Chapter 10 #2
“Hi, Pajarito,” he says, latching onto the strap of his computer bag. I ignore the way his right bicep stretches the sleeve of his sweater.
“You know it’s summer, right?” I quip, letting my eyes trail down his ensemble. I learned at a young age that teasing was a great way to dissolve tension in a room—good or bad.
The corner of Henry’s mouth tugs upward and he leans into the front desk. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to get the cold shoulder today, so I decided to come prepared this time.” His voice is low and his eyes dance across the air between us with amusement.
Smooth. I roll my eyes and reply, “Don’t tempt me.” Henry tilts his head with a deep and irritating smile. Every time the corner of his lips tip up, it sends my heart into hyperdrive.
He opens his mouth to reply, but we’re interrupted by a woman’s voice cutting through the library.
“Henry! There you are!”
I turn my head toward the commotion and see a woman walking toward us.
She’s blonde, maybe early thirties, wearing tight leggings with a fitted top that makes my eyes dip to the cleavage proudly on display.
She approaches us with a bright smile and a disgusting amount of excitement that makes my nose wrinkle.
She walks straight up to Henry and places her arm on his with an easy familiarity that causes something hot and uncomfortable to boil inside me. My nails press hard onto the surface of my desk, making the skin at the edge of my finger turn white.
“Hey, Nina,” Henry greets, shifting his body to face her. A cold breeze tickles the back of my neck.
“I wanted to catch you before the workshop started,” she replies, her hand still firmly on his arm. My eyes stay focused on their connection, wishing I had Superman’s heat vision. “Can we chat for a few minutes?”
Henry leans back on the heels of his shoes and wiggles his arm from her hand. I let out a suppressed breath of relief. “Yeah, of course. Can you give me a minute?”
Nina flashes her perfectly white teeth at him. “Yes. Take your time.”
She starts to step away, but I notice the way her eyes linger on him with an appreciation that makes me clench my teeth.
“I have to go talk to Nina, but I’ll be right back, Pajarito,” he says, giving me a tight smile.
I let my head fall and try to busy my hands with some of the books littering my desk. I keep my gaze focused, not wanting to meet his eyes. “Okay.”
I don’t hear footsteps right away, and I know he hesitated before walking off to talk to Nina. When I look back up, something whispers across the surface of my skin, leaving behind thorns too sharp to ignore.
My vision drops to the floor, and I cross my arms before slumping back in my chair. Jealously was an emotion I reserved for when Milo ran to his dad instead of me. When it came to my relationship with Colt, my body didn’t overheat with anger when a woman stopped to admire him.
“Why are you staring at Mr. C and Ryan’s mom?”
Julia’s sweet voice cascades around my ears and soothes the burning across my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping that the fact that Nina is a mom will calm me down.
But when I open my eyes, her long fingernails are grazing his sweater sleeve from across the room, and I force myself to focus on the one interaction I can control.
“Oh, sorry, Julia. I didn’t see you there. What can I help you with?” I ask, completely ignoring her question.
Her lips press into a thin line, and she glances over at Nina and Henry before her gaze settles back on me.
She takes one more calculated analysis of my face before deciding to drop the subject.
“I wanted to thank you for recommending the Twilight movies. I spent the entire weekend binging them, and I’m obsessed with Edward! ”
Excitement radiates off her in contagious waves and it douses the feelings burning a hole in my stomach. She sets the Twilight novel she checked out on the counter and pushes it toward me to return.
I laugh, shaking my head. “I knew you’d loved them. I also had a sneaky suspicion you’d be Team Edward.”
My suspicion was fueled by the connection I felt with Julia after meeting her the first night of their writing workshop. Ever since then, I began to notice her whenever she’d come into the library, and it seemed like she was in here a lot. What was she hiding from?
“Edward from Twilight?” a deep voice asks. Both of our heads snap to Henry, casually leaning against the counter. My eyes search for Nina and rejoice when they come up empty.
Still, my mind churned with nerves and was dying to know if her obvious flirting was a direct result of a vibe Henry gave off. Maybe our heated glances and almost kisses weren’t something reserved for the two of us. I press a hand to my core, keeping the pain inside.
“You read them?” she questions, raising her brow.
“Yes.” He laughs, folding his arms. “Why is that so unbelievable?”
Julia crosses her arms to match Henry’s stance. An unexpected smile takes over my mouth when I see a defiant side peeking through, and I welcome the distraction. I pegged her as shy, but I should know better. Kids like Julia will shine bright for anyone willing to pay attention.
“I just figured you’re an English professor, so you’d hate Twilight for being, you know, too cheesy or something.”
