I Confessed To The Wrong Twin

Ch.14

Jami

"Reid?" Why is he looking at me as if I asked a strange question? Did he forget who Professor Vance is all of a sudden?

"Hey? What are you thinking about..." His brows furrow more, his jaw clenches slightly.

He doesn't answer. He just stares at the paper in my hand as if it's written in some ancient code.

"Reid, seriously," I say, nudging his knee with mine. "The honors seminar last semester? You spent three hours complaining to me about his essay prompts. You said he was the most brutal grader in the entire economics department. What did he do on the mid-term?"

He clears his throat, his voice coming out rough. "Right. Vance."

"Yes, Vance," I say, my brow furrowing as I lean closer, trying to read his expression. "Why are you acting like you've never heard his name before?"

"I heard you," he grunts, shifting his weight on the mattress. "Just had a brain fart. Too many late nights with... training schedules."

"Training?" I look at him, confused. "Since when do honors seminars have training schedules? You're a class head, not an athlete."

"Yeah. Academic training. The program modules," he says quickly, his jaw tightening. "Look, why the hell are we talking about Vance anyway?"

"Because he's teaching the advanced winter term!" I raise my voice, exasperated. "If we don't align the core outline with his testing style, we're going to get destroyed. Why are you being so weird about this? It's like you're not even listening to me."

"I am listening to you, Jami."

"Then answer the question!" I snap, tossing the syllabus sheet onto the bed between us. "What is his favorite curveball? You literally took his class!"

"He's a hardass," he bites out, his voice dropping into a harsh, defensive register. "That's his style. He changes the metrics. Now drop it."

I stare at him, my heart starting to beat a little faster, but not in a good way. "He changes the metrics? Reid, that doesn't even make sense. Vance is known for his static modeling exams. If you actually took his seminar, you'd know—"

"Are you auditing me right now?" he interrupts, his eyes flashing with a sudden, dark intensity.

"No, I'm trying to study with my boyfriend!" I stand up from the bed, crossing my arms as I look down at him. "But you're sitting here acting like some stranger who put on your clothes."

"I forgot a name, Jami. It's not a crime." He stands up too, towering over me in the small space of my dorm room.

"It's not just a name!" I press a hand to my forehead, pacing a step away. "You've been off since you walked through that door. You're talking different, you're standing different... What is going on with you?"

"Nothing is going on with me," he growls, stepping into my path and stopping my pacing.

"Then look me in the eye and tell me what Vance's syllabus outline was," I challenge, my voice trembling slightly. "Just one detail. Prove to me you're actually here with me and not completely checked out."

He takes a sharp breath, his hands slamming into his pockets. "I don't have to prove s**t to you about a syllabus, Jami."

"Yes, you do!" I yell, frustration spilling over. "Because I'm stressing myself to death trying to keep up with you, and you're standing there acting like this is a joke!"

"You want to know what I think?" he barks, taking a sudden step forward, crowding me back against the desk. "I think you're looking for an excuse to fight."

"I am not!"

"Then shut up about the damn books," he growls, his hand shooting out to grab my laptop.

He slams the screen down, cutting off the only bright light in the room.

"Reid, what the hell?!" I gasp, reaching for the laptop, but his fingers wrap firmly around my wrist, stopping me.

"Forget the notes, Jami," he whispers, his voice dropping into a rough, commanding register that makes my chest tighten.

"No, we have to—"

"It's holiday," he cuts me off, his grip on my wrist tightening just enough to pull me a fraction closer. "And it means no books."

"Reid, please, the dean's office—"

"Let them wait," he rumbles, stepping fully into my space, his chest pressing against my shoulder. "You look so pretty when you're stressing over academics."

"You're being crazy," I whisper, my breath hitching as his free hand slides up to the nape of my neck, his thumb pressing hard against my jaw, forcing my head back. "This isn't you."

"You talk too much when you're nervous," he murmurs, his eyes dropping to my lips.

"Reid—"

He doesn't let me finish.

His mouth crashes down on mine.

I gasp against his lips, my hands immediately flying up to slam against his chest, pushing with everything I have. "Mmph—Reid, stop—"

He doesn't budge. He groans, a low, savage sound in the back of his throat, and wraps his arm fully around my waist, lifting me slightly until my toes are barely touching the floor, crushing me against his solid chest.

My fingers curl into the fabric of his hoodie, first in protest, but as his tongue slides past my parted lips, claiming my mouth with a fierce, possessive stroke, the fight completely drains out of me.

He tastes like dark coffee and cold wind, his jaw shifting against mine with a wild hunger that makes my head spin.

"Ah..." I let out a soft, helpless sound as his teeth drag over my bottom lip, sending a direct spike of heat straight to my thighs.

"Jami," he growls against my mouth, his grip tightening, pulling me so close there isn't a single inch of space left between us.

He slants his mouth deeper over mine, completely erasing my own name from my mind. I arch into him, my hands leaving his chest to bury themselves in his hair, pulling him closer as the world outside my dorm room disappears.