“I’m fine. Something rattled and it stalled out. I was going to call a tow, or?—”
“I can give you a ride.” The offer comes out before I can finish my sentence, and my eyes widen.
“Really? That would be great, I mean, I—” Oh, I really need to learn not to say the first thing that comes to mind without thinking it through when it comes to Professor Levine. I’m running away from him, not trying to get into his car. “I… you don’t have to. That’s inconvenient.”
“You live in the dorms, right?” He’s already reaching around me, his broad body almost touching mine as he leans into the car and rolls up my windows before locking the door. “I was heading back to my office anyway.” And then, like he can’t help it, he glances at me. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
I have a feeling he’s asking me about more than my unfortunate situation with Tina. I stay quiet as he leads me to his car, my lips pressed tightly together when he opens the door and gently guides me to sit. When he closes the door, I take a second to inhale.
It smells warm, like cologne and the spicy heat I’d noticed in the club when he was so close earlier. I barely stop myself from drawing in another deep breath before he slides into the driver’s seat, sputtering as I try to hide that I was sniffing his car like a weirdo.
“Luca?”
My name sounds absolutely saccharine on his tongue, and I duck my head to hide the blush that instantly rises across my cheeks.
“Sorry, Professor.” How many times am I going to say that to him? He starts his car and pulls out onto the road, heading toward campus.
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” There’s a double meaning to that too, and when I finally manage to look up at him, he’s staring at me like he’s not sure he wants to say anything else. Finally, he speaks. “Unless I’m the one who needs to apologize?”
Oh. Oh, God.
“No. You definitely don’t. You didn’t do anything except help me.” I swallow hard, my body tense while I try to keep myself from shaking. “Twice. And I probably gave you the wrong impression.” I definitely hadn’t, but he didn’t need to know that. “It’s okay… and I… I…”
“Why did you come to a place like Mask?” His question is sensible, low and level. “You didn’t seem comfortable there.” At least he isn’t outright bringing up the fact that I ran away like he’d set my clothes on fire when he touched me.
I can appreciate that, but I’m not about to tell him that I’d typed in queer clubs without reading the fine print. I also wasn’t going to tell him I’d heard my roommate having sex, and it sparked curiosity that he’d completely sent roaring to life.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
“I was lost.” The explanation comes out easily, and judging by the sidelong glance Professor Levine gives me, I can tell I’m not any better at lying now than when I was a teenager.
“Lost, huh?”
“I… thought I was meeting friends?” Dang it, offering an explanation isn’t supposed to end up sounding like a question. A helpless little sound tears from my chest, and I’m embarrassed to realize my eyes are burning with tears.
“Listen—”
“A paper!” I finally get out, my voice half strangled. “I was definitely there to research a paper.”
Liar.
Luca is a lying liar who lies.
Badly.
I could say it ten times fast and it would still be true.
I glance over at Professor Levine to see if he believes me, trying to hide as best as I can behind the curls falling into my eyes. I can tell from the way he looks at me again that he doesn’t,but he shrugs one broad shoulder with a displeased sound. “All right.” And then. “If that’s what you need me to believe.”
He’s giving me anout, and I don’t know exactly what I did to deserve it. It doesn’t really matter, though, because I’m going to take it. I clench my fingers so hard against my thighs that it starts to hurt as I answer.
“I do.”
His gaze drops to my hand, and he carefully reaches out, tapping against my white knuckles. Just the warm brush of his fingers against my skin is enough to make my entire arm relax, and I blow out a breath.
“Good.”
