Chapter 6

Lily

It was hard to believe that Alex could get any hotter. When I saw him jogging from across the small courtyard between buildings, I was sure he’d keep going, ignoring me completely. But when he started in my direction with that gorgeous grin of his, I nearly dropped my books in surprise.

He jogged around me in a little circle. It was hard to keep my eyes on his instead of his sweaty body.

All night I thought about him and his strange behavior. First, he wanted me to tutor him. The idea was too unbelievable to be true, which he proved when he kicked Amber and me out of the party. She barely spoke to me all morning about it, and I didn’t bother to breach the subject with her since I still had no idea what happened. While I wanted to study in my room, her cleaning up her mess was far more distracting than her music. Which was why I hid in the library for most of the morning.

Now here he was, asking when we’d be able to start.

“I didn’t change my mind,” I said. “I just didn’t think you were serious.”

“Why wouldn’t I be serious about getting help from the smartest and most beautiful girl in class?”

My cheeks burned, and I pressed my hand against one to calm my body down. The temperature felt more like Fall than it did all semester, helping cool me down a bit. “I’m wondering why you forced the most beautiful girl in class to leave the party last night.”

He shrugged and started to stretch his legs as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Our parties get a little wild, and I was concerned for you. You were clearly out of your element.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as my spine stiffened. I adjusted the books in my hands again, wishing I would have borrowed Amber’s backpack that morning. “I can handle myself without a babysitter, thank you very much.”

“I wasn’t implying—”

“I should go,” I said, turning away from him and back toward my dorm.

“Wait,” he said. He ran over to me and stood in front of me, blocking my way.

I lifted my chin, daring him to say something that would explain his actions. “What, Alex?”

“You don’t want to tutor me now?” he asked.

Of course, I wanted to tutor him. Spending time with him outside of class would be a dream come true, especially if it involved more kissing. But his actions from the night before weren’t cool. Was he going to treat me like a child when his friends were around? I wasn’t sure any amount of kissing could make up for feeling like this all the time.

“I have a lot on my plate this semester,” I said, glancing over his shoulder. I was never a good liar. Sure I had a lot on my plate, but I knew how to balance my schedule. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll have enough time.”

I tried to move past him, but he placed his hand on my shoulder, stopping me in place.

My books suddenly lifted from my arms. Alex carried them as if he were carrying a pillow under his arm. I dropped my hands to my sides, suddenly unaware of what to do with them.

“Please,” he said.

I glanced up at him, craning my neck. The desperation in his voice was palpable. I wanted to make sure he was as serious as he sounded. With the sun behind me, the light from the star accented all of his features. He was not unlike the sun himself, outrageously hot and out of reach.

“Let’s make a deal,” he said.

I placed my hand on my hip. “What kind of deal?”

“If you’re concerned with attending some frat parties then I’ll take you to our three hottest parties of the season: The Reindeer Riot, Santa’s Slay, and the Mistletoe Meltdown.”

“Nice names,” I said, unable to suppress a smile.

His smile returned. “They might sound corny, but if you want to make an impression, those are the parties to attend.”

“And all I have to do is tutor you?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said. His eyebrows lifted a little, expectantly.

I didn’t care much for parties, but I didn’t care that I made that impression on him. This was a way to make last night up to Amber. If Alex guaranteed that we could both attend the parties she’d be over the moon to be invited to not just one party but three.

I couldn’t help but imagine being on Alex’s arm for those parties either. Going with the hottest guy in school to the three biggest events of the season, it couldn’t be so bad, could it?

“I’ll agree on one term,” I said.

“Anything,” he said, stepping closer to me.

I recalled how his body felt last night and I tried hard to clear the fog in my head as he came closer to me. If I were going to help him, I’d have to get over my nervousness in his presence.

I cleared my throat and locked eyes with him. “I’ll tutor you in Cost Accounting if I can bring my roommate to all three parties.”

He shrugged. “Sure, whatever.”

I smiled. “Then it's a deal.”

He reached out his hand, and I shook it. Then his head dipped low to mine and my breath caught in my throat. “Nice doing business with you, Lily.”

I wasn’t ready to let him out of my sight just yet. “How about we meet this afternoon to get started?”

“Can you give me an hour to shower and change?” he asked.

I glanced at my phone. “I’ll see you at the student union in an hour.”

His head dipped closer to mine, and for a split second, I swore he was going to kiss me again. It wasn’t until something pressed against my stomach that I snapped back to reality and noticed he was handing my books back to me. They felt heavier in my arms as I watched Alex jog away from me as quickly as he had appeared.