Desperately Devastated (Addicted To You, Book Nine)
Covington, Lucy
LINDSAY
After Justin left my room, the only thing I could think about was when I would hear from him again. I had no idea who could have texted him to make take off so quickly like that. Was it Gil? Someone from his gym? Brooklyn? It was the last one that bothered me the most, and I hated myself for it.
When I still hadn’t heard from him by midnight, my mind started to spin elaborate plots about the two of them. That it wasn’t over between them, that he realized that no one could understand him like she could, that he left my dorm room and went right to her apartment where she was somehow able to break down his walls, the walls I seemed to never be able to penetrate.
I finally heard from him at two in the morning.
Dinner tomorrow?
I stared at the text incredulously. A few hours ago he’d been telling me about how the FBI had come to his apartment, wanting him to turn snitch on his gym. Then he’d taken off. And now all he had to say for himself was “dinner tomorrow?” It was infuriating.
Even so, I texted him back.
Yes.
I knew I should have demanded answers, that I should have asked him what (or who) had caused him to run out of my room so fast. But I couldn’t. I was afraid that if I pushed too hard I would lose him. And the only thing worse than Justin not letting me in was not being with him at all.
I fell into a restless sleep, and when I woke up the next morning, I was late for class. I threw my hair into a messy ponytail, pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a long-sleeved purple t-shirt, and headed for the main campus.
Surprisingly, I was able to focus without too many problems, and when classes were over, I decided to walk to the Barnes and Noble at Harvard Square and see if I could track down my organic chemistry study guide. I was still spooked over the fact that I’d bombed my psychology quiz -- I needed to get my focus back. My first organic chemistry test was coming up soon, and I still hadn’t purchased the study guide – when I’d bought my books at the beginning of the semester, it had been on back order.
As soon as I walked into the bookstore, I spotted a familiar figure sitting in the café.
Carter.
He was hunched over his computer, fingers flying. Every single seat in the café was taken, but Carter was sitting alone at a table for four, papers and binders spread out around him. I hesitated, wondering if I should go over and talk to him. I was still hurt about how he’d acted toward me the other day, even though I knew I shouldn’t be.
Carter had been right –it was totally unprofessional for Adam to be sending flowers to the science office. Yes, I’d had no idea Adam was going to do that. But still. I should have had my personal life under control. At least enough so that it wasn’t interfering with my work.
I watched Carter for another moment, then made my way over to his table.
“Is this seat taken?” I asked.
“You can have the chair,” he said, waving his hand and not looking up. “But I’m not moving tables. I’m sorry, but I need the space.”
I sat down and waited for him to realize it was me.
“Oh,” he said when he finally looked. “It’s you.” His tone was completely neutral, not giving me any hint as to whether or not it was okay that I was there.
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s me. Sorry to interrupt.” I twisted my fingers together in my lap. Now that I had his attention, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say.
“No, it’s fine.” Carter sat back and rolled his shoulders around, like he was trying to work out a cramp or a kink. “I needed a break anyway.”
“Whatcha working on?”
“A powerpoint for Dr. Klaxton.”
“For a lecture?” Dr. Klaxton had never used a PowerPoint in one of his lectures before, and so I was instantly on alert. A new teaching technique could mean a test or any number of things.
“No.” Carter shook his head. “I wish. It’s for the kickoff meeting tomorrow in New York.”
“The kickoff meeting?”
“Yeah. It’s this big meeting with the drug company who’s sponsoring the study we’re working on. All these executives and doctors get together to talk about the first phase of the study. The results were so good that they’re ordering another round of treatment.”
“Oh, wow, “ I said. “That’s such great news.”
“Definitely. But now I have to get this powerpoint done by tomorrow and it’s nowhere near ready. Klaxton is driving me crazy with changes every second.” Carter held up his phone. “He keeps emailing me, then texting me to make sure I’m getting his emails.”
“I’ll help,” I said immediately. “I’m awesome with powerpoint.” It was true.