The rest of the weekend passed in a blur. Mike ate, slept, and went to the gym. Meredith texted once to make sure they were okay. He said yes, but was honestly still processing.
He liked Meredith. She was fun and funny and cute. Well, she used to be cute, but after the other night she’d progressed to smoking hot. Any straight male would’ve had a crush on her and he was no exception. But those thoughts led straight to Emma, and the way their lunch went. Why did he feel guilty all of the sudden? Guilt carried through to Lana, and how she was caged like an eagle at the zoo.
Lana didn’t come back on Saturday. He’d stayed up late, telling himself he was looking for a new show to get into, but kept glancing at the door every time something bumped in the hall. She was gone all day Sunday too. Maybe she’d found a way out of the binding. He couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment.
On Monday morning, as he was getting ready for class, the door opened. There was a flash of golden armor, and relief washed over him. Just the sight of her cleared his head. What was the point of all that worrying?
“Everything okay?” he asked. It was important she knew she was welcome to come and go as she pleased, so he was careful not to interrogate her.
“Yes,” she answered. “Mortals are so fascinating. Always in such hurry, rarely stopping to appreciate the gifts they have been given. Sorry,” her smile lit up the room even when it was apologetic, “no offense intended.”
Mike smiled back. When she looked at him like that, he couldn’t help it. “None taken. I’m glad you had fun. I’m about to leave for class, but there’s food in the fridge. Help yourself to whatever you want.”
“Thank you, Michael.”
He was about to leave when he noticed her eyes were distant. “What’s on your mind?”
“Hmm? Oh. Nothing.” She paused. “Well. Actually. I saw a couple walking earlier. They were shopping in a local market while I remained outside. After a time, they came out carrying large beverages. I continued watching as other mortals did the same.” Lana crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, still looking thoughtful. “All returned with enormous beverages, or foodstuffs, or packaged goods. But I could not determine why the market was named so. There were fewer than seven attendants working, but they offered many more than eleven goods. Perhaps there are seven by eleven items for sale? That would take careful management.”
Mike fought hard to hold in a laugh.
She looked confused. “What?”
He lost the battle, unable to keep the stupid grin from his face. He didn’t want to embarrass her, so instead, he turned to leave. “I’ll tell you later.” As soon as he rounded the corner, full bellied laughter broke free. It was nice after all the anxiety.
The first class of the day was Econ with Professor Anders. He hadn’t forgotten what Allie said on Friday, and took a little longer to get ready. He paid extra attention when he shaved and picked out a decent shirt and his nicest jeans, feeling like a fool the whole time. But after Lana’s adorable innocence and a beautiful ride through the city, Mike walked into Econ with a clearer head than he’d had in days. His eyes went straight to where Allie sat on Friday, but she wasn’t there.
Instead, she was sitting two seats closer, in the front row, staring down at her notepad as she wrote. Her dark hair somehow looked both messy and perfectly styled. A tight black top hugged her body, covered by a trendy leather jacket. A dark, flowing skirt was cinched at her waist, and a set of matching black earrings and necklace completed the look. If she was going for dark and alluring, she nailed it.
Mike unpacked and settled in. He was determined to get something out of class today. He pointedly did not look in Allie’s direction, focusing all his attention on Professor Anders. That lasted for about five minutes. His thoughts started drifting at the definition of full employment, and he absent-mindedly scanned the room.
Allie was staring right at him, like she was waiting for his attention to wander. When she saw him looking back, she glanced at Anders and rolled her eyes. Econ was apparently not her favorite subject either. Mike smirked and nodded back. She looked away, back to the slides on the screen, seemingly trying as hard as he was to pay attention. Then, pointedly not looking at him, she crossed her legs.
A slit was cut into her skirt. It parted around one leg, revealing smooth, caramel skin from thigh to ankle. Just like on Friday, her foot bobbed to some unknown rhythm. Mike became mesmerized by the extra inch of bare thigh that was revealed and hidden with each bounce. He found himself wondering what her legs would feel like under his hands. Or wrapped around his waist.
Eventually, she glanced his way. There was a little smirk on her face even before their eyes met. She raised a perfect eyebrow, and a decision presented itself. His instinct was to look away and pretend like he hadn’t been ogling her. Instead, a flood of confidence washed over him, and he held her gaze. Tension hung between them like an invisible rope they were pulling from opposite ends. Was she pissed? Offended? For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to care.
Allie broke first. Instead of narrowing her eyes and looking angry, her little smile deepened. She hadn’t dug her heels in or let go. She’d simply decided to set the rope down nearby, to be picked up again later if needed.
Encouraged, Mike felt the urge to be bolder. He glanced down at her long, bare leg, then back up. Allie’s amused smile remained. She shrugged and looked away. She began tapping her pen against her mouth in thought. That seemed to be a habit. Then, just like with Emma at lunch, something changed.
Instead of tapping, the pen began sliding back and forth ever so slightly along her lips, never quite reaching the corners. It was subtle enough that if you weren’t staring you wouldn’t have noticed. But Mike was staring, and he definitely noticed.
