Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
EMMA
“M&M’s, a small popcorn, and a bottle of water, please.”
“Would you like extra butter on your popcorn?” the person behind the counter asks me.
“That’d be great, thank you.”
I turn, smiling to Kami and Stevie, who already have their sodas and popcorn in hand. Both of them shiver. Unfortunately, Luna couldn’t make it due to an intense migraine. It’s not surprising considering how complicated and hectic senior year is.
My mouth twists into a frown. “What?”
“You’re going to put the M&M’s in the popcorn, aren’t you?” Kami asks.
Letting out an annoyed sigh, I tell them what I always do.
“I don’t care what either of you says. It tastes good, and M&M’s melt perfectly with it.
” Stevie fakes a gagging sound. “Oh, hate on it all you want, but at least mine is festive and fun.” I stick my tongue out to emphasize my childish response.
The girls roll their eyes, and I glance back at the concession worker who’s gossiping with her coworker and taking forever with my order. It’s a good thing we arrived fifteen minutes before the trailers start. The girls might not care about them, but they’re my favorite part of going to the movies.
Turning back around, I ask Kamila about her birthday plans this weekend with Cameron. Although she’s turning twenty-one, she wants to celebrate it with her boyfriend’s family. She may say it’s because she doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but I know her better than that.
Kamila is my best friend, and I know that she’s avoiding her jerk of a twin sister, who’s also Cameron’s ex. But she’s still stopping by her parents’ house on Sunday—Cam in tow—for a celebratory lunch. Her sister won’t come with Cameron there.
The person behind the concession stand begins to hand me my things as Kami continues. “Then next Tuesday we can go out to eat and either to the Kappa house or King’s Wolf,” she finishes.
Stevie nods, but I also know the real reason she wants to go to a Kappa party. “You want to celebrate your and Cam’s first fuck anniversary in the same bathroom where it all began, don’t you?”
Stevie almost spits her drink out as I finish grabbing the last thing I ordered.
Kami smiles devilishly. “It’s either there or our dorm, player’s choice.”
Oh jeez. “Go ahead and fuck away in the bathroom. Have him make you come multiple times, so I don’t have to hear his or your moans while I’m trying to fall a—”
My head hits a hard chest as we walk to the theater, and I stumble back a bit, dropping my popcorn bucket to the floor with all its contents spilling out. Two large hands catch me before I can fall flat on my ass.
“I am so sorry.”
That voice and those hands.
Goose bumps break out all over my body, and I hold my breath as I look up to see blue-green eyes, but unlike last time, there are no glasses surrounding them.
His mouth drops, eyes widening slightly. “Em—Ms. Haywood,” he quickly corrects himself and snatches his hands back as if my skin burned him.
Hell, if anything, it feels like he burned me with his touch.
It takes me a moment to respond when I feel Kami elbow me lightly.
“Professor Hayes,” I say calmly.
Both of us are silent, staring at each other. Someone clears their throat, and I’m snapped out of my haze.
“You’re the professor Emma wrote about for the paper?” Kami asks. She gives me a quick oh my God look as she and Stevie check him out.
Yeah, I know, guys. He’s hot.
He blinks a couple of times before answering her. “Yes, yes, I am.”
“Oh, is this one of your students, Gray?” a woman who must’ve been beside him this entire time asks.
His jaw clenches slightly as I observe who I assume is his date. She’s tall, with dark brown hair and doe-shaped brown eyes. Her figure would turn heads in any room, and she’s clearly closer in age to Grayson than to me.
A slight flare of jealousy stirs in my stomach, but it vanishes just as quickly. That was way too personal a feeling.
“Ms. Haywood isn’t one of my students. She works on the paper that’s going to publish a small piece about my time at the university so far,” he answers while looking down at her with thin lips.
I manage not to flinch at his words. I’m trying to keep my emotions in check at the casual way he describes me.
I’m Ms. Haywood. A student who is ten years younger than him and who he thought he’d never have to deal with again.
That last part was true until earlier today. He still doesn’t know that the piece has been pulled or why it isn’t being published.
Right as I’m about to tell him that my editor pulled the article, Stevie interrupts.
“Em, your popcorn.” I look down and frown at the mess. “You want us to come to the concession stand while you wait to get more?”
