I forced myself to respond without giving away my disability. “Deal.” Then I smiled at how easy that was. Every time I turned around, there was another reason why Blake was so amazing. Instead of making me feel self-conscious or ashamed, he’d just made a joke and accepted my apology, making me feel comfortable during an awkward situation. The guy just kept proving himself over and over, and I wondered for the millionth time why I was fighting this so hard.
Tonight was chillier than it had been, and by the time we reached my steps, I realized I wasn’t dressed appropriately in my jean skirt and halter top. A cool breeze sent a chill snaking over my skin, and I shivered.
Noticing how cold I was, Blake turned toward me and wrapped me in his arms. “Thanks for sharing that with me. I know it probably wasn’t easy for you.”
“Thank you for understanding after what I did.” My head instinctively burrowed into his chest, and his scent invaded my nostrils, weakening my resolve further.
He slid his finger under my chin and tilted it up so I couldn’t avoid the seriousness in his eyes. “I’ll always understand. I want you to open up to me. There’s nothing you can’t tell me, remember that. I’ve meant everything I’ve said since the day I met you. Let me in. I won’t judge you. I want to help.”
There was no helping me. I couldn’t be helped. Taking a small step backward, I dropped my arms, but he caught them in his hands, keeping us close. “Well, thanks for walking me home. I guess I’ll see you in class tomorrow?”
His mouth pressed into a hard line at my curtness. As understanding as he always was, he recuperated quickly and lowered his lips to place a soft kiss to the top of my head. I wondered how long it would take before he gave up on me. I dreaded that day.
“Goodnight, Angel.” He stood back and stuck his hands in his pockets, his jaw tense as he rocked back on his heels.
Reluctantly, I walked away, feeling him staring, waiting for me to make it safely inside. But when my foot hit the step, I halted as a wave of emotions rolled through me. I needed him to know his efforts weren’t in vain. That I was grateful to him—for him.
I turned and rushed back to him before I lost my nerve. His hands dropped from his pockets, and his eyebrows knitted together, uncertain of me and my rapidly changing mood swings. I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed up on my tippy toes, placing a soft kiss on his cheek and letting my lips linger there for a moment longer than necessary. When I pulled back, his eyes were wide and he was trying to tame his breath.
“Goodnight, Blake.” Then I turned and sprinted into my apartment without looking back.
I tapped my pen at a feverish pace as Professor Sorrenson handed our graded exams back. This was the first grade of my college academic career, and I was anxious to see how I did. Lord knew I studied enough. It was hard to believe a month had passed since I arrived here, alone and scared. So much had happened in that short period of time that it felt like a lifetime ago.
I’d already forged irreplaceable bonds with new friends—which, besides Jace, was something I hadn’t done in a very long time. I also saw Blake on an almost daily basis. True to his word, he was slowly becoming my new BFF. The flirting never ceased, but I knew it went further than that and he truly did care about me.
I’d grown a habit of messing with him, trying to hook him up with random females, but he always managed to come up with a new excuse as to why they weren’t his type. “Her hair is too short,” or “Her eyes are too close together,” or my personal favorite, “She smells like a wet Band-Aid”. The longer it went on, the more outlandish his reasoning became. It was a fun game we’d adopted, where I pretended not to care, but to tell you the truth, I didn’t think I could handle it if he ever took me up on one of my offers.
“Nervous? babe?”
“Huh? Oh . . . yeah.” I blinked out of my haze, glancing over at Blake and his concerned face.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you did fine. This is your favorite subject, remember?” He reached over and brushed his thumb over the top of my hand. He was always doing this, touching me in little ways to soothe my nerves or comfort me.
“Thanks. I just have so much riding on all this, and I’ve been such an unfocused mess since I got here.”
“Evangelina Ricci.” The sound of my name had nervous-queasies spiraling through my belly.
Here goes nothing.
I sent Blake an anxious smile. He patted my hand before pulling his away and folding them on top of his desk.
With trepidation, I made my way to the front of the class from all the way back in the V.I.P section. I hoped I wouldn’t be doing the walk of shame on my retreat.
I could tell as I approached the professor’s desk the news wouldn’t be good.
“Evangelina, I think you need to apply yourself a little more. I can tell you have great potential but your work is lacking.” With a disappointed look on his face, Professor Sorrenson reluctantly handed over the same little blue booklet I’d held in my hand the week prior.