Sliding into the first empty chair I see, I can't believe I was almost late to class. An Economics class no less. I've been behind all day, and it's only the second day of the semester. This is not a good omen. As I reach into my bag to take out the textbook that was required for this course, I sigh in relief as the teacher comes into the room.
"Cutting it close weren't you?" a voice breathes into my ear and my back stiffens. I know that voice. How do I know that voice?
Twisting around in my seat, I see the guy from the other day that got between Kat's friend and me. Having him in my class is just what I need. Oh God, I hope his major's not the same as mine.
"What are you doing here?" Stupid question. He's obviously here for class, but I was hoping not to have to see anyone from Kat's dipshit fan club outside of the occasional run in at my dorm. Instead, it looks like I'm going to spend all semester with one of them. Joy.
A dark eyebrow raises and I can tell he's laughing at me. Okay, maybe laughing isn't the right word, but I can tell from the smirk on his face that I'm amusing him, and I don't like it. "What does it look like? I'm in class, same as you. I just got here on time."
His holier-than-thou attitude makes me want to hit him. "Maybe I would've been on time if it wasn't for all the excitement in my dorm room the other night. Did you ever think of that?"
"Excitement? Sweetheart, we were only with you for about twenty minutes. If that's all it takes to excite you, you've obviously been hanging around with the wrong guys."
What? He did not just say that! His words make me wonder what kinds of things he could do to "excite me" in twenty minutes or more and it's all I can do to keep my voice down when I hiss, "You're such a prick."
"I'm a prick? I'm just trying to be friendly, you're the one who's acting like I've offended you somehow." Now he's all wide-eyed innocence, but I know exactly what he's trying to do, so instead of replying I spin around and face the front of the room. Tomorrow, I need to make sure I sit as far away from him as possible.
Of course, that's not the way my life works, because just as I think it, the teacher looks up from the open book on his desk and clears his throat, "Good morning class! My name is Professor Woods and welcome to Principles of Economics! Look around at the people sitting near you, as they will be there for the rest of the semester. I understand that you are all college students, however, I have a lot of students, and it's easier to learn and remember your names if you're always in the same spot."
Is he kidding me right now? This guy is older than dirt, and reminds me of Albert Einstein. He's tall, skinny, and has snow white hair sticking out all over the place. He's also wearing glasses, khaki pants, and a white dress shirt with what looks like suspenders underneath a tweed jacket. This entire semester has gone to shit. Putting my head in my hands, it's all I can do not to weep, until I hear the low chuckle coming from the asshat sitting beside me.
I turn to glare at him but he doesn't back down, just gazes back at me like he can see all my secrets. I feel laid bare and it makes me uncomfortable, especially when his laughter cuts off abruptly and it looks like he's going to say something to me. I don't want to hear whatever he thinks he needs to say, so I face the front of the room again, intent on ignoring him. Pulling the sleeves of my pale pink Cashmere sweater down over my shaking hands, I attempt to ignore him. It's not easy. He's sitting beside me completely relaxed, and I can feel the heat of his body. I try to repress a shiver, but fail. When I feel him turn to face me I expect him to make some comment about how his nearness gives me chills, but he says nothing. After studying me for a few moments, he shrugs out of his light jacket before placing it over my shoulders.
Leaning over, he whispers, "You're welcome," before turning his attention back to the front of the class.
I spend the remainder of the class trying to ignore him, but I fail miserably. All I can concentrate on is the scent of his cologne on his jacket. The fact that he's spent the class doodling instead of listening to the professor explain the class agenda and his expectations doesn't help either. As soon as the professor dismisses us, I shrug out of his jacket and dart out of the room successfully avoiding anything else he might want to say to me. Having conversations with a guy I'm trying not to be attracted to is much harder than I thought it would be.
The guy doesn't show up in any of my other classes, and he doesn't say much to me the following Monday or Wednesday. But, as soon as I sit down on Friday morning, he starts in on me.
"What are your plans this weekend?" he asks, sounding genuinely interested in my answer.
Shrugging, I reply grudgingly, "Not much, going to my parents for the weekend tomorrow."
He nods, "I bet that will be fun."
"Not likely," I say with a snort, "they aren't exactly the normal, loving family." Not even close. I was having a good day, until he mentioned this weekend. Seeing my parents is not going to be a good time. I know I sound like an even bigger bitch when I cut him off. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to pay attention to the professor."
Kat's friend looks as though he wants to say something, but after seeing the expression on my face he must think better of it. He only nods before turning back to the front of the room, ignoring me for the rest of the class.
