Katy was silent, but her eyes were swimming with words unsaid. David waited patiently, trusting that when she did speak, he knew what she would say. But she didn’t have to.
Instead, her hands lifted toward him, wrapping slowly around the back of his neck. David’s hands went to Katy’s waist, pulling her in to him from her seat beside him, nestling her half in his lap.
And when their lips met, David could feel that Katy felt the same way that he did. Their kiss was electric, binding them so tightly that David wondered if he’d ever be able to live without her again.
And, as she pulled away, she responded anyway for good measure, telling him what her lips, her tongue, her hands curling at the nape of his neck had already told him.
“I love you, too.”
11
Katy
“Nicely done, Katerina,” Professor Bissenhof said, handing back a graded quiz.
“Thank you,” Katy replied. She would have followed with her usual request to be referred to simply as “Katy,” but she had already told the professor twice. The man obviously had his own ideas about what to call her.
Katy looked down at the quiz, a flood of relief washing over her. It had been much harder than she anticipated (like most of the class, really), but somehow she’d wound up with another A. It was a welcome turn of events.
She folded up the quiz and tossed it into her bookbag, along with her water bottle and Comparative Lit textbook.
“Don’t forget that your first paper is due next class,” Bissenhof went on in his signature monotone. “I do not accept late papers. And a failing grade on the first paper will make passing this class impossible. At least one student a semester learns this lesson the hard way, no matter how many times I forewarn them. I implore you: don’t be that student.”
Yeah, yeah. It definitely won’t be me. Katy had almost all of the paper finished already. It just needed a little polishing. She stood, already wondering about her next class, and slung her bag over her shoulder. It grazed the shoulder of a tall, muscular man in a Harvard T-shirt.
“Pardon me,” Katy said.
“No prob, Princess,” the man replied coolly. He made a show of looking Katy up and down and then winked before turning and exiting the room.
Katy rolled her eyes. The same guy had been hitting on her since classes started, but that had certainly taken it up a notch. But she wasn’t too bothered. Some guys would always want the thrill of being with a royal.
But not all guys were that kind of rotten slime-ball. Some guys were even more handsome and toned, but also kinder, gentler, smarter, sexier . . .
Katy thought back to her kiss with David in the Old Yard. She’d finally gotten it off her chest, finally been able to say the words that had been building up in her for so long.
I love you, David. Really, truly, fully.
And now she could say it whenever she wanted to! A fact that she had taken advantage of when she said goodbye to David after their date. Then again before she went to sleep. And then again this morning, before classes. And hell, maybe she’d say it again after class. Just for continuity’s sake.
Katy stepped out of the class with a gaggle of her peers. During the first week of classes, she’d noticed that the students were giving her a wide berth, like they were afraid of accidentally bumping into her or didn’t know what she’d do if they got too close. It had been alienating, even if it was unintentional. But now things seemed to be loosening up for Katy. And while the creepy flirter’s familiarity was unpleasant, being occasionally bumped into by other college students actually made Katy feel like one of them again. It was a good feeling.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket as she made her way through the crowd. When she pulled the message up, she smiled to herself.
“Just wanted to tell you I love you. Hope classes are going well.”
At least she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t get enough of it.
After classes, Katy practically skipped back to her house. She felt light and carefree, like everything was going well and kept getting better, and since her last meeting with David, she hadn’t even thought about Alexei.
“You’re in a good mood,” Cassie remarked as Katy bounced into their shared room. She couldn’t stop smiling, either. Her cheeks had begun to ache.
“The semester is just going well, I guess,” Katy demurred, tossing her book bag over her desk chair.
Cassie narrowed her eyes at her cousin and smirked. “Ooh, did you and David do it?”
Katy balked, feeling her cheeks redden. “What? Cass, no!” Not that it’d be any of your business if we did!
But Cassie wasn’t letting up. “Are you sure about that? Come on, you could tell me.”
“I’m pretty sure I would know if I lost my virginity!” Katy knew her cousin was teasing her—they’d ribbed each other that way since they were little kids—but not about anything quite so personal. Too embarrassing, girl! Catch a hint.
Cassie squinted suspiciously but finally relented. “I’m just messing with you. But you better tell me when it happens.”
“Can I wait until after we’re finished, or should I call you the second it starts?” Katy retorted. Once again: none of your business!
“Hey, that’s not fair. I told you when Dominic and I got to third base.”
Honestly, Cassie had told Katy much more than she’d ever wanted to know about that encounter. But it didn’t mean that she owed her cousin any details about her own intimate relationships.
“Well, it hasn’t happened yet, and it won’t anytime soon, so let’s drop it,” she finished, not even worried whether she sounded like a wet blanket. Way to rain on my parade! “So, how are classes going for you?” If she couldn’t get Cassie to forget the subject, maybe she could deflect.
“Not bad,” her cousin replied, sitting on her bed and scrolling through her phone. “History of Psychology II is boring, and I had to take a statistics class for whatever reason, but I’m absolutely loving Abnormal Psychology. And the professor is ridiculously hot.”
“Lucky you,” Katy replied.
