The Heart That's Meant to Love You [COMPLETED]

Chapter 46: Blindsided

"I'm such an idiot," Kieran scolded himself.

He hadn't been able to move away from the space Naomi had inhabited for those glorious moments between the two of them. If he closed his eyes, he could still imagine her sitting there, trying her best to ignore him when he could hear her heartbeat from afar.

Kieran refused to close his eyes.

If not for the paradox between Naomi's life and Naomi's art, perhaps he wouldn't have given in to his curiosity. But he had. And the tight-rope between them had nearly snapped.

Once more, Kieran was hit with the realization that he never should have messed with the little rich girl. Oh, sure, he was in control of the situation for now, but what if something else happened? Kieran couldn't risk it, even for a chance at paying off his debts to Patrick. He needed to give up this game.

He hadn't managed to push her away as he intended, unless asking her to paint him had done the trick.

No way to tell unless he asked her.

Kieran pulled his phone out of his pocket and weighed the device in his hand. If he called her out, would she come? Had he blown his chances by going too fast?

That's what you were hoping for! Kieran chided himself.

He had to know. He had to understand if Naomi had taken him seriously or if she had written him off as a lunatic. She had always proven herself stronger than Kieran anticipated.

So, he might as well make the proposition.

Kieran opened his phone and wrote the text that would decide his next move. You showed me your colors. Let me show you mine. I'll send the time and date.

Truth be told, he didn't have the courage to set a time and date at that moment. What if she said yes? What would he do then? Tell her everything? She would definitely hate him forever if he told her that he had only approached her to take her money.

If push came to shove, he would spill the truth as a last resort.

For now, Kieran pulled the t-shirt over his head and tried to clear his thoughts from the last twenty minutes.

There must be something to distract him. Papers to grade. Photos to weed through. Something. Anything. Whatever the case, Kieran couldn't stay in the storage room.

In case he should run into Naomi again, Kieran stopped at the storage room door and counted to three hundred. That should give her enough time to flee.

Then, as if nothing had happened, Kieran opened the door and stepped into the hall. Mercifully, no one turned to look. Kieran didn't know what expression he bore, but if it reflected his inner turmoil, anyone could figure out what had happened.

Somewhere along the line, Kieran had looked away from the responsibilities he had to face. Not again. He wouldn't break down again. This was the last time.

The sentiment echoed in Kieran's head with each pounding footstep. It followed him through every hall and into Professor McNally's office.

Kieran locked the office door behind himself.

"You seem a bit flustered there, son."

Kieran spun, dropping into a defensive stance as he did.

Professor McNally, laid out like a corpse on the sofa, chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" Kieran asked, loosening up as soon as he recognized the person who had startled him.

"A little observation goes a long way." Professor McNally closed his eyes again, heaving a shallow breath as he did. "I was here first."

"You're supposedly on vacation," Kieran pointed out, venturing to the desk in search of work to distract himself.

Professor McNally coughed another laugh. "My office is the most comfortable place for me. Where else am I supposed to go?"

"Why don't you come back to work, then?" Kieran thought he mumbled it, but apparently the words came out louder than he intended.

Professor McNally shook his head. "Not yet. Maybe after the retreat. You should handle that for me."

"Wait, what retreat?" Kieran paused, his hand halfway clamped around a file.

No one had mentioned leading a retreat. No one had mentioned attending a retreat, either. Had the professor purposely omitted that information?

"The annual Arts Retreat," Professor McNally explained. "I'm getting too old for that kind of thing. Tires me out."

He looked tired enough already. Kieran wouldn't wish a college arts retreat on any aging professor, least of all the professor he most admired. Which meant... dang it, Kieran would definitely be attending the retreat. The trap had been set too well for him to escape it.

Darn empathy.

"When is it?"

"It's on the calendar."

Kieran dropped the file he had been preparing to riffle through in favor of turning on the computer and pulling up the calendar. A quick scan brought to his attention the very thing that Professor McNally had pointed out.

"It's on Friday!" Kieran glared over the top of the computer screen. "You set this up so I'd have no way out of it."

"I told you. It's annual." Professor McNally waved a hand through the air. "I have no say in when it happens."

Yeah, Kieran highly doubted that, but he had no proof. No use arguing without evidence.

"That pretty young woman you've been flirting with might go if she's in an arts class."

Kieran wagered that Professor McNally knew he had just sealed the last nail in Kieran's coffin. Despite Kieran's knowledge that he should stop playing with Naomi, he wanted nothing more than to see her again and again. Telling him that she may attend only made him want to go that much more.

"Fine." Kieran drew the word out as long as he dared, lending it an air of sass he hoped got across to Professor McNally. "I'll take the class."

"You're an angel, my boy." Professor McNally readjusted his position on the sofa. "Now be quiet so I can nap."

Just like that, the conversation ended. If Kieran brought up anything about Naomi, the professor would have helpful but useless advice about it. If Professor McNally had anything more to say, he would have already said it. Kieran had a sneaking suspicion that the professor showed up just to force Kieran to go to the retreat in his stead.

And, given the circumstances, Kieran really didn't mind it.

That fact should have tipped him off to things he learned about himself far too late.