When class is finally over, I can't leave the room fast enough. However, I barely make it out before he grabs my elbow, steering me away from the crowd of students leaving our classroom. He pulls me into a small alcove down the hallway, and I'm trapped between him and the wall.
"Are you okay?" he asks, sounding concerned.
Folding my arms across my chest, I don't answer right away. He makes no effort to move. In fact, he crosses his arms too, perfectly content waiting me out.
My shoulders slump, and I tell him, "I'm fine. Can I go now?" When he says nothing, I attempt to go around him, but he presses me further against the wall. He's got at least six inches on me, and he's so close now that to see his face I have to tip my head back. Once I do, I'm wishing I hadn't. Instead of the holier than thou look he gave me earlier in class, he's looking at me with what appears to be sincere concern and that's the last thing I want.
"Seriously..." I trail off, pretending I don't remember his name.
He rolls his eyes, not believing that I "forgot" before he fills in his name, "Wyatt. My name is Wyatt. And you're Peyton."
"Yeah, I know my name, jerk." I say, rolling my eyes. "Anyway, I really am fine, and I'm hungry. I'd like to get to the cafeteria before all the decent food is gone." As if on cue, my stomach growls, loudly, and he smirks at me.
"Alright, let's go get lunch then." He grabs my elbow again, holding it firmly, but not in a way that causes me any pain, and leads me down the hallway and out into the bright winter sun.
When we enter the campus cafeteria, he stays beside me as we move through the line picking out food. He piles his tray high with pizza, a cheeseburger, fries, and so much more that I can't watch anymore. I grab a salad and water and continue to the front to pay. Wyatt follows quickly behind me before leading me over to where Scarlett is sitting with Kat and the rest of the guys. Groaning inwardly, I let him lead me over. It's either that, or sit by myself and that will draw too much attention to me.
Setting my tray down across from Scarlett, I take a seat. Wyatt sits beside me and with a nod at the table, digs into his mountain of food. I know I'm gaping at him when Max's brother laughs loudly, "Don't mind him, it's basketball season. He's always starving during basketball."
So he plays sports. Interesting. I wouldn't have pegged him as athletic. Especially compared to his friends. Max's brother and other roommate, I can't remember either name, are both much stockier. They look like the type who would play sports, while Wyatt is muscular, but not overly so. The brother is wearing a white henley that's taut across his chest while the roommate is wearing a black sweater. Wyatt's wearing a button down shirt tucked into jeans. Like yesterday, he looks like the sophisticated one of the three, and I wonder where he's from.
Feeling my gaze on him, he turns toward me with a grin, "Take a picture sweetheart, it'll last longer."
Oh, he makes me so mad! My face flames, and I lose control of my mouth, "I don't need a picture jackass. You won't leave me alone."
Instead of getting offended, the jerk tips his head back and laughs! Deciding to ignore him, I go back to eating my salad, listening to the other conversations at the table. Max is teasing Kat while her face turns as red as Scarlett's hair, Clay and Emmett are alternating between competing for Scar's attention and talking to Wyatt about the team he's playing this week.
While they are discussing Wyatt's teammates and upcoming game, Scarlett leans across the table to whisper, "What's up with the sexual tension?"
"The what?" Sexual tension? She must be crazy.
Scarlett rolls her eyes, "You know, the sparks that are flying between you and Wyatt!"
"That's not sexual tension you idiot, it's loathing." She snickers, and I narrow my eyes at her, "Stop it! I'm serious!"
Giving me a knowing look, she says, "You're such a liar Peyton. I guarantee you'll be all over each other before Spring Break. Hell, maybe even before Valentine's Day!" She goes back to eating for a few minutes before continuing, "By the way, we're going out with Kat and her friends this evening. A bar in downtown Nashville that's really popular."
Before I can respond to that information, she gets up from the table, grabbing her tray. I take my half finished lunch and start to follow her, when Wyatt grabs my tray, "Where are you going? You've barely eaten a thing."
Pulling it away from him, I snap, "I'm going to my next class. Dickheads don't do much for my appetite."
I instantly regret my words when the smile disappears from his face and his eyes darken with anger. He turns away from me without another word, and oddly, I feel bad for what I said to him. I don't even want to analyze that, so I take off after Scarlett. I finally catch up to her at the door, and as I walk out behind her, I chance a look back at the table. Wyatt's watching me with an unreadable look in his eyes, and the cold weather isn't the only thing that makes me shiver.