“What, you don’t like looking at Bissenhof?”
Katy laughed. “Hey, he might not be much to look at, but he’s quickly becoming my favorite professor. He’s so tough! I don’t know how I’m not failing that class, honestly.”
“Yeah, like you could fail,” Cassie teased.
“Well, I could definitely be getting a C in his class,” Katy corrected. Cassie was right; Katy wouldn’t be able to handle failing. She’d already be in tutoring and doing extra credit projects if it was even a possibility. “But I feel like I’ve gotten lucky more than a few times.”
“Maybe he’s going easy on you because of your last name,” Cassie went on.
She said it so casually; she didn’t even look up from her phone. But to Katy, the implication was immediate and horrific.
“I sure hope not,” she said. An understatement. She hadn’t even considered such an idea. But now that it had taken root in her brain, it was hard to shake.
“Why not? I’d love to have a professor take it easy on me, for whatever reason. College is hard enough as it is.”
Obviously her cousin wasn’t getting it. “Yeah, but . . . what’d be the point at all, then? If your grades aren’t earned, I mean. Why even go to college in the first place?” Katy couldn’t think of a worse way to go through life, never earning anything, never learning at all. It was why she had dropped out of drama; she knew from their first meeting that Mrs. Clarke would be unfairly praising Katy’s performance for the rest of the semester due to Katy’s title. There’d be no more criticism and growth. So the whole club had lost its meaning.
Cassie looked over at her cousin. “I see your point. You’re right. I’m sure it’s not that, anyway. You’re probably just smarter than you think you are.”
But now Katy couldn’t shake the concern. What if Professor Bissenhof was unfairly favoring her? Why would he do it? To curry favor? To stay in the king a
nd queen’s good graces? There wasn’t really a good reason, as far as Katy could tell. If anything, he could lose his job for it.
It was Cassie’s turn to change the subject from something unpleasant. “So how are things going with David?”
Katy half-smiled, trying to push all the lingering negative thoughts about her grades out of her mind. “Really well.” She thought about mentioning Mia Cantor’s revelation, but it didn’t feel like her news to share.
“He sure can cook,” Cassie went on. “He needs to come over again and try his hand at dinner.” She winked at Katy.
Honestly, that’s not a bad idea.
“How are classes going for him?”
“Pretty well, I think. He’s taking eighteen units this semester, including some advanced seminars. But he’s taking it in stride.” Katy was very impressed by David’s work ethic. He was always completing assignments far before they were due and reading ahead in his textbooks. And I thought I was a bookworm.
“Yeah, the girl I sit next to in Ab Psych is minoring in economics. She’s in David’s Financial Theory class.”
“Oh, yeah?” Katy asked with interest. It was the first time that Cassie had mentioned it, but it seemed like a notable coincidence.
“Yeah, she said he’s the smartest guy in the class. That sometimes she learns more from his comments in discussion than the actual lecture.”
Katy smiled. She could definitely see that. David would be a great teacher.
Her cousin smiled encouragingly. “I think he might be a keeper.”
Katy grinned. She’d been thinking the same thing as of late.
Of course, that brought with it its own list of problems. She knew, even if they did their best to act “supportive,” that her parents would always be secretly looking down their noses at her if she and David were wed.
But it was just nice to dream about it anyway. And honestly, Katy wasn’t sure she cared anymore what her parents thought about her matches. They had approved of and encouraged the coupling with Alexei—and look how that had gone. And they’d been so sure that one of the suitors over winter break could woo her, despite Katy having no interest in them.
It finally felt like it was time for Katy to be making her own choices in life, not listening to the pressures and rumors around her.
And she chose David.
12
David
“What’d you get for number six?” Zeke asked, biting the end of his pencil.
“Arbitrage opportunity,” David replied.
“Damn.” Zeke scribbled through his notes and wrote in a correction. “Okay, what about ten?”
“Modified duration.”
“Okay, good. I still have a chance not to fail, then,” his roommate said.
They’d been quizzing each other with Professor Bell’s sample test for the past half hour. David was feeling confident in his abilities so far, but he could tell that Zeke was nervous.
“I think you’re going to ace it, mate,” David reassured his friend. Zeke had really improved his studying habits and his frame of mind since he’d started therapy the semester before. He’d even been keeping his side of the room tidier, which wasn’t an unwelcome change to David.
“I’ll just be happy to pass it,” Zeke replied with a sigh, but he sounded slightly comforted. He set his pencil down and rubbed his temples. “But for good measure, want to go over the flashcards again?”
David’s phone buzzed. He expected, hoped, to see Katy’s name and number, but instead, an unknown international number appeared on the screen.
Which, as far as he knew, could only be one person.
David picked up quickly. “Yes, hello?” He waited anxiously to hear Mia’s Spanish accent. But instead, a French accent greeted his ears.
“Didn’t you get my email?”
David’s breath caught. He hadn’t thought he would ever hear that deep, sultry voice again.
“Yvette?”
A mocking laugh came from the other end. “What? Do you have so many girlfriends now that you can’t remember all of them?”
