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He let out a relieved laugh and grinned happily at Addy. It was as if the sun had come out from behind a cloud. Warmth lit him up and Addy’s responding smile had tingles racing through his body. “You’d be willing to look at it?”
“Of course. Even if I haven’t taught it before, I’ll be able to figure it out. When do classes start?”
“In a month.”
He made a noise, a cross between a groan and a grumble. “Are you taking any other subjects?”
Liam shook his head. “No, it’d just be this one. I’ll start pre-season training at the same time, so I can’t do any more than that.”
There was a pause and King answered again, concern lacing his voice. “I was going to head down to Sydney with Adds while she was studying—”
“King, baby, I’d rather that you stay and help Liam. I can look after myself. I know you want us to be together, but it’s only three weeks. If you don’t help him, he’ll fail again and then he’s out of the university.”
Another grumble. “Yeah, okay. I can help you out. We can work around your training times—whatever suits. I won’t have anything else to do, so I’m all yours.” He sounded disappointed and Addy was staring at the phone like it held the secrets of the universe.
Wonder lit up her eyes and love poured from her. Something passed over him. It wasn’t jealousy though. Sure, he envied their relationship, but he recognized the soul-deep longing to be part of them. Liam wanted. Desperately. The fantasy that he could tell Addy just how much he adored her, and hug King like he wanted to in that moment was overwhelming. As perfect as the fantasy was, it was just that.
He settled for asking, “Really?” His voice had pitched higher, equal parts shock and pure relief—hope—rooting him to the spot. Addy stood, moving behind him to wrap her arms around his shoulders. She pressed a kiss to his temple. Her warmth at his back, her solid presence, grounded him. He was spinning so fast that he thought he could lift off. “King, I’d really appreciate that,” he choked out, his eyes burning with unshed tears. He took in a shuddery breath and Addy kissed him again, squeezing him tighter. He gripped her hand, threading their fingers together, and held on for dear life.
“No worries. Anytime, and please no paying me either. I’m happy to help you out.” The warmth in King’s voice slayed him, and he choked out a sob. He was being ridiculous, getting emotional over something probably trivial to anyone else, but to Liam it was a big deal. He’d hit rock bottom, been completely alone in the world, and then there was Addy and King who were helping him when he needed it most. He knew Lij was there for him too, but the look of disappointment on his face was too close to what his parents would say when they found out what was happening.
There was a dinging in the background and a rustling came over the phone, muting King’s voice when he called out, “Wrap it up, kids. Off to class, please.” The same rustling again and King added, “I’ve gotta run. Class is starting again. Can I say a quick hi to Adds?”
“Yeah. Yeah of course. Thank you. Here she is.” He passed the phone to Addy so she could take it off speaker, but kept a hold of her hand, letting the warmth of her embrace seep through him.
“Hey, sexy,” she greeted, her voice bright and bubbly to King’s deeper tone that he could hear rumbling through the phone. Liam closed his eyes, picturing the two of them together. King all strait-laced with his tweed coats and button-down shirts—all lumberjack like with his beard and bulky clothes—and her all petite. He smiled, dangerously content. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He was the luckiest bloke on the planet. Both King and Addy were prepared to sacrifice their time away—time that they could be curled up in bed together—for him. Who in the world did that? Who gave up their summer break, after teaching maths all year, to teach him? And not to want payment? It was too much. It was exactly the kind of thing a man Addy had fallen for would do.
Twelve
Kingston
T
he last day of school was always filled with anticipation. Excitement buzzed in the air. The end was in sight and the kids, who were just as ready for some time off as he was, didn’t sit still. He didn’t have any work planned for his final maths class of the year. It was mostly spent with the kids on their computers or watching a movie, but this class was a little different. They were having a party of sorts. Hannah, the sweet thirteen-year-old who sat at the front of the class and listened to every word he said, was leaving. She was in the middle of a gaggle of teenagers, laughing and singing along to a song about Bruno. He looked out over the sea of familiar faces and smiled. They were a great bunch of kids. He’d enjoyed this class above all his others.
Arielle made her way over to him. “Sing with us, Mr V!”
“Yeah, no. I’m good.” He laughed, rolling his eyes when she pouted.
“You’re no fun.”
It wasn’t long after that the bell went. Music was shut off and the kids had their bags on their shoulders ready to file out the door. “So this was it. Last maths class for the year.” A chorus of cheers went up and King grinned, happy that every one of his students had managed a pass. There was only an hour or so left of the school day before they’d all be free for the summer, and there wasn’t a single sad face. Even Hannah, who was moving interstate, was grinning wildly. “It’s been great having you all. Enjoy the summer. Best of luck for the move, Hannah.”
“Thanks, Mr Vella. Bye.” She waved as she walked out, trailing behind the others and looking around the room one last time.
In the last free period of the day, he cleaned up the classroom. He’d already emptied his desk in the maths office that he shared with four other teachers. The boxes of materials he’d built up over his career at the school had been taken home over the last few nights. He’d already said his goodbyes to his colleagues too. He was sad to be leaving, but excitement about his new position sizzled within too.
The school he was joining was considered a problem school. In a lower socio-economic area, many of the students struggled with affording resources. A new principal was shaking things up, implementing policies that ensured every student would get access to the minimum requirements, and she needed a team of people with the same passion for teaching as she had. He and Louise had clicked the moment they’d met. Instead of a one-hour interview, it had turned into two, the conversation flowing effortlessly between them the whole time. He’d received the offer for head of the maths department the next day. The best thing about it was that they’d discussed his reasons for moving schools, and Louise had been horrified that he’d felt the need to keep his and Adds’s relationship secret. She was also in complete support of establishing a LGBTIQA student association with him as staff liaison.
The final bell rang and King looked around the room one last time. It held fond memories. Tens of thousands of students had passed through there in his time at the school, and he’d taught his fair share. There had been ups and downs, difficult moments with students and their families, and ones filled with jubilation too. With a small smile, he shut off the lights and let the door click closed behind him. King took a deep breath of the heated air. Summer was here, and now, so was freedom for him and Adds.
Kids were running around everywhere, emptying from the rooms onto the concrete paths running between the buildings. They probably all looked like ants, madly following the leader to stream out the gates. He was subsumed in the mass quickly, getting jostled by heavy school bags and teenagers who were too excited to care. His phone vibrated and he saw the screen light up from its spot perched on top of the box of papers and books on statistics that he was taking home. King was sure the grin that lit up his features was giddy. The butterflies in his belly took flight whenever he thought about his lady.
Congratulations, baby, you did it!
Happiness surged through him, making him fly. He was walking on air, the fool-for-love eye-crinkling smile he couldn’t wipe from his face giving him away. “Hey, Mr V,” Samuel yelled with a wave, he and his three mates jogging over to walk with him. They were the footy and swim team stars, all four of them competing at state level. They were the kings of the school. Good kids too. Hardworking and dedicated, but rowdier than anyone he’d ever taught.
“Mr V’s gettin’ laid tonight,” Carter teased, stretching out the syllables of his last word and pointing to his smile. The boy’s gangly arms and legs looked too big for his body, but it was what made him a superstar swimmer.
