Page 41 of His Pet

“I do want this.” I didn’t need to think about it.

He shook his head. “I need you toabsolutelyconfirm that you want this.”

“Saying it isn’t enough?”

“You need a few days to think it over when I’m not here. And I like a challenge, Mara. Don’t you?” The smallest hint of a smile crossed and faded from his lips, replaced with a demanding expression. He wasn’t joking. “You will demonstrate that this is more than an assignment to you. You will send me a signal, be it verbal or physical, whatever you decide, during the next undergraduate lecture. You will make it clear that you’re willing to risk what you’ve worked for, to have this. And if you don’t wish to continue, then you will do nothing. That way, we can continue as normal. I will act as if this never happened. We’ll finish the semester like we started.”

Like we started. As Dr. Evans and his student. But I didn’t want that. I wanted more than an academic partnership. I wanted Nate. But with only a day until the next class, I had no clue how to show him that I meant it, beyond writing it out on a slip of paper and passing it to him mid-class. Would that be enough?

“What do you want me to do?” I asked.

He smiled, then held open the door for me to follow him out. “You’ll think of something.”