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Not that Wren had done anything except stick to his word.
His mood was still low the afternoon of his first lesson, and he could tell it was causing tension between him and the Realtor, who was attempting to crack jokes as he showed Percy condo after condo. Percy was just in no mood to laugh, and he felt awful about it, but he couldn’t slip the mask on.
He was pretty sure he was going to put an offer on the last condo he’d seen though, and that took some of the pressure off as he made his way to the community center and parked in the far back. He went through a quick internal debate, talking himself into getting out of the car instead of running away from his fear. He shot a quick text to his sister, letting her know he’d found a place, and then he made his way inside.
The building was a bit of a maze, and he passed three dance studio rooms that looked so identical he thought maybe he was being led in circles. But eventually, he found the door with 34-F in faded letters painted on the white wood, and he walked inside.
The classroom was empty save for a man at the very front who was stacking papers at the edge of an old, beat-up table. He was tall, broad, with light brown hair and a friendly smile when he looked up.
“You lost?” he asked.
Percy felt his ears burn. “Er. No, not lost. I don’t think. I was looking for beginners ASL? A friend of mine said I could sign up late, and I was told it wasn’t a problem, but if it’s too much trouble?—”
“Hey,” the guy said. He walked around the table and extended his hand. “Breathe.”
Percy realized he was rambling so much his voice had gotten a little tight for lack of air. “Sorry.” He took the man’s hand and shook it.
“You’re Percy James, right? With the James Stone LLC email?”
Percy swallowed heavily and nodded, taking his hand back as quickly as he could without being rude. “That would be me. You’re…not Luke though.”
The guy laughed. “Yeah, sorry. I’m Anthony Peters. He and I kind of co-run this class together, and I’ve been taking over a lot since he’s got some chaos happening in his life.”
The wedding, Percy knew, but he didn’t want to seem like a complete creep, so he kept that to himself. He tilted his head. “Can I ask—not to overstep, but I was told not to take ASL classes from anyone hearing.”
Anthony’s grin widened. “You’re not wrong, and if we had anyone else who had free time to fill in for Luke, they’d have the job.”
“But you’re qualified?” Percy pressed. “It’s only—I sort of made a massive mistake in thinking British sign and American sign were the same. It was quite humiliating, so I’d like to be sure I’m doing it right this time.”
Anthony laughed softly. “Yeah, I heard about you.” When Percy’s blush extended to his cheeks, Anthony looked slightly apologetic. “Gossip spreads like wildfire here, so you’re a little infamous.”
“Fan-bloody-tastic,” Percy muttered.
Anthony reached out and gave Percy’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “You’re doing the right thing, I promise. And as for my credentials, I got my minor in education, and I’m a certified interpreter.”
“Is that what you do?”
Anthony shook his head. “It’s not, but both of my parents and my partner are Deaf, so I grew up with ASL, and it’s the only language I use at home. I’ll never be at Luke’s level, but I like to think I won’t lead you all down the wrong path.”
Percy managed an actual smile at that. “Even though you’re talking to me now?”
Anthony’s return grin was a little sharp, and he raised his hands, signing quickly. Percy picked up only a single word, which was, ‘Understand?’
He laughed and signed back, ‘Don’t understand.’
Anthony clapped him on the shoulder and gestured for him to find a seat. “This class is taught entirely in ASL, and the students might be a bit ahead of you, but everyone’s really kind. You’ll catch up in no time.”
Percy settled in, feeling strange to be in his forties and sitting in a classroom all over again. But it also felt right. Glancing around, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up Wren’s contact. After a long breath and a small prayer, he began to type.
Percy: I’m here in the class. I think it’s going to go well. I just wanted to say thanks.
Wren: I’m proud of you. Come by the café tomorrow and show me what you learned.
Percy: See you then.
Wren: Can’t wait.
Percy slipped his phone away and told himself that under no circumstances did Wren mean that last text the way that Percy wanted him to. And really, that was fine.
