“Uh, yeah, I guess it was.” Rubbing at the back of my neck, I let out an awkward chuckle. “Sorry, that probably could’ve been an email.”

He laughs, the sound wrapping around my body, making my skin feel warm as a shiver works its way down my spine. “Nah, it’s cool. I wanted to get out of the house, anyway.”

“Over the frat lifestyle?” I ask him, sitting on the edge of my desk.

“Pretty much, man. These are my last few months there. Once spring semester ends, I’ll be moving into my own place.”

“That’s great, Cash. Really exciting. Will you have roommates or live alone?” Is that a creepy question for a professor to ask a student?

“I’m going to have one roommate. Xander Dawson. I don’t know if you know him, but he’s entering the same grad program I am.”

“Yeah, I know Mr. Dawson. He was in a few of my classes last year. Good kid.”

A smile that reaches his gleaming eyes slides onto his face as he takes a step closer. “Again, with the kid bullshit.”

With his new close proximity, I can tell his hair is slightly damp, like he showered before coming here. His fresh scent, paired with the cinnamon gum he’s chewing, surrounds me. It’s reminding me of memories I shouldn’t be thinking of and making me want to do things I shouldn’t.

“Ah, yes,” I croak. “My bad. You guys are not kids. My apologies.”

We hold each other’s gaze for a few moments, neither of us saying anything, until finally, he clears his throat. “Alright, well, if that’s it… I should probably head home.”

“Yes. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for your willingness to help. I’ll let you know once I get those assignments we need to grade, otherwise I’ll see you on Wednesday for class. G’night, Mr. DeMarco.”

“Night, Professor Philips.”

His deep baritone voice hits me straight in my nuts. Goddamn, this is bad.

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Stone

It’s Thursday at five in the evening, and I’m just now getting the papers that have to be graded… by midnight tonight. And there are forty of them.

To make matters worse, there’s a giant storm happening right now. Thunder is roaring, lightning is lighting up the sky, with fat raindrops pelting the ground. I was going to head home to work on these, but it makes more sense to stay put.

Cash texted a minute ago that he’s popping by to pick up his half to get started on. The lights are flickering every so often. I’m pretty sure the school has a backup generator, so even if the power went out, I should be okay.