My eyes narrowed. “Is your whole shtick an act?”
He grinned, winking at me. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
So much.
“Ready to begin?” our professor asked the class.
For the next hour I sat in class watching Samir. A few times he caught me, tossing me a sidelong grin. He didn’t touch his pen once.
He just sat there, lounging in his chair, legs crossed at the ankles. By the end of it the only thing I’d learned was that I couldn’t get that stupid kiss out of my mind.
We got up from our chairs, gathering our stuff to leave. Samir walked by my desk. He leaned close, our faces just inches apart.
“Keep looking at me like that and we’re going to have to pick up where we left off.”
My cheeks turned red yet again.
He walked out of the classroom whistling.
Chapter 15
If my paper grade in Intro to IR taught me anything, it was that I needed to get serious about school. Somewhere in the array of nights out I’d lost my focus.
I desperately needed to get it back.
“I need a break,” Fleur announced.
“You’ve been studying for twenty minutes.” Even at a university where half the school failed to even come to class, Fleur was definitely not going to win student of the year. “You don’t need a break after twenty minutes.”
I was cracking down on the inhabitants of room 301, myself included.
Noora grinned at me from across the room.
“It’s boring,” Fleur complained, her algebra book in hand.
“It’s math, it’s supposed to be boring.”
Fleur wasn’t the only one who needed a break. Truthfully I wasn’t one to judge her lack of academic motivation. I had decided the only way to get back on track with my classes was to catch up on all the reading that fell by the wayside while I had been discovering London.
There was a lot of it.
“Let’s go out.”
Noora laughed. “Why do I think you guys aren’t going to be getting much work done?” she teased.
I shook my head, not bothering to look up from my book. “No. I have to study. We aren’t going out. Considering how little work you do, your grades can’t possibly be better than mine. Putting in some extra study time wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
“Studying is overrated,” Fleur challenged.
I hesitated. “Speaking of not studying. What’s the deal with Samir? He got an A on our last paper and I swear I’ve never seen him with a book.”
“He’s like that. Always has been. He’s crazy smart. My uncle, too.”
How had I missed that memo?
“If I have to study for another minute, I’m going to scream.”
I groaned. “You’re not helping here.”
“Sue me. I hate school.”
“I’ve noticed. What’s your major?”
She shrugged. “Haven’t declared one.”
Noora shot me an amused look across the room. I pulled a face.
“Need I say more? We’re studying. Stop trying to distract me.”
Fleur’s phone went off across the room. She was silent for a moment, scanning the screen. A smile spread across her face. “I’ll make you a deal.”
Noora laughed again.
“No deals. Studying.” I stared down at the same blank page I’d been trying to read for the last half hour. It was no use.
“We study for another hour,” Fleur cajoled. “Then we go out.”
“Fleur, I got a C plus on my paper. I’m on scholarship. If I don’t bring my grades up, I’m going to have to leave the International School.”
“Fine. Two hours. We can make a late appearance.”
I hesitated.
“You aren’t going to study past midnight anyways. Please. I promise we’ll spend the rest of the weekend studying. And besides, if we go out you might see Hugh.”
“Just give in to her,” Noora called out from across the room. “You know she won’t give up until she gets her way.”
I was so weak. “Fine. Two more hours. Then we’ll go out.”
* * *
We didn’t go to Babel. Tonight was a place called Blue, some hot club tucked off of a little street in Mayfair. Fleur, true to her word, studied with me for two hours before helping me dress up to go out. Noora stayed behind. I probably should have followed her example.
We met up with Samir and some of his friends. Even though Samir’s friends didn’t talk all that much, they were polite and tended to keep an eye out for the girls. If a guy made one of us uncomfortable, they stepped in and broke it up. Plus the late-night shawarma runs to the best Lebanese restaurant in town were an added bonus.
I leaned back against a pillar, surveying the crowd. I couldn’t help that my attention kept straying back to the same place. It really was a cruel twist of fate that he seemed to be the hottest guy in any room. Tonight was no exception.
“Who’s that?”
