Self

Chapter 80

“I’m just here to grab some clean clothes, then it’s back to the lab for me.”

Π

His voice was thick with congestion, and even behind the mask, he was clearly battling a nasty cold.

“Hold on.

Yara ducked inside and returned with a thermos in hand.

“Drink this. It’s the ginger tea I made yesterday. It works best when you drink it while it’s hot.”

At the mention of ginger tea, Wade’s eyebrows knitted together slightly, but Yara missed–it as she said, “And there’s cold medicine in the bag, the usual stuff. Directions are on the box.”

Wade was hardly ever sick, so her concern made him hesitate, almost wanting to return the thermos.

Then, Yara said, “You only caught this cold because of me yesterday.”

That stopped him from refusing her care.

Glancing at his watch, he was almost out of time.

“Thanks. I’ll take the tea and the medicine.”

As Wade hurried off, Yara shut the door and returned to her research.

Her latest paper still needed work, and she had been scouring websites for days for more info.

Then, there were the German texts from Professor Olson. Her German was okay for chatting, but she hit a wall with the technical terms.

Lost in her research, Yara was scribbling notes when her phone buzzed.

Annoyed at the disruption, she sighed, set down her pen, and picked up the call. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Look, I’m sorry about yesterday, but there’s stuff I’ve got to

say to

you face–to–face.”

It was Shane.

Yara paused for a beat–perfect, she had some things she wanted to clear up, too.

They set a time and place, and Yara hung up.

An image of Yale’s furious face popped into her head. She shook it off like a bad dream and dove back into her paper.

The café was their old place, just a stone’s throw from Bellmere University.

Yara pushed open the door and spotted Shane right away, chilling in their usual spot.

He was turned away from the entrance but must have felt her presence because he swiveled around the moment the doorbell chimed.

His coat was tossed casually next to him, and he was rocking a Gucci shirt unbuttoned enough to show off a hint of his collarbone and that signature Adam’s apple.

It was enough to make the girl at the next table peeked at him.

Yara ignored the side eyes and sat across from Shane, who asked what she wanted to drink.

Not in the mood for caffeine, she said, “I’m here to say what I didn’t get to finish the other day.”

Shane caught the edge in her voice but just flashed a half–smile. “I want you to know I meant every word I said.”

Yara’s brow creased. “Then you should get it–I don’t like you, and there’s no chance for us.”

Shane just shrugged. “I’ve always known life’s not about being unbeatable or having things easy. It’s about the endgame being worth it, right?”

He was the type to stick to his guns, never backing down once he had set his sights on something.

Patience? He had loads of it. He could wait for Yara to come around, just like Yale did back in the day, never letting up until he got the girl.

Yale pulled it off, so why could he not?