Chapter 5: Gone

Luci’s POV:

Was there a feeling beyond being mortified? If so, that summed up the sensation of being caught gawking at some random stranger.

My phone felt like a brick in my hands as I tried to think of how to get out of this situation. I couldn’t believe he caught me staring like that. I tried to think of something witty or clever to say, but my mind had gone blank. It’s not like I could tell where he was looking, given his bangs and sunglasses, but I had a feeling he was looking right at me.

How long had it taken for him to notice me staring like a weirdo? I cringed knowing how much of a creeper that made me look to this guy.

‘You could have been more subtle about that,’ I scolded myself as I froze in place.

Why did I even care? That made me even more annoyed with the situation. It’s not like I even knew him or that his opinion mattered or anything. My eyes dropped down to his lips. They looked incredibly soft. He practiced better skincare than I do.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I turned away and let my eyes zone back into the unfinished puzzle on my phone. This would have been the chance to ask about his bag, or literally anything else, but I couldn’t even open my mouth. What was going on with me?

I’d never had trouble talking to strangers before, even though it was something I didn’t enjoy. It was expected of me at every pack event my father dragged me to. That was the role I had to play for him. Every event I had to be a part of was hours spent talking to allied dignitaries and leaders from the other packs.

Even then, my conversation was limited and monitored. Father wanted me to make casual small talk, but also I couldn’t talk too much so that father wouldn’t chastise me. There was a balance to everything. It was tedious, but it was something I learned how to do as I got older.

So why was I having such a hard time with the human sitting right next to me? He wasn’t a wolf, that much was clear. His scent was something I’d never come across before, but it was easier to tell that he was a human once he was closer to me.

Being able to see his eyes would have helped, but they stayed tucked away behind his bangs and sunglasses. His mannerisms are what gave him away. The way he carried himself and how he sat screamed the nonchalance of human etiquette.

The scent he gave off was still overwhelming, but not nearly intense as when he first walked into the classroom. I couldn’t decide whether I was just becoming nose blind to the sweet odor or if it was starting to grow on me. Part of me hoped that he would break the awkward silence between us.

Judging by how little he spoke earlier when asked a direct question by the girls behind me, I started to doubt that he’d say much on his own unless I brought something up. When the last puzzle piece snapped in place, my phone gave a little buzz as a banner scrolled across the screen for a new high score.

There were still a few minutes before class started, and without the teacher in sight. I tapped the button for another game. Even if I didn’t finish before class, I needed to keep my hands busy.

A fit of laughter echoed from behind me as the group stopped texting on their phones.

“You dodged a bullet for sure,” the first voice in the trio half whispered.

“Pretty much. No ‘lost puppies’ for me today.”

They were barely trying to hide their convo at this point. It was one thing that I could hear, as that just came with wolf territory. It was another for someone to talk smack loud enough for the person to hear without being face to face. There was no way he couldn’t hear the conversation at this point.

I glanced to my right with more subtlety than before and was surprised by what I saw. His expression hadn’t really changed since he had caught me staring at him. The only difference was that he now faced the whiteboard at the front of the class. His face was expressionless, at least, the parts that I could see anyway.

Another fit of laughter sounded behind us. This time it was even louder than before. He must have known they were talking about him. Even others in the class were starting to turn their heads toward the trio as the voices carried further into the room.

Why did this situation make me feel like I was back in high school?

“Seems sketch anyway,” the third voice chimed followed by another rough of giggles.

I had to set my phone down when I noticed my hands started to clench too tightly around the case. The last thing I needed to do was break my phone by squeezing it too hard. How would that look to the humans in my class?

“He can probably hear us,” the second voice whispered to the others.

“Like I give a sh*t,” the first said with a laugh.

I knew it wasn’t any of my business, but I wasn’t going to sit here and let them run their mouths like this. I turned in my seat and stared daggers into the three that jumped in their spot from my sudden movement.

I didn’t even have to say anything. I knew my face said it all. Carlos always joked about my grumpy face and how intimidating it could be to the other wolves. Two of them looked away awkwardly, but the person directly behind me was ready for an argument.

