WHERE HIS EYES LINGERED

Chapter 2

He was close enough that I could see tiny drops of rain caught in his curly brown hair. My heart refused to cooperate, hammering wildly against my ribs.

"You know..." His voice pulled me back to reality. "...most people try not to get caught in a downpour before noon," he said, his tone lightly teasing.

A small smile tugged at my lips. "Uhm..." I rubbed my arms, shivering slightly. "I forgot my umbrella," I admitted, my voice carrying a hint of embarrassment. It came out quieter than I had intended, the sudden chill making it sound almost shaky.

"It definitely looks that way." He glanced toward the sheets of rain before looking back at me. "I walked out thinking I had made it to the parking lot." A corner of his mouth lifted into a handsome smirk. "I was not even close."

I smiled softly, completely captivated.

His eyes drifted down to the folder I was holding tightly against my chest. "Were you headed somewhere?"

"I just came from a job interview."

"Oh." He nodded once, his expression turning curious. "I hope it went well."

"It did." A bright smile spread across my face before I could stop it. "I got the job."

"That's good." He said it so simply. So naturally. As though he genuinely meant it.

I blinked in surprise. He actually cared enough to ask? He acknowledged me, wanted to know how my interview went, and now he was congratulating me? It was such a small thing, yet somehow, it made my heart flutter in a way I could not explain.

I looked down, hoping he would not notice the flush creeping onto my face. For some reason, hearing "That's good" from Mike Junior felt like the best congratulations I had ever received.

But the rain showed no sign of letting up. I hugged my arms a little tighter around myself, hoping I did not look as miserable as I felt. The cold was beginning to settle into my bones, and my dress, now soaked through, clung uncomfortably to my skin.

I shifted uneasily. That's when I noticed his eyes on me.

It wasn't a lustful look, there wasn't even a trace of anything inappropriate in his expression. If anything, he looked concerned. Almost immediately, I became hyper aware of just how much the damp fabric revealed. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I folded my arms across my chest on instinct, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

Without saying another word, he slipped off the coat he was wearing. It looked expensive, probably more expensive than everything I owned.

He held it out to me. "Here."

I stared at the heavy fabric, then up at him. "Oh... no, I couldn't."

"You'll freeze." he said looking more handsome.

"I'm okay." I said as my voice cracked because of the cold...I bite hard on my lower lips. he must have seen how pathetic I look

He gave me a look that clearly said otherwise. "You don't look okay."

I opened my mouth to protest again. Then—

"Elizabeth."

My heart skipped a beat. I blinked, utterly stunned. "...How do you know my name?"

A faint smile appeared on his lips. "You're the girl from the campus cafeteria, aren't you?"

I stared at him for a second before giving a slow nod. "...Yeah. I am."

"So I was right." He looked down at the coat still stretched out between us, lifting it slightly. "Now... take this."

I hesitated. Not because I didn't want the warmth, but because I could not quite believe this was happening. The boy I had spent years secretly admiring, the boy I was convinced had never once noticed me, not only knew my name, but he remembered exactly where he had seen me.

I carefully took the coat from his hands. It was still radiating his body heat. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I slipped it on, pulling it tightly around myself. The warmth settled over me almost instantly, and with it came the faint, intoxicating scent of his cologne. For some reason, that only made my heart beat faster.

The coat swallowed my small frame. The sleeves slipped past my hands until my fingers almost disappeared inside them. I pulled the lapels a little closer, trying not to obsess over the fact that I was standing there wearing Mike Junior's clothes.

He glanced back out at the storm before slipping both hands into his pockets. "Do you live far from here?"

I nodded. "About twenty five minutes."

His eyes shifted back to the rain as it continued to pour, showing no signs of slowing down. For a brief moment, neither of us spoke.

I checked the time on my phone, and the happiness I had been feeling slowly faded. Grandma was probably waiting for me by now. She always worried whenever I was late.

A quiet sigh escaped my lips. "I should probably get going."

"In this?" He gestured toward the torrential sheets of water falling just beyond the awning.

I followed his gaze. The storm had not eased at all. "I don't really have much of a choice."

"You do." I looked back at him, my breath catching. "My car's just across the street," he said, pulling a sleek umbrella from his bag. "I can give you a ride."

My eyes widened. "Oh... no, I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't." He said it so casually, a small smirk playing on his lips. "I'm offering."

"I don't want to inconvenience you."

"You won't." He held my gaze for a moment, his voice softening into something sincere. "It would make me feel better knowing you got home safely. Besides, you're already drenched."

His eyes lingered for the briefest second before moving away just as quickly. "You'll catch a cold if you stay out here much longer."

I looked down, realizing just how soaked I truly was beneath his coat. For a few seconds, I just stood there, staring at him. It still felt completely unreal. If someone had told me this morning that I had ended the day wearing his coat, talking to him, and agreeing to let him drive me home... I would have laughed.

But as he opened the umbrella and stepped out into the rain, holding it back over me so I would not get wet, I realized this was not a dream at all.