“It’s on me.” Grayson’s voice is deep and final, with some softness behind it.
My eyes meet his again, but he manages to avert his gaze.
“It’s my fault we bumped into each other.
We were deep in conversation, and I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.
I can bring it to your theater so you’re not late to your movie.
” He stuffs his hands into his jeans pockets, searching for something.
That’s when I realize that this is the first time I’m seeing him in casual clothes.
He’s wearing a light green short-sleeve shirt, black jeans, and sneakers.
He looks younger and just as hot as ever, although I do miss those black horn-rimmed rectangular glasses that made him look like the true professor he is.
I have a problem.
“Back pocket,” his date tells him, and I’m once again knocked back to reality.
The reality in which this is my perfect chance to talk to him about the article and forget about everything else.
“Could we have a moment alone, Professor?” He stops his movements, and every single one of the girls looks at me. “It’s about the article,” I blurt out.
He looks down at the brown-eyed girl, who gives him a smile and extends her hand. “Go ahead. I’ll wait in the car.”
Grayson looks at me one more time, and I hold my breath, waiting for him to make a decision. Car keys appear out of nowhere, and he hands them to the woman.
“It was nice to meet you, Ms. Haywood and friends.”
“You too,” I say with a fake smile. We didn’t technically meet. I don’t even know her name.
Turning to my friends, I give them my best go with it look. “Why don’t you guys get us some seats?”
I hand Kami my water bottle, and Stevie nods. “Don’t take too long.” Kami looks at Grayson skeptically, and I can tell by the look alone that I’m going to get an earful later about why I didn’t mention that he happens to be a very hot professor. “It was nice meeting you, Professor.”
He gives them a small dip of his chin, and the girls walk away. We’re left standing alone, and I thank my lucky stars that I showered, fixed my hair into a high pony, and changed into a cute casual outfit before coming here.
“Should—” we say at the same time, and for the first time since July, I hear a breathy laugh leave him.
“After you.” He motions toward the now long line.
Taking a few steps toward the spot, I play with the box of M&M’s and decide to break the ice.
“Your girlfriend is sweet and very pretty.” My face heats.
Now, why the hell would I start with that?
I dare to move my eyes up to his face. “Um, that was my sister,” he responds awkwardly.
A feeling I didn’t realize I had in the pit of my stomach vanishes. Apparently, my jealousy has a mind of its own.
“I’m sorry, that was extremely inappropriate.” I cringe at myself for setting the mood of our conversation to that.
He shakes his head as if to say, You’re fine.
I attempt to make some appropriate small talk. “How was the rest of your summer?”
Grayson shrugs. “It wasn’t too bad. Work kept me busy.” I nod, waiting to see if he’ll ask me the same question.
Help a girl out.
“How was yours?”
Smiling in relief, I respond, “It was good. I spent half of it in London, but the other half at my parents’ house in Manhattan.
” My nose scrunches up. “Although all the cafés and bookstores were packed with tourists, which was really annoying. There doesn’t seem to be one place in Manhattan that isn’t busy when it comes to books and cafés that close early, along with the libraries.
I mean, seriously, when is someone going to open a place where you can write and read in peace until late in the night with reservations or something similar…
” I trail off as I realize how long I’ve been rambling.
So long, in fact, that half the line has already gone.
It’s not that what I said isn’t true, but now I seem more nervous than before. My cheeks heat as I cringe once again.
“I’m sorry. I tend to talk a lot about the things that I like,” I tell him sheepishly, looking up at him.
Grayson only shakes his head again, the faintest side grin tugging at his lips. “It’s okay. I learned something new about Manhattan today. I appreciate that.”
My shoulders sag, and it’s as if he realizes he’s been a little too nice and immediately looks away again.
“When Did You Get Hot?” by Sabrina Carpenter plays in the theater lobby as the line grows shorter. Feeling more heat rise along my skin, I notice that Grayson’s body has moved closer to mine. Not enough for us to touch, but close enough for me to sense the change in space.
Did it happen while I was rambling? I cast my gaze downward to find his hand in a fist next to my loose one that is way too close to his. Memories of those hands roaming up and down my body—
“You said you had a question about the article?”
