Page 70 of The Heart Breaker

“Aurora.”

She stops and looks back at me, her brows drawing together.

I hold her gaze, my mouth dry all of a sudden. I lick my lips and blow out a breath. “Don’t go out with Holden.”

She blinks a couple of times, clearly caught off guard.

Hell, so am I.

But she doesn’t say anything. She just turns and walks inside, leaving me out here with my head completely fucked, trying to make sense of why the thought of her with another guy makes something twist in my chest instead of the burning hatred I used to feel for her.

21

AURORA

Ialways forget how cold a classroom gets in December until I’m stuck in the back row with numb fingers, trying to focus on the professor’s voice instead of the way the heat never seems to reach this side of the room.

“Alright,” he says, shutting his laptop. “That’s all for today.”

Chairs scrape across the floor almost instantly. Half the class is already on their feet before he’s even finished speaking, everyone desperate to get out of this freezing lecture room at the end of a long day.

I’m sliding my notebook into my tote when his voice cuts through the noise.

“Aurora? Could you stay for a moment?”

My hand stills on the zipper, and I glance up toward the front of the room, my pulse racing.

Does he know?

I shove my laptop into my bag and wait for the room to clear before I head down to the front.

“You wanted to see me?” I ask, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear because suddenly I have no idea what to do with my hands.

He turns, and his brows lift when he sees me standing there. “Yes. I wanted to talk to you about your last essay. It was excellent work.”

My heart jumps a little. “Oh.” I clear my throat. “Uh… thank you.”

“You engage with the material instead of sitting there half asleep or staring at your phone,” he says, leaning back against his desk. “Which is why I wanted to ask you something.”

He reaches for a sticky note, scribbles something onto it, then looks back up at me.

“My TA graduates next week, so I’ll need someone for next semester.” His gaze settles on mine. “And I think you’d be a great fit, if you’re interested.”

I blink at him. “You want me to be your TA?”

“For my freshman class,” he says with a nod. “We can work around your schedule.” He holds out the note. “Email me tonight. I’ll loop you in with the department chair and send over the TA handbook.”

I take the note and glance up at him, swallowing hard when he smiles at me. Apparently I’ve forgotten how to speak, because I just stare at him until he nods and says, “Have a good afternoon, Aurora.”

I blink out of my thoughts and tuck the sticky note between the pages of my notebook before I turn to leave. My phone starts buzzing in my bag just as I push open the door, and I reach for it.

Cole:

Wanna fuck?

I huff out a laugh, moving off to the side of the path so I don’t get steamrolled by the crowd heading home.

Me: