“I really needed the consultation,” I said. “Seeing him was just a bonus.”
“Okay, I’m curious about this professor now,” Abigail said. “Is he on the dais with the other professors?”
“He’s over on the right,” Martha said, pointing Chance out to her. “The one sitting next to Professor Tucci.”
“Whoa,” Abigail said appreciatively. “Damn, he is hot.”
“Told you.”
“And, he’s so young.”
“I think he’s still in his twenties,” Martha nodded. “One of the youngest members of the faculty, if I’m not mistaken. I heard a couple of teachers talking about him the other day actually. I think they’re going to offer him a permanent position here.”
“Really?” I said, immediately proud of him despite our current status.
“Yeah.”
“That’s amazing.”
Both girls looked at me a little curiously, as though they couldn’t understand my investment in a professor. “He was a really good teacher,” I said. “I’m just glad that he’s being recognized.”
“Did you manage to stick with his class?” Martha asked.
“I did.” I nodded. “Passed it, too.”
“Congratulations,” she said. “You must be fucking smart.”
“I think I have what they call book smarts,” I said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I have a lot of street smarts.”
“You’ll learn,” Abigail assures me. “Life teaches you fast.”
I smiled. They were both really nice, and I actually enjoyed talking to them. It made me realize how much I had missed out on over the years by sticking to my books like they were my friends. From that point on, Abigail and Martha included me in their conversation. I was so engrossed that I barely noticed the message coming in on my phone. I gave the screen a cursory glance. It was an unknown number, and that was what caught my attention.
“Hi, Natalie. You don’t know me, but I’m a friend. Trust that I have your best interests at heart. I’m contacting you to suggest that you ask Chance out tonight. I know, this is a strange request, especially coming from an anonymous source, but I think it will pay off. Actually, I know it will pay off.”
I read the message again, growing increasingly more curious. Who was this person, and why were they concerned with me? Also, how did they know about my relationship with Chance? Could this be some sort of twisted joke? Was it possible that Jason was behind this? I hadn’t seen him this last week, and now I was wondering if he was behind the message.
I looked up at the stage and caught Chance’s eye. We held each other’s gaze for only a moment, and then he turned away without so much as a spark of recognition in his eyes. I looked back at the message and tried to suppress the hope that was clawing its way up.
Should I disregard it or should I act on it? Should I be safe or brave? Should I take the risk or slink back into my safe little corner and forget about Chance?
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chance
As usual, the graduation ceremony took way too damn long. I saw student after student come up to receive their diploma and even though I clapped along with the rest of the auditorium, I was detached from the experience.
My eyes kept falling onto Natalie. She was seated a fair distance away, but it was close enough that I could still see the stark blue of her eyes. We had made eye contact only once, and I tried to remember not to let it happen again. Lindsey was seated on the other side of the stage, so I couldn’t speak to her.
The only time I had actually concentrated on the ceremony was when Natalie’s name was announced. She was wearing a demure off-white dress under her graduation robes and looked gorgeous. I could see from the way her back was arched that she was taking pains to avoid my gaze and I couldn’t blame her.
As soon as the ceremony was over, I stood and made my way through the crowd towards Lindsey. However, Dean Mueller blocked my path before I could reach her.
“Chance,” he said.
“Dean Mueller,” I nodded.
“Your performance review came in last week,” he said. “You did well.”