“Right.” A sound that’s a mix of a nervous laugh and a choke escapes me. I cough to clear my throat, already feeling humiliated.
Jesus Christ. He’s just a man, Emma.
Straightening my shoulders, I face him head-on. I’m glad he isn’t as tall as Cameron and is instead closer in height to Levi and Jake. Still, he’s well over six feet tall.
“I spoke to my editor and the article isn’t going to be published.”
He looks at me, confused. “All right…”
“Instead, we came up with the idea to write another article about you. A longer and more in-depth story. A profile, to be exact, about you, your work at the university, and in the soup kitchen, along with your life in general. Whatever you’re comfortable telling me, of course.
” His body stiffens, but he remains silent as the line gets shorter.
“The ideal situation would be to let me observe a couple of your classes, have an ongoing conversation on the record, preferably, but please tell me when something is off the record. And finally, to visit the soup kitchen.” I take a deep breath. “So, what do you think?”
He remains quiet for another moment as my heart beats faster and faster.
Boom. Boom. Boom. There’s no way he’s going to give me the access I’m asking for, no damn way.
His eyes quickly sweep over my entire body. “I need to think about it.”
My jaw drops open, and I mean literally falls open.
“What can I get you tonight?” the person behind the concession stand asks, but I’m too distracted to respond.
I need to think about it?
“A large popcorn, please,” Grayson responds, and I snap my head toward him.
He reaches for a ten-dollar bill, which is ridiculous because the large popcorn costs nine dollars while the small is four. Without thinking, I put a hand over his.
“A small popcorn is fine,” I tell the woman behind the register, and turn to Grayson.
“A large isn’t necessary. I’d need two boxes of M&M’s to put into the bucket if that were the case.
” I quickly remove my hand from his, and he hands a five-dollar bill to the woman instead, looking down at me with a face I’ve never seen on him before.
“Two boxes of M&M’s? In the bucket? Of popcorn?”
His eyebrows furrow, and I let out a small laugh along with a sigh.
“It’s weird, but it’s my thing, and it tastes good.
” He keeps staring at me, confusion and disgust shadowing his face.
I almost forgot that I’m talking to a professional chef.
That still won’t stop me from defending my choice in candy and how I use it.
I softly shove his arm. “It’s savory and sweet.
It isn’t anything other people haven’t tried. ”
He scoffs and takes the small popcorn from the woman. “Whatever you say, Emma.”
My head whips in his direction, and my stomach dips at him saying my first name.
Grayson quickly recognizes his mistake and hands me the popcorn as we step out of the line.
“Maybe this article isn’t the best idea,” he says sternly.
And we’re back to this bullshit.
I exhale an annoyed breath. “Grayson, please. Take the time to think about it. You can set the boundaries, and yes, I’ll probably try to push you on some of them, but this opportunity means the world to me.
Whatever agreement we come to, I’ll respect.
” He looks like he’s about to say no when I tell him what I know he needs to hear.
“London never happened.” Grayson narrows his eyes, and I see a flash of something new, but I decide to ignore it.
“From now on, it’s Professor Hayes and Ms. Haywood, and that night never happened.
You’re the professor, and I’m the journalism major who’s going to write an incredible story about you…
and ideally have some pictures of you to go with the article. ”
Silence greets me again, and while his body remains tense, his jaw has relaxed. “I will make my decision by the end of the week and email you the answer from the address I got from your editor’s follow-up email.”
I try to suppress my grin, but it slips. “You will not regret this, Professor Hayes, I promise.”
His eyes crinkle at the sides, and he turns around, heading to the exit. “Enjoy your movie,” he throws over his shoulder, and disappears into the night.
I quickly snatch my phone out of my pocket and send Amelia a short text. She likes my message instantly.
Amelia: Let me know as soon as he emails you.
Smiling, I tuck my phone away and squeal. I might be able to write this article. Then I frown, remembering how I decided to take London off the table officially, but it’s for the best. Obsessing over a fantasy isn’t healthy.
I walk into Theater Three of the small cinema and sit next to Kami.
My M&M’s have melted into my popcorn, and I dig in as the movie starts.
Looks like I missed the trailers…but was it worth it?