Page 22 of Wish You Were Mine (Kings of Eden Falls #3)

LUCY

The wind cut sideways across the parking lot, sharp and biting as I left the gymnastics facility on Tuesday evening, gym bag bumping against my hip. My hood was halfway up, hands stuffed into the sleeves of my puffer coat, but the cold still found its way in anyway.

I typically walked to campus early in the mornings since the scholarship housing I lived in with Nora wasn’t too far away and parking on campus was always a nightmare, but freezing cold nights like tonight definitely made me regret that choice.

“Hey, Lucy!” a deep voice called, startling me. “Is that you?”

I slowed, glancing over my shoulder, hoping it was someone I knew instead of a stranger. Then I saw Brody by his white Jetta, tossing his duffel bag into the backseat like he’d just finished practice, too. He jogged toward me, his familiar grin already tugging at his mouth.

“Where’re you headed?” he asked, falling into step beside me .

“Dining hall,” I said, adjusting the strap of my gym bag on my shoulder. “I was gonna grab something quick before heading to the library. I’ve got a few assignments to catch up on.”

“Same,” he said, tugging his cap lower over his eyes.

“Well, for the grabbing dinner then doing homework part. I was actually headed to that new Thai place next to The Brew.” He pushed his hands in his pockets, the yellow light from the lamps above us highlighting his cheekbones.

“Since you were planning to eat anyway, wanna join me?”

I hesitated.

Brody was fun. Cute too. And the girls on the team had been raving all week about the Pho at the new restaurant.

Plus…after seeing Josh with another girl at my meet, it was only fair I hang out with someone from his hockey team. Right?

“Yeah, sure,” I said, shrugging. “I’m just getting out of practice, though, so I might look a little crusty.”

“You look great,” Brody said immediately, his eyes warm and sincere. “You always do.”

I rolled my eyes, but a smile tugged at my lips anyway. “Okay, fine. Let’s go. I could use something warm.”

We climbed into his car, and he drove us toward the new Thai-Vietnamese fusion place next to The Brew.

If the weather hadn’t been so miserable, we probably would’ve walked since it was only two blocks away.

But with the wind chill creeping through every seam of my coat, I was grateful for the blast of heat from his car’s vents.

When Brody opened the restaurant door for me a couple of minutes later, a wave of fragrant warmth rolled out—ginger, spice, and something rich that made my stomach tighten with hunger.

Inside, the space felt cozy and inviting.

Soft lighting. Polished wood floors. A low hum of conversation and clinking dishes.

The tables were small, dressed with vases of fake flowers that looked surprisingly real.

It was busy but not packed. Which was nice since I was starving and didn’t want to wait long to be seated or get my food.

“Sit wherever you like,” the hostess said from behind the counter, her hands full with takeout orders.

We grabbed a table near the front window, and I took in more of our surroundings as I sank into the chair.

The waitress appeared a moment later with two glasses of water and handed us menus with a friendly smile before disappearing again.

“Know what you’re getting?” Brody asked, glancing up from his menu a minute later. “Anything sounding particularly good?”

“I can’t decide,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip. “It’s between the Pad Thai and the Pho.”

“Solid picks,” he said, nodding. “I’m definitely getting the Pad Thai.”

“Okay, cool.” I looked over the Pho section again. “Then maybe I’ll try the Pho. That way we can tell each other if what we got was good and know what to order next time.”

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow, his grin crooked. “So you’re already planning on eating with me again?”

“I wasn’t trying to say that exactly…” I laughed, trying to brush it off. “But I guess we’ll just have to see how this dinner goes.”

“Well…” He leaned forward on his elbows. “It’s already going great from where I’m sitting.”

A flirty grin curved across his mouth, and despite myself, I felt heat crawl up my neck.

“You’re just saying that because you haven’t seen me with chopsticks yet.” I gave him a playful look. “It’s about to get real awkward real fast.”

We were still laughing when the front door opened, and I looked up on instinct.

And instantly regretted it.

Because Owen was just walking in.

With a girl.

Pretty. Brunette. Wearing a cropped cream sweater and jeans that hugged her like they were made for her. She laughed at something he said as he held the door, and he smiled back—his real smile. The one that softened his entire face and made it hard to look away.

My face flushed instantly.

What was it with this week and seeing guys I’d kissed with other women?