Fleur followed my gaze until it settled on a guy in a black jacket talking to Samir.
“Him?” She waved dismissively. “It’s Samir’s dealer.”
“Samir’s what?”
“His dealer. It’s no big deal. He just gets us stuff sometimes.”
“Stuff like drugs?” I didn’t bother keeping the shock out of my voice.
In South Carolina there were a fair amount of kids who smoked pot, but it wasn’t anything I ever considered. The smell was gross and I wasn’t willing to risk my future on a lapse of judgment or a moment of insanity.
“Is Samir buying drugs right now?”
Fleur shrugged, seemingly nonplussed. “I don’t know. Maybe. Why?”
I gaped at her. “Are you kidding me? I’m not in the mood to get arrested and deported for getting caught with drugs. Maybe you guys have parents who will buy you high-priced lawyers and get you off with just a slap on the wrist, but I promise you, if I get caught my ass is in big trouble.” I stood up, smoothing my dress down over my legs. “I know it’s not a big deal to you guys, but it is to me. I’m going to head out.”
Fleur frowned. “I didn’t think you’d care that much. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I’ll go, too. You shouldn’t leave by yourself.”
“You don’t have to.”
She shook her head. “I’m not bailing on you. We’ll both leave.”
We gathered our bags and coats. Samir caught sight of us across the room. His eyes narrowing, he walked over to where we stood.
“What’s wrong? Where are you guys going?”
I stood there, not sure how to answer him. I knew drugs were part of life at the International School. Most of the kids had tons of money and ran a little wild. But up to this point, I hadn’t actually been around anything. And I didn’t want to be. A part of me was a little disappointed that Samir even had a dealer. Although given his reputation for excess, I probably shouldn’t have been surprised.
We came from completely different worlds.
“Maggie’s a little uncomfortable. We’re heading out,” Fleur volunteered.
Samir’s gaze shifted to me. “What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t look at him.
“Did something happen?”
“No. I’m fine. I’m just tired,” I lied.
“She’s uncomfortable with your dealer being here,” Fleur interjected. “Maggie doesn’t do drugs.”
Samir was silent for a second. “Okay.”
He turned away from us and walked back over to the guy. They exchanged a few words and a complicated-looking high five before the guy walked away. Samir headed back to us.
“All gone. Stay. Please.”
I stared at him, another layer of confusion piling onto my general impression of Samir. “You didn’t have to do that. I didn’t want to ruin your night or anything.”
He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Want to dance?”
I hesitated, all too aware of Fleur’s attention on us now. It seemed dangerous to be close to him. At the same time rude to refuse. And it would probably only draw attention to us.
“Sure.”
I was starting to seriously question my willpower—or lack thereof.
I followed Samir out to the dance floor, the night of the boat party rushing back to me. He was just as good a dancer as I remembered. For a minute neither one of us spoke. I wanted to thank him for what he did earlier, but I struggled to strike the balance between showing him that it meant something and not making too big of a deal about it.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Get rid of that guy.”
He smiled. “Yeah, I did.”
“Why?” Suddenly I wanted to know. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make him out. I shouldn’t have cared.
Samir has
bad idea
written all over him.
But a part of me wanted to know him. I wanted to know why he evoked this reaction from me, when on paper he was all wrong.
“You were uncomfortable.”
I laughed. “I thought you enjoyed making me uncomfortable.”
His lips quirked into a little half smile. “There’s uncomfortable and then there’s
uncomfortable.”
The word escaped in a low drawl. “I prefer the latter. Besides, you’re my friend. I would have missed you if you left.”
“We’re friends now?”
“Something like that.”
My heart thudded at his smile, the teasing tone. “You really would have missed me?”
“Sure. You’re fun to have around. And you’re pretty cute, too.” I blushed. “Are you having a good time?” His hand brushed against my back.
He moved closer to me, resting his arms at my waist, our bodies flush against each other.
“Yeah. I really shouldn’t be out, though. I’m way behind with school. The paper in Abbott’s class was kind of the final nail in the coffin.”
