Rowan

Chapter 14 | Rowan

That night was a long one.

James left shortly after their moment in the studio, but his gaze had lingered heavy on her and she still felt it. That and the places his fingertips had brushed.

So she lay there for hours with only the sound of traffic in the road below to distract her.

When she woke up in the morning her first thought was that she really didn't know what to do. She didn't have any classes that day. While it certainly wasn't the first time, it wasn't any easier to make a decision. Part of her wanted to run out of the apartment and find him.

However, the question of how she'd be spending her day was answered when she got a call from the art department right before lunch. They wanted her to come in and do a quick demonstration for the education committee.

So one quick shower and roughly thirty minutes later she was trudging through the mud on her way to the university.

Students were milling around outside as the weather had finally improved, and she kept her head down until the sound of her name caught her attention. It wasn't too often that she heard it being hollered.

The yells were getting louder, and she spun around to see Emma and Leo running towards her across parking lot. Leo was panting by the time they caught up, and she shot him an amused glance.

"We've got some friends coming in from out of town and we're going to have a party tomorrow night! Will you come?" the blonde girl asked.

Rowan cringed. "I don't know. I've never really been a fan of parties."

Leo clasped his hands together. "Oh please, Rowan. It won't be a party without you," he cried, dropping to his knees dramatically.

She couldn't help but laugh at his terrible acting. "Fine!" she said, throwing her hands up. "You win. What time?"

"Six tomorrow night," Leo said, jumping up and throwing an arm around her shoulder. "This is gonna be epic. We're not inviting any of the morons from around here."

Despite her reservations concerning the whole thing, it was hard not to smile at their excitement. And it felt good to be included in something for once.

Her eyes widened as she remembered why she was even there. "Oh, geez. I have to go. I need to get up to the art hall."

"Six o'clock sharp!" Leo called behind her.

She threw a wave over her shoulder at the duo as she raced off towards the building.

•>•>•>

The demonstration went well.

Actually, that was an understatement. The demonstration went great. So great, in fact, that she'd been asked to start teaching beginners form as a sort of internship. And she couldn't have been happier.

She was light on her feet all the way back to the apartment, and nearly leapt into the air when her phone vibrated as a call came in-from none other than the man who'd been on her mind since the almost-kiss.

She quickly accepted the call, shoving it up to her ear. "Hello?" she said, a little embarrassed by how out of breath she sounded.

"Rowan. Is this a bad time?" His deep voice never failed to send shivers through her body, and this was not an exception.

"No! Not at all."

He sounded amused. "Alright, then. I was just wondering if I could take you out again?"

She nearly screamed in excitement. All she'd been thinking about was if he would want to see her again.

"Yes! I would love that," she said, unable to keep the giddiness from her voice. She was almost too far gone to care, but a small part of her was shaking it's head in disapproval.

I'm allowed to be happy!

She was shaken from her internal warring by the rumble of his voice. "Is tomorrow night okay?"

She had just opened her mouth to agree when she remembered the party. "Shit."

It was silent for a moment before he spoke up again. "Shit?"

"No. I mean..." She sighed. "I have something going on then."

A part of her, and a bigger part than she wanted to admit, was urging her to cancel on Emma and Leo. Except they were so kind, and had really taken her in and she was finding that she just couldn't disappoint them.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's something I have to do."

"It's fine, Rowan," he said, not missing a beat. "We can do it another day."

"Wait," she said. "Maybe we could meet up afterwards?" She paused. "I really want to see you," she added quietly.

His tone was one of surprise. "Of course. Should I come get you?"

"That would be great," she said. "Maybe at eight?"

He made a noise of approval. "Definitely. Where should I pick you up from?"

She read off the address to him and then agreed to see him following the party.