Reckless Hero

Good, I thought. Nervous was an emotion I could work with because it meant she still felt something for me.

“Anna, your class is about to start,” Brandon said pointedly. “You should probably get going.”

“Right.” She shook her head, the spell between us broken. She then flashed Brandon a grateful look before turning back to me. “I’m sorry, Tucker. I can’t. I’m really busy with classes right now.”

“Me too,” I said.

She took a step away, but I blocked her path.

“Come on,” I said. “You know you want to. Just coffee. We can meet somewhere on campus.”

I hated how pushy I sounded, but couldn’t help myself.

“No,” she said firmly.

I blinked in surprise. She had never used that tone with me before.

“It’s good to see you, Tucker, but I don’t have time. Sorry.” With that, she moved around me and headed down the path.

Brandon shot me a glance before following after her.

“Anna,” I called again on impulse.

She stopped in her tracks and wearily looked back at me.

“This is not the end,” I promised. “I’m not letting you get away from me again that easily.” I tried to keep my tone light and joking, but wasn’t quite successful.

Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. I knew she was in shock. Anna had never been good at hiding her emotions; her face was an open book most of the time.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t help smiling a little, knowing I had rattled her. It was only fair since she had shaken me so.

She looked at me a few seconds longer before turning and walking away without another word.

I watched as she and her cousin disappeared from sight. My class was about to start as well, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. I just stared after Anna, hoping she would come back and say she’d changed her mind.

I should have known she would turn down my offer though. After all, it had been five years and we’d hardly parted on amicable terms. She had always been prickly; the charm that usually worked on other women never worked well on her. Thus, the history between us would understandably make her weary.

Her refusal was still a hard pill to swallow though and every instinct I possessed screamed at me to follow her.

I fought those instincts though, knowing they wouldn’t do me any favors.

When my legs finally moved, I forced them to go in the opposite direction.

As I slowly walked down the path, I could still hear her voice in my head saying no. She had been so firm. So final. No matter what I still felt for Anna, it didn’t matter because she obviously didn’t feel anything for me.

Still, seeing her again had reignited a fire within me, and I just couldn’t accept that no for an answer.

I couldn’t let things rest as they were.

This couldn’t be the last Anna saw of me, not by a long shot.

CHAPTER 6

Anna

I was early for class this time and took a seat closer to the front of the room. Getting myself settled, I unpacked my notebook and laptop. The laptop was bulky and outdated; I couldn’t afford the latest gadgets like some of the other students, but the device worked and served its function well enough. And it would keep me from writing my fingers off, at least.

After arranging everything on my part of the table, I pulled up the recorder app on my phone – again not the latest on the market, but serving its purpose.