Page 8

I exhale.

“You’re not supposed to be in here.”

I nearly put my head through the desk.

Oh shit, I hadn’t even noticed anyone else was in the room. I spot her in the corner of the lab—on a computer, back to me, not looking around. There’s a plastic anatomical heart on the desk next to her, a rib sticking out of an open textbook like a bookmark.

“Sorry, I—uh—needed to seek refuge.”

She turns and gives me one raised eyebrow. Pretty. That’s my first thought, fast and useless. She has dark hair piled in a bun, loose strands everywhere like she twisted it up six hours ago and forgot it existed. She’s wearing a white lab coat with sleeves shoved to the elbows wearing an expression that says: don’t piss me off.

“Refuge?” She glances out the window. “Is there a snowstorm I’m unaware of?”

She doesn’t flinch. Her eyes don’t widen. Either she doesn’t like the band, or she has no idea who I am.

“Look, there’s some girls following me, and normally I’d be flattered, but today I really, really don’t have the energy.”

The eyebrow again.

“Okay. Well, can you seek refuge somewhere other than this lab? I’m busy.”

And with that, she spins back to face her computer. Done with me.

Fine. Have it your way.

I crack the door open an inch.

Two heads snap toward me from the end of the corridor like meerkats.

I shut it. Fuckkk. They saw me.

I cough.

Time to plead my case. I cross the room and put on my best charm posture, which under these circumstances of being hunted, sweating, and recently seen hiding under a desk, is running at maybe forty percent capacity. Fifty because I worked out arms this morning.

“Look, I know this is disrupting your—whatever this is—” Her laptop’s open on a spreadsheet. Columns of numbers and abbreviations. My head hurts after two seconds of looking at it. “—but please. Pretty please⁠—”

I lean down, looking into her eyes and deploy the puppy eyes. Up close, her eyes are dark brown with flecks of light in them, nearly gold, and there’s a faint scatter of freckles across her nose, and for a second, I forget what I’m begging for.

Said eyes narrow at me.

“Pretty please would you go to that door and tell the girls who are about to come in that they’re not allowed?”

“No.”

“What?”

“No. I’m busy. You deal with whatever girls you’ve pissed off.”

“Pissed off?” I put a hand on my chest. “Sweetheart, nobody’s pissed off. Those girls want me. I’m being chased out of love.”

“Then go get loved somewhere else.”

Footsteps in the corridor. Getting louder. I’m running out of road here.

“Please. Do this for me, and I’ll owe you a favor. A huge one. Forever. Trust me, I’m great at favors.”

I throw in the wink.