Chapter 8

8

T here had indeed been another potion bombing. When I'd left the Potions facility, there were students scattered across campus, whispering and giggling and kissing. I'd called Ivy, and she sent me to voicemail. I'd later gotten a text declaring that "the potion was potioning" and that we would talk tomorrow.

To my disgust, classes were canceled today—again. The potion attack was last night, not today. The effects had worn off, and everyone was back to normal, so why did the school decide to torture me more? I had so many things to learn and assignments to turn in. These attacks were not only ruining others' relationships, but they were ruining my academic career.

I sulked to the library, hoping to find another book on potions to help with my anti-potion creation. Or, I supposed, it was our creation. As in mine and Noah's.

Never thought I'd have anything I would call ours.

The library was blissfully quiet today, with minimal students present. Surely, they were using the day to sleep in or partake in recreational activities, but that wasn't something I could afford.

As I browsed books, I couldn't help but remember last night, the memory distracting me. The feeling of Noah's hot lips on my neck was ingrained in the fissures of my mind, and no matter how desperately I tried to wipe that away, I couldn't.

"You taste so good, Baker."

His words were a song stuck on repeat in my head. An endless loop meant to torture me.

Under different circumstances, I would never have allowed such a thing to occur, and I was sure he wouldn't have either.

But…I enjoyed it?

"I knew I'd find you here!"

I turned to find Remy and Ivy walking down the aisle to me. Were my cheeks red with a flush from what I'd just been thinking about? I blinked hard, hoping to clear my mind.

"Hey," I responded softly.

"Don't be so sad. I know you're really going to hate missing Psych Policy today." Remy patted my shoulder in mock sympathy.

I rolled my eyes. "I just think it's foolish that we don't have class today. You two are completely fine after the potion."

"Oh, we're more than fine. Just exhausted, is all. Do you know how hard it is to sleep when you're on a love potion?" Ivy grinned sheepishly at me as she realized what she'd said.

"Obviously not. Do tell. What is it that happens to your mind when you're on it?" I was genuinely curious. The three of us walked out of the aisle to an open table that sat four.

"Every thought you've ever had about someone you fancy becomes heightened and impossible to ignore."

"Does it force you to pursue that person?"

"Of course not," Remy answered, shaking his head. "It just clouds your mind until all you can think about is that person. I thought you knew all of this."

"Theoretically, I do. I know it doesn't force the affected to act, but that's only what the texts say. With everything I've seen on this campus, I wondered if maybe that was incorrect."

"I think everyone here has just been so busy with schoolwork that when the potion is in effect, they have no reason to resist it." Remy gave Ivy a pointed look, and she blushed.

"So you can resist it?" I leaned in closer. This answer was more important to me, though I couldn't pinpoint why.

"You're awfully concerned." Ivy raised a brow at me. "You fancy someone?"

I scoffed. "Of course not. I just like to know as much as I can. It helps with the anti-potion research."

"The research you're doing with a certain blond-haired git?" Remy smirked knowingly.

"I already told you. It was an unfortunate coincidence that now happens to be working in my favor. It's only logical to work with him since he was already doing his own research. Plus, he's getting his mastery in potions."

"Sure, sure," Ivy conceded, though the hateful glint in her eyes said otherwise.

"You three enjoying the day of canceled classes?" We all turned simultaneously as Professor Aster walked up, her sleek hair pinned in a high bun. Anytime I'd seen her on campus, she was perfectly put together. Come to think of it, she'd been immaculately dressed last night when she'd caught Noah and I—

My cheeks burned red as I remembered what Aster had witnessed. I turned my gaze away from her, my internal temperature suddenly ten degrees hotter.

"Of course!" Ivy answered quickly. "Well, Remy and I are. Henri here is disappointed."

Aster smiled, and when I met her gaze, she quirked a brow at me. "She certainly enjoyed the effects of the potion, though, didn't you, Miss Baker?" Now she was smirking, though I could see warmth in her eyes. It soothed the worry plaguing me slightly. She didn't seem suspicious of our behavior last night.

