Chapter 1

Ugh! I was dreading the beginning of this semester as I scurried as quickly as possible to class in the frigid January weather. Being a tiny girl, only 5’3” and about 100 lbs I do admit I’m almost always cold, but this winter weather cuts me straight through to the bone. And I had a hell of a semester to look forward to; taking trigonometry after my spoiled semester off, for god’s sake!

During my long trek to class I mentally shuffled through a catalog of who I’d met in my time at school that might be in this grueling class with me. Around the fifth person I settled into thinking about a guy who I never actually dated, but he has worked his way into ex status over the years. We hadn’t seen each other in over six months. We hooked up a few times freshmen year, and for some reason he refused to accept that I just wanted to be friends, something most men dream of! But his Adonis body, ambition, and god knows what else drew me to him. I laughed a little to myself thinking of how incompatible we seemed on a personal level, yet how of all the guys I’d been with no one had been able to match our sexual chemistry. He knew just what I liked; when to whisper in my ear all sweetly, when to start nibbling that ear, when to make his way down my ear to my neck, from my neck to my chest, my nipples hardening in anticipation of his expert tongue…

Well, I guess this is my class, I realized as I approached room 631 in building B. Hooray math, I thought wryly and opened the door. I was early, as usual, and there were several seats available. I surveyed the room and remembered that math was my weakest subject and grabbed one near the front so paying attention would feel less optional. The seven minutes until class started passed quickly, students would come in and get seated, make casual conversation, I would check the clock, more students would enter, I struck up a conversation with a few kids around me. I checked the clock again; the room was almost full with the exception of the seat directly in front of me and one in the very back corner, one minute. The professor began to call role, I recognized a few names and faces from before I had taken my semester off. Just I a sigh of relief escaped my lips upon realizing there was no one who made me feel awkward in this class the door knob began to turn. Of course.

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” he huffed apologetically to the professor, “You know the nightmare the parking lots are during the first week of class! I’m so sorry!” It bubbled out so quickly and sincerely I didn’t even want to mark this student tardy and I had no clue who he was. He was excused and asked to take a seat; I smiled at the poor puffy boy turning around to take the seat in front of me. He was about 5’10” and the back of his head looked so familiar I could’ve sworn I had touched it, but I didn’t recognize the slightly out of shape body huffing and puffing in front of me. Then the boy turned around and I was had the biggest DUH moment of my life; it was Alex, the Ex-like Adonis I had been thinking about. Thankfully I didn’t have time to process that Alex was the softer boy in front of me and my smile stuck. I was a little surprised given our history, but he returned it with such enthusiasm and sincerity I felt butterflies in my actual stomach; the feelings he causes are always further south.