“What else are we supposed to think?” he responds gently, sympathy in his eyes.
“I—I—” I stutter, at a loss for words.
As much as I want to, I can’t blame them for what they’re assuming. Asher and I knew what it would look like to outsiders, and we chose to see each other anyway.
“I have known Professor Stirling for his entire career, and he has never done anything like this or had any accusations cast against him. And while you two are consenting adults, there is an inappropriate power dynamic here.”
“But not anymore,” I hastily point out.
He sighs and leans back in his chair, folding his hands and returning them to his round belly. “No, not anymore. Any relationship proceeding your semester in Mr. Stirling’s class is… while frowned upon,technicallyokay.”
Relief courses through me. Asher and I can still be together. It’s not over.
I nod, and Dean Callahan doesn’t seem to have anything more to say. I stand and start to make my way toward the door. “Thank you for your time,” I mumble.
“Ms. Nyx?” he says, stopping me. “If I may offer a piece of unsolicited advice?” I give another curt nod, a pool of dread forming in the pit of my stomach. “While a relationship with Mr. Stirling may now be okay… it will make things look worse ifyou two decide to continue.” I open my mouth to protest, but he continues. “I believe I may be able to smooth things over with the board, but if it looks like neither of you has any remorse or doesn’t recognize that the relationship was completely inappropriate… the consequences could be worse. It may color some people’s opinion of the matter.”
I stand there stuttering, looking for anything to say but finding nothing.
“I am just telling you how it will appear to others who are not privy to all the facts. At the end of the day, it does not matter if you two are in love or if you didn’t mean to start this relationship, or if you didn’t have a single discussion regarding his class. All anyone will see is that Professor Stirling had a sexual relationship with one of his students and that student received high marks in his class. People will assume the worst, and it will reflect badly on both of you. It will most assuredly impact both of your futures, but how you react will determine how negatively.”
“Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Callahan,” I manage to get out, my voice hoarse.
“For what it’s worth, Ms. Nyx… I am sorry. Asher Stirling is a great man, and I wish things were different.”
“Me too,” I sniff before closing the door behind me as the first tear falls.
32
ASHER
Juliet answers on the first ring.
“Everything is fucked,” I say in way of greeting.
The line is silent for so long that I pull my phone away from my ear to make sure the call didn’t disconnect.
It’s been a few days since I told Summer about the photos that were sent to the administration. I’ve texted her a few times, called once, and haven’t heard anything in return. I haven’t seen her around campus, and she hasn’t stopped by my office or the bar. She’s avoiding me. I thought maybe she needed some space to process exactly what had happened, but I didn’t think she’d ignore me for multiple days.
I want to respect her space, but I miss her, and I’m worried that she’s spiraling. I want to help her. I want to tell her that everything is going to be all right—even when I have no way of knowing that. But what I do know is that as long as she’s with me, I can hurdle any obstacle.
“What happened?” Juliet asks, deadly serious.
“Exactly what everyone was so scared of happening.”
“Someone found out?”
“Someone sent pictures to the dean and the board.”
“Pictures?” she questions incredulously. “What do you mean someone sent them pictures?”
“Someone must have recognized Summer and me and taken pictures of us… in my car.”
“Okay,” she breathes out, a small tone of relief tinging her voice. “This could be worse. There could be a completely innocent reason why she was in your car.”
“No, there’s not,” I deadpan.
There’s another loaded pause on the other end of the line. “How bad are the pictures, Asher?”
