Well fine, if he insisted. And who was I kidding? I was frickin’ freezing. I took the jacket and wrapped it around me, stuffing my arms into the sleeves. It was huge, but oh-so-comfy. The cotton lining inside it was incredibly soft, and very warming. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
I started writing again, but paused when I got a whiff of those damn cupcakes. I looked around for them, but just like last week, nobody around me had any food.
The smell persisted, growing stronger as the minutes ticked by. It almost smelled like it was coming from… Wait, was that…was that me?
I turned away from Thomas, inconspicuously trying to smell his jacket. It smelled…like cupcakes. Sugary, vanilla cupcakes smothered in frosting. Just like the phantom ones I’d smelled since last Monday, only apparently it didn’t come from cupcakes at all. The smell came from Thomas.
We exchanged awkward glances for the remainder of class. I’d sneak a peek at Thomas, only to find him already staring at me. Or I would be the one staring when he looked at me. We’d kind of smile at each other and then look away quickly, pretending we weren’t doing this little dance back and forth.
When class ended, Thomas stood from his desk and stretched. “You’re a freshman, right?” His back arched as his hands reached up towards the ceiling.
His white t-shirt pulled up from the stretch, exposing a sliver of his lower stomach. I caught a glimpse of blond hair and taut skin above the waistband of his boxers, which peeked out from his jeans.
My face burned as I dropped my gaze. I really hoped he hadn’t seen that…
Wait, did he just ask me a question?
Damn it, I hated how he had that effect on me. “I’m sorry, what?” I asked as we began walking down the row, towards the classroom’s back doors.
“You’re a freshman, right?”
“Yeah.” He held the door open for me, and I walked past him. “What about you?”
“Junior.”
We quickly made it outside, where the rain droplets hit his face as we walked.
Crap. I forgot I still had his jacket on. “Sorry,” I mumbled, starting to shrug out of it.
He shook his head. “Keep it. You’re just gonna need it for another class anyway.”
He was right, but…no. “I can’t take it,” I said, continuing to shrug it off. I’d just have to find the time to go back to my dorm and pick up a sweatshirt or something.
“Really, it’s okay.” He pulled it back on me. “You can give it back on Wednesday.”
“Are you sure?” I asked as he zipped it up.
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s cool.”
“All right, well…thanks.” I glanced up at him, trying to shield my eyes from the drizzle. “See you around?”
He grinned. “Absolutely.”
Chapter Twenty-One
EMILY
The cold air of the ice rink burned as I inhaled, and my breath fogged as it left. I pulled Thomas’s jacket closer to me, trying to squeeze as much warmth from it as I could. I hadn’t taken it off since this morning. As much as I wanted to deny it, I secretly liked having his scent with me. It was like he was there, even though he wasn’t.
I finished tying up the laces on my skates and hobbled over to an opening in the rink, where Beth waited for me. I grasped the ledge of the wall and gingerly stepped onto the ice.
Beth needed no assistance. She walked onto the ice with ease, gracefully sliding around me in fluid circles. “Aren’t you going to step away from the wall?” she asked, beginning to skate backwards.
Show off.
As I started to feel more confident of my footing, I loosened my grip on the ledge, but never fully let go. “No, I’m fine here.” I would skate around the entire rink holding onto this fucker if I had to.
Beth rolled her eyes and floated towards me. “Come on.” She held out her hand. “It’s not that bad.”
I latched onto Beth’s hand for dear life as we slowly made our way to the center of the rink. People whizzed past us. Hayley smiled as she skated by, holding hands with Andy.
Beth froze, a smirk growing on her face. “Well, look who’s here.”
I followed her eyes to the lobby, where Thomas had just walked in with that Brian guy. Thomas turned his head towards the rink. He stopped when he saw me, his eyes locking onto mine. His gaze was too personal again, like we were the only two people in the room.
I was the first to break eye contact, looking back at Beth like it wasn’t a big deal, like my skin wasn’t on fire and my knees didn’t just go weak. “Are we going to skate, or what?” I tugged on her arm to get her moving.
She looked back at Thomas. “Aren’t you gonna–”