Ritual - Palm South University

This is it. The big leagues.

And I’m ready.

I uncap the deep blue Le Pen first, writing Genetics in perfectly neat handwriting at the top of my notebook, and feeling a zip of excitement run through my veins just as a familiar voice speaks my name.

“Cassie?”

All the joy fades instantly when I look up and find Grayson standing in front of my desk, something between a smile and a cringe on his face.

“Hi,” he says when I don’t respond.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

I can’t help the bitterness in my voice when I finally speak, and a few students around us cast us weary glances as Grayson cocks a brow.

“Same as you, I’d expect.” He holds up his notebook with a black pen hooked in the spiral ring.

I narrow my eyes. “You’re a music major. Why are you in Genetics?”

What was left of his smile slides off his face like a runny egg. His eyes harden — eyes the color of a deep sapphire.

Eyes I used to long for, to lose hours in.

To lose myself in.

“Yeah, well, let’s just say I was a music major, but my father decided that wasn’t an option anymore.”

My heart squeezes with something close to sympathy before my head snuffs it out with a firm boot heel. “Okay. That still doesn’t explain how you’ve met the pre-reqs for this class.”

“I took a lot last semester and over the summer. You would know that if you were still speaking to me.”

My jaw clenches. “Why in God’s name would I ever talk to you again?” I shake my head, throwing my hands up. “I don’t know why I’m talking to you now!”

More people turn to look at us, and I blush, ignoring him as I turn my attention back to my pen and notebook.

“Cassie, I’m sorry—”

“Just leave me alone, Grayson.”

He stands there for a long while, and I ignore him dutifully until he finally concedes and takes a seat somewhere behind me.

And from that moment on, my focus is shot.

It’s impossible not to think about the fact that I’m in the same room, the same class, the same fucking lab with my ex-boyfriend who cheated on me and made a fool of me, and almost cost me my relationship with the one man who truly loves me. No matter how I try, every part of my mind and body is unpleasantly aware of my proximity to that danger.

I sit there with my jaw clenched, my brain a whir of angry nonsense as I try to listen to the professor warn us that we’re in for a challenging semester. I take notes, mark up my syllabus, and add important dates to my calendar on my laptop, all while trying to pretend I don’t care that Grayson is a few seats behind me.

When the professor dismisses us, I bolt out of that room like it’s on fire, not giving Grayson the chance to even attempt to talk to me again. It’s not until I’m a hundred yards away from the science building and nearly to the student union that I take a calming breath, releasing the tension in my chest.

As soon as I do, I’m lifted from behind and spun around in a frenzied circle.

I scream, swatting at the arms around me until I’m dropped back to the Earth. When I turn and find a sexy, lazily smiling Adam, I shove him hard in the chest.

“Asshole! You scared the living hell out of me!”

He chuckles, wrapping me in a warm hug and kissing my nose as I pout. “I’m sorry, babe. I just couldn’t resist. I haven’t seen you since this morning. I missed you.”

“You saw me three hours ago,” I say, but already I’m smiling and leaning into his chest with a sigh. I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my head under his.

“Three hours is too long.” He pulls back, grabbing my hand as we continue making our way toward the student union. “How was class?”

Anxiety rips through me — and this time, not from having Grayson in the same room with me, but with the decision of whether or not I should tell Adam that he was in the same room with me. I glance at him from the corner of my eyes, swallowing.

“It was fine.”

“Fine?” he asks with a smirk. “You were practically bouncing like a little kid about to ride a carousel when I dropped you off in front of the science building. How come you’re not smiling like a loon now?”

I blow out a breath. “It’s an advanced Genetics class, Adam, not a carnival. Excuse me if I’m not excited about the massive amount of lab work I’ll have this semester.”

I inwardly cringe at the way I snapped at him, but he just stops walking, pulling me to a halt, too, and framing my face with his hands.