Chapter 43

Rowena

“Today, you’re going to be getting up from your desks and performing a physical assessment.”

There was an audible murmuring amongst the class. From where I sat near the window, I could see my classmates shifting uncomfortably in their seats; it was a Friday morning, and the last thing that anyone wanted to do was physical exams, which usually involved having to pair up and exercise.

I looked down at my desk and passed my hand over my face. The idea of pairing up with one of my classmates, most of whom despised me and the rest of whom merely tolerated me, almost made me sick to my stomach.

But then again, things had been different lately. Ever since I had gained the support of that warrior and his friends from the pool party, I had been receiving a little bit more respect around the camp.

Still not much respect, but better than before. That was an improvement, right?

“Now, now, hold your horses,” the professor said, splaying out his hands in a placating gesture as the students began to murmur to their friends and pair up. “It’s going to be different this week; instead of having you pair up, we’re going to bring in some warriors for you to work with.”

There was another murmur, and this time everyone—myself included—perked up in their chairs. Getting to work with warriors? That, at least, was a little different.

But when the professor opened the door and let the warriors in, I felt my heart sink.

Eric was among them.

While the other students got excited for the upcoming assignment, all I could manage to do was sink a little further down in my chair and hide my hand behind my face. Really? Today, of all days, Eric had to be here?

It had been almost a week since the fateful party, and we had still barely spoken a word to each other. And with the way that we were avoiding one another, it seemed as though speaking to each other was just becoming more and more out of the question with each passing day.

Although, I couldn’t help but wonder which of us was avoiding the other more. Eric was hardly ever around, after all, and often left the room whenever he saw me. So maybe he was avoiding me more.

And if I was being honest, it… hurt.

I couldn’t help it. No matter how hard I tried to stay angry at him, I just couldn’t. I kept thinking back to that night, back to the look in his eyes when he had found out that I had only bought him the talisman at Adrian’s suggestion.

Part of me wanted to buy him something new, even though I figured he might not accept it. I just hated this distance between us, and I wanted to make it up to him.

Yet, at the same time, part of me wanted to just let him go to hell and keep being angry with him. He had kissed me, after all. Those two sides of me—the more emotional and the more logical—had been at war as of late.

With the curtains sectioned off into four small areas, four students would go at once. I patiently awaited my turn, busying myself with my notebook as I silently prayed that I wouldn’t get paired up with Eric.

When I pulled aside the curtain, though, I almost cursed out loud.

“You?” I blurted out without entirely meaning to.

Eric, who was standing in the middle of the space with his back turned to me and his shirt off, turned to look at me. Here, with the sun streaming in through the skylights overhead, his muscles were even more defined.

And I hated that I noticed that.

“Problem?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest. “You need a new partner or something?”

I swallowed and grit my teeth, trying to ignore the fact that this was the first time I had really heard his voice in days and that, in some strange way, it was almost a relief to hear it.

“It’s fine,” I said, closing the curtain behind me. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Eric scoffed lightly. “That’s hardly the grade A bedside manner that you advertise at your clinic.”

I grit my teeth even harder and said nothing. No, today I wouldn’t let his teasing get to me. Today, I just needed to focus on getting a good grade on my assessment.

“Take your shirt off,” I said, looking down at my clipboard.

“My shirt is off.” He chuckled.

Instantly, I felt my face go red. “Right,” I said, biting the inside of my cheek to keep myself from blushing. “Let’s get started, then. Hold out your arms.”

Despite our anger toward each other, Eric did as he was told. I began going through the motions, circling around him as I checked his muscles. He was, of course, perfectly proportionate and in good shape—the perfect image of a Griffith.

Next, we moved onto the exercise portion. I had him do thirty burpees followed by fifty jumping jacks, which he did without so much as breaking a sweat. “Cardio seems good,” I said, my voice breaking slightly as I jotted down the results on my clipboard.

“Aren’t you going to check my heartbeat?” Eric asked.

At the mention of getting close enough and even touching him in order to complete that portion of the exam, I felt my insides clam up. “I, um…” I swallowed. “You haven’t even broken a sweat, nor are you out of breath,” I finally managed. “I don’t think checking your heart rate is necessary.”

Eric raised an eyebrow. “So you’re skimping on my exam?” he asked, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips that I knew he was trying to hide. “That doesn’t seem like the sort of behavior that would befit a combat manager trying to make it to the championship.”

For a few moments I just stared at him, grinding my teeth. He was right, of course. I hated that he was right.

Finally, I set my clipboard aside with a sigh and took my stethoscope from around my neck. “Alright,” I said, my heart pounding more than I would have liked as I approached him. “Breathe in, hold it, then let it out.”

As Eric breathed slowly, I carefully pressed the stethoscope to his chest. His heartbeat thrummed in my ears, slow and steady as ever—in stark contrast to mine, which pounded like the wings of a hummingbird in my chest.

I wasn’t sure what happened next. All I knew was that, as I looked up at Eric and saw the way the golden sunlight hit his sharp jaw, it was as if something took over me. Something deeper. Something I hadn’t felt before, even with Adrian.

Without thinking, I leaned forward and let the stethoscope slip from my fingers. I pressed my palms into his chest, feeling his smooth skin, and tilted my head back.

And then I leaned up on my tiptoes, and…

Suddenly, my eyes widened when I realized what was happening. I went reeling backwards, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Was I really about to kiss him? Was I losing my mind?

“I—What are you—”

“Rowena,” Eric said calmly, reaching for me. “What’s wrong?”

“I—I have to go.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I threw my stethoscope down on the floor, grabbed my bag, and bolted from the room. And for the first time in my entire life, I ditched class.