Page 65 of Guarded Love

"Some of us didn't wake up at dawn to go jogging," I say, stepping around him toward the tables. I don’t actually know if he did that, but knowing what I do know about him? Hell yeah.

"How did you—" He stops himself, following me. "Never mind."

And I was right, but instead of rubbing it in his face, I spot Madison sitting at a table near the windows and make a beeline for her. Of course Blaise trails behind me like a lost puppy. When I sit down across from Madison, he hovers for a moment before taking the seat next to her. Not across from me, thankfully, but close enough that I can feel his presence.

"Morning," he says politely. "Blaise Dalton. Don't think we've officially met."

"Madison Hollins," she replies with a bright smile. "Nice to meet you.”

"Hey, mind if I join?" Tyler appears beside our table. His plate is piled high with pastries, eggs, and fruit. He looks more awake than he did yesterday which is definitely a step up from how I’m presenting myself right now.

"Go ahead," Madison gestures to the empty chair next to me.

Tyler drops into the seat with a yawn and shoves half a croissant in his mouth. "Thanks."

I focus on my food, hoping if I don't make eye contact with anyone, they'll forget I exist. No such luck.

"By the way," Blaise says. "Knox texted me this morning."

I look up despite myself, but his words stop all movement including the fork that is halfway to my mouth. "And?"

"He said to tell you that you should text your mom. Apparently she's freaking out because you only sent one message since landing."

I roll my eyes behind my sunglasses. Great. Now I'm getting messages relayed through my brother's best friend like I’m not a whole-ass adult. "I texted her last night."

"Well, according to Knox, it wasn't enough."

Tyler glances between us, clearly sensing something but wisely choosing to stuff more food in his mouth instead of commenting.

"Fine," I say as I pull out my phone. "I'll text her again."

I type quickly, keeping it brief but detailed enough to satisfy my mom's worries.

Me: Morning! Hotel is nice, roommate is cool, breakfast is good. Heading to volunteer at community garden today. Will send pics. Love you.

"Happy?" I ask Blaise after hitting send.

He shrugs. "I'm just the messenger."

"Right." I stab at my eggs with unnecessary force. "Thanks for the delivery service."

Madison clears her throat. "So, Tyler, what's your major?"

"Chemistry," he answers through a mouthful of food. "You?"

As they chat, I feel Blaise's eyes on me. I refuse to look up, focusing instead on methodically cutting my toast into increasingly smaller pieces.

"You should eat that instead of torturing it," Blaise says quietly.

"I wasn't aware I needed eating advice," I snap, but take a bite anyway because he's right and I'm hungry. Out of all of the seats in this dining area, why the hell did he decide to sit here?

Professor Wallace claps her hands together at the front of the room. "If I could have everyone's attention, please!"

Thank fuck. Maybe we can get this day started and I can stop pretending I don't feel Blaise's eyes on me.

"I have our volunteer assignments for today," she says. "We'll be working at a local farm that provides fresh produce to several community kitchens in the area."

I take another sip of orange juice and try to not squirm under Blaise’s gaze. With a small sigh, I look down at my plate, refusing to meet his eyes. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he has any effect on me whatsoever.