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“Hey! I had breakfast and lunch, thank you very much.”
“And the breakfast was my doing.”
“I’m pretty sure I controlled the fork, lifting bites into my mouth. Hmm…let me think. Yep, that was me.”
“Fine, you win. I guess it has to happen every once in a while.” I wrapped an arm around Zander’s shoulders to tug him close. The second I did, we both froze. His gaze shot toward Ross and Trina, mine to Zander.
That whole exchange had been automatic, comfortable. We were so used to spending time with just the two of us that I think we both forgot we weren’t alone.
Zander stepped out of my embrace.
“You guys are really cute together,” Trina said.
“We’re not. I mean, it’s just a thing. We’re friends,” Zander replied, making me frown, even if in reality, that was exactly what I’d agreed to.
“Let’s go in,” I said again, not allowing myself to look at Ross. I didn’t want him to see just how much I wanted more. It would do what he hadn’t wanted to happen from the start—Ross would feel like he was put in the middle. Because he wouldn’t want me hurt.
The group of us went inside and were immediately seated. I’d called to adjust the reservation the night Ross asked about Trina and Zander coming.
The waitress asked if we wanted anything to drink. Trina and Ross both ordered a glass of wine, which I’d never seen my son drink in his life. Zander still wasn’t a huge fan, but drank it every once in a while. He leaned close and asked, “Which one is that sweet one I like?”
“Moscato.”
“I’ll have a glass of that,” he told the waitress.
“Me too,” I added. When she left, I said, “See? You actually like it. Wine isn’t only for old people.”
“Well, no, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t give you shit.”
“Brat.”
For the second time, I felt Ross and Trina’s gazes on us, but I didn’t turn to them. Zander seemed to remember their presence again, and gave his complete attention to the menu. His leg bounced beside mine, and he kept fidgeting in his seat. I put a hand on his thigh, hoping it would soothe him because apparently now I thought I had more power than ADHD medication.
When the waitress returned, we ordered, and then Trina said, “Ross told me you teach sixth-grade English. Do you like it?”
It was absolutely the perfect thing to ask. Zander lost himself in his passion for education then, and I…well, I could do nothing but sit back and watch him, sunbathing in his glow.
He relaxed more after that but kept his distance from me. Every once in a while he’d forget, and we’d banter back and forth, or he’d pick at my plate the way he did when we were alone, and all I could think was how much I wanted this.
How much I wanted him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Zander
“Why do you suppose Percy Jackson did that?” I asked my last-period class. They were all jittery and dressed up in their costumes since it was Halloween, but at the same time, they seemed into the discussion as well. Maybe not all of them, but a good majority. My first book of the year had clearly been a smart choice.
“I think he wants to help people. Sure, he wants to prove himself, but I don’t think that’s all there is to it,” Lindy said.
“He thinks that girl is hot,” Elijah added.
“Oh my God. Whatever,” Lindy countered.
“I’m kidding…kinda. I mean, that’s part of it, right?” Elijah asked.
“Well, yeah, I think it is. You’re both right to a degree. But—” The bell rang, cutting off our discussion. Shit. I’d lost track of time. I hated it when I did that. It felt like class had just started. “Okay, that’s it. Have a good night and be safe! I put a bowl of candy by the door. You can each grab a piece or two on the way out. Be ready to continue our analysis when you come back.”
They were only half listening, running off already, others stuffing items into their backpacks, excited about the night ahead. It might have been silly, but I felt the same. I’d never been much into Halloween as a kid. I didn’t know why, but it just hadn’t been my thing. Harrison said he got a decent amount of trick-or-treaters, though, so we were going to pass candy out all night. I’d never done that before and was probably a little more stoked than I should have been for something so small.
I was finishing up a few things when there was a gentle tap on my open classroom door. I turned and smiled. “Hey, Cameron.” We talked quite a bit at work, more and more as time went on. We even texted every once in a while. I liked him a lot. Definitely wanted to be friends with him, even though we had yet to get together outside of school.
