“Let’s sit near the front today.” Anna suggested as she and Annabelle walked towards the law building on Monday morning.
“But we always sit in the middle. If we sit in the front we have to look like we’re paying attention the whole time,” Annabelle whined. “Why would you want to- Oh, I get it. This must have to do with your crush on Sinclaire.”
“No, I do not-,” Anna started, but she knew she couldn’t fool Annabelle. “Fine, but it actually might be more than a one sided crush.
“Oh? Do tell.” Annabelle urged.
Anna told her all about Ernest’s connection to her father as his intern and how he came over to work on a case.
“Wait, he came over to your dad’s house on a Saturday night just to work on a case?” Annabelle smirked. “Seems suspicious to me.”
He’s a busy guy. It’s not like he has a lot of free time.”
“Uh-huh.” Annabelle gave Anna a knowing look. “So you don’t think it’s at all too big of a a coincidence that he happened to come over when you were there? Did he seem surprised to see you?”
“Well…no. Now that I think about it not at all. And my dad was so embarrassing, oh my god. He was very obviously trying to set us up.” Anna rolled her eyes.
“Did that make Ernest uncomfortable?” Annabelle questioned.
“It’s hard to say because I was too busy being mortified myself.”
“Did he leave right after he was done working with your father?“
“No, actually, he stayed and watched a movie with me.”
Annabelle’s eyes widened. “Anna! Were you just planning on leaving this major detail out?”
“I kind of just wanted to forget about it Nd the fact that I fell asleep and drooled on him.”
Annabelle couldn’t contain her laughter. “Okay that’s kind of tragic, but back up. How did you get to the point where you fell asleep on Ernest Sinclaire?”
Anna recounted the details of the movie, from their awkward start at opposite ends of the couch, to her horrific comment about bodily fluids.
“But Anna,” Annabelle stepped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders, “you are focusing on all the wrong things here. He came over because you were there. He stayed just for you. He put his arm around you. He kissed you on the cheek even after you drooled all over him! He might be moving slower than molasses, but he wants you.”
“You really think so?” Anna knew the signs pointed to yes, but she was letting her insecurities get the better of her. She was used to being the girl with too much baggage and a dark cloud over her. But if Ernest worked for her father, maybe he already knew about everything. Before Annabelle could respond, Anna answered her own question. “I guess you might be right. I just need to stop acting like such an awkward fool around him.”
“I don’t know.” Annabelle chuckled. “I think that’s part of your charm.”
Anna pushed her playfully. “We’re here now, so hush.”
“Good morning ladies.” Ernest greeted them as they slid into the row right behind him. “What’s with the location change? Did you actually want to learn something in class today?” He asked with an amused look on his face.
“Oh yes that’s definitely it. Much too difficult to pay attention back there.” Annabelle winked and Ernest responded with a smirk. Why was everyone in Anna’s life so cruel? Maybe cruel was harsh, especially since it didn’t seem to be scaring Ernest away, but nobody was making this easy for her.
Sitting near the front was nothing if not more distracting having Ernest so close she could smell him. It was a scent she’d become quite familiar with since Saturday when he’d left traces of it on her sweater where she had rested up against him. She wouldn’t admit to anyone that she’d refused to wash it so the smell wouldn’t fade.
Anna pulled out her phone and looked a text she’d gotten yesterday. It was another detail she withheld from Annabelle. It was simple. I hope you made it back safely, and don’t forget about the quiz tomorrow. Coming from Ernest though it said a lot. It was the first time he had ever texted her, and sure, he reminded her about something for class, but the real reason had to be that he cared. He wanted an excuse to check in with her and she realized Annabelle was right. Anna was so busy trying to find any and all reasons he wouldn’t like her, she missed all the signs that he did. This should make her happy, and it did, but now she had all the more reason to worry about not making a fool of herself in front of him, which she seemed to an expert at doing. But again as Annabelle said, Ernest seemed to like her despite, or perhaps even because of it.
“Psst. Earth to Anna!” Annabelle waved a stack of papers in front of her face breaking Anna from her trance. “Quiz time.”
“Oh! Sorry.” Anna took one from the top and passed the rest down her row. Luckily her weekend studying had paid off and the quiz was a breeze. She finished early and went up to hand it to Ernest who was now standing at the front of the class.
“Ms. Edgewater, can I see you after class?” He asked without a hint of familiarity in his voice. It was difficult to discern if he was just trying to keep up his professional teaching assistant act or if she actually had something to worry about.
Anna waited until everyone had finished their quizzes and sent Annabelle on her way before approaching Ernest. “Am I in trouble Mr. Sinclaire?” she teased, hoping her instincts were right and he just wanted an excuse to talk to her.
“Let me walk you out.” Ernest placed a hand on the small of Anna’s back to guide her, sending a pleasant tingle across the skin beneath her t-shirt. A she turned, she caught Professor Richards glaring at them, making her acutely aware that the lecture hall was probably not the place for even the most innocent of contact. As much as it pained her, Anna sidestepped away from Ernest’s touch.
Once they reached the outer hallway, Ernest still hadn’t said a word, so Anna broke the silence. “So, you wanted to talk about something?”
Ernest cleared his throat. “Umm, yes. I was wondering if you decided yet if you would like me to tutor you for business statistics.”
“Oh…” Anna tried to mask the disappointment she felt. What had she expected – for him to ask her on a date? Apparently part of her had. However tutoring her would require some one on one time, and she could use the help. “Sure. That’d be great.”
“Good. Does Friday night work for you?”
Friday night. Wouldn’t he rather be doing something more fun than helping her study on a Friday night? Then again, based on what his friends said, probably not. “It’s a date!- I mean a study date, ugh, not a date. You know what I mean.”
“Heh,” Ernest let out a small laugh and his smile reached his eyes for the first time that day. “I’ll see you at seven at your place for not a date.”