Page 53 of Full Service

Suddenly, my mind is thrown to Everly and how he teased me over my food choices when we went to grab dinner. How he ribbed me endlessly for being an old man.

Fuck, I’d much rather be here with him, watching him eat, watching that throat bob up and down as he swallows.

I shift in my seat and take a sip of my water, hoping it fills me up enough until I can get home and microwave a meal. I’ll sit with my fish and watch as she poops.

Such a lucky guy I am.

Out of the corner of my eye, a familiar figure makes its way inside, and I freeze, the cool rim of my cup settled against my lips.

Everly is here.

My eyes swivel to the right and see that he’s not alone. He’s with that hot jock, Garrett.

Our eyes meet and Everly lifts his lips in a small, smug smile. He’s here with that gorgeous specimen, and I’m stuck with a shiny, fluttering ribbon.

For fuck’s sake.

How embarrassing.

“What are you looking at?” LoveJoy asks, his cheeks bulging with food, and I immediately feel a bit guilty because he seems like a perfectly nice person.

“Nothing,” I mumble even though it’s something. He’s something. Something I can’t have, obviously. Because he’s my TA and I’m a professor with a slightly vague code of conduct to follow.

Right?

“Are you sure you don’t want to order something else? You really didn’t get much,” LoveJoy says, and I shake my head, watching from the corner of my eye as Everly and Garrett take a seat. Right next to us.

Horrible customer service. Despicable people, really.

They should know better.

I glance over at Everly, who is sitting directly next to me and watch as he grins at me. “Hello, Dr. Sinclair. Fancy seeing you here.”

He turns his gaze to LoveJoy, who waggles a ribbon at him.

“Are you on a date?” Everly asks, looking smug.

“Indeed,” I grumble and then turn my gaze to Garrett. “As are you, it seems.”

Everly’s grin widens. “So it seems.”

Garrett reaches his hand out toward me, a big, beefy hand to go along with his big beefy muscles. I reluctantly shake it, and so does LoveJoy, his cheeks turning a pretty pink.

“Love the dress, dude,” Garrett tells him, and I watch as LoveJoy turns positively red.

“Thank you.”

“Garrett,” he says and LoveJoy takes a sip of his drink, smacking his lips together slightly.

“LoveJoy.”

“Cool name,” Garrett says with a smile.

“Thank you. Yours is nice too.”

Everly and I watch the exchange and part of me wonders if we should leave them to it. The way LoveJoy is blushing and the way that Garrett is eyeing LoveJoy’s caftan like he wants to crawl inside it is making me feel a little less guilty for not being into this date.

Perhaps LoveJoy can find someone who enjoys his ribbons. Maybe Garrett is that guy.

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