“Donottell me it’s nothing.”
“It’s just a lot at once.”
“A lot,” he repeated, jaw flexing. “Is that what we're calling it now?”
“Yeah.” I huffed a breath. “That’s what we're calling it.”
A growl tore through his throat, and then both of his hands were on my face. His palms bracketed my jaw, thumbs pressing in just enough to hold me still while he angled my head up.
He pulled me in that last inch until our foreheads touched. “Look at me.”
“I… already am,” I mumbled, and his nostrils flared.
“Are you bratting me right now?”
“I’m following directions, Professor.”
“Hell.”
He started to pull back, and I surged closer, gripping his forearms so he’d stay.
His thumbs shifted slightly against my jaw. “You don’t get cornered. You don’t get cut off at the knees. And you sure as hell don’t walk out of here thinking you have to fix it yourself.”
“Henry—”
“Your funding was cut without notice. You’re trying to compensate for it by overextending yourself, and you nearly had a reaction to Jackson and his bullshit.”
“A reaction,” I echoed.
That sounded a lot better thanpanic attack in the middle of the hallway like a complete disaster.
“And your solution is to pretend this is normal.”
“Itisnormal,” I said, more firmly this time. “For me, it is.”
“I did not negotiate that position so you could take on additional work to make up for their error.”
“Are you always this stubborn?” I mumbled, and I swore I felt his lips curl upward. “It’s not an error. It’s funding, and they cut it. That’s normal here.”
“I don’t care how the department typically operates. I care about the terms that were set for the position.”
“The terms changed, Professor. Accept it. That’s what I do.”
“Like hell I’ll fucking accept it.” He stepped back, both hands dragging through his hair before settling behind his head. “Show me the email.”
“I didn’t bring my laptop.”
“Your phone.”
The column of my throat felt too small again, my feet shifting against the ground like they couldn't decide where to go.
Come back.
I made a noise in my throat. His chin jerked upward, the skin between his eyes wrinkling.
My skin flushed as he studied me. The absence of his touch shouldn’t have hit this hard. It was beyond embarrassing.
Like,drop dead and bury me in an unmarked grave,embarrassing.
