For the past hour, I've been struggling to focus on the goddamned movie, but it's just not happening.

I have not been able to go five minutes without Wright's face resurfacing in my head, like a goddamn pop-up ad.

And it doesn't make any difference that Brian's meaty hand is placed over mine. Because the warmth his hand offers doesn't warm my insides and it doesn't electrify my senses. Nor does it make my mind go blank for a solid moment... the way Wright's does.

I shift on my seat.

The entire night, Wright and I sat behind his laptop on the dining table as he searched and taught me how to search for a topic for my yet-to-be-written paper. As discreetly as I could, I tried directing him to Reimann hypothesis, but it was way more challenging than I had initially expected. Or perhaps it was the effect of having his legs brush mine occasionally or the overpowering scent of his cologne, and the warmth of his body radiating a mere inch away from me. Either way, it was hard.

But I stayed true to my words. After he dropped me off and I changed and headed to the bookstore, before settling behind the desk I texted Brian to hang out today. I guess he was slightly too excited because even if he had other plans, he canceled them all, and here we are, sitting in the theatre, watching a movie I did not understand one second of it.

I blankly gaze at the screen as the hero of the movie stands in front of the heroine and again, Professor Spencer Wright's dreamy dark blue eyes swim in my brain. I inhale sharply and subtly shake my head as if that would make his stupid face with his stupid heart-warming smile fade away.

The credits start rolling on the screen and the lights turn on. Brian turns to me and I offer him a smile.

With my hand still in his, we stand up and leave together.

"I'm so glad you were free today," he says as we head out of the theatre.

I grin. "I'm glad you were free too and agreed to come."

He talks about the movie as we go to a nearby restaurant, while I try my best to focus on him, instead of comparing his voice with Spencer Wright's, sending shivers down my spine each time he said my name last night.

We sit in the booth on the furthest corner, near a window.

"Any plans for after graduating?" he asks as a waiter hands us two menus.

I shrug. "Continuing, I guess. What about you?"

"Obviously continuing, but will you be changing universities?"

I gaze out of the window. "I hope I can." When I turn to him, his face has slightly fallen. I offer him a small smile and he weakly returns it.

"I'll be staying here. Got a job, a house with my friends..." He fiddles with the edge of the menu.

I plant my elbow on the table and rest my chin on my palm.

His honey-colored eyes jump at me. "And then after a few years when I find you again, you'll be doctor Gracie Stewart... probably a professor."

I giggle and lift a shoulder. "Maybe."

The waiter places our drinks and leaves. I twirl the straw in the glass before taking a sip from the ice-cold drink, cringing at the mixture of sweetness and gas. Through my lashes, I peer at him. "Won't you be a professor too?"

He sips his drink. "I love maths... but teaching?" he shakes his head and chuckles. "Not so much. I'll probably do a one-year course in programming or something and then jump into the wild."

I laugh and lean into my seat.

We order our food, as our discussion continues. It still surprises me how easy it is to be around him. We talk and laugh and time slips past us. By the time it's eight, we're walking down the sidewalk towards my apartment.

"Doesn't it get exhausting? Walking everywhere?" he asks as he pushes his hands into his pockets.

A cold breeze gently brushes my exposed legs and I wrap my coat tighter around my body. "Not really. I do take the subway from time to time."

"But still," he curiously gazes at me and I smile at him.

"I told you, I like walking." Just because I told Wright the real reason, or rather he kind of found out himself, telling the truth has not become easier, and nor is it an option. "It's the perfect dose of daily exercise," I add.

He chuckles. "That's a good point."

"And you get to be present, see your surrounding up close. If you start counting, there are loads of reasons why walking is better."

He holds his hands up in mock defeat and I grin at him.

A blanket of silence wraps around us. I gaze at the street, the occasional cars racing down.

The ease offered by being around Brian is comforting like we've known each other for years. Similar to a safe space, a tranquil bubble only for us. I catch a glimpse of him from the corner of my eye, he's busy staring hardly a few feet ahead as if trying to solve one of the world's hardest problems.

Despite myself, I crack a small smile. With his brows furrowed and mouth pressed into a thin line, he looks adorable.

Maybe it's my style, to first befriend a guy and then date him... it was the same with Alex. Perhaps it'll be the same with him too.

I like Brian's company. I nod to myself. This is right.

Wright. His intense gaze cuts through my memory, the way he was looking at me last night when I was handing him the towel, quickens my heartbeat. I shake my head.

Brian slows down and I realize we're only a few steps away from my apartment. I turn to him with a smile, trying to shove aside our professor's face.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Brian comes to a halt, avoiding looking at me directly. I tilt my head with a mixture of curiosity and confusion as I look up at him.

"I need to tell you something." His gaze returns to me and our eyes lock.

I hold my breath as I nod, preparing myself for the worst. What if he has a girlfriend? Or maybe he's not into girls and now he has realized how his behavior has been misleading. I chew my bottom lip as I wait for him to go on.

"I-I," he pauses and inhales sharply. "Gracie, I like you," he quickly says.

I glance away and grin. Maybe every time is not bad news.

"Y-you don-" he stutters, his face flushing.

I shake my head, still grinning. "I like you too."

His eyes widen and his tense posture relaxes as he beams at me. "I... wow."

I giggle and he laughs awkwardly.

I'm about to say the usual words of 'I had a nice night' before heading home when his palm finds my cheek a beat before he leans down to me. His other hand plants on my shoulder, pulling us closer.

His soft lips, tasting like the drink he had, gently land on mine and he kisses me tenderly, taking me by surprise. His lips hesitant at first, begin moving after I recover from my surprise and return the kiss.

Our lips move slowly together. I curl my fingers around the fabric of his jacket. Warm fuzzy feeling courses through my veins as I relax and allow myself to enjoy it. He pulls away first, grinning. I smile at him and take a step back.

The kiss reminds me of the second guy I kissed, the one I used to hang out with before Alex and I got together. Sweet and gentle.

"Good night Brian," I say and walk backward to the door of my apartment's building.

He ruffles his hair, still beaming. "Thanks." He takes a step back and waves. "See you around, Stewart."

I laugh and step inside, heading towards the elevator, smiling like an idiot.

∞ ∞ ∞

Aww aren't they cute together? xD lol, tell me what you think about the kiss and this chapter?

I forgot to ask in the previous chapter, but as you all have noticed, I changed the cover... any thoughts on it? Do you think this is better than the previous one?

⚠️I was thinking about changing the update schedule a bit. My exams are exactly 20 days away so I wrote this story's outline and it won't be wrapped up in 20 [short] chapters so I was considering updating every day except Saturdays & Sundays, to give me time to write ahead so I won't need to put this story on hold for 2-3 weeks during my exams...

As my reader, do you rather have daily updates for 20 days straight and then probably nothing for 15-20 days? Or 5 days per week in these 3 remaining weeks and then 2 updates per week during my exams?

Oooh and prepare yourself for a small (very small) dose of a steamy scene for tomorrow's update XD

Well that's it, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed and don't forget to vote if you did ^^

Stay safe, lots of love, happy reading <33