A Nefarious Secret

Chapter 2

Chiara barely slept last night. The idea of having to see Jess today left her tossing throughout the night. She woke up before her alarm went off, anxious and overthinking. She quickly hopped in the shower and washed her hair. She wasn't sure why she felt nervous. But her skin itched to be near him again. She missed his warmth, seeing his muscles move beneath his clothing, the way his jaw clenched when he held back what he wanted to say. She needed to see him again.

She rubbed her hair through a t-shirt, scrunching it trying to create some waves and volume. She decided she'd wear mascara and fill her eyebrows in slightly with the addition to her usual routine. When she was finished in the bathroom, she went back to her room. Was she really about to get dressed up for him?

No.

She wore a black, lacy racerback bralette, black leggings, and a slouchy olive green shirt that fell off one shoulder. Her hair was halfway dried. She spun a few inch-wide sections around her finger, hoping they'd dry in soft curls by the time she got to class. Her grey backpack slung onto her shoulders, she pulled on her black Vans and left.

Chiara walked the few blocks to the University of Illinois's campus. The warm air made the trek enjoyable. She took a long breath as she walked by the trees freshly cut grass.

She crossed the campus a little quicker than she was attempting. Arriving a full 15 minutes early to class, she walked up an extra flight of stairs and decided to walk around the building until 5 minutes til. She wasn't going to be the first person in class. That might lead to her having to fight looking at Jess. So she walked around the hallways that made a long rectangle. She passed offices for the Theater Department, classrooms full of students and some scarcely low of them. She filled up her water bottle. Minutes creeped by until her promised time shone on her phone.

She walked into her classroom to find almost everyone there. The desks were arranged in a circle, typical of discussions. A white board hung on one wall with Env Sci 202 scrawled across it. Chiara picked an empty seat by a blonde haired girl she saw in lecture. They gave small smiles at each other. Jess wasn't in the room yet, probably having stepped out to get water or something. The last few students trickled in and then finally Jess.

"He's kind of hot, don't you think?" the blonde haired girl asked Chiara.

Chiara let out a small laugh and nodded. Sure, she could agree with that.

"Hello everyone. I'm Giuseppe Catanzano, your TA for this semester. Please feel free to call me Jess. I'm going to tell you a little about myself and then we can get into our discussion for today," Jess instructed.

He stood up by the whiteboard wearing dark blue jeans and a grey t-shirt for Illinois Football. His arms filled out the sleeves just right, as his jeans tapered at his ankles. His hair brushed back off of his face, a few strands betraying him, fallen to the sides. Chiara took a small sharp breath in.

"Yes my name is Italian, no I am not a part of the mob nor are any of my family members. And, I'm going to ruin your day with... an icebreaker!"