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“Obviously not,” Aled said, deliberately looking at Jamie’s crotch.
Jamie laughed and shook his head. “Oh, Mr. Keal. I can see so much trouble on the horizon for us.”
Aled’s insides felt like they were suddenly on fire. Images of Jamie naked and sweating, his face contorted with pleasure and pain as he’d fucked him and denied him an orgasm flashed through his mind. He could have that all again. It was right in front of him, well within reach, just waiting for him to grab it with both hands.
But, of course, that was the moment when another student—a young woman who looked every bit like a freshman at university was expected to look—stumbled into the office doorway.
“Professor Croft? Oh! Sorry, I didn’t realize you were with someone,” she said in a giggly rush.
Smooth as silk, Jamie leaned over to look at his computer screen, then asked, “Penelope Greathouse?”
“It’s Penny, actually,” the young woman said, walking all the way into the office and bringing a wild ball of enthusiastic energy with her. “Everyone calls me Penny. Or Pen. Oh, unless you’re supposed to call me by my full name, or Miss Greathouse or something. I’m terribly sorry to interrupt. We do have an appointment, don’t we? I’m super excited about starting university and studying Psychology. Are you studying Psychology, too?” she asked Aled.
“Yes, I am,” Aled said, then peeked at Jamie. “I hope to go into grief and trauma counseling, actually.”
Jamie nodded, which Aled took as a greater understanding of many things. “We’ll speak later, Mr. Keal,” he said with a steady smile and smoldering eyes. He leaned back on his desk again and reached for a small, silver holder filled with business cards. “You can schedule appointments with me online, but here’s my number as well, in case you need to ring.”
Aled’s mouth twitched in a grin as he took the card. His fingers brushed with Jamie’s, making it hard to let go. He was so relieved to have Jamie’s number that he could have burst into song. “Good,” he said, then added, “Boy, this will certainly come in handy.”
The flush that spread across Jamie’s face made it clear he knew exactly what Aled was doing. Flirting, that was what he was doing. Flirting with his academic advisor, and if he wasn’t mistaken, professor for at least one class. What a way to return to academia after his forced break.
“I’m so happy to meet you at last, Professor Croft,” Penny blurted, flopping into the chair Aled had vacated and snatching Jamie’s attention. “I have so many questions, about classes and about how I’m meant to find the time to study for everything.”
Aled send Jamie one final, overheated look, nodded, then left the office. He glanced at the card as he stepped into the hall, Penny’s voice still ringing in his ears. He pulled out his phone again as he walked and tapped through with one hand to his contacts so that he could add Jamie right away.
Part of him was tempted to add Jamie to his contacts as “Good Boy”, but God help him if either Jeremy or Dawn happened to see that flash up on his phone when Jamie called.
When Jamie called.
Aled grinned as he finished adding the number, quickly texted Jamie so he would have his number, then continued on out of the Social Sciences building and into the large, grassy square that stood between several of the Liberal Arts buildings in that part of the campus. He was absolutely certain Jamie would call, hopefully soon.
It was like being on the edge of a whole new life, once again. He’d felt that way with Jamie at Hadnall Heath, and he felt that way even more now. After everything, he could finally feel his life on the other side of his parents’ death starting to take shape.
“Aled! Aled, what are you doing here?”
Still smiling like the lovesick fool he was, Aled turned to find Dawn racing toward him across the square.
“Hey, Dawn,” he called out to her, stopping to wait for her to catch up.
It occurred to him that Dawn was the polar opposite of Penny. Dawn dressed all in black and wore goth make-up and shiny, black Doc Marten boots that must have weighted ten tons each. Her hair was dyed black as well, and her short-sleeved shirt showed off the tattoo with their mother’s name that she’d gotten without his permission on the one-year anniversary of their parents’ death.
But with all that, a sort of sweet vulnerability surrounded Dawn. She wasn’t some edgy, punk Goth who wanted to give the finger to the world. She was a fragile, grieving young woman who wore her heart on her sleeve so much that the sleeve, and everything else about her outward appearance, had to be an expression of all she’d been through, all the three of them had been through together.
Dawn walked right up to him and threw her arms around Aled, burying her face against his shoulder.
“Uh oh,” Aled said, keeping his tone deliberately light. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Dawn moaned into his shirt.
Aled smiled and juggled his things so that he could rub her back. For Dawn, this was okay.
After a second, Dawn peeled back and glanced up at him, love bright in her black-rimmed eyes. “Are you having a good first day at uni?”
“Actually, I am,” Aled said, maneuvering his sister so that they could continue on with his arm around her shoulders. “I had a tour of the campus, met my academic advisor, and now I’m on my way to the book shop.”
“Me too,” Dawn said with a sigh. “We can go together.”
Aled smiled, then shifted to hold her hand. Anyone passing would probably think they were dating. Honestly, he didn’t care what they thought. He didn’t need the sort of interest from men or women looking for a date, since he already had everything he wanted that way, and he knew Dawn wasn’t even remotely ready for that aspect of life.
