Yet, it still never formed a romantic connection between us. When the light turned red and we left the room, we were back to two friends bantering. Every time we entered together, it truly felt like entering a stage and putting on a show. Hell, I got more excited from filing papers in the same room as my professor. I also felt more shame for that than working at Voyeur.
I was sure that Jackson got more excited thinking about the guy he liked. He was tight lipped about his attraction, but I’d begun to know him well enough to pick up on his cues.7
“How’s your guy?” I asked, noticing his jaw clench at my question.
“Straight as an arrow.”
He looked down and gave me a smile, trying to play it off as a joke, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes, and I hated it for him.
“I’m sorry, Jackson.”
“No worries at all, Oak. It’s why I swing both ways. I’m not limited to just one.”
Just as we were about to enter the bar area, he gave me a tight squeeze and leaned down to whisper in my ear. “No matter the life we have now, we’ll be fine in the long run.”
Standing on my toes, I softly kissed his cheek. “I hope so.”
chapterten
Oaklyn
“No lunch today?”Dr. Pierce asked from behind his desk, unwrapping a sub sandwich.
I looked down, embarrassed by my lack of food. Not wanting to admit how poor I was, I settled on a half-truth. “I haven’t had time to go to the grocery store, and out-of-state college is kind of sucking up all my eating out money.”
“That’s right. Yes, I know all about out-of-state fees.”
“Where did you go?”
“I actually went here.”
“Oh, that’s cool. Where did you come from?”
“Well, Oaklyn, when a man and a woman love each other very much—”
“Oh, stop it,” I said laughing, enjoying the way his laugh blended with mine. “You know what I meant. What state did you come from?”
“California.”
“Wow, that’s a long way away. What brought you here to Ohio?”
I regretted my question when he flinched. Maybe something had happened back home to make him escape to Ohio? Guilt assailed me thinking that I’d brought up bad memories for him, but it was dashed away when his expression shifted to a smile, albeit a little forced.
“I had a friend come out here and tell me about the program they had. So, I went for it.”
“Is he still here?”
“No, he moved back to California after graduation. But I made another friend in college, and we’ve remained close.”
I wondered who his friend was. His smile looked happy and content, and I wondered if it was a woman. A pinch of jealousy hit me, and I had to fight from rolling my eyes at how dumb it was to be jealous of your teacher’s possible girlfriend.
Hunger also hit me, and as though admitting I had no lunch wasn’t embarrassing enough, my stomach rumbled. I cringed and reached for my water bottle, hoping that would help.
“Hungry?” Dr. Pierce asked.
“It’s okay. I’ll grab something when I’m finished here. Since I came in early, I’ll have plenty of time to pick up some groceries before heading home.” I took discreet deep breaths in an attempt to stop the blood rushing to my cheeks. “Let’s just say I’ve learned my lesson about being lazy with my shopping,” I said, trying to make a joke.
“Here,” he said, handing me half of his sub. “Split my sandwich with me. Donna got me a whole one when I only wanted a half. It will just go to waste.”
