“I know there’s no one there—”
“Say hi to Tommy for me.”
I hung up and stared out my window for a few minutes. I loved Sophie like crazy, but she liked to talk things to death. Whereas I just preferred to avoid the uncomfortable topics; it made life so much simpler. Plus, I just wasn’t as complicated as Sophie liked to believe. Sometimes I wished she had majored in something other than psychology.
There was a text alert, and I glanced down at my phone. It was Sophie, and she had prefaced her text with a couple of angry emoticons.
“You are so annoying,” she had written. “You realize you’re the only one I can talk to about these things. You were the only one that was there. But fine… whatever, you big crybaby.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I picked up the phone and sent a couple of heart emojis her way, knowing that it would irritate her to no end. Then I started preparing for my next lecture, and for a split second, my mind wondered to the class I had just finished and the dark-haired girl in the first row. I wondered what her name was and I wondered if she would survive the course.
Something about her expression that morning made me believe she would. It wasn’t just eagerness; it was determination and resolve. It was strength hiding behind those oversized glasses.
Chapter Three
Natalie
I was surprised by how interesting Chance William managed to make macroeconomic world trends, and yet, I still couldn’t concentrate. I hadn’t expected him to be so young, or so good looking. I was glad for my seat in the front row; it gave me the opportunity to see the hints of blond in his brown hair and the flecked hazel of his eyes.
He wasn’t like many of the professors I had grown used to. He looked like he spent weekends in the gym. He was tall, at least six-one, and I could make
out the hard muscle of his arms beneath the fitted long-sleeved shirt he wore.
I was extremely aware of the fact that I was objectifying my new teacher, but I couldn’t help it. I had never had such a strong reaction to a man before, and it surprised me. At some point during his lecture, his eyes met mine, and I felt my breath still for a moment.
I panicked and looked down like a twelve-year-old when his lips turned up into a smile. When I finally looked up again, he had turned his face up towards the charts projected onto the wall. I spent the entire lecture trying not to stare too hard at his hands, his shoulders, and his perfectly square jaw. I was also aware that the guy sitting next to me kept glancing in my direction from time to time and I didn’t want him to notice my preoccupation with our new professor’s body.
I loved the way he spoke, too. And, the way he moved. There was no self-doubt in his movements. There was no second-guessing himself. He was confident and in control, and I admired that. Especially considering I had strived my whole life for that kind of confidence and always found myself lacking. It wasn’t easy to achieve. Either you had it, or you didn’t.
As the last minutes of class drew to a close, Chance walked around his desk once again. “Looks like there’s no time for questions,” he said, glancing at his watch. “I expect every one of you to complete your reading before the next lecture. If not, you’re going to be lost, and I’m not slowing down for anybody. I’ll see you guys next time.”
“Geez,” the boy sitting next to me said. “What an ass, huh?”
I looked at him in surprise. “Who?”
“The professor,” the boy said, gesturing towards the front of the lecture hall. “He sounds like a complete jerk.”
I frowned uncertainly. “I thought the lecture was amazing.”
“You thought so?”
“Didn’t you?”
“He kept strutting around like he thought he was on a runway.”
On another day, I might have been amused, but I was too impressed by Professor William to find that funny. “I thought he was really good,” I said. “And, he’s obviously passionate about teaching.”
The boy smirked. He had dark eyes, dark hair, and quite a nice smile, but there was just something about him that made me uneasy. It was the way he was looking at me – it made me feel uncomfortable without really knowing why.
“Passionate?” the guy replied. “Did you not hear him tell everyone to leave because he wasn’t interested in doing his job and actually teaching us?”
“That wasn’t what he said,” I said, defending him. “He was being honest with us. This is a hard course, and he wanted to make sure we knew what we were getting ourselves into. I appreciated the warning…didn’t you?”
“I just thought he was a jerk,” he said, with a shrug. “By the way, I’m Jason.” He extended his hand out to me, and I was forced to take it.
“I’m Natalie,” I introduced as I started gathering up my things.
“Well, Natalie, since we know this class is going to be a killer, how about we get together a study group?”