The Locker Room(30)

There was no party at the loft, which meant the girls and I took a trip north, stayed at a bed and breakfast, courtesy of Dottie’s dad, and studied in the sanctuary of the woods. It was wonderfully refreshing and energizing, but when I returned late Sunday night and still didn’t hear anything from Knox, I shrugged my shoulders, attempting to ignore my sense of disappointment. Another man who is all talk. I was surprised, especially as I considered his sincerity in his words. “I’m not like him, Em . . . you don’t know me well enough to make that assumption.”

Oh well, it’s nothing I should be wasting time thinking about.

Morning coffee in hand, I make my way to class, keeping a watchful eye out for Knox, but I don’t run into him before class, nor do I see him or the boys when I enter our lecture room.

And just like that, worry sets in. Did they go out of town and I didn’t know? Should I check their fall schedule?

Did the loft burn down? Is that why there wasn’t a party? I mean if there was a fire, I feel like that would have been in the news.

Am I overreacting?

Feeling a little uneasy, I take a seat in the row we usually all sit in and nervously remove my laptop and set my backpack by my feet. Now I kind of wish I’d asked Knox for his number. A friendly text of do you want me to save you a seat? would have been nice right about now.

Even though I don’t need to use it since I type notes, I take out a pen from my backpack and start tapping the desk with it. Stop fidgeting, Ealson.

Five minutes until class starts, they never push it this close, especially since Knox likes to have little chats before class starts, and then he continues those chats on his computer next to me.

I glance around the room, and that’s when I notice everyone is sitting at the very front of the class, the first two rows. I sit up in my seat. Am I missing something?

No one is talking, and you could hear a pin drop it’s so quiet, and everyone is facing the front of the room, heads straight forward, motionless.

What the hell is—

My Girl starts playing through a phone speaker out of nowhere right before the door to the lecture room bursts open at the top, startling the crap out of me. I glance to the side to find Holt and Carson smoothly dancing down the stairs wearing their matching sweatshirts and holding coffee and boxes of donuts.

What in the world?

Trailing behind them, Knox, decked out in jeans, a button-up and tie, with his signature backward hat follows closely behind, holding a bouquet of . . . are those campus maps cut into flowers?

Oh.

My.

God.

Holt walks to the row below mine as Carson walks down the row behind me, singing loudly while the class turns around and unfolds a banner, just as Knox makes his way toward me a huge smile on his face as he belts out the song. When the chorus rings through the room, the class breaks out in song and flips up a huge banner that says, “Say yes.”

Say yes to what?

Oh good Lord.

I think he’s taken this challenge a little too seriously.

Knox slides to his knees in front of me and the music dies out as he holds up the makeshift bouquet to me, that handsome smile caressing his face. I push my hand over my eyes briefly, my cheeks flaming, and my nerves causing my body to shake.

Everyone is quiet as Knox speaks up. “Emory Edith Ealson.” I cringe, that is not my middle name. “Will you do me the great honor”—he pretends to wipe a tear from under his eye—“of being my seat mate for the rest of the semester?”

The class collectively “awws” and awaits my answer.

One girl shouts, “Say yes.”

While a guy bellows, “You’re the man, Gentry.”

Of course, he got the whole class involved, this is Knox Gentry.

This is so ridiculous and unnecessary, but I get caught up in the whirlwind and nod like an idiot.

Standing, chest proudly puffed, Knox raises his fist to the air and screams, “She said yes.”

The class cheers. Holt and Carson start handing out coffee and donuts in celebration just as our professor walks through the door, caught off guard by the raucous behavior of the class.

“Settle down,” he shouts, causing everyone to take their seats, including Knox, who sits right next to me and drapes his arm over the back of my chair.

He casually reaches up and starts twirling a strand of my hair around his finger. It’s intimate, something Neil never did, and I like it. Maybe a little too much.

Class gets underway and Holt hands Knox his computer. He opens it with one hand and starts typing out a note for me.

Thank you for saying yes. That would have been embarrassing as shit if you said no.

I snort and cover my mouth, imagining Knox’s face if I had said no. I never could have done that. I like to joke around with him, but that would have been mean, especially since he went through a lot this morning to put on a show.

I type him back a response.

That was a little extravagant, don’t you think?

From the corner of my eye, I catch a smile pulling at his lips.

He types back.

Nothing is too extravagant for you, babe. This is only the beginning.

Oh God, why does that worry and excite me all at the same time?





“Can you put all those books away?” Mrs. Flower asks. “I’m going to my office so if you need anything, figure it out because I don’t want to be bothered.”