Dead Politician Society

Chapter 38: Clare

Clare smoothed her hands against her jeans to wipe the sweat away. She adjusted her knapsack strap so she was symmetrical. She’d read somewhere that symmetry was attractive on an intuitive level.

She had just spotted Matthew. He was walking through the quad several paces ahead of her.

Her plan was to approach him. But her chest felt tight. Her heart beat too fast. When she looked at the back of his neck, the straight cut sandy hair just above his plaid shirt collar, she saw last night in his office. After he’d asked her permission to kiss her.

Fuck this, she told her emotions. She was into Kevin, not some pompous professor who tried to stay young by screwing girls half his age. This was business, not some teenage crush.

She inhaled and quickened her step toward him.

From half a pace behind, Clare said, “Thank god I found you.” She touched Matthew lightly on the arm and pulled away with a sheepish grin. “Sorry. Forgot we’re in public.”

He gave her a warm smile. “They won’t take away my tenure if I allow a student to touch my arm.”

“Good to know.” She stepped into pace with him. “I also don’t want you to think I’m placing too much importance on one night of fun.”

His smile faded. “What if last night held importance for me?”

“Then that’s cool.” Clare refused to enjoy the flutter that passed through her with those words. “But that’s not what I’m here to ask you.”

“Enlighten me, then.” He lifted his eyebrows.

“I have a seriously outrageous favor I need to ask you.”

“Outrageous can work. What do you need?”

“Is there any way I could crash out in your office for a couple of hours? I have a wicked headache. I think it’s a migraine coming on. I don’t want to go home and miss my afternoon class, but a dark room and a couple of Tylenol should make it okay.”

“I’m so sorry you’re in pain. Of course you can use my office.” Matthew’s eyes met hers with sympathy. “I’m heading there now, then off to teach Intro to Poli. I’ll let you in, grab my notes, then the room’s all yours for two full hours. I can make it longer, spend the lunch hour in the library, if that’s better for you.”

“No, two hours is great.” Clare exhaled with what she hoped seemed like grateful relief. “If I’m asleep when you get back, just wake me up and I’ll leave. The pain killer will have kicked in by then, and I’ll pop some more to get me through the afternoon. Thank you so much. I promise I won’t make this a habit.”

“You won’t make getting a migraine a habit?” Matthew led the way out of the quad and onto St. George Street. He stopped to analyze traffic, then stepped into the street.

“No, I mean I promise I won’t take advantage of our—you know—what we did last night.”

“Ah.” He waved a thank you to a car that slowed down for them to cross. “You think I’m only being decent to you because of that number you did on my cock.”

Clare wanted to laugh, but reminded herself she had a vicious headache. “No—I—”

They climbed the steps to Sidney Smith Hall.

“You must be sick.” He held the door for her. “I don’t get the impression you’re often at a loss for words.”

“I’m in a lot of pain.” Clare winced.

In the hall outside his office, Matthew introduced Clare to a gray-haired woman.

“Shirley, this is Clare. A student. I’m letting her sleep off a headache in my office. Clare, Dr. Rosenblum. Head of poli sci.”