The Only Exception

Fifteen

~Lainey~

I have never ever, in my entire life, been more grateful for a make up paper. I'd stayed frozen until the class was empty and Dr Stallard had come over a little concerned and then, I don't know, I guess I started rambling about how I was having a crap week and how it had been my birthday and my whole family forgot and then my mom had sent me a card but I couldn't open it and by the time I'd got control of my mouth again I'd said enough for him to feel sorry for me. He marked my paper which, low and behold was well below the rate needed to pass. 

Given that I had literally never given the poor man any issues, my papers and all other exams had been practically perfect, he could see this was a fluke. Whilst he couldn't allow me to retake the exam, he'd given me a paper to write and catch up but it had to be back with him by Thursday. 20,000 words. By Thursday. Impossible in any other world. But a girl who can not have a failure on her record or her father will question it? I was over half way there. 

I'd been sat in this fucking rock hard chair for the past 4 hours. In some library I'd visited a grand total of 3 times since I started college here 4 years ago and even then, they were because my dad was home and I needed somewhere to hook up with the guy who could get me into the better timed classes and not for actual research. 

 I was exhausted. I'd stopped for lunch, grabbing some food from a nearby cafe but coming back  an hour later and in total, I had been working on this since 11am. 10 hours ago. 

If I got the first draft done today though, I can go back over it tomorrow and double check everything and that won't take me 10 hours to do. It'll only take me like 3 to spell check and make sure everything makes sense and is right and then I can hand it in early and show him how serious I actually take his class and how desperate I am to not fail. I can't- breathe Lainey. It's fine. You're gonna sort it. Everything's fine. 

I lay my head down on the desk, closing my eyes for a few seconds so I can regain some of the sight I'm almost certain I'm losing from staring at the screen all day. The chair beside me budges and I feel like actually growling. Like some rabid animal. Just so whoever will leave me alone.

"Gotta admit. I was not expecting to find you at the library." 

"I'm working on a paper. I need to be alone so I can focus." 

"You've been here since 11. I think you've worked on it enough. Give yourself a break. I bet you haven't eaten dinner either have you?" 

"Go home Spencer." I slowly lifted my head, pulling the laptop back to the edge of the desk. I ran a hand through my hair, digging my nails into my scalp before my hand is carefully removed from its entangled mess, laptop gently closed. I breathed in slowly. Do not blow you're head right now Lainey. "Spencer. I really need to-" 

"It can wait until tomorrow. Nothing is that important that you can justify skipping dinner and loose sleep. You've been working on it for hours. You deserve to take a break for the rest of the night. Lets get you home. I've got some chicken in the oven so you can eat." He took my papers, filing them together in the same order and putting them into my bag with my laptop and whatever else I must have had out that I wasn't aware of. 

Spencer pulled my chair up and honestly, it'd been such a draining day I wasn't even going to fight it. I reached for my bag and he turned his shoulder so I couldn't grab it. 

"Spencer." 

"Let's get you home." 

"Just give me my bag." 

"No." 

"You-" I rubbed my hands over my eyes, trying to force them to focus. "You're infuriating Spence. Just give me the damn bag." 

"No." I groaned, reaching again but he changed his tactics. This time he grabbed my wrist and pulled me flush to him, wrapping his free arm around my back to keep me exactly there. Every major muscle in my body pulled the emergency brakes, causing my heart, lungs and brain to jerk forward, slamming into the cavities containing them and a gasp of air to be pulled into me. "You left in a rush this morning." 

"I - I had an exam." I gulped. Expensive aftershave filled my nose. Spencer's strong arms held me effortlessly. The one arm around my back wasn't stretching to hold my waist. It was slack enough for me to not feel worried but tight enough I knew I couldn't work my way out of it. He held my fist between us, my other hand pressed against his chest when he pulled so I didn't slam into him but now I couldn't move it. It had nowhere to go. He felt too good under every inch of me that was touching him. This was not good. Not good at all. "I had an exam but my alarm didn't- my alarm didn't go off and I had 40 minutes to get sorted and get to class." 

"So it wasn't because you kissed me?" Shit. When in doubt Lainey, deny like your life depends on it. Gaslight him. 

"What are you-" He cut me off. Closing his mouth over mine before I could tell him he was insane and I could lie through my teeth that it had never happened. He slowly dropped his hold on my wrist, cupping my face instead and pressing his fingers into the hair at the back of my head. 

My eyes fluttered closed after a few seconds, naturally melting into him like it was second nature. I kissed him back, pushing my own pressure against his lips, earning me a grunt that echoed deep inside him and made butterflies explode in my stomach. My thoughts turned to static, the only thing that meant anything right now was Spencer's hold on me, his lips on mine and how fucking right it felt. 

He mover the arm around my back, spreading his fingers across my jumper and pushing me closer, pressing me against him until I had to break the kiss to breathe. 

"You," He pants. "You don't get to leave the apartment without kissing me like that anymore. Got it?" 

"Uhuh." I absent mindedly agree, every part of my body tingling with what- I don't know but it is and I have ever felt like that after a kiss before. 

"Good. Let's go." He steps back, forcing his fingers between mine and pulling be out of the building. 

The whole trip home I'm trying to convince myself I'm not drunk. That's the closest thing I can explain this to. When the room is spinning but you know full well that you're stood completely still. We don't say a thing. Not a single word. He pulls me out of the car and to the elevator, out the elevator and into the apartment, dropping my bag into it's usual spot by the door and twisting his arms around me again. 

"We really shouldn't be doing this." I mutter as he backs me up. 

"Probably not." He agrees with me but keeps going, collapsing us both down onto the sofa with him on top of me. "Want me to stop?" 

"God no." 

"Thought as much." Spencer smirks.