I consulted my phone and groaned while hurrying out of the university library, tucking the two books I needed for this upcoming paper into my backpack while juggling my Thermos of coffee. One task down, five zillion more to go. Like the overdue article for my job at the online magazine. Someday, my life would be a little less hectic. Unfortunately, that day was not today.
I took the steps leading away from the library two at a time. If I hurried now, I could make it to the store and back in time to tackle a decent chunk on my latest freelancing gig. At some point in there, I needed to work in study time for an upcoming exam.
At the bottom of the steps, I tucked my phone back into my pocket and was about to break into a jog when a familiar voice called my name.
“Seb, where are you off to so quickly on this beautiful afternoon?”
Ugh. Part of me wanted to pretend that I hadn’t heard the associate professor and sprint away, but without my earbuds in, I wasn’t sure I could pull it off without looking like a total dick.
I knew I should have put those damn things on before I left the library.
With my face arranged into a smile that hopefully passed for genuine, I turned to Professor Adams, who approached me in his usual long-sleeved plaid shirt under a clashing olive green blazer and Dad jeans. “Just trying to get my errands run before I settle down to study for my Roman civilizations exam. How are you?”
“Good, good. Hard not to be on a day like this.”
I took a step toward the path. Please, please, wave me off and get on your way.
The professor paused.
Hell.
“A little birdy tells me that your TA application is under review. No big deal, you’ll just have to pass that FBI morality clause background check, is all,” Professor Adams said, snickering.
My stomach knotted. I knew he was joking. Everyone always joked about the FBI background check and morality clause for TAs. Before I’d attended the club event and agreed to a trial consort period with David? I wouldn’t have given the clause a second thought. Now, though?
Now, I was a little freaked out.
“Oh, don’t look so scared—it’s only a TA job. I’m sure you can still find a job at some tiny rural school in BFE somewhere if you fail the check.”
He winked to let me know he was kidding, but right now, I wasn’t really appreciating his humor. Everyone knew that you might as well kiss your academic career goodbye if you couldn’t hold—or get—a TA position.
I must have made a face because he patted my shoulder in a kindly way. “Don’t fret, I’m sure you’ll pass with flying colors.” Then he paused and peered over his shoulder before lowering his voice, “Unless you murdered someone and forgot to tell us on your application.”
He smiled and some of my anxiety drained away. Professor Adams was right. Why should I be scared? I’d joined a private men’s club, not an orgy with dancing bears and sex slaves. What I did with my private life was my business. Not the university’s. Whether I was a TA or not.
“Oh, shoot, was I supposed to declare that murder on my application? But it only happened the one time!”
Professor Adams laughed. “So long as it was only the once, you should be home free.” He whacked me on the shoulder hard enough that I almost dropped my coffee.
Get me out of here already.
As much as I wanted to flee, though, I had to polite my way through this. I couldn’t risk offending a faculty member. Not at this crucial point.
Before I could come up with some lame platitude, a female voice yelled his name. “Mr. Adams, wait up! I need to ask you something about our paper.”
Professor Adams grimaced, before schooling his face into the exact same phony smile I’d sported for him only seconds ago. “Duty calls,” he said. “This will be you soon, you lucky guy—dodging students left and right on beautiful sunny days. Don’t study too hard—and make sure to keep that murder count low.”
I faked a laugh and he winked before turning to greet the girl who rushed toward him, hair flying and books rattling in her hands. The second his back was turned, I booked it out of there.
I had better things to do with my time than joke and fret about whether or not I’d fail a morality clause if the university discovered my club affiliation.
I mean, if I was going to waste time on things other than basic survival, work, and studying, I was going to waste it on something a lot more enjoyable than that. Like, say, rehashing all the high points of my time this past week with David and fantasizing about what would happen once we hit our third date mark.
As I raced away, a tiny seed of doubt niggled away at the back of my mind, though.
Everything would be fine. So long as I passed that background check.
6
David
I waited for Brian’s cousin Sean at a little Thai restaurant tucked across the street from the Archer & Stowe office building.
“David Wright?” At the sound of my name, I turned and saw a tall man with a broad smile that reminded me of Brian’s. “Aha, thought so, I recognized you from your photo on the back of your books.”
I laughed and shook his hand. “You certainly know how to flatter a man. You must be Sean Rickets.”
“That I am. Nice to finally meet you in person. Brian has been filling my ear about you for years now—I almost feel like I know you. I was so thrilled when you called.”
“Yes, well, Brian gave me a nudge and I figured, why not?”
“Exactly! It’s always good to see what else is out there,” he said with a smile. “I’m just so excited that Brian nudged you in my direction.”
While the host ushered us to a little red umbrella-covered table on the patio and handed us menus, I made a mental note to send Brian a bottle of his favorite gin.
“What’s good here?” I said.
“Everything, I swear. You can’t go wrong with the yellow curry or the pad thai, but the see ew noodles and the pineapple fried rice are to die for, too.”
I made my selection, closed the menu, and then surreptitiously studied Sean while he finished scanning the pages. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but it wasn’t the man who sat across from me. He wore a brightly patterned shirt paired with capri-style pants—a look one of the conservative faculty members on my campus wouldn’t be caught dead in. His wavy hair reached below his ears, and trendy, blue-rimmed glasses framed a pair of lively eyes.
He and Brian bore a faint resemblance in build and eye color—hazel with gold around the pupil—but that was all. Brian wouldn’t be caught dead in that get-up, and was the fitter of the two.
The waitress took our order and once we handed her the menus, he leaned back in the chair, spreading both arms wide across the back. “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”
“Quite. A perfect day to be outside, even if it’s only a brief respite from the artificial light of my office and the stacks of term papers awaiting me.”
“Amen to that.”
Seemingly without a care in the world, Sean stretched and groaned his pleasure, tilting his head back to soak up a few of those rays of sun.
I should despise him. He was loud and showy—so unlike my social circle. Instead, I felt a weird pang in my chest. There was something about him that was impossible to dislike. He seemed so…carefree.