Page 14 of Anchored To You

"Shh," I scold, attempting to tell him with my eyes to shut the hell up.

"Nice of you to join us," Professor Falcon says once Beck sits down.

"I'm so sorry," Beck tells him, and to give him credit, he actually does look apologetic. "I got lost trying to find the building, and then I got lost trying to find the classroom."

“Well, let's hope next class you leave earlier in case you get lost again,” he replies, turning around quickly, dismissing him.

"Yes, sir," he mumbles, slinking down in his seat, his cheeks bright red.

Beck stays quiet the rest of the period, making an effort to catch up on all the notes we've been taking in our syllabus. Once Professor Falcon releases us for the day, Beck takes a huge breath, facing me.

"Fuck, that was bad, huh? Damn, I didn't mean to be late, but this building is so damn far from our dorm. And why is this classroom all the way in the corner, hidden from everything else?"

Gathering up my stuff, I stand, waiting for him to join me. "I wouldn't say that was the best introduction to have. But it could have been worse. You could have come at the very end. I mean, you only missed about the first fifteen minutes, so it wasn't that bad."

"Oh god," he groans, stuffing papers into his backpack. "It was so damn bad. And now I have to find my next class."

I glance at the map he has in his hand, smiling at the small highlighted classroom numbers. He might have been late, but at least he was attempting to be in the right spot. "Where's it at? Maybe I can help you find it."

"It's in Maxton. Is that by the library? I swear the guide said it's by the library." He turns the paper around in a circle, trying to figure out which way is the correct way to read it. It’s adorable as hell, and with that thought, I need to leave. Quickly.

"Damn, you would think you didn't go here last year. How do you not know where all the buildings are? CU isn't the smallest, but not that big either." I say, grabbing my backpack and tossing it over my shoulder. I walk down the aisle, and Beck follows closely behind me.

"I don't know how I got so lucky, but all of my classes last year were in the same two buildings. And both structures were next door to my dorm and the athletic facility. So finding my way around wasn't hard at all. Now, this year, the odds are against me because each class is in a different building. I'm just lucky I only have three courses a day because can you imagine the amount of steps I would get every single day?

Chuckling, I shake my head, leading him out of the lecture room. "Hell, even with only those three classes you'll still be getting a shit ton of steps in. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Maxton is on the complete opposite side of the campus."

"Fuck, really?"

"Sorry," I say to him, actually meaning it.

While Creelin U isn't the biggest campus, it can be hard to navigate. A few months into each semester, I'll still see students walking around with their maps in their hands trying to find their way about. Beck and I exit the building, and I glance up, seeing one gargoyle staring at us. I give him a quick smile before giving my attention back to Beck.

"Okay, where am I going?" He asks, taking out his map and laying it down on the bench next to us.

I grab his highlighter, then draw a line from where we currently are and where he needs to go. "Okay, just follow this line and it'll take you where you need to be. Just don't deviate from the path, and you should find it easily."

"Okay, cool." He blows out a breath, then flashes me his gorgeous smile. "Thank you. I probably would have ended up being late for that class, too. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later."

Beck shoots me another grin, and I swear I melt right then and there. That's the same grin he used a year ago to kiss me and then get me to go home with him. Fuck, if I'm not careful I'm likely to end up in the same spot again. And nope, that's not happening. He can flash that smile all he wants, but I'm going to make sure nothing happens. Beck takes off down the cobblestone path, and I can't help but watch him walk away.

Once he's out of sight, I glance up, seeing the gargoyle still staring at me.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I'm way too obvious. But can you blame me? Have you seen him?"

I'm sitting on my bed, a few of my syllabi laid out in front of me. It's only the first day of school, and I'm already feeling overwhelmed. I only have the information for half of my classes, and I can clearly see locking myself in my room to make sure I'm studying. I'm highlighting another line on the paper when Beck comes barreling into the space.

"Hey man," he says, tossing his backpack onto the bed.

I watch with rapt attention as he walks over to his small closet, ripping his shirt off over his head. Fuck, the muscles on this man's back are everything. Of course I knew he had a nice body, but this view has me swallowing my tongue.

"Hey," I rasp, finding the will to look away before he catches me staring at him.

"How was the rest of your day?" He tosses a tee over his head, then strips out of his jeans.

God, is he trying to kill me?