“That has generally been the truth of my experience.”
And what could Jax say to that? “Long-distance is terrible, because that deserved a kiss.” Ari hummed, and Jax got a great idea. “Hey, Ari? What are you wearing?”
Ari choked and sputtered, but he did eventually answer the question, so Jax counted Valentine’s Day a success.
The next week passed in a blur of research and writing, and then it was the twenty-third and Jax brought his findings before a committee.
Jax walked into the room, and an hour later he stumbled out again. Rebecca stood waiting in the hallway. She’d told him he could have a cup of tea with her while he waited for their decision.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
He shrugged helplessly. “I… have no idea.” He rubbed his head. He was pretty sure that he answered questions of some sort? “I said stuff?”
Rebecca slung an arm around his shoulders. “Well, I’m glad to hear that you said stuff.” She guided him down the hallway and into her office. Jax let her lead; his brain was not up to tasks more complex than basic locomotion.
Which he proved when the office door opened and Jax made an extremely obvious observation out loud. “Christine? Ari?”
His mother glided across the room, her long coat-like sweater ballooned out behind her like wings, and enveloped him in her arms. “I wanted to be here to support you on your big day, but I didn’t want to distract you beforehand.”
Still kind of numb, Jax clutched her tightly. “Thanks.”
When she released him, Jax turned to Ari, and some of the numbness faded. Jax flung himself into his arms.
“Oof,” Ari grunted but held him close.
“Shut up,” Jax murmured. “I thought we agreed to meet at my place tomorrow? Did I hallucinate that?” He was sure Ari had insisted on coming to town for his defense, but Jax had insisted even louder that there was nothing Ari could do and Jax didn’t have the time or energy to see him until it was over. Besides, he didn’t want anyone to see him while he was a nervous wreck, awaiting a decision that would let him know whether four years of schooling had been for nothing.
He’d obviously been wrong about that, because he couldn’t seem to make his arms let Ari go, and now he was trembling a little. Good thing Ari had ignored his directions.
Ari had the grace to look somewhat chagrined. “I couldn’t not have a celebratory dinner with you tonight.”
“I found him loitering in front of the building,” Rebecca said.
Jax found the strength to pull back somewhat from Ari’s arms and arch his eyebrows. “Hooligan.”
Ari flushed.
“He was trying to appear inconspicuous, but it’s hard to hide when you’re that gorgeous.” Rebecca smirked, and Jax laughed a little too loudly. He felt like he’d taken one too many pills this morning—his heart racing too fast, everything a little too sharp, too bright, toomuch.
Well, people got punch-drunk when they were stressed out and sleep-deprived. And Jax didn’t know anyone with a PhD who’d made it there without a crippling caffeine addiction. But he tried to act normal, for Ari’s sake, and he reached up to stroke his cheek. “Aw, did you get spotted by an adoring fan?”
Ari turned his head to kiss Jax’s palm, which had the effect of bringing Jax’s anxiety down at least three points. “Hardly.”
“More like some lustful undergrads were trying to figure out if he was famous. Luckily for him, we’re old friends.” She winked. Rebecca had been instantly enamored of Ari when Jax brought him over for dinner.
For the first time since he’d begun his defense, Jax felt like he could breathe.Fake it till you make it.“What about Christine? She loitering too?”
Christine settled in a chair and put up her feet. “Please. As if I couldn’t use a directory to find Rebecca’s office.”
Christine hadn’t exactly gotten on with the Graylings before, but academia was a small world, and Christine and Rebecca had known of and been acquainted with each other for longer than Jax had been a postgrad. They were both scary-smart women who respected the hell out of each other and loved Jax—
Rebecca’s desk phone chirped.
And there was the anxiety rushing back. Jax felt the blood flow out of his face, and he might have actually staggered if Ari hadn’t been there to steady his elbow.
“I think that means they’ve made their decision,” Rebecca said. “Time to go back, Jax.”
Okay, but what if he just stayed in this office forever? It held a few of his favorite people. They could get pizzas delivered!
