“Yes. Exactly.” He picks up a stack of papers on his desk and hands them to the front row. “Take one and pass them around. Seventy-five percent of your grade in this class will come from the semester group project outlined in detail in the syllabus coming around. You will work in groups of two or three to create a pitch for a product not geared toward your demographic. You’ll each choose a product from the basket. Find a partner and then one of you come up front to select your product.”

Panic to find a partner has everyone glancing around the room.

“Go ahead. You’ll have the rest of the class to get these details ironed out, and we’ll reconvene on Wednesday.”

I turn my head just enough to see Nathan hasn’t moved and he’s watching me with amusement. Oh, God, now what?

Emily and Sydney are already huddled together reading the project syllabus and if I ask to be in their group, they’re going to know I lied about Nathan and they may very well say no anyway.

I do a quick perusal of the entire classroom, but everyone is already pairing off. When I glance back at Nathan, the guy next to him elbows him and lifts the syllabus. Nathan says something in response that I can’t make out, but when his blue eyes meet mine, he tips his head to the empty chair on his other side in an unmistakable invitation to join him.

Every step closer to him makes my heart hammer faster in my chest. “Hey, ummm, do you maybe wanna be partners?”

He tries and fails to keep from smiling. “That depends. Are you asking as my girlfriend or as the girl who kicked me out of her room before I’d even got my pants on?”

My face flushes and I freeze, grappling for how to respond.

“Relax, I’m kidding.” He motions again to the chair next to him.

I sit. “I’m so sorry.”

“For which thing?”

This time, at my loss for words, he doesn’t try and hide the giant grin on his face. “This is gonna be fun.”

He picks up the syllabus from his desk and starts to read. I’m still gawking at him a minute later when he says, “If you keep staring at me like that, though, I might get a little creeped out.”

“Sorry.” I duck my head and hide behind the paper. I skim the project guidelines, noting mostly how much time Nathan and I are going to be forced to spend together. If he’s at all put out by the idea, he doesn’t let on. Leaning back in his chair, one leg is stretched out at an angle to accommodate his height. His hair is a little too long on top, but the messy look suits him. So does the scruff.