Henry chuckles, the sound comforting and disarming. “Cheesy doesn’t mean bad.”
Julia’s arms drop, her curiosity piqued. “So, you actually like it?”
I’ve seen Henry’s bookshelves, and I knew it wasn’t crazy that he’d like a romance about vampires.
“I did.” Henry nods. “It’s engaging and it clearly resonated with its intended audience. The author taps into the universal themes of love, identity, and belonging. They’re the kinds of things that literature has been exploring for years. The kind of things that inspire great writing.”
Julia beams, clearly satisfied with his answer. “So, that only leaves one more question. Team Edward or Team Jacob?”
Unexpectantly, Henry glances at me, his amber eyes gleaming with amusement. “What do you think, Emma? Should I answer honestly or keep the suspense alive?”
I shift my weight in my chair, suddenly uncomfortable under his watchful eye. My jaw tightens, already stiff from the mask that covers my face. “Suspense is overrated.” I swallow, forcing all emotion from my tone.
Henry’s eyes hover on mine, his own lips forming an unreadable straight line.
He looks back at Julia, and his face bounces back into a pool of warmth and comfort.
“Edward. He’s flawed, sure, but like every great romance, there’s something compelling about his undying loyalty.
He’s willing to defy everything—his family, his instincts, even himself—for Bella. ”
A big smile peppers across Julia’s face. “What about you, Emma?”
I copy Henry and keep the rollercoaster of emotions behind my eyes in check. “Oh, I don’t know,” I deflect, busying myself with tidying up the small desk area around me.
I look up and I can tell Julia isn’t letting me off easy. Her eyes narrow. “Come on. Mr. C gave his answer and now it’s your turn.”
I let out a long sigh and attempt to look anywhere but Henry’s face.
“Fine. I guess I’d say Edward. But—” I hold up a finger before Julia can respond.
“—only because his connection with Bella makes more sense within the context of the story. Jacob is still a great guy, but I’ve always felt like he was a much better friend than a love interest.”
Julia nods enthusiastically, clearly pleased with my answer. “See! I knew you’d get it. Well, Mr. C, I’m going to go get set up before the workshop starts.”
“Great. See you in a few minutes, Julia.” I expect Henry to follow her, but he lingers at my desk. “Is everything okay?” he asks, turning toward me.
Yes. No. I don’t know. I have no right to be annoyed with Henry.
For all I know, his conversation with Nina was nothing more than an involved parent trying to make sure her kid was doing well in the workshop.
But my feelings were a complicated thing, just like I knew they would if I let them out of their cage.
I was so close to giving in and being honest with him, but it wasn’t that simple.
Wren’s words echoed in my mind, reminding me that I didn’t need to know there was a future with Henry to see where things might go.
I’m sure most people didn’t have this approach to the idea of dating, but most people didn’t have to sort through their trauma every time they needed to make a decision.
“Yes, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” I say, forcing a tight smile.
Henry’s eyes scan my face with an intensity that makes me want to run away and never look back. “I don’t know. You just seem off. Was it something I said?”
I swallow the scoff threatening to break my impeccable facade. “No,” I answer quickly. “I’m fine, Henry. Really.”
A beat of silence drops between us, stoking the tension I refused to acknowledge. I keep my eyes locked on his, not allowing the slightest blink to fragment my ignorance.
“Fine,” he answers, almost too quiet to hear. “Are we still on for tutoring tonight?”
I search my brain for a valid excuse, but reason overwhelms emotion. I had a paper due this Friday, and I couldn’t afford to skip a tutoring session.
I nod my head and compel my voice to stay even. “Yeah, of course. Unless you have other plans?” So close, I curse inwardly. I just couldn’t tame my need to feel validated by his attention.
Henry pushes the edge of his glasses with his knuckles, hiding the crease forming between his brows. He could tell my words were riddled with a deeper meaning. “I’ll be there.”
I nod again, the motion making my entire body feel stiff. I keep my mouth closed, worried something else will slip out. Everything I tried to keep bottled up was slowly unraveling.
“It looks like some more of your students are arriving,” I observe, cocking my head to another student shuffling through the door.
“Okay,” he responds, clearing his throat. I think he might say something else and my body stills. If he pressed a little harder and demanded I show my cards, I’m not sure I’d be able to resist. Instead, he gives me one last lingering look. “I’ll see you later.”
When he turns away, I look down at my hands and notice the crescent indents fading from my skin. I had pressed my fingernails so tightly into my palms that they started to form a lasting impression, much like the impression Henry would leave long after he was gone.