Page 8 of Brighter Shades of Light

Looks like I should’ve tried, though, to avoid this exact moment of making an ass out of myself.

Realizing I was gaping at him like a fish out of water, I shook my head and cleared my throat. “It’s an honor to meet you, Dr. Vale. I’ve been a fan of your work for a while. I’m actually going to be in your class this semester, and I can’t wait.”

“Ah, yes,” he said, nodding. “Cody Miller. I remember your name from the roll book. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my work.”

His icy demeanor managed to find its way over to me, too. The guy was standoffish and definitely not a Chatty Cathy. Kind of disappointing, really.

“Of course.” My cheeks got hot again. I grabbed the papers from the tray and tapped them on the top of the printer to line up the edges. Then, I turned back around to him. “Um, it was nice meeting you, Sebastian.”

Holy fucking shit, I didnotjust call him by his first name.

“Dr. Vale, if you please.” Green eyes met my stunned gaze. He hadn’t said it in a rude way, more matter of fact. Formal. “It’s inappropriate to be on such familiar terms when we’ve only just met.”

“Yeah. True. Sorry.”Kill me now.“Enjoy the rest of your day, Dr. Vale.”

As fast as I could, I left the professors’ lounge and strode down the hall toward the staircase.

I couldn’t shake away the coldness in my veins from meeting the good ol’ doctor’s icy stare. First impressions mattered a lot, and my first impression of Dr. Vale spoke wonders. He seemed like a pompous asshole who thought himself above everyone else. His reputation on campus must’ve given him a big head. A reputation that was well-earned, but that didn’t mean he was allowed to look down on people.

The run-in with him didn’t change the fact I was still eager to be in his class, though. Bigheaded or not, it was an honor to learn from him.

“Get everything you need?” Desk-Guy asked once I was back downstairs.

“Yep.”

Everything I needed, plus much more. Like embarrassment and a case of the what-the-fucks.

When I returned to the dorm, Tristen was gone. He sent me a text saying he was going to the gym and to meet him over there.

Why not? A workout sounded pretty good. It’d also make me feel less guilty about the giant sausage pizza I planned to order for dinner later.

Me:Coming to the gym.

Tristen:Then stop texting and get your ass over here. Place is packed.

Me:Yes, Daddy.

Tristen:Damn straight.

I changed into my gym clothes, put on my sneakers, and left the dorm again. The gym was on the other side of campus, so the walk gave me time to stretch my legs. It was a big university and one of the best schools in the state. Not as huge or competitive as Yale or Harvard, but it was known for both its academics and sports programs.

Once reaching the gym, I ducked inside the air conditioned building and strode down the hall toward the front desk to sign in.

“Hey, loser.” Tristen stood near the water fountain, refilling his water bottle. “About time you showed up.”

“Shut up.” I filled my bottle at the fountain after he was finished.

We walked toward the back of the room where the weights were, away from the treadmills and elliptical machines. The area was alive with grunts, weights clinking, and music playing over the speakers above us. After warming up, I upped my reps and increased the weight, loving the burn in my muscles.

Tristen spotted me on the weight bench, and then I spotted him. Some of the other guys in the room were from the Army ROTC program. We usually got along, but the rivalry between Army and Marine Corps reared its head sometimes.

“Jarheads in training,” one guy said, elbowing his buddy and nodding at us. “How cute.”

“Yeah,” I said, breathing out as I placed the bar back on the rack and sat up on the bench. “About as cute as the sorry excuse for PT you guys do.”

The Army guys shook their heads and snorted. I grinned at them before standing and clapping one on the back. We might’ve jabbed at each other, but it was—mostly—in good fun.

Tristen and I lifted weights for a while, and then I jumped on the treadmill for some cardio. I was pumped for the semester to begin, bringing me one step closer to getting my degree and joining the military full-time.