Baited by Love novel · Chapter 13 of 24

Chapter 13: Nine Months

I read the first page standing at his desk, in his shirt, with gray light coming through the blinds.

It was dated September 9, in the same small square handwriting as the cover.

September 9. She sat in the row in front of mine and offered the whole room a sandwich.

I said no.

She wrote something in a notebook, and I would like to know what.

I turned the page.

September 12. She sneezed all through Ethics, probably birch pollen.

I left tissues on her chair.

She thanked the chair.

My hand went over my mouth.

October 15. She told Preston that a lid makes foam sad.

He said it was the stupidest thing he had ever heard.

I ordered her a cortado, oat milk, no lid, and left it on her desk in Hall B.

She thanked the air.

There was no promotion.

There never had been a promotion.

November 20. Rain. I left an umbrella at her bike rack.

She used it to hold a door for a rugby player and walked home without it.

January 8. She is kind to everyone, and she is kindest to him.

If I say yes to her once, I become one more page.

I will keep saying no.

I read that one twice.

March 2. She cried in the stacks over a library fine, so I paid it.

She decided the library had a forgiveness program.

I had said that out loud, to nobody, between two shelves.

The last page of writing had the worst handwriting of all.

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