First Josh…now Owen?

I forced my gaze back to my menu, pretending to read it like it hadn’t just gone blurry. Ugh.

It’s not like you have a claim on Owen, I tried to tell myself to keep my sudden disappointment at bay. He’s your professor. Practically a stranger in real life.

Still…the ache in my stomach said otherwise.

“You okay?” Brody asked, tilting his head.

I blinked and nodded quickly. “Just a little tired.”

“Same,” he said easily. “So, Pho it is?”

“With beef,” I said, grateful for the redirection. “And I’ll do the number one spice level. I usually like a two, but I want to see where their heat scale starts first.”

“Smart,” he said, grinning. “Gotta ease into that fire.”

The waitress came over, pen ready, and we placed our orders.

Once she left, I did my best to focus on Brody as he told me about a fight that broke out between a couple of guys on the team during practice that afternoon, but every few seconds, I found myself glancing over at where Owen and his date were sitting.

Was this their first date?

Had they gone out before?

Were they already boyfriend and girlfriend?

The way my stomach turned at that last thought told me I really didn’t like that particular idea.

I sipped my water, trying to cool the inexplicable heat rising in my chest, but it didn’t quiet the swirl of questions in my head.

Why did I care who Owen ate his meals with?

He was my professor. Off-limits. An impossible idea.

Still, when I risked one more glance—just in time to see him leaning in to say something that made her laugh—something hollow cracked open inside me.

I pressed my lips together and forced myself to look away for good.

Because even if it made no sense to care who Owen might be spending his down time with…I apparently cared, anyway.

Which was just really, really stupid.

I lifted the spoon to my lips and took another sip of the Pho, leaning over the bowl a little more this time. The warmth hit my tongue first—rich, salty, comforting—and then came the kick of spice, just enough to make my nose tingle.

It was exactly what I’d been craving.

But just as I went in for another bite, I heard Owen’s deep chuckle, low and unmistakable, drifting across the restaurant like some cruel cosmic reminder. He was laughing at something his date must’ve said, and the sound of it—so easy, so real—sent a sharp twist through my chest.

My hand slipped.

The spoon clattered back into the bowl, and a rogue splash of broth shot up and hit me square in the eye.

“Ahh!” I yelped, jerking back as the burn seared across my right eyeball.

“What happened?” Brody looked up, wide-eyed, halfway through a bite of Pad Thai. “Are you okay?”

I blinked rapidly, my eye watering like crazy as I grabbed the edge of the table. “I just got some of the spicy broth in my eye.”

“Oh man.” He winced. “Maybe use water? Try dabbing it out?”

“Okay…” I muttered, grabbing my napkin and dipping it quickly into my glass. I pressed the cool damp cloth to the corner of my eye, blinking hard, hoping it would flush out whatever chili-laced demon had launched itself into my face.

But it didn’t help.

If anything, it made it worse.

“Crap.” Brody leaned across the table slightly, brows pinched. “Do you need help? What can I do?”

“I don’t know…” I whispered back, laughing and wincing at the same time. “But if I don’t fix this soon it really might burn a hole in my eye. Do you think it can cause damage?”

Without waiting for an answer, I scrambled out of my seat and made a beeline for the bathroom, barely registering the way I passed Owen’s table in my panicked haze.

Of course.

Because why wouldn’t I run out of a dinner with another guy right as Owen was glancing up, catching my eye like I was fleeing an awkward first-date disaster?

His expression flickered as our eyes met—concern?

Confusion? Definitely suspicion. But really, I didn’t have time to figure that out because I needed to get the stinging to stop.

I barreled into the bathroom, shoved the door open, and made a beeline for the sink.

Cold water. Rinse. Blink. Repeat. I tilted my head sideways and let the water run into the corner of my eye.

Then creating a little pool of water in my cupped hand, I put my eye in the water and blinked furiously to move the water gently around.

It took a minute and a few more handfuls of water, but the burning eventually dulled.

Finally . I exhaled slowly, bracing my hands on the edge of the sink. When I looked at my reflection in the mirror, the girl looking back at me was frazzled, pink-eyed, and mildly tragic.

So much for Brody saying I looked good all the time.

The right side of my eyeliner had all but vanished, the lashes were bare, and the skin under my eye was definitely blotchy. Awesome.

