I stiffened and froze. Well, no use running now. I turned around, gripping the strap of my backpack, and plastered a smile on my face.
“Hey.” My voiced sounded strained under the forced light tone. “Surprise seeing you here. Planning on enrolling?”
He chuckled. “No. I was looking for the Kellerman Conference room.”
A man stepped out from the room holding a broom. Wrinkles sagged his cheeks and caused the corners of his eyes to droop. As he studied me, one corner of his mouth lifted in a creepy smile.
“Pretty,” he mumbled softly.
Mercer gave him a glare and turned back to me. “I stopped to ask Stanley here for directions.”
But that wasn’t what you were talking about, I thought.
“It’s actually in Waller,” I offered instead. “I’m headed that way. You want me to show you?”
He beamed at me. “I’d love that.”
The janitor’s eyes bored into my back as we walked down the hall, causing an itch between my shoulder blades. I breathed in the humid air once we stepped outside. The weight of the hall disappeared, and I grinned over at Mercer, leading him down the right sidewalk to Waller.
“You should get a map or something, if you’re going to be on campus a lot,” I said.
“Mmm,” he said. “I’m usually pretty good at finding my way around.”
“That janitor is really creepy,” I said. “It seems like you know him.”
He laughed. “I think he was the first person I met when I first came here a few weeks ago. He’s definitely an odd one. You should probably avoid him, if you can.”
“Why?”
“Like I said, I don’t think he’s all there.” He reached out and took my hand, pulling me to a stop. “I’m looking forward to our interview tomorrow.”
My heart fluttered. Minutes ticked by from the class I should be attending, but it didn’t matter. The warm pressure of his hand kept me rooted in place. His green eyes sparked an intense heat in my stomach. I knew fire well. It could spread in an instant, and once it did, extinguishing it was difficult. I wanted to nurture this flame within me, but I couldn’t let it become wild. I swallowed and stepped back.
“I’m looking forward to it as well.” Why wouldn’t my voice stay even? “I have a lot of questions.”
A smile played on his lips. “I have some questions for you, too.”
I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. “Who is supposed to be conducting the interview here?”
“It can be mutual, can’t it?”
I laughed as I started walking again. “I write the news, not make it. Trust me, I’m not that interesting.”
“I doubt that’s true.”
His gaze sent a delicious shiver down my spine. I cleared my throat and continued waling, using my hair to hide the heat creeping up my face. He had no idea how interesting my life was becoming, and I planned to keep it that way.
The red brick and domed entrance of Waller Hall was only a few feet away. My time with Mercer grew shorter the closer we came. As much as I wanted this time to last, he had places to be, and so did I. I could deal with Marshall, but skipping more classes was just crazy with as much as I had to do. He held the door open, and I shuddered at the cold air that blasted me as I stepped inside.
“The conference room is just up those stairs.” I pointed to an alcove to the right of the doors. “Can’t miss it.”
He gave my hand a light squeeze. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Seven, right?”
He leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. “See you then.”
I gaped at him as he headed up the stairs. I touched my cheek, and a small giggle escaped my lips. I spun and almost danced to my Media Law and Ethics class. The rest of the day passed in a blur—I couldn’t even remember the lecture I’d tried so hard not to miss. My mind kept returning to Mercer’s soft lips on my cheek. Twilight was setting in as I walked to my car with a bounce in my step and hum on my lips.
A chill slithered at the base of my spine. Someone was watching me again. I threaded my larges key between my middle and ring finger as I scanned the near-empty yard. The janitor stood on the stoop of a side door to Waller hall with his arms crossed, leering at me with hooded eyes. His graveled laugh followed me as I hurried to the parking lot.
Chapter 7
I stared at the screen of my laptop and tapped my pen against the keyboard. The rich smell of coffee and cookies surrounded me. One of the baristas called out a customer’s name, and a blonde girl at the table next to mine hopped up to grab her order.
I didn’t really know anyone here, but the hum of conversation impeded on the silence I would have had to deal with at home. Serenity was so engrossed in her code, she didn’t even know I existed.