He blinked quickly and nodded. “Sarcasm. That’s what you mean, right?”
It was my turn to be confused. “Ah, yeah. Sarcasm, teasing. Guess I did it wrong if I have to explain it,” I answered with a chuckle.
He blinked, but said nothing.
“Moving on. How are you feeling about being paired up with me?”
Nick’s eyes got wide before saying, “P-paired up? Oh, you mean as my lab partner.”
He was so serious, I had to laugh. “Yes, of course. What did you think I meant?”
He blushed again. “Nothing. Ah, I’ve prepared some ideas for the project. Professor Logan…”
“You call himProfessorLogan when he’s not around?” I asked, taking out my laptop.
Nick looked at me like I’d asked him to watch reality TV with me and braid my hair. “That is his name.”
“It is, but I guess everyone just calls them all by their last names when they’re not around. It’s a bit formal, isn’t it?”
He nodded again. “Formal. Got it. So, um,Loganwants us to find a way to stabilize this serum. I have some ideas I thought you might like to read before we start working together. I’m also open to seeing yours. This should be a collaboration, so I was thinking we could make a schedule. You know, of when we’re both free. I work most evenings and weekends, so we’ll have to plan around that.”
“Nick, stop. Take a breath.”
He stared at me again, his eyes bouncing between mine. “Sorry. What?”
“I was sort of in the middle of studying for another class, so I wasn’t prepared for this.” When I saw his dejected face, which looked like I’d kicked his dog, I kept going. “But, yeah, we can do this now if it’s best for you. I don’t have a job to get to, so I can go back to this later. Hit me. Whatcha got?”
Nick was still looking at me. I could see his mouth twitching like he wanted to say something, or he was holding back from saying something.
It was the first time he was this close, and it honestly unnerved me.
I knew one of us should stop this strange staring game, but I couldn’t look away, and it didn’t seem like he could either. Or wasn’t willing to. This close, it was hard not to notice how utterly handsome he was. I mean, I knew that. But just a few feet from him, it was like looking at a statue of David. It needed to be savored and admired. Not perfect, but pretty close.
Wavy, dark hair that seemed longer than at the beginning of the semester. Chiseled jaw, close-cut beard. Eyes that looked brown from a distance now resembled espresso with ribbons of caramel.
“Why do you wear dressy shirts all the time?” I asked, unable to stop myself.
Self-consciously, he looked down at his shirt with a frown, then back up at me. “You don’t like them?”
His tone wasn’t teasing or flirting. It almost held a touch of hurt. But that couldn’t be right. If there was one thing I knew about Nick Demir, he was confident, straightforward, and unflappable.
“No, that’s not what I meant. Yes, I like them. They fit you,” I answered, keeping my tone light and friendly until I could decipher what was happening. I meant they fit his serious personality, but I was afraid I’d given him the wrong impression because he nodded again with a hint of a smile.
“I like your clothes, too. Especially your white sundress with the little green leaves. Matches your eyes.” He delivered this in the same way he’d ask me to pass him the bread at dinner, except his cheeks burned red.
My eyebrows lifted at the same time my mouth did at the sight. It was my turn to blush. It seemed I wasn’t the only one taking notes on fashion choices. I liked it. Very much.
“That’s oddly specific, Mr. Demir,” I said teasingly. “Had no idea you were so knowledgeable about women’s fashion.”
“Not every woman.”
Heart stopped. Time of death: 3:36 pm.
He pulled his gaze away quickly and leaned over to pull out his own laptop like he hadn’t just dropped that bomb on me.
“Should we go over our schedules then?” he asked, looking expectantly at me again.
“As you wish,” I choked out, not sure what my mind was conjuring up at the moment.
