We walked to a nearby deli and ordered their special platter before finding a seat in the back where there weren’t many people.
“So, tell me about yourself,” Brian suggested as he took a bite of his sandwich.
I smiled and took a drink of my soda before I spoke.
“There’s not much to tell, really. I’m from Florida, and I’ve lived in New York for four years. My mom and dad still live down south, but my sister actually lives out here, too. She’s also a lawyer,” I said, giving him a cheesy smile before taking a bite of my sandwich.
“That’s it? No juicy information, like whether you have a boyfriend or a long-lost love you’ve been searching for your whole life?” he asked with a grin.
I shook my head as I finished chewing. “I don’t have a boyfriend,” I answered as he smiled down at me, causing a blush to rise to my cheeks.
I hoped he wasn’t getting the wrong idea with our study partner thing, because I really didn’t want it to be awkward. “I’m actually not looking for anything while I’m in school. I just want to focus on the work. There really isn’t time for anything more than that.” I picked up a chip and ate it, avoiding eye contact. I finally looked up to ask, “What about you? What’s your life story?”
He sat back in his seat and wiped his mouth. “I don’t have much to tell, either. My life is pretty boring, really. I’m born and raised in New York. My father is a banker and my mother stays at home. I’d say her job was to shop, but she’d slap me upside the head if she heard me,” he said with a smile and I laughed. “I was a nerd growing up, always having my head in the books. My dad thought I’d follow in his footsteps and go into finance, but it wasn’t what I wanted. So here I am.” He gestured with his arms.
I looked at him suspiciously. “I get the feeling there’s more to the story than that.”
He smiled. “There might be, but you’ll never know,” he replied with a wink.
“So, do you have a girlfriend or a long-lost love you’ve been searching for?” I asked, repeating his line of questioning.
He shook his head. “I haven’t had a girlfriend in a long time, but I am searching.” He looked into my eyes as he said those last words, causing a sweat to form on my skin.
I bit my lip and averted my eyes, trying to hold back my laugh. “That’s good to know.”
An awkward silence filled the space as we continued to eat, and I wondered if he was directing that comment at me.
I grabbed my soda to take a sip when I noticed him staring at me.
“What?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
He laid his sandwich on his plate and folded his hands on the table, looking as if he was going into serious mode.
“Can I ask you something personal without you taking offense to it?” he asked in a sincere tone.
I squinted at him trying to gauge why he wanted to ask me something personal. I wasn’t sure I wanted to get into anything personal, but since he’d asked me not to take offense to his question I was very curious as to what he was going to say.
I placed my drink down and rested my hands on my legs under the table. “Okay,” I answered slowly.
He bit at his lip and let out a sigh, something I knew I would do if I were about to say something that either made me uncomfortable or was hard to say. I immediately went on guard and held my breath as I waited for him to speak.
He looked at me and then shook his head.
“Never mind, forget I said anything.”
“Oh, no you don’t. You have me on pins and needles over here now, so just come out—”
“Is there something going on with you and Professor Cline?” he blurted, cutting me off.
My mouth hung open and my eyes widened in shock. I didn’t know what to say. Where the hell would he get that idea?
My stomach formed knots as I tried to think of what to say. I knew the longer I stayed quiet the more guilty I looked, but honestly, where did he even get off asking me that question?
“I’m sorry, but what?” I responded, deciding to play stupid.
He smiled, not a genuine smile but a nervous one. I didn’t know him very well, but I could tell the difference.
“I know it’s none of my business, but I just wanted to tell you that if it were true, then you need to be more careful,” he explained quietly.
I shook my head in disbelief. “Why would you even think to ask me something like that?”