Still, there wasn’t much I could do now except hold my head high and return to dinner like I hadn’t just staged a dramatic chili-oil-related exit.

I opened the bathroom door, ready to make a quiet return to the table, but stopped short when I saw a guy with dark hair and broad shoulders right outside the door.

Owen.

“Hey. Everything okay?” His brow furrowed with quiet concern when he saw me, taking a step closer.

“Oh—yeah.” I blinked at him. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You looked like you were running out of there pretty fast,” he said, his voice low. “Did your date say something? Or do something?”

My heart gave a strange little stutter. “What? No!” I shook my head quickly, cheeks warming. “Nothing like that. I swear. It was totally my fault. ”

Not like I could tell him it was his distracting laugh’s fault.

His eyebrows rose, not convinced.

“I dropped my spoon in my Pho and got some of the broth in my eye,” I explained. “Which, in case you were wondering, burns like lava. So yeah, I was just trying to flush it out.”

Owen blinked, then huffed a quiet laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh. Okay. Good. I mean, not good that you got broth in your eye but…I’m glad that guy didn’t do anything. He’s your lab partner, right?”

“Yeah. Brody,” I said. “And he was only trying to help.” I paused. “Probably thinks I’m an actual hazard to myself now, but still.”

Owen gave a small smile, and for a second his gaze dipped, like he was checking for visible damage. “So, you’re okay now?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I mean, I’m sure my eye’s a little red and my makeup looks tragic, but I’ll survive.”

I followed his gaze as it flicked briefly over his shoulder toward the dining area. His date was still seated at their table, facing away from us.

“Your date is probably wondering why you ran after me,” I said, not quite able to keep the awkward edge out of my voice.

“It’s fine,” he said easily. “I told her you’re my friend’s little sister and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“You didn’t tell her I’m your student?” I tilted my head.

“Not exactly...”

“Right.” I nodded knowingly. “Because there are just so many students, it’s hard to remember everyone.” Okay, I’d tried to say it as a joke…but it came out more like I was butthurt over what he’d told my dad after my meet.

Great.

“Would you rather I told your dad I kissed you in the Hamptons, then?” he asked. “And that I can’t stop picturing it every time I see you in class? ”

My heart stopped.

I froze, completely stunned.

Had I just heard him right? Was that a Freudian slip?

Or had that spicy broth gotten to my brain somehow and was causing it to short-circuit?

Owen’s eyes widened like he just realized what he’d said. “Wow. Sorry.” He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “That sounded…really bad. I didn’t mean it like—” He broke off, clearly scrambling. “That was inappropriate. I shouldn’t have said that.”

But despite the sudden awkwardness, something in my chest fluttered.

Because as shocking and probably inappropriate as that comment was…it felt nice to hear it.

Especially after seeing him sit across from his beautiful date tonight.

“It’s okay,” I said.

“Really?” He glanced back at me, clearly unsure if I meant it.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I mean, I probably would’ve said the same thing.”

“That you think about that kiss every time we bump into each other?” His brows lifted slightly.

“No,” I said quickly. “I mean, yes. I mean—” I groaned and covered my face with one hand. “I mean, it was good you told my dad you only vaguely recognized me from your class. Kept things less suspicious. Professional.”

“Exactly.” Owen gave a small, awkward laugh. “That’s what I thought.”

We hovered there for a beat, like neither of us really wanted to go back to our tables, even though we both probably should .

After a moment, Owen cleared his throat and shifted his weight. “Well…I better get back to my date.”

“Yeah. Me too,” I said, offering a small smile. “Thanks for checking on me.”

He nodded. “Anytime.”

I turned and made my way back toward our table, making a concerted effort to resist glancing over my shoulder once more to watch Owen.

“Feel better?” Brody looked up as I sat down, his eyes flicking toward the bathroom hallway. “Wait…is that Professor Park?”

I followed his gaze, catching the back of Owen’s head as he sat down across from his date again.

“Oh. Yeah.” I shrugged, working hard to sound casual—like I wasn’t the least bit flustered from the hallway detour. “I guess it is.”

I could’ve said Owen had stopped me outside the bathroom. That he’d only followed me out to make sure I was okay.

But I didn’t.

Saying it out loud would’ve made it feel like more than it was.

And the last thing I needed was to start reading into my professor’s concern.