“You think so?” He raised a brow, and for a split second, I was getting something from him that wasn’t stiff and short. He was asking me a question and there was curiosity in his eyes. Why did my stomach jump knowing he was waiting for an honest answer?
“Yes, of course. You’ll do great. Whenever you have an issue, you can come here. The tutoring lab’s open until eight. And even after that, I think there’s an online chat…”
I turned, looking for Lettie, or maybe a sign that could confirm my information. She was still on the phone with her back turned to us. And the only posters on the wall were encouraging quotes and common equations.
“I’ll double-check on the online chat thing later,” I promised when I turned back to him.
“Okay.” He still watched me, looking like he expected me to say something more. I stared back, wondering what else he wanted me to do. I let out another nervous laugh. He frowned, not getting the joke because there wasn’t any. I just needed to make some sort of noise.
“So… I see you have another problem.” I directed my gaze to his page. “This one’s real simple—”
“I’m good, actually.” He closed his book. The air from the pages created a breeze that kissed my face.
“Oh, um, are you sure? We haven’t been working for long. I’m not even sure I explained the outliers issue fully.”
“I’m good,” he repeated, finality in the words.
“Okay, then.” My stomach churned with embarrassment. I felt like I failed some sort of test. Not just the tutoring test, but something more. Ever since I met this guy I’d been failing it. My uncertainty morphed into annoyance as I watched Finn pack up his belongings. Questions boiled to the surface so quickly I couldn’t hold back.
“Hey?” My voice was steady.
Finn met my gaze with a frown. He stood up from the table but kept his feet planted, waiting for whatever I had to say.
I stood up too, not wanting to talk while he towered over me. “We’re probably going to see a lot of each other this semester.”
“I don’t plan on coming here after today,” he said with no emotion in the words. “So, I won’t be in your way.”
I let out a dry laugh. “I’m not talking about here. At the house.”
He didn’t look like he understood what I meant. “It’s big. You live downstairs.”
“Yeah, but… I’m going to clean, use the common areas, and hang out with the other guys sometimes. My point is, maybe we should discuss your issue with me. If it’s still the nose thing—”
“Issue? I don’t have an issue with you. I don’t care about what happened at the arena.” He looked honest enough. His body turned to me completely, as if he was ready and willing to receive whatever feedback I offered him.
“Really? Because you left right in the middle of our conversation in the car earlier,” I reminded him.
He scratched his jaw. “I...I didn’t realize you were still wanting to talk. It was quiet for a while, so I thought you were done.”
“Fair.” My shoulders sagged. Perhaps I had been reading too much into that moment. I was taking things too personally, but for the sake of my sanity, I needed to be sure I hadn’t stepped on Finn’s toes. “How about now? You clearly need more help, but you’re refusing it because they paired you with me.”
“I don’t need more help.”
“All semester? You said you don’t plan on coming here again. That’s a little unwise since you’re in one of the most difficult courses at this school and it’s outside of your major.”
“I’ll manage. Your explanation was sufficient.”
I scoffed. “Sufficient? Sufficient enough to help you for an entire semester?”
“Yes.” He gave me a one-shoulder shrug. When I frowned, he added, “I don’t have an issue with you, Naomi. Promise.”
There was a silly flutter in the pit of my stomach from the way he said my name. How did he make it sound so…new? Obviously, my name’s been worn out over the years. People called it beautiful, but the thing about having a beautiful name was that the magic was lost on you. My name sounded as common as the word ‘school’ or ‘car.’ But not when he said it. On Finn's lips, something common sounded like magic for the first time.
“Do you have an issue with me?” His question seemed like a challenge. A dare. Like he wanted me to be the one with the problem. I would not let him off that easily. If he wasn’t going to show his hand, I sure as hell wasn’t showing mine.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Not really.”
Something flickered in his eyes, like he could sense I was holding back. I raised a brow, a dare to ask.
