The Tortoise and His Sunrise | ✓

13. Succumbing

Along with all my other group mates, I stood up from the large table we were all sitting at. I gathered my things into my bag.

"See you guys next week," Penny said, zipping her laptop case.

Nodding, I said, "Thanks, everyone."

We'd just finished reviewing each other's assigned part of the project and what we needed to do next. Everyone echoed their goodbyes. After stepping out of the study room which we had reserved to hold our meeting in, we all went our separate ways.

I texted Nolan to let him know that I was done.

By the time I left the library, he was already leaning on the wall outside, waiting for me.

"Nolan," I called out, hurrying over to him.

"Hey," he said, giving me a small smile.

"You got here so fast," I said, grinning at him.

At that, he lifted the laptop he was carrying.

"I was studying on the second floor while waiting for your text."

We started to walk. As usual, he was going to accompany me to the dining room.

"Oh, I thought you were going to be in your dorm."

Shaking his head, he said, "I wanted a change of pace."

Out of habit again, I reached out to grab his hand. It was only when Nolan curled his fingers around mine that I realized maybe I shouldn't have done that. We were out in the open, and anyone could see us.

Even thinking that sent a surge of guilt through my veins. He didn't deserve me thinking like that.

After that incident where we'd gotten mistaken for siblings because apparently those two girls just thought it was impossible for us to be a couple, Nolan and I hadn't held hands in public for the rest of his two weeks there.

I tried to divert my thoughts away from that, focusing instead of breathing in the fresh air around us, but my mutinous mind refused to cooperate.

We hadn't talked about it, either. I didn't know how to bring it up, and Nolan behaved as if nothing had happened when we got to the beach. I wondered if he had discarded the incident from his mind the moment it had passed. Was it something completely insignificant to him, or was it constantly pestering his thoughts like it was doing to me?

"Something wrong?"

It took Nolan speaking those two words for me to realize I'd been staring up at him while lost in thought.

"Nope," I said, dragging my gaze away to look straight ahead.

My heart sank when I spotted a petite brown-haired girl walking in our direction. Esther was in two of my courses this semester. Last semester, we worked together on a group project, and I found her to be a very amiable person.

She knew I had a boyfriend, but she had never met Nolan before.

As the distance between us shortened, my limbs slowed down. Lifting my foot to step forward felt like I was wearing a shoe that weighed fifty pounds.

Her attention was entirely captured by her phone. She wasn't looking at us.

I forced myself to turn my head away, but my gaze kept drifting back to her. Esther brought her phone down and raised her head. She looked around a little before her eyes locked on mine.

By the time I realized what I was doing, my hand was already out of Nolan's grip.

I caught Nolan casting me a sideways glance. Just as swiftly, he turned his head away.