Break Your Heart Read Online Free PDF Page A

aunt used to live in Cleveland and loved the area. This school has a great academic reputation. So here I am.”
    I was so curious and wanted to ask more, but I remembered how Casey would shut off when I’d push her to talk to me. Trust was important to establish before trying to pry into such personal matters. And the stiffness in her body language gave away that she was uncomfortable, didn’t want to reveal too much right now. So I gave her a warm smile and pushed back the questions I wanted to ask. “Well, we should try to hang out sometime then. Without books involved,” I added.
    Her responding grin was warm and appreciative. “Really? I’d like that.”
    “My roommate deejays at a dance club nearby—The Mask. It’s great. Or we can hit a party on campus or something. Lots to do around here.” Kelly seemed like a nice person; maybe a little nudge would help her expand her social circle.
    We made small talk for a few more minutes, about the weather, about our other classes, then slid into an easy silence as we worked. Students milled and talked around us, the fire crackled between us, but we studied for another hour on our notes and such.
    My back was getting cramped, so I stood and stretched. Gathered my stuff up and put it in my bag. I needed coffee and a bagel before my next class. After class I had a work shift—it was gonna be a long day. “I’m heading out,” I told Kelly. “But I’ll text you when I find out what’s going on. Maybe we can do something soon?”
    She nodded. “I’d like that. A lot. See ya tomorrow morning.”
    I left, and as I walked to the coffee shop, I tried not to think about the sheen of tears in her eyes. How hard it must be to feel that lonely, to wander around school and have few familiar faces. Whatever Kelly went through must have been pretty awful if it had made her pick up her whole life and relocate.
     
    As I shifted in my seat in cryptography on Wednesday morning, I realized my pulse had begun to flutter, and my pen was tapping on the corner of my paper without me realizing it. I was nervous. How crazy was that? Nervous and full of anticipation to see my prof again. Only a few class sessions in and the guy had somehow begun to worm his way under my skin. I looked forward to hearing the vivid excitement in his voice as he spoke about the day’s topic. Watching how his hands waved in the air to punctuate his words. The way his gaze was so penetrating when he locked eyes with students. Like he was seriously interested in our opinion. Like he found us to be his equal.
    I’d never been drawn to a teacher like this before. Then again, I’d never had a teacher like him before.
    Dr. Muramoto walked in with a broad smile. “Morning, class. Glad to see I didn’t scare you away with Monday’s lesson.”
    There were a few chuckles. It had been an intense session, but he’d gone over the material thoroughly, asking questions to make sure we all understood.
    Kelly sighed and leaned closer to me. “I wish he taught all my classes.”
    I nodded. “He’s something else, isn’t he.” For some reason, I was hesitant to let anyone know how much I was attracted to him. It was goofy—why should I care if Kelly or Casey or anyone else knew I thought he was hot?
    But I knew why. Because it was more than just his looks. His brain was hot. His intensity was hot. And those things made me think about him far, far more than I should have. Which was so embarrassing. I was a cliché—girl with a huge crush on her teacher. Ridiculous.
    “Megan?” Dr. Muramoto said with a brow raised, which jarred me out of my thoughts.
    My heart pounded. Shit. What were we talking about? “Um, yes?”
    “Do you know the answer?”
    My brain scrabbled with desperation as I eyed the chalkboard, the room, trying to figure out what we were talking about.
    His brow quirked. “I was asking what the two types of symmetric key ciphers are. It was part of your reading from last class.”
    Shit. My brain