Page 58 of Director's Cut

There’s a knock on the door that nearly startles me out of my skin and leaves me staring pleadingly at Charlie like he’s the one out of the two of us who has more of their shit together.

But, to his credit, he nods at me and then gently pushes me by the small of my back in the direction of the door.

Ty wears his expressions on his face, and he goes from wide-eyed surprise at seeing me in Maeve’s office to bright eyes and a wide smile.

“Ty, this is Charlie Durst,” I intro. “Charlie, this is Ty. He’s a PhD candidate in the Film Studies Department.”

They shake hands, Ty confidently meeting Charlie’s Hollywood-trained grip.

“Nice to meet you,” Charlie says.

“Same.”

It warms my heart to see Charlie beam for the first time in a while.

“Super-gay Star Trek was a revelation.”

Charlie only beams harder. “Gotta start somewhere, right?”

I’ve been scouring the internet for weeks about Star Trek’s status, but there haven’t really been any articles mentioning the cancellation other than those written by fans lamenting the loss of rep. Ty’s reaction cements that. I wonder if Trish knows anyone powerful who might be able to pen an op-ed or something that would pressure other networks to bring the show back. Or—okay, at least dig out a great follow-up role for Charlie.

But then Ty turns to me. “So rare to see you without Maeve these days,” he teases.

I flush. “Sorry to steal your movie buddy.”

“Maeve and I graduated to museum buddies now, so go ahead.” He smirks. “Wouldn’t want to keep you from your dates.”

I visibly blush then, making Charlie laugh. “I…guess we haven’t been hiding it well.”

Ty shakes his head, a smile on his face. “No, not really.” He stares at me a moment. “Maeve’s teaching right now, isn’t she?”

“Yeah,” I reply. In my clothing.

“Cool. Dean Gomez was looking for you both to give you an update. Student evaluations continue to be stellar.”

Which is kind of a huge deal.

“Good evals feel more Maeve than me,” I say.

“You’ve done right by her. The way she’s going, Maeve’s a shoo-in for the SCA Media Studies Grant.”

Holy shit. It’s coming back to me, the name SCA Media Studies Grant popping up in bold in a list of things Maeve was working on. That’s the award she needs to finish her second book, the one about monstrosity in modern queer cinema. She still hasn’t gotten that locked in yet. Ty’s words cause my throat to tighten.

“Yeah, Maeve’s at the final stage. Just an observation period for one of her courses and she’s locked in,” Ty continues.

My heart drops. “They observe a class? When?”

“Next semester. It’s low-key. They evaluate how she is in the presence of students, co-professors, and guests. It’s so amazing that you’re staying another semester. It may just help make Maeve’s career.”

I keep my smile plastered on. “Happy to help.”

He turns to Charlie. “Great to meet you, Charlie.”

Charlie, who looks as shocked as I am, manages to say, “Same to you, man!”

Ty leaves, the door clicking behind him.

Charlie turns to me, slow and overdramatically, which fits perfectly with the way my stomach is roiling. “So…maybe don’t quit on Maeve right now…”

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