Impossible To Resist (BWWM Romance Book 1)(57)
There was a sweet and genuine beauty about her; something that could not be bought or added. It was just an inherent trait of hers that was captivating to anyone who took a moment to pay any attention to her, and as a result, she had a good number of friends who loved her dearly, and Reggie was the best of them.
Reggie was talking with her about his engineering classes. She didn’t like engineering much, but anything he did was important to her, so she listened as he explained the goings on in a few of his classes and the projects he was working on at the time.
They met beneath the massive oak every day for lunch, and as they had no classes together, it gave them an opportunity to catch up with one another and spend time together at school. They saw each other outside of school as well, but during their busy weeks, the old oak was the best place for them to catch up and connect with each other.
Reggie was telling Catalina about an internship at an engineering firm that he was hoping to get. He had tried for others but had been unsuccessful, but he felt certain that he was a good candidate for the most recent one that he had applied for and he was certain he would get it. “This is going to be the one, Cat,” he explained, grinning with wide eyes. “It will be the one that jumpstarts my whole life. It’s going to happen this time, I just know it is. Then I can land a good job and start focusing on more serious things in my life.” His voice grew softer and his excited grin became a warm smile as he reached for Catalina’s hand and gazed deeply into her eyes. “There’s so much that I’m hoping for in my future. So much that means everything to me,” he said in a low and earnest voice, holding her hand as his eyes searched hers.
She grinned back at him and gave his hand a little squeeze before pulling hers from his grasp. “I’m sure you’re going to get it. It’s really just a matter of time. You’re a brilliant guy, you’re hard working and dedicated, and there’s nothing that you can’t do. One of these days, one of the firms that you’ve been applying to will see that and bring you on board, and then you’ll be all set. You’ll have everything you want.” Catalina shrugged her shoulders lightly and tipped her head as if it was all already a done deal.
Reggie reached a hand over the back of the bench to touch her shoulder. “Everything I want is almost in reach,” he said, leaning closer to her and lowering his voice. His eyes fell to her lips for a moment and then he raised them back up again and looked into her blue gray eyes.
She hadn’t noticed his glance; she was busy watching a chipmunk as it raced through the fallen colored leaves and darted up the tree. Reggie watched her, rubbing his fingers gently over her shoulder.
“So what’s going on with you? Are still working on that super-secret project that you couldn’t tell me anything about?” he asked her with a smile. She turned to look at him, her stormy eyes bright, and her smile so wide that it showed her dimple.
“Yes! Well, I can finally tell you now, though, so it doesn’t have to be a secret any longer.” She sat up a little straighter on the bench and turned to face him fully. “So Connor and I-”
Reggie frowned and tilted his head. “Connor?”
Catalina laughed a little and rolled her eyes slightly. “I mean Mr. James,” she said coyly.
“You mean Professor James?” Reggie corrected her, his eyes narrowed and his face stern.
Catalina shrugged one shoulder. “Well, he’s letting me call him Connor now, and I like that better. So, Connor and I have been working on getting press passes to cover a political rally in Springfield, and we didn’t know if we were going to be able to get them so we could go photograph the event, but he just texted me a little while ago to let me know that we got them and we’re going! I’m so excited! This is my first really big photojournalism shoot! It’s out of town, it’s a big event, and it’s with Connor there to help me… I can’t wait!” she gushed as she raised her shoulders and looked upward to the blue sky with a huge grin on her face.
Reggie’s brow furrowed. “He has your cell phone number? Why does he have your cell phone number? I think that’s crossing a line! I don’t think he should have your number. He’s a professor, you’re a student… there… that’s…” he shook his head in frustration, “that’s just crossing a professional line!”
Catalina looked at him, the grin fading from her beaming face. “Reggie, he’s my advisor and my professor of photojournalism, which is my major. Of course he has my cell phone number. There’s nothing wrong with that. What are you getting so worked up about? Neither of us is crossing any lines! Gosh. You’re acting like it’s wrong or something. There’s nothing wrong at all with it, especially since we’re going to be traveling out of town together for this project. We have to be in contact. Plenty of students all over the world have their teachers’ cell phone numbers; it’s the age of technology, Reggie.” She rolled her eyes and sighed.
He looked away, turning away from her even more.
“I just don’t like it, that’s all. You’re going out of town with him, and I don’t like that, and you’re traveling with him, which also seems wrong to me, but I can tell right now that it isn’t going to be any use to try to talk you out of it or try to discuss it with you.” He let out a deep breath slowly, then he looked down at his hands as he folded his fingers together.