David frowned, noticing that Zeke was looking at him in confusion and concern.
“How did you get this number?” David had an American number now. How would someone from his past have found it?
“You of all people should know that I’m just naturally talented.” David could just about hear Yvette’s condescending smile. It made his stomach knot.
“What do you want?” he asked tersely. It didn’t feel good to hear from her again, and he was ready to end the conversation already.
“I just wanted to say hello. To be on friendly terms. Surely you’re mature enough to do that, aren’t you?”
David bristled at Yvette’s words. She always did know how to make him feel guilty and childish, even when he was being perfectly reasonable.
“I don’t want to be friends, Yvette.”
“Oh, you can’t still be hurt about—”
“It’s not about being hurt,” David interrupted, his tone firm. “You and I are not friends. And I have a girlfriend. There’s no reason for us to talk.”
David tried not to get distracted by Zeke’s puzzled stare.
“Yes, I did see that you had gotten a famous girlfriend. That’s why I thought you might require my services. You must be feeling pretty pent-up by now. I’m sure they don’t call her the ice princess for nothing.” Yvette’s words were sharp and cold. “Perhaps I could warm you.”
David felt disgust rise from the pit of his stomach. “Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now? Katy is ten times the woman you could ever be, Yvette. I would never do to her what you did to me. I’m going to go now.”
“Go? Go where? To your princess?” Yvette sounded surprised and annoyed. “Why don’t you come to France instead? Remind yourself what it’s like to be around a queen.”
“Don’t call back.”
David could hear Yvette continuing, her voice low and seductive, as he hung up the phone. He hadn’t cared about what Yvette thought of him for a while, but now that he and Katy were as close as they had ever been, he had even less desire to hear from any other woman. He set the phone down on his desk a little too hard, then winced as it bounced.
“Should I even ask?” Zeke said, eyeing David suspiciously.
David relaxed, glad to have ended the conversation, and looked over at Zeke. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
Zeke grinned. “Fine, but can we get back to the test?”
While reading through flashcards with his roommate, David found himself occasionally glancing over at his phone with anxiety. What would Yvette try now? Would she give up and disappear, honoring David’s request? That wouldn’t be like her at all. David knew Yvette well. She could be spiteful and vindictive when she didn’t get her way, which was why David had almost never refused her during their time together.
What a fool I was to think that was love. He had been enamored with Yvette. Seduced by her womanly shape and spurred on by the way she made him feel inferior. He had always been trying to impress her, to prove himself to her. But David was older and wiser now. He knew that that wasn’t love.
He also knew what love really was.
But Yvette’s sudden reappearance made him nervous. It didn’t seem beneath her to try to sabotage David’s new relationship to punish him for turning her down. He had hoped to spare her feelings from any unnecessary drama, but now he knew that he needed to tell Katy about the email and call, so she could keep her guard up against any punishment she might receive from his spurned ex.
But would Yvette really do something like that? It had been over a year since he had even seen her. Would she really sink so low? What could she hope to gain from it?
“Yo,” Zeke said, waving his hand in front of David’s face.
David shook his head and snapped out of it. “Yeah, sorry.”
“I answered the question,” Zeke went on. “Liquidity premium. Did you hear me?”
“Um. Yes.
And that’s correct,” David stuttered. Start paying attention or you’re going to give him wrong answers and contribute to his bad grade, mate.
“Maybe this isn’t the best time,” Zeke offered, seeming to come to the same conclusion. He closed his book. “What was the deal with the call you got?”
“Um.” David wasn’t sure he wanted to get into all of that.
“Yvette, right? Is that an old friend?”
“You could say that,” David admitted. Then, thinking better of it, he added, “But I wouldn’t.”
“Didn’t end well?”
David sighed and closed his textbook. Zeke was right. He wasn’t in the state of mind to study. “Didn’t start well, either. Just bad decisions all around. But it’s over, and hopefully that’s the end of it.”
Zeke nodded. “I understand. Well . . . actually, I don’t. But it sounds like it would suck.”
David laughed. Zeke had that right. But his smile faded when he felt his phone buzz again. He looked down to see another international number. Is she calling from a friend’s phone now? Or a lover’s?
“Is that her again?” Zeke asked.
David muted the call. “Doesn’t matter either way. I’m not interested.”
* * *
Katy was rubbing her temples again.
“Stressed?” David asked, though he already knew the answer.
Katy stopped and looked over at him from her desk. “Is it that obvious?”
David sat up on Katy’s bed. “You rub your head every time you get stuck on a sentence.” He had quietly been watching Katy read over and edit her paper for the past thirty minutes. But he didn’t mind that her attention was elsewhere. It gave him the opportunity to get ahead in his own readings. He liked these peaceful study dates.
Though it didn’t seem very peaceful for Katy at the moment.
She sighed, then put the paper down decisively. “I have until midnight to turn it in. Maybe I just need a little break for now.” He would’ve thought she meant a nap—except for the positively flirty smirk that accompanied the statement, a sizzling curl of her lips that immediately made his heartrate spike, not to mention how it affected a few other places in his body.
A Love that Endures 2 Page 9