"Wait, what?" Ivy cut across, pulling my attention. I just stared at the table as though it was the most intriguing item I'd ever seen, refusing to make eye contact with her. I wanted to hide under the table.

"I'll let you three enjoy the day. Hopefully, I'll see you back in class tomorrow, Miss Weatherford." Aster nodded to all of us, shooting Ivy a wink as she passed.

Both my friends were glaring at me, the weight of their stares palpable.

"What?" I said meekly.

"What did she mean, the effects of the potion?" Ivy whisper-yelled, leaning across the table, her eyes alight with interest.

"Aster may have caught me and Noah in the Professors' brewery...and we had to improvise a reason as to why we were there." I shrugged, wanting this conversation to return to what it was before we were interrupted and kindly stay away from the incident.

"I'm not following." Remy looked just as invested, if not more, than his girlfriend.

I let out a groan before leaning forward. "The potion didn't affect either of us. We had to pretend we were in the brewery because we were a potion-struck couple looking for privacy, and she walked in on us snogging like I've never been—" I cut off the words I was vomiting all over them, clenching my jaw shut to prevent any more nervous monologue from spilling.

"You kissed? You kissed Noah Lawrence?" Ivy's volume was now even lower, and she looked around like the secret would endanger us all.

"He kissed me. Now, can we stop talking about it? We have much more important matters to discuss…like the actual love potion." I paused, rubbing my temples, remembering where our former conversation had left off. "Just tell me if you can resist it."

Remy and Ivy shared a look I didn't care to decipher before Remy answered. "Of course we could. If we wanted to. However, if I was too close to Ivy when I was potioned, it would be really hard. I still think it would be possible, though."

I nodded, filing that away for later. Unfortunately, my mind kept drifting back to the feeling of Noah's mouth on my skin…

"Did you two get an anti-potion?" Ivy asked more seriously, and I nearly jumped, thinking I'd been caught for where my thoughts had drifted.

"No, we didn't quite finish up before we…" My cheeks went hot, and I hoped the lighting wasn't enough to give that away.

"Afternoon," a low voice interrupted us, instantly sending a shiver down my spine. I looked up…and up…and up to see Noah approaching our table. Ivy's eyes were wide, her jaw slack as she looked between us. Meanwhile, I was flushed, wondering if he'd heard any of our conversation.

"Hey, Lawrence." Remy was the only one to respond to him, and it wasn't very warm. They didn't hate him nearly as much as I did, but they understood that, as friends, we all disliked how he ruined my undergraduate life by beating me out of top position. They were nothing if not loyal.

"Can I borrow Henrietta?" It was jarring to hear him use my full name. He barely even used my nickname, and that was when he had his mouth pressed to my neck.

"Of course!" Ivy said way too loudly, shooting me a warning glance. I slowly stood, following as Noah walked toward an empty aisle with his hands clasped behind his back. He turned and leaned against the shelf, a lazy grin on his face.

"Hi," I greeted, looking away from Noah's green eyes and back to the shelf, acting interested in the titles there. I wasn't looking for anything, I just wanted—no, needed—to avoid his eyes. Avoid him, really. How was I supposed to think about what happened last night? Rather, how was I not supposed to think of last night?

"Hey, are you available tonight to try the potion?"

"Yep, sounds good." I was probably the most awkward witch to ever exist, but hearing his voice reminded me of last night.

"You taste so good, Baker."

Slowly, I took a deep breath to calm myself. It was honestly one of the most attractive things ever said to me. Then, there was his voice, the gravel in his tone as he spoke. Not to mention, his face wasn't hard to look at. And those lips…

No, I wasn't thinking about it anymore. In fact, I was over it.

Completely over it, starting now.

"I wanted to apologize for last night. I didn't know how else to get us out of there without being caught."

I laughed nervously. "Don't worry about it. I was relieved this morning when I saw there was an actual attack last night."

He cocked his head and raised a brow, so I turned to look at him. "You didn't know?"

