Enemies with Benefits

Chapter Two

You're no better than a goddamn man, Rachel. Even after all these years, you really froze up around him and still only thought with your thirsty ass p—

"Uh, newbie?"

"—pussy." Oh, dear god. Shoot me, please.

David furrowed his brows with uncertainty, and likely discomfort.

I slapped a hand over my face and inched away, hoping desperately to find a rock to crawl and hide under. When I found only a rough brick wall that jabbed me in the back, I winced. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean...I don't...I just..." I sighed. "I'm really sorry."

With humor in his eyes and a twinge of pink hinting in his cheeks, he bit back a chuckle and cleared his throat aggressively. "I was saying that a bunch of us are heading out for drinks later once we're all set up here. I said you can join if you want."

"Oh! Uh, sure, sure. I could honestly use a drink after what just happened." David laughed again and nodded, likely assuming I meant my unfortunate outburst—which was half true. But the louder half was speaking of the immediate tension that had plagued my body without warning at the mere sight of my ex. I hadn't even had a second to catch myself before falling head-first down that damned rabbit hole. So, yes. I was desperate for a drink. I glanced back up to the blond. "Where?"

"Ernie's. It's—"

"—just a few blocks down. I used to go all the time with—" I stopped myself. "Nobody. Anyway, I'm gonna head in. I'll see you later."

"Do you want me to drive you there later?"

"Hm? Oh, no. Thank you, but I can walk."

David's voice dropped in skepticism. "If you're sure..."

I laughed awkwardly, wondering why the stranger I'd met mere minutes before was so adamant. "I am. See ya!"

When he turned with seeming disappointment, I sighed in relief and shoved my entire body into the heavy ass door separating me from the peace of my lecture hall. I let it slam shut behind me and took in the large room I stood in. A heap of pride washed over me and I welcomed it, knowing that the years I'd busted my ass had finally paid off. When my bag hit the scabbing-over scrape on my thigh from earlier, my moment of happiness turned to a fit of uncertainty and unwavering reluctance. I made a beeline for the empty desk in front of the large board. Throwing my bag up onto it, I flopped down into the chair with little grace.

"What..." I let my hands fall onto the oak top. "The..." I dropped my head onto it with a bone-splitting thud. "Fuck!"

Moving back was already a hellacious decision in itself. I'd known that when I took the job three months ago. Being back in the town where my past had murdered my last remnants of sanity was hard enough, but I'd assumed Caleb would've moved elsewhere by now. Or at least I'd engulfed myself with wishful thinking that I'd never have to cross his path here again.

I had never moved on from Caleb Ryker. I'd festered. I'd cried. I'd screamed. And I'd moved, but not on. Never forward. Rather, I'd found myself circling a path that had been drawn in a vicious mockery from the inking pain of my past. And I knew that when I took the job. I knew it when I packed up my little apartment. When I boarded my flight.

So why had I gone to the beach the moment I'd landed—the one where I'd planned to marry the man I loved? Why had I spent the entire day there on my first day back?

"Seriously, how pathetic can you be, Rach?"

I groaned to myself and readjusted my head on my hands, getting more comfortable. Taking a deep breath, I gave myself a second to relax before I'd make myself get up and actually do what I needed to to prepare myself for the first day of classes. I unzipped my bag and pulled out the syllabus I'd typed up, then the textbook for the class to boot. I ran my fingers over the letters on the cover with a reminiscent smile. It had been my own nearly a decade prior, and when I opened it, a note on the inside was a clear reminder of that.