Page 77 of Kiss Me Honey Hone

One Way or Another

Aaron called Kenny at least half a dozen times on his walk back to campus, phone pressed tight in his hand, but the calls all went unanswered. Each ring felt like a punch to his chest. Maybe the police were grilling him harder this time, digging deeper into Carly’s death and what Kenny might know. Maybe they weren’t letting him out until they got something useful. The scenarios spun in Aaron’s head, each one worse than the last.

When he finally reached the university, an eerie sensation settled over him. It felt like every pair of eyes on campus were on him. Students sitting on the stone steps, others walking in groups across the green, their chatter weaving through the brisk autumn air. It was as if they allknew.Not just about who he was, but about where he’d been last night. What he was hiding.

He tugged his jacket tighter around himself, his paranoia thick enough to choke on. The walk to his halls felt interminable, each step an echo of his unease. Technically, this was the walk of shame. Still in last night’s clothes, his shirt wrinkled, his jeans worn too long. Even his boots carried the faint scuff marks from pacing Kenny’s carpets.

His phone buzzed in his hand. A text from Mel:Where are you? Are you coming to class?

Aaron quickly tapped out a reply, telling her he wasn’t making lectures today, that he had stuff to do. She didn’t press, and he shoved his phone back in his pocket, relief mingling with guilt.

In his room, Aaron changed, sadly erasing any lingering trace of Kenny from his skin—the faint scent of his cologne, the warmth of his touch. A fresh pair of jeans, a plain jumper. Functional, forgettable. He couldn’t decide if he was trying to distance himself or carry Kenny with him.

With a burst of restless energy, Aaron threw on his denim jacket and left his room, slamming the door shut behind him. The walk across campus felt surreal, the crisp air biting his cheeks as he pushed through the crowds of students moving between lectures. The hum of normalcy—laughter, complaints about coursework, the tapping of laptops in outdoor study pods—jarred him. How could the world still feel normal when everything in his life had imploded?

By the time he reached the psychology building, his chest was tight, his breath shallow, and he took the stairs two at a time, the exertion doing little to calm the storm in his head. Third floor. Faculty administration and staff offices. Ignoring the curious glances from the admin staff, he strode with purpose down the corridor towards Kenny’s office. Door shut. Blind drawn. But that could mean anything. Maybe Kenny wasn’t even there. Or maybe he was inside, buried in work, deliberately ignoring the outside world.

Well, fuck that.

He swung the door open. “Ah, shit.”

Kennywasin there. Casually sat in his chair, tie loosened and sleeves pushed up, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, and focusing intently at a laptop. Not his own laptop though. One that was balancing on the knees of someone else. Vinnie, hisPhD student, across from him on the leather chair. Deep in discussion, a faint hum of familiarity, the sight immediately setting Aaron on edge.

“You can’t just barge in there!” Gail, the admin secretary, called from down the hall. “Sorry, Dr Lyons, I didn’t see him come up.”

“It’s okay, Gail. I know Aaron’s quite stealthy.”

Aaron quirked a brow at Kenny, trying not to let his irritation show.

Kenny gestured toward Vinnie with a faint smile. “Let me finish up here, and I’ll be with you.”

Gail hovered in the doorway, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Does he have an appointment? You said to clear your schedule today.”

“I requested for Aaron to come, yes. Thank you.”

Aaron cocked his head. Cause, yeah, technically Kennyhadrequested he come. And he couldn’t recall whether it was four or five times over the past twelve hours. He’d lost count what with everything else going on. But he could still remember how it sounded in his ear, deep and sonorous and fuckinghot.

“Come for me, baby.”

He hid his blush as Gail scurried off, casting Aaron one of those disapproving frowns he’d grown used to, as if his very presence was a disruption.

“Two minutes.” Kenny widened his eyes at Aaron with a hint of urgency.

Aaron stepped back, letting the door close behind him. He stood in the corridor, trying to ignore the burn of jealousy flaring in his gut. Vinnie might only want Kenny’s advice on his doctorate thesis, but the sight of him there, soaking up Kenny’s attention, stung in ways Aaron didn’t want to analyse. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t rational. But it wasthere all the same. This fixation, thisobsession, he had with Kenny bled into everyone and everything as if they were there solely to ruin it.

He glanced at the clock on the wall, scanning the open plan office, tapping his foot on the tiled floor as he tried to push the feeling down. He hated this. Hated waiting. Hated feeling like he wasn’t the centre of Kenny’s everything.

When the door finally opened, Vinnie stepped out, offering Aaron a polite nod before heading down the hall. Kenny appeared in the doorway.

“Come in.” Kenny held the door open, scanning over the office before he settled his eyes on Aaron. The look lingered, intense, before Kenny stepped aside to let him through. The door clicked shut with a finality, shrinking the already small space.

Aaron turned. “I’ve been calling you.”

“I know.” Kenny sank into his office chair, removing his glasses and rubbing his temples. His exhaustion was clear, but so was the tension etched into his features. “Been tied up. First with the police, then here with a queue of students. You okay?”

Aaron crossed his arms. “Define okay.”

“Well, you should be in Research Skills right now.”

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