering.”
She lets out a soft chuckle.
“It would just be for this semester. That’s how long the class I have with him is,” she says. “We can say we broke up over winter break and be done with it.”
I hold her gaze. “That’s good with me. But I want something from you too.”
“Okay…”
“I want you to be my tutor this semester.”
She sighs. “Really?”
“Yeah. I need to get my grades up, and you’re the only one I want tutoring me.”
She’s quiet for a moment. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
I pump my fist, happy that Poppy finally agreed to help me.
She checks the time on her phone. “I need to get going, or I’ll be late for my study group. We need to meet to go over the rules.”
“What rules?”
“The rules of our fake relationship,” she says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
I start to laugh. “Poppy, this isn’t some test you have to study for. I don’t think we need rules. We just pretend to act like a couple in public. That’s it.”
She arches her eyebrow at me. “I’ve seen the way you act with women, Nick. You’re very handsy.”
I grin. “I sure am.”
“We’re not a real couple, so you can’t act like that with me. So that’s why we need to sit down and come up with rules. We need to figure out what exactly we’re comfortable doing with each other.”
“I’m comfortable with you doing whatever you want with me, hot tutor,” I say smugly.
She rolls her eyes.
“I’m just kidding,” I say. “Are you free to meet up tonight for dinner, and we can talk?”
“Yeah, that should work.”
“Great. Let’s meet at Mile High Diner on the edge of campus. Say around six?”
“Okay. See you then.”
She walks out of the room while I stand there, smiling like an idiot.
I can’t help it, though. Poppy Wylder is my fake girlfriend. And my new tutor. I’m one lucky bastard.
Chapter 7
Nick
