“Not really,” I say.
He pulls out a chair and sits. “I guess your assignment didn’t show up.”
“Molly,” I say and shrug. “She never does.”
“Which sport?”
“Volleyball.”
“I’ll make sure to let her coach know.” I go to protest but he laughs and shakes his head. “I’m just kidding. I know these sessions aren’t mandatory.”
I let out a breath and smile. “More people show up than you’d think though.”
“Lots of athletes are afraid of losing eligibility.” He leans back and looks around the otherwise quiet room. The rows of circular tables look barren, and his eyes drift over to the vending machine standing in the corner. There’s a projector and a screen, plus a whiteboard on the wall opposite, but I’ve never seen anyone use them. “Easy job though.”
“Can’t complain. Once in a while I get a tough case, but…” I trail off and shrug.
“How’d you end up doing this, if you don’t mind me asking?”
I mark my book and close it. “Not an amazing story, if I’m honest. I needed a job, went to my counselor, and asked if there was anything at the university I could get. She looked it up, found this, I applied, and here I am.”
“How long have you been tutoring Erik?” he asked, trying to be nonchalant about it, but I can see his tension.
“Not too long,” I say. “Since the second week of the semester. Look, about last night—”
He holds up a hand. “We don’t have to talk about it. I shouldn’t have mentioned him.”
“I know you’re just sitting here because of what happened. I mean, there’s no other reason.”
He smiles a little. “I’m not allowed to take an interest in a student?”
“It depends on what you mean by interest,” I say.
He raises an eyebrow, smile growing. “Well, that’s an interesting question. What would be appropriate?”
“If you were just checking up on my academic performance, that’d be fine,” I say casually. “But if you were here for a more… personal reason…” I trail off and feel a slight shiver run down my spine as I realize that we’re flirting.
He leans toward me. “And let’s say it’s personal then.”
I bite my lip. Definitely flirting.
“There are people that might frown on that sort of thing. But you’re not my teacher… and I don’t mind.”
He smirked and stared at me, eyes drifting down my body toward my chest. I let him look, and feel a strange thrill of excitement as he doesn’t even try to hide it. He meets my gaze again and holds it before sitting back in his chair. “Unfortunately, that’s not the only reason I’m here,” he says.
“Oh. Right, okay.” I feel myself blush.
“I need to warn you. I’ve been thinking about what to do… after last night.”
“We don’t have to do anything,” I say in a rush. “Look, this is a good job. I don’t want to risk it. Erik’s just an idiot and I’m going to avoid him from now on. I already put in a request for someone else to tutor him and—”
David holds up a hand. “I’m sorry,” he says. “Look. I’m going to Coach Hardy. I can leave your name out of it if you want, but I should warn you anyway.”
I feel myself start to panic. “Please, don’t.”
“I’m sorry. I know it’s not what you want. Like I said, I’ll keep your name out of it, but I need Hardy to hear about what happened. We can’t let Erik get out of control, there needs to be some sort of consequences for his actions. Erik isn’t going to listen to me, so I need Hardy on board.”
I tense my fists then dig my nails into my chair. The padded seat gives and I feel them start to bite into the foam beneath. “I don’t want this to be a thing,” I say. “I don’t want to start trouble.”
“You didn’t.” He leans toward me again. “You didn’t, Chloe. Erik did, and he needs to be held in check. This isn’t just for you, it’s for any other girl he decides to push around.”
I look away. I can’t help it. His gaze is too intense and he’s too handsome.
“Just keep my name out of it,” I whisper
He nods once. “I swear, I will. But when Erik gets punished, if he gets punished… he’s going to know why. And he’ll make the connection with you.”
“You think he’ll do something to me?” I ask, a little surprised.
“Maybe,” David says, looking concerned. “I really don’t know what he’s capable of. I didn’t think he’d shove a woman and yell at her like that. I didn’t let it go any further, but…” He trails off, and I can tell he thinks Erik would’ve done worse, much worse. I don’t want to think about it, so I force myself to look down at the fake laminated wooden top of the table in front of me.