“You seem pretty smart. I’m sure you’ll be fine. I wouldn’t beat myself up about the paper. Everyone goes through a bit of a transition freshman year. It’s normal.”
“I don’t know anymore. I just feel…overwhelmed. I used to have all these plans. Goals for myself. I just feel like they’re slipping away little by little. I’m not even sure what I want anymore.”
“Maybe you’re too hard on yourself. I promise you, you’re smarter than most of the people at school. You’ll be fine. You don’t always have to be perfect. It’s okay to fuck up once and awhile. I should know, I do it more than most.” I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “It’s okay to have a little bit of fun. You don’t have to work all the time. You Americans could take a cue from the rest of the world. There’s nothing wrong with working hard and playing hard.”
“All work and no play?” I joked.
He grinned. “Exactly.”
He pulled me closer and my breasts brushed against his chest. It didn’t even feel intentional. Like everything between us, it just happened. I stiffened as heat flared in his eyes. I was definitely feeling
uncomfortable.
The casual banter we had going disappeared, replaced by something heady and powerful. I felt as if I was drugged, desire replacing all rational thought.
All it took was one look, one touch, and I was ready to throw caution to the wind. What was that if not insanity?
“We can’t do this again,” I mumbled, responding to an unspoken invitation that lingered in his hands and eyes. “Fleur’s right back there. We’re in public.”
“Do you really think that’s going to stop me? I have very fond memories of doing all sorts of things to you in public. I think you like it in public. I think you like losing control, like feeling reckless. It’s so out of character for you isn’t it? You always play it safe. But you’re learning now aren’t you, that you weren’t meant to play it safe. That you were made for more.”
With each word he unraveled something inside me. He saw too much, noticed too much, knew too much about me. He looked at me like he saw through the façade, through the image I put up for the rest of the world. I wasn’t sure I liked it.
“This isn’t a good idea.” Unfortunately my body didn’t seem to be getting the memo.
“Why?” Samir challenged, his hand stroking my back. “One reason.”
I could give him one hundred.
I was too chicken to tell him the real reason—that I was scared he was going to hurt me, in a way I wouldn’t recover from. He wasn’t an easy guy to get close to. I was beginning to realize there was more there, a lot more, than was obvious at first glance. The flashiness of him was intimidating enough, but the other stuff? The heat that flared when he looked at me? The fact that I actually maybe-kind of-sort of liked who he was?
That was terrifying.
Being with him felt as though I was sinking deeper and deeper into quicksand.
I was scared that if I wasn’t careful, I wouldn’t be able to get out.
“Maggie…” Samir’s voice trailed off as his gaze drifted to a point over my shoulder. His body stiffened, his expression changing. He released me. Confusion filled me. His eyes were different, colder now, as if someone had flipped a switch.
The foolish part of me wanted the heat back. Yearned for it.
“Your guy is here.”
I froze in the middle of the dance floor. “What?”
“That guy from Babel is here.”
Feeling like everything was going in slow motion, I turned around. There he was, standing near the bar, clad in a gray suit. Our eyes caught across the room. A slow smile spread across Hugh’s face.
I couldn’t make my lips do the same.
I was happy to see Hugh. Surprised to see him. I was a lot of things I couldn’t quite name.
I turned back and Samir was gone.
Chapter 16
I stood by myself in the middle of the dance floor. Hugh crossed the distance between us. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to both my cheeks.
“Sorry I haven’t called.” Hugh’s expression was sheepish.
He looked so cute, so quintessentially British, that it tugged at me a bit.
“It’s okay.” Part of me—the part that spent the past few weeks obsessing and wondering why he didn’t text—knew I was letting him off too easily. But right now he seemed like the lesser of two evils.
“Do you want to get out of here? We can grab a late dinner or something.”
I hesitated. Things felt unresolved with Samir. Part of me wanted to go after him and finish the conversation we’d started. But what was the point? After all, Hugh was here and Samir had walked away.
“That sounds perfect.”
We walked over to my friends. I told Fleur bye, struggling not to laugh as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively behind Hugh’s back.