Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“Yes, love, I know what Finn looks like.”
“Yeah, so he’s there, just sort of staring, because on top of his great body, Finn’s got those green eyes and his smile that––”
I groaned loudly.
He chuckled. “Crap. Sorry about that.”
“I’m playing with you. You know that, right?”
He nodded. “I do, but I am a bit—you know.”
“Oh, love, I know,” I teased him.
“Anyway, Finn says hello and asks Piers what he can do for him, and when Piers says he’s there to see me, Finn opens the door wide and says—for the first time, I might add, ‘Someone to see you, babe.’”
I snickered.
“I mean—really?”
“Babe, huh?”
He shook his head. “Ridiculous.”
“Do you not want to be called babe?”
“It’s better than some of the other idiotic nicknames that come out of his mouth, but there’s also some really pretty Gaelic that I’m trying to get him in the habit of using instead.”
“I see.”
“But anyway, Piers ends up dropping this huge bag of food on our doorstep and leaving, and after Finn made sure that he got rid of what spilled, he gave it to our neighbors.”
“Wouldn’t let you eat that, huh?”
“No, he’s… I mean, I get it. I wouldn’t want him taking food from some guy who was into him either.”
“Makes sense,” I agreed. “Go on.”
“Piers was so pissed when I saw him on Wednesday, and he said that I deliberately led him on, and why would I do that?”
“Oh, love, I’m sorry.”
“What made it worse was my friend Megan was there, and she basically ripped him a new asshole and told him that I was the one who made sure he got notes when he was out and that I took him soup, and where did he get off getting kindness and interest mixed up in his head.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. I mean, I appreciated her, but that just made it all worse. He went to our professor afterward and asked to join a new group. And when Dr. Villars asked him why, he said that I had created a hostile learning environment.”
“Did your professor question you about that?”
“Of course she did, and I had to go over everything that happened, and Megan, Dan, Omar, and Eshani all had to go and talk to her. It was a hassle, but they were all there for me, so I invited them over last night, and we all had dinner. Of course they all loved Finn and his homemade soda bread and Hannah’s vegan pot roast, which has gotten really good.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t taste strangely like cauliflower anymore.”
“Well, that’s good. I’ll have to try it again, because the first time it had that weird taste of––”
“I just told you it was cauliflower.”
“––and that really odd consistency.”
“Yeah. Like wet cardboard.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “That was it.”
“Still better than my quiche,” he said with a whimper.
I squinted at him. “When have you made quiche?”
“That’s what the eggs were last Sunday,” he said defensively.
“That was supposed to be quiche? I thought they were omelets.”
“No. The hard stuff in there was pie crust.” He was adamant.
“Really?” I was stunned.
“God.”
I couldn’t help chuckling. “Is everything good with your professor?”
“Yeah. She told me when I was in her office that she wasn’t worried about it, but as your study group counts in with your grade, once they’re formed, they can’t just be changed for no good reason. We’re graded on how well we work with others, and our peers grade us on what we brought to the group.”
“That’s intense.”
“Well, I am going to school to be a doctor after all.”
“This is true.”
We were quiet for a few moments.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Yeah. I was just blindsided. I thought I could count on Piers just like I could the others, but that turned out not to be the case. I’ve never had someone attack me after I said no before. I’ve had the whatever, and the fuck off, man, and the whole your loss thing where they’ve been mad, but never had someone actually try and hurt me. That’s just crazy.”
“Do you think it’s done now?”
“Oh yeah. He’s in a new group that was happy to have him. There are perks like free takeout and his fancy apartment in the Gold Coast, but luckily for me, my group values my contribution more than anything else. Plus, there are home cooked meals.”
“Well, let me know when it’s your turn next and I’ll make lasagna.”
“You will?” He sounded so happy.
“Of course. I’ll make a meat one and one without. Just say the word.”
And I was rewarded as he leaned sideways and kissed my cheek.
We drove in silence for a few miles, and then he grumbled, “Why’re we the only ones in this car going to Aunt Sandy and Uncle Michael’s on a Friday night?”
“Your sister is at an event and will be here afterward. I wasn’t listening to what it was. They’re opening something, and your father had to meet with the mayor and others to clarify the marshals’ position on what assistance they will and will not be giving ICE and Homeland Security and other agencies.”