ZOE'S POV
My phone kept ringing, and I fumbled for it with shaking hands. Kai's name flashed on the screen, and I felt a stab of something that might have been guilt.
"I should take this," I said.
"Of course. Yes. Take it." Leo was running his hands through his hair, looking anywhere but at me. "We're done here anyway. For tonight. You should go home."
I nodded, though I didn't really want to leave. Despite what had almost happened—or maybe because of it—I felt more connected to Leo than I ever had. Like we'd crossed some invisible line, even if we'd pulled back at the last second.
"Zoe?" Kai's voice came through the phone, worried. "You there?"
"Yeah, I'm here," I said, grabbing my purse and heading for the door. "Sorry, I was just—"
"Where are you? I've been trying to reach you."
I glanced back at Leo, who was now standing by the window with his back to me, shoulders tense. "I'm at the music building. Professor Mercer wanted to discuss my performance."
"This late? That's weird."
"It's not weird," I said, maybe a little too defensively.
"If you say so. Listen, I'm in the parking lot outside Building C. Can you meet me there?"
"You're here? Why?"
"I wanted to congratulate you on your recital, dummy. You were amazing tonight."
My chest warmed at his words. Kai had been nothing but supportive of my music, even when he didn't always understand it.
"I'll be right down," I said.
I hung up and looked at Leo one more time. He was still facing the window, hands clasped behind his back.
"Thank you," I said quietly. "For tonight. For everything."
He nodded without turning around. "Get home safely, Washington."
The walk to the elevator felt like the longest walk of my life. My hands were still trembling as I pressed the button for the ground floor, and I couldn't get the image of Leo's face out of my head. The way he'd looked at me right before my phone rang. Like he was seeing me for the first time.
Stop it, I told myself. He's your professor. He's older than you. He probably thinks of you as a kid.
But the way he'd looked at me tonight hadn't been the way someone looks at a kid.
I mentally slapped myself as the elevator doors opened. This was ridiculous. I was being ridiculous. Leo was helping me with my music, nothing more. The fact that he looked incredible in jeans and a t-shirt was irrelevant. The fact that he'd swooped in to rescue me from Marcus's lecture like some kind of knight in shining armor was irrelevant.
The fact that I'd wanted to kiss him was definitely irrelevant.
I spotted Kai as soon as I walked outside. He was leaning against his car, still wearing the button-down shirt and tie he'd worn to my recital. His face lit up when he saw me, and he ended the phone call he'd been having.
"There she is," he said, opening his arms wide. "The star of the evening."
I ran into his arms, letting him spin me around in a circle. His familiar cologne surrounded me, and I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders.
"I'm so proud of you," he whispered in my ear. "You were incredible up there."
"Thank you for coming," I said, pulling back to look at his face. "I know classical music isn't really your thing."
"Your music is my thing," he said, kissing my forehead. "Even when I don't understand it."
We talked about the recital for a few minutes, and I found myself gushing about how much Professor Mercer had helped me prepare.
"He's not as bad as everyone makes him out to be," I said. "I mean, he's tough, but he really knows what he's talking about. And he pushes me to be better."
Kai's expression darkened slightly. "If you say so. I still think he's kind of a jerk."
"He's not a jerk. He's just... focused."
"Focused on making his students miserable, maybe."
"That's not fair, Kai. You don't even know him."
"And you do?"
There was something in his tone that made me look at him more carefully. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," he said quickly. "I just think you're giving him too much credit. Anyway, are you hungry? Want to grab something at the cafeteria before I drive you home?"
I nodded, grateful for the change of subject. "That sounds good."
We walked back toward the main campus, our hands intertwined. It should have felt natural, comfortable. It always had before. But tonight, something felt different. Like I was going through the motions.
The cafeteria was mostly empty except for a few students studying late and some faculty members finishing up dinner. We grabbed sandwiches and found a table near the windows.
"So what did Professor Mercer want to talk about?" Kai asked, unwrapping his sandwich.
"Just technical stuff about my performance. Ways I could improve the piece."
He opened his mouth to talk but stopped, looking over my shoulder toward the cafeteria entrance. "Huh. Speak of the devil."
I turned to see what he was looking at and felt my stomach drop.
Professor Mercer had just walked in, but he wasn't alone. A beautiful woman with short blonde hair was with him, and as I watched, she threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug.
He hugged her back, his face breaking into a smile I'd never seen before. Warm, genuine, completely different from the careful expressions he wore around students. He pulled her cheek playfully, the way you'd touch someone you were really close to.
Someone you loved.
"Are they a couple?" Kai asked, following my gaze.
The question jerked me back to reality. "I don't know," I said, but my voice came out weird and tight.
I couldn't stop staring at them. The woman was gorgeous in an effortless way, probably around Leo's age. She looked like she belonged in his world in a way I never could.
As if he could feel me watching, Leo looked up and his eyes met mine across the cafeteria. For a second, neither of us moved. Then his gaze dropped to where my hand was still intertwined with Kai's, and something flickered across his face that I couldn't read.
He looked away almost immediately, turning his attention back to the blonde woman.