"Didn't know what?" Now I was the one raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. See you tonight." He left just as quickly as he'd appeared.

I went to the brewery around eight after skipping dinner so I could get some studying in. Since I was probably going to be here for at least three hours, I had to fit in my schoolwork elsewhere, and dinner was the most sensible time.

This was why I couldn't do relationships. My plate was too full, and I didn't have an extra minute to spare. It was a miracle I even had time to work on a potion and still sleep.

"You're late." Noah didn't look up from the cauldron as I walked in.

"What do you mean? I thought we'd agreed on eight." I checked my watch to make sure I hadn't somehow misread the time.

"Yes, but yesterday, we met at six."

"I had homework to finish."

"Ah, yes. Can't do any extracurriculars until the homework is complete. Did you study for our exam next semester while you were at it?" His eyes flickered up just in time to see my glare.

"Are we going to spend the evening throwing jabs, or are we trying to get this anti-potion made? Honestly, I thought you'd be in more of a hurry." He cocked an eyebrow at my words. "How's your self-control holding up? I'm sure each attack must be making it harder and harder."

Now, he was glaring, nostrils flaring. A muscle feathered in his jaw as he refused to look away from me. "Trust me, there's nothing I'd rather do than get this anti-potion finished. Then, I won't have to spend any unnecessary time around you."

"Likewise, so let's get to work. Worry about my study habits in your own time."

Not much else was spoken between us, other than clipped thoughts about the potion or questions on methodology. Noah seemed completely fine, as though this was just a normal day for him, but I was panicking inside. Every time our hands would get too close, I would pull away, not wanting to know the texture of his fingers again. I kept an overly-appropriate distance between us so we wouldn't accidentally bump elbows.

Flashes of last night took over my brain, dividing my focus in a way I'd never quite experienced. I was an expert at staying on task, so why was this event forcing my mind to stray?

"Baker!" Noah yelled as I accidentally poured way too much lycan oil into the cauldron.

"Bollocks," I cursed, yanking my hand that held the bottle away from the cauldron.

"Great. Now we have to start over! What's wrong with you, Baker?" Noah ran a hand through his disheveled hair, pulling on the ends.

I couldn't even answer. Shock like I'd never known before silenced any thoughts I might have had.

"Have you nothing to say? You ruined the entire potion!" He turned, walking away from me, his anger more potent than it should have been.

"Oh, sod off! It's not like you've never made a mistake before!" His anger made me furious, and so the cycle began.

"No, I actually haven't! I pay attention when making potions! Where is your head?" He threw his hand up, glaring at me.

"I wasn't trying to mess it up! We can start over," I gritted out, matching his glare with my own.

"No, and you weren't trying to do it right either!" He paused, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he took a breath. Anger built inside of me. The gall of this man to be so angry over this made me grit my teeth. "Just because you're not affected by this potion doesn't mean you shouldn't try as hard, Baker. Some of us have to get this right so they can stop going into an obsession spiral over a stupid girl he—"

He stopped his tirade, his eyes darting to me as he caught his words just short of coming out.

As much as I wanted to poke the beast and find out who had his knickers in such a twist, I knew that wasn't my best option right now. He was right; I should have been paying more attention. I softened, knowing this did have higher stakes for him.

What he would never know was that I'd been distracted by the thought of his lips.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. I just got distracted." I held my hands up in surrender, possibly the only time I'd admitted to being wrong to Noah Lawrence.

Noah took a few deep breaths without looking at me. In fact, he looked everywhere but at me.

"Look, I'm sorry. We have to get this potion figured out. Who knows when the next attack will be?" His voice was calmer now, but it still held an edge as his green eyes landed on me.

"It could be tomorrow," I muttered, hoping to lighten the mood.

It didn't work.

Instead of cracking even a hint of a smile, Noah glowered at me.

"Correct. Now, get to work," he ordered, pointing at the cauldron with the ruined potion. I didn't know why, but I dutifully responded by grabbing the cauldron and dumping it out. When I returned, Noah had already started the next batch.