Offlimits, Professor! - Chapter 9

ZOE'S POV My phone kept ringing, and I fumbled for it with shaking hands. Kai's name flashed on the screen, and I felt a stab of something that might have been guilt. "I should take this," I said. "Of course. Yes. Take it." Leo was running his hands through his hair, looking anywhere but at me. "We're done here anyway. For tonight. You should go home." I nodded, though I didn't really want to leave. Despite what had almost happened-or maybe because of it-I felt more connected to Leo than I ever had. Like we'd crossed some invisible line, even if we'd pulled back at the last second.

"Zoe?" Kai's voice came through the phone, worried. "You there?" "Yeah, I'm here," I said, grabbing my purse and heading for the door. "Sorry, I was just-" "Where are you? I've been trying to reach you." I glanced back at Leo, who was now standing by the window with his back to me, shoulders tense. "I'm at the music building. Professor Mercer wanted to discuss my performance." "This late? That's weird." "It's not weird," I said, maybe a little too defensively. "If you say so. Listen, I'm in the parking lot outside Building C. Can you meet me there?" "You're here?

Why?" "I wanted to congratulate you on your recital, dummy. You were amazing tonight." My chest warmed at his words. Kai had been nothing but supportive of my music, even when he didn't always understand it. "I'll be right down," I said. I hung up and looked at Leo one more time. He was still facing the window, hands clasped behind his back. "Thank you," I said quietly. "For tonight. For everything." He nodded without turning around. "Get home safely, Washington." The walk to the elevator felt like the longest walk of my life.

My hands were still trembling as I pressed the button for the ground floor, and I couldn't get the image of Leo's face out of my head. The way he'd looked at me right before my phone rang. Like he was seeing me for the first time. Stop it, I told myself. He's your professor. He's older than you. He probably thinks of you as a kid. But the way he'd looked at me tonight hadn't been the way someone looks at a kid. I mentally slapped myself as the elevator doors opened. This was ridiculous. I was being ridiculous. Leo was helping me with my music, nothing more.

The fact that he looked incredible in jeans and a t-shirt was irrelevant. The fact that he'd swooped in to rescue me from Marcus's lecture like some kind of knight in shining armor was irrelevant. The fact that I'd wanted to kiss him was definitely irrelevant. I spotted Kai as soon as I walked outside. He was leaning against his car, still wearing the button-down shirt and tie he'd worn to my recital. His face lit up when he saw me, and he ended the phone call he'd been having. "There she is," he said, opening his arms wide.