His Unwilling Muse

Chapter 9: Caught in the Act

The moment the professor announces the end of the lecture, I'm on my feet. I swing the backpack over my shoulder and turn in the direction of the door.

"Are you in a hurry?" Warren asks.

I'm about to respond with a definite no, when I realize he's right. Despite having more than enough time, I'm rushing right now.

With a cough to cover the bitter taste in my mouth, I straighten my spine and turn back toward my best friend.

"Not at all."

"But I thought... Forget it." He waves the former thought of. "Don't forget that we have our presentation on Tuesday."

"I know." Even the mere thought of next week and with it the fatal Tuesday has a line of sweat building up on my forehead. "Don't worry, I'll come fully prepared."

"I know you will." He shakes his head. "What I wanted to tell you, was not to stress yourself too much over the weekend. You'll do just fine."

"Thanks." Despite not believing his words I force a soft smile onto my lips. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Okay. And try not to die of boredom during the violinist's practice."

"I'll do my best."

With one last wave I scoot down the row of wooden chairs and head out of the lecture hall. My feet want to move at their own pace, however, every fifth step I force them to move in a slower pattern. I have no reason to hurry, especially since I have more than enough time to reach the Conservatory.

Half an hour later, I park my bike and head toward the entrance. When I round the corner of the building, I catch a couple standing a few steps in front of the glass door. My eyes skip over the unfamiliar strawberry-red locks of a young college student, but stop on the familiar profile of the guy standing next to her.

Nate.

For a second my step falters and I find myself staring at the young woman's hand which is resting on Nate's upper arm. Then I squish down the ping inside my chest and force my tense jaw to relax. It's none of my business who she is, or what kind of relationship she has with Nate to be touching him so freely.

My intention is to walk straight past them, while pretending not to see them. The plan, however, sails away the moment Nate's eyes move past the young woman and land on me.

"Violet."

His ever present smile causes my stomach to do a flip, which sinks my mood even lower. What was wrong with me? I couldn't care less about him and whoever he chooses to spend his time with.

The young woman turns to face me as well, and to my surprise her features don't immediately darken into a scowl. Instead, she only nods in my direction and then turns back to Nate.

"As I was saying..." I'm now close enough to hear her words, but I force myself not to eavesdrop. Who cares what she and Nate are talking about.

Nate, however, still has his eyes fixed on me. I ignore the dry state of my mouth and force myself to keep moving forward.

"Don't mind me," I say when I'm about to walk past them. "I'll just wait inside."

Then with my chin held high I continue straight through the glass door.

"Violet!"

Nate's voice reaches my ears, and my first instinct is to keep walking forward. However, because his voice was loud enough to turn some eyes from much farther away, there is no way I can pretend like I didn't hear him.