Anger surges out of nowhere. I don’t like hearing Enzo speak about Chiara with such a condescending tone. “Trust me. She wants nothing to do with me. I’m sure she’ll have a boyfriend by the end of the week.”
“Hmm, and does that bother you?”
“Of course not. She’s a student and therefore off-limits.”
“And if she wasn’t?”
I open my mouth to reply but pause for a moment. The truth hits me then. If Chiara wasn’t my student, I would go after her with everything I have, mindless of Nadine and the ongoing divorce.
“Hello, Alistair? You still there?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t answer my question, but never mind. Your silence says it all.”
I let out a heavy exhale. “What the hell do I do, Enzo?”
“You know what I would tell you as your lawyer, but as your friend? I say stay the fuck away from her. You can’t afford that kind of rumor spreading around. That would give Nadine all the ammunition she needs to clean out your bank account.”
Don’t I know that? But staying away from Chiara will be a nightmare.
This semester is going to hurt like a mother.
16
Chiara
Robbie and Harold took me home after Alistair’s class, and Harold apologized a million times for the mishap. He’d packed the special brownie by accident. He seemed sincere, and I already have too many problems in my life to hold a grudge against the guy.
Once at home, I crashed, which meant fewer hours to worry about the sudden reappearance of Alistair in my life. But this morning, my chest felt heavy, yearning for someone I can’t have. Pretending everything is fine while I navigate my second day at DuBose is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I keep looking over my shoulder, expecting to see Alistair at a moment’s notice.
I have lunch with Robbie again, but no Harold or Valerie, the other girl in the drama program.
“I still can’t believe you ate one of Harold’s magic brownies.” Robbie shakes his head. “You have to write a comedy screenplay with that scene.”
“Trust me, it wasn’t funny.”
“At least you didn’t get caught by Mr. Greene.”
I frown. “Who?”
“Jesus, you were high. Mr. Greene, your writer’s room teacher.”
“That’s not my teacher. I got Alistair.”
Robbie gives me a strange look, and it takes me a second to realize my mistake. “I mean Mr. Walsh.”
His green eyes bulge out of his skull. “Shut up! You got Alistair Walsh? Oh my God. I can’t believe it. I thought he wasn’t teaching that class this semester. That’s why I didn’t sign up.”
My stomach coils tightly. I should change the subject before I have another slipup. But my tongue has a will of its own.
“What’s so special about him?”
“Uh, hello? First of all, the man is an Adonis. I’d so do him if he wasn’t straight.”
My face heats as I remember my time in Alistair’s bed.
“He’s okay,” I reply.
“Okay? Woman, are you blind? In a land of mortals, the man is a god. But again, you were high, so you probably didn’t notice. Wait until you get a load of him when you’re sober.”
This conversation is making me super uncomfortable. I don’t want to hear Robbie objectify Alistair like that. I don’t have any claim on the man, but I’m getting jealous nonetheless.
I glance at my phone and realize I’m late for my meeting with Josh at the library.
“Cazzo! I have to go.” I jump off the bench.
“Where are you going?” Robbie asks.
“To meet someone to work on an assignment for Mr. Walsh’s class.”
“All right, girlie. See you later.”
DuBose’s library is semi-busy with a few empty desks available in the middle of the atrium. The school went with a modern-museum vibe for the interior, meaning the walls and furniture are all white with a few splashes of color here and there in the shape of modern sculptures and paintings. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring plenty of light into the open space.
Josh is waiting for me near the information desk, staring down at his phone. He looks up when I approach and smiles. Faded jeans hang low on his hips, and the comfy-looking sweatshirt can’t hide the wide chest and taut abs underneath. He’s positively yummy, yet the butterflies in my stomach remain dormant.
“I was beginning to think you would stand me up,” he says.