At this point the class was so far gone it was no use trying to catch up. He would just have to spend extra time studying. Allie clearly wasn’t bothered by the attention, so he let his eyes wander, drinking in every curve and inch of bare skin, daring her to challenge him. He had a sudden urge for conflict, despite her prickly reputation.
“Alright folks,” Anders’ voice snapped him out of the trance. “That’ll do it for today.” Class was over already? Mike quickly jotted down notes from the last slide and promised himself he would catch up on the reading later.
Allie was waiting for him in the hall. As soon as he was by her side, they started walking to lunch without a word.
“Another boring one,” he said like nothing had happened.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she answered. “I didn’t think it was as bad as last week. Trouble paying attention?”
Mike stared straight ahead. “I guess you could say that. I couldn’t find a pen, and this song wouldn’t get out of my head. The beat kept bouncing around in my brain.”
“That can be annoying,” Allie agreed calmly.
“Sometimes, but I didn’t mind it today.”
UBalt had a building that acted as a central hub for student life. It was the gathering place for meetings and clubs and housed the student book store along with a few places to eat. They were mostly takeout counters, like a food court at a mall. One was the second opening of a local sandwich shop from Mike’s neighborhood, and he got in line.
“Grab a table when you’re done?” Allie asked as she joined a separate line for salads.
A few minutes later, she approached his table carrying a clear plastic container of leafy greens and veggies. When she saw his sandwich, she made a face. “I don’t know how you can eat that.”
“What’s wrong with a Cuban?”
“Ugh,” she sneered, “pickles.”
“Excuse me, miss? I’m sorry. This seat is reserved for those that appreciate good food.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s terrible for you too.”
Mike instantly felt self-conscious and decided to only eat half.
Allie leaned forward, the look on her face signaling she was moving on from the sandwich. She dropped her voice. “Do you see that girl?”
Mike began to turn his head, but Allie’s hand on his arm stopped him.
“Don’t look! Okay, now. Jeans. Ugly white top.”
He turned again, pretending to stretch his neck, and saw who she meant. He thought he recognized the girl. “She went to school with us, right? Donna something?”
Allie nodded. “McNaddie. She’s so gross. Everyone called her Donna McFatty.”
The girl was maybe on the chubby side but looked normal otherwise. Not that it would have been a reason to make fun of her, regardless. “Right,” he said, turning back and changing the subject. “How’s your salad?”
Allie gave him a look. “Come on. Don’t get all offended. It’s just a joke. Hey Donna!” She waved as the other girl passed by.
Donna approached warily. “Um, hey Allie. Hi Mike.”
“I love that top!” Allie gave her a bright, gorgeous smile. “It looks great on you!”
“Oh, thanks, my Mom-”
“It was so good seeing you!” Allie interrupted. “We have to catch up soon.” She looked back to Mike like she wanted to continue their conversation, ignoring the fact that Donna was still standing right there.
Donna was caught off guard by the sudden change. “Uh, sure, that sounds good. See ya.” She waved to Mike as she left, since Allie had seemingly forgotten she was there at all.
Mike fumed. He didn’t care how hot she was, you didn’t treat people like that. The poor girl was kind, a little shy, and probably flattered that Allie had even remembered her name, let alone invited her over to chat. A biting remark brewed in his mind, something about treating people the way you wanted to be treated. Allie must have seen the storm gathering in his eyes, because at that moment, she took off her jacket.
Like the other day in class, it stopped him in his tracks. The black top underneath was barely held up by tiny straps that circled her neck. Her bare shoulders were as deeply tanned as the rest of her, and the too-thin fabric strained over her chest. Mike was reminded of the slit in her skirt, long, bare legs, and smooth, caramel skin. He wondered how they looked under the table right now, though there was plenty above to occupy his attention. The retort died on his tongue.
“See, the thing about pickles,” Allie interrupted his thoughts, dragging his eyes up to meet hers. “Isn’t the taste. It’s the texture. They get all slimy when they’re sliced.”
“Right,” Mike replied wisely. “Slimy.”
“But when you get a whole one... I like to feel the weight of it in my hand. The ones you can just barely wrap your fingers around. Those aren’t bad.”
Mike froze. His pants were suddenly tight.
“So, Mike,” Allie continued, either unaware of, or intentionally ignoring, his stunned silence. “I know you’ve been distracted in class lately, but I bet you’re really good at Econ. Do you think we could study together?” She chewed her salad and waited for an answer.
It took him a moment to catch up. “Like a tutor?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
So that was it. She was using him. He should have figured. Tutors charged a decent amount of money, for broke college students anyway. She thought she could show off and flirt a little and he would help her, under the guise of being old friends. Mike wanted to feel offended, but it wouldn’t come. She wasn’t exactly wrong. There was a lot he would put up with for alone time with the hottest girl in school, even if it meant they’d be studying economics.
He sighed, “Sure. I can tutor you. When did you have in mind?”
“How about tonight?”
Tonight? That was fast. Did Anders mention an exam coming up? Would Lana be home? “Tonight’s good.”
“Let me see your phone.”
He unlocked and passed it to her without a second thought.
“Here’s my number. Text me your address.”
Alone time with Allie would definitely be interesting. If he survived it.
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