Page 69 of Yours, Unexpectedly

I love it.

I’m on the way to meet with Callahan early Monday morning. I didn’t hear much from Bex last night, but I checked in via text and told her we could meet up today after class. I’ve spent the last twelve hours apart from her, physically aching to be in her presence again.

Does that make me obsessed? Quite possibly, but I’m here for it.

I walk into Callahan’s office and I must have a dopey grin on my face because the first thing out of his mouth is, “I guess I’m taking over your Intro section?”

I try to contain myself but I know I’m doing a terrible job—some actor I am. “Is it that obvious?” I ask, scrubbing the back of my neck sheepishly.

“Son, you could have walked in here with a poster over your head that read ‘I’M IN LOVE’ and it would have been less obvious,” is his cheeky reply.

It’s the way he calls me “son” that stops me in my tracks. I’ve always thought of Callahan as a father figure, definitely much more of a father than Erik ever was, but to hear him say that affects me in an unexpected way. I feel a tickle behind my eye and the sudden need to express my gratitude for this man.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever properly thanked you for everything you’ve done for me,” I start. “I really don’t—”

He holds up his hand to stop me. “You have done most of the work, Anders. I’m just lucky that I’ve been able to watch. Now, sit down and tell me about this girl.”

For the next forty five minutes, I do just that.

I make sure to drop Bex’s coffee off before class and shoot her a text that I won’t be there today. Bringing her coffee has become a new favorite ritual, so I’ll have to figure out a way to get it to her from now on. She’s such a cute gremlin before she drinks it; I’ll miss watching the transformation each morning. It would be helpful if she’d just stay with me, but I know there’s no way she’d go for that. I think about how I can convince her as I head out for a walk around campus, unsure of what to do with myself now that I don’t have a class to teach.

An hour later, I’m waiting outside of the fine arts building when she walks out. I’m struck again by how gorgeous this woman is. It’s March so the weather is still hit or miss, but it’s a nice day so Bex has her big jacket slung over her arm and an oversized sweatshirt that says “this actually is my first rodeo” with a big smiley face wearing a cowboy hat. The outfit is complete with a pair of leggings that turn me on faster than any lingerie ever could. Her curly hair is tossed up into a messy bun, bobbing on top of her head with several pieces that have come loose to frame her face.

She hops down the last few steps and then, as if she can feel me watching her and feel this electric pull between us, her eyes snap to mine and a huge grin spreads across her face. She practically skips over to me and throws her arms around my neck, planting a big kiss right on my lips.

“I like your sweatshirt,” I murmur against her mouth.

She steps back and does a little twirl into a dosey-do type move, ending with a tip of her imaginary hat. “Thanks, I’m in my cowboy romance era. There are some very inventive things we could do with a cowboy hat and some assless chaps,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

I boop her nose, laughing at her ridiculousness, and the fact that I get to be on the receiving end of it. “That does sound interesting… bring me a book for research purposes, and I’ll see what I can do.”

She staggers back dramatically and then fakes a swoon. “Anders… I thought I’d need to hide my books from you, but I—I might spontaneously combust if I see you reading one.”

“I really think you should read some to me, help guide me with some tips and tricks.”

Her hands come up to cover her face, deep brown eyes peeking through. “I can’t read that stuff out loud!” she gasps.

I step forward and wrap my arms around her waist. “That spicy, huh? I definitely need to read more. Those alien guys were pretty kinky, but I’d love some human on human action.”

She lightly smacks my arm. “I’ll see what I can do…” She trails off and then gets quiet for a minute. I can tell the reality of last night and this morning are starting to seep in. “So, how was your conversation with Gabe last night?”

Looping my arm around her shoulder, I guide her so we’re walking side by side. “Shockingly, not terrible. He was a little bit overwhelmed with his own shit. I’m assuming you heard about him and Luci?” I look down to see her reaction, but she just nods.

“Yeah, Luce was pretty upset when I got home last night. I didn’t get a ton of information out of her, but it seems like she really liked Gabe. Likes, I guess. And it sounds like Gabe was a dumbass.”

“That’s pretty accurate. I don’t think I got the whole story either, but I didn’t feel like I could pry too much when I had to confess my secret, too.”

“And what did that older and wiser brother of mine have to say about…” She gestures between us. “This?”

“Well, he wants you to come over for Margarita Monday tonight. I think he’s trying to see things from our perspective and doesn't want to jump to any conclusions.”

After I told Gabe last night, he literally just stared at me for what felt like several full minutes before mumbling, “That makes sense,” while patting me on the shoulder and finally heading to his room. Later that night he came out and told me that I should invite Bex over for Margarita Monday, as if he didn’t have the ability to do that himself.

“He texted me last night, but I didn’t respond,” Bex confides. “I’m a little peeved with him about this whole Luci thing, even knowing I don’t have a leg to stand on.”

“Give him time. Gabe has his own issues with commitment and Luci seems like the commitment type. They’ll figure it out eventually. For now, let’s just enjoy the fact that he didn’t immediately castrate me.”

“You know, I was worried about his reaction, but honestly why would he be mad? He loves you like a brother so I’m sure once he thinks about it, he’ll be giddy that you possibly could be his actual brother one day.”

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