Naomi
Finnhadasimplequestion about regression analysis. He explained his issue in a steady, low voice. I nodded as he spoke, thankful he took the time to explain the issue, so I didn’t have to read it from the textbook myself.
Finn talked with his hands, fingers moving in the air as he tried to make sense and shape of numbers. I listened, structuring my plan of action while simultaneously admiring how kind he looked up close. Freckles trailed down his neck, disappearing underneath his shirt. We were sitting close enough for me to get a whiff of his cologne. It’d faded from this morning and mixed with something far more appealing. More natural. My body ached to lean closer.
Don’t do this to yourself. Not with the one guy who clearly doesn’t like you, I pleaded. Naturally, I understood I would develop crushes on some guys in the house. I was a sucker for pining. Crushing was fun and one of my favorite pastimes. I hadn’t been able to do it in person in a while, so I planned to indulge in a brief fantasy. But not with Finn. Swooning over him would be a poor misuse of energy.
Finn paused for a moment. I cleared my throat, realizing it was my turn to speak. Lettie’s eyes were on me too, expectant.
“Um, may I?” I held open my hand for his pencil. He glanced down at my palm, studying it for a second before handing the pencil over. The tips of his fingers were rough and cold as they brushed against my skin.
“So, you’re not taking into consideration the outliers in your data,” I started as I used the edge of an index card to draw a graph. “And by doing that, your results won't be as accurate.”
Finn rubbed the base of his neck, listening to my explanation. He didn’t say a word as I spoke, though the wrinkle on his brow got deeper every second.
A phone buzzed, and we glanced at Lettie as she fumbled to get it out of her pocket. She looked down at her screen.
“You two keep going." Lettie sounded distracted as she studied her phone. “I’ll be back in a second.”
We watched her walk away, probably looking like children being left at daycare for the first time. I recovered before Finn, straightening my back, and looking at the graph I made.
“Is this your first economics course?” I asked.
He shook his head, staring down at the graph as he answered, “No, not really.”
I glanced in his direction. “Not really?”
“I had to drop this course last year,” he explained, still looking down. I followed his line of sight and realized he wasn’t looking at the page I’d written on at all. He was looking at my fingers gripping the pencil.
“Are you an Econ major?” I kept my distance, though I wanted to lean closer to hear his low voice.
“English Lit.”
I tilted my head to the side and my mouth made an ‘O’ shape. Like Mid. I smiled, entertaining the idea that the guy before me had something in common with my online crush. Yeah, I definitely had a type.
Finn looked at me as if sensing something was off. I wanted to poke and prod a little now that I had him as a semi-captive audience.
“You have an interest in stats?” I asked.
“I hate it.”
I laughed, thinking he was joking. But Finn didn’t crack a smile. In fact, his eyebrows knitted, confused by my laughter. Was Finn capable of taking a joke? “Why are you taking such a hard course when you don’t need it for your major?”
He shrugged. “The professor makes it interesting.”
“Who do you have?”
“Jefferson.”
I gawked. “Jefferson? For Economics?”
“That’s who I said, yes.” Finn didn’t look concerned in the slightest. Econ students dubbed Jefferson the Grim Reaper. Students discussed horror stories about his breakneck teaching style. Professor Jefferson graded on a curve because in the fifteen years he’s taught here, no one could get higher than fifty percent on his exams.
I’d been lucky and got a spot in Professor Darcy’s course. It took staying up all night and registering as soon as the clock struck twelve for me to get a spot in her class, but I did it. Everyone wanted Darcy and only a handful of us were lucky enough to get her, considering she only taught two courses a semester.
Finn watched me closely. “I take it from your tone I’m supposed to be…alarmed.”
“Um… no. No, you should be fine.” I gave him a calm smile, trying to smooth things over. I’m sure they’d frown upon panicking in front of a student when I was the tutor. He was here for hope, not hysteria.