She opened her mouth ready to say something, but before she could, the classroom door opened.

“Hi everyone! Thank you for being patient,” the professor said as he walked into the room.

I turned back in my seat, but not before eyeing each of the three behind me. I faced the front as the professor got to the desk. My senses told me that the guy next to me was staring at me for a few seconds before he focused on the professor.

Not like I could tell with his eyes hidden, but something in my gut told me that he’d been looking at me. The professor set his suitcase on the desk and walked over to the podium. He nodded to the class as he pulled out some papers.

“Welcome to Genre Studies in Literature. This class will have a lot of reading, but your only assignments will be discussions, a take-home midterm and final paper.”

The professor shuffled through a few papers before his eyes widened at the sheet he had been searching for.

“Let’s get attendance out of the way, go over the syllabus, and then you guys can get out a little early. Sound good?”

The sounds of my classmates murmuring in agreement made the teacher smile and start calling out names.

“Let me know if you have pronoun preferences or nicknames that you’d prefer to be called,” the professor said as he started down the list.

This was my chance. The mystery guy seated right next to me would have to say something when he was called.

“Gavin Denson?”

The mystery guy raised his hand a little off the table.

“Here,” he replied in the same low tone as before.

Just the sound of his voice made my heart beat just a little faster. I did my best to keep my composure, but between the sweet smell that surrounded me and his voice, it was hard to focus on the professor.

“Luciana Gallardo?”

“Luci,” I said quickly as I looked back to the podium.

At least I managed to catch my name. The professor’s voice sounded so far away as he continued the rest of the roll. Was it going to be like this every time I came to class and sat next to Gavin?

“Go ahead and take out your syllabus and we’ll go over what we are covering during the next twelve weeks.”

The collective shuffle of notebooks and papers could be heard throughout the room. My ears were poised in the hopes of listening to another sound. When Gavin didn’t move at first, I hoped he hadn’t already printed it out. Then he’d have to ask to see mine as the professor broke down each week.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Gavin take out a small folder from his bag and pull out the class syllabus crisp and stapled with care. A pang sounded in my heart at the loss of a chance to hear his voice again.

What was wrong with me? Why was I so focused on this human? Just because he smelled nice? That sounded even weirder than the fact that this person was pulling this sort of reaction from me.

It’s not like I never talked to people, I just did my best to avoid it. This situation was so unreal. Had I woken up in a parallel universe or something this morning?

I needed to use the code word when I texted Carlos after class. My professor was speaking, but it was like the words weren’t reaching my ears.

Every time Gavin shifted in his seat or made any movement my ears would perk up and I had to fight the urge to glance over. My wolf senses were hyper-focused on him and I was struggling to keep them in check.

This made me seem so sketch. If I made the wrong move, odds are I’d scare Gavin away before I could even figure out what was going on with him. There had to be a reason he smelt so wonderful. There had to be a reason I could hardly focus on anything else in the room.

I did my best to stare at the syllabus, but the letters became fuzzy and jumbled as I tried to gather myself. I was beyond mortified at this point. My outward behavior was hard enough to keep in check, but my thoughts kept drifting to the human seated next to me.

This class couldn’t be over fast enough. Should I even ask about switching to online work? A part of me hated the thought of not sitting next to him.

My eyes kept wanting to drift over, but I kept them laser-focused on the paper in front of me. He was just a human. Just another grad student trying to get his degree just like me. Why was I so invested in a stranger?

“That’s it for today, if you have any questions just email me or visit during office hours. Have a good afternoon everyone.”

Half the class was already packed up and headed for the door before the professor finished his goodbye.

This was my chance to say something to him. It didn’t even matter if the words sounded ridiculous at this point. I needed to know more about him before I could decide what to do about this situation. I turned and my heart sank at the sight of the empty chair on my right.

Vanilla and almond heavily lingered even after he walked out the door with his backpack shouldered. That was it. I lost my chance.