Page 54 of Complete Me

I hold out my hand, and when he rests his palm in mine, I lace our fingers together. “I knew what you meant, sweetheart.”

His pocket makes a soft chiming sound. “That’s probably Kaino.” Bjorn pulls out his phone and taps the screen, opening the security app. “Hey.” I can see the driver’s face on the screen. “I’ll open the gate. Just pull around the circle.” The driver gives a quick nod, and Bjorn taps the screen twice more before stuffing the phone back in his pocket. “They’re pulling in now.” Pita lifts his head, but Bjorn shakes his. “Pita, stay.” Pita huffs disgustedly but flops back onto the floor, not terribly upset that he isn’t allowed to jump all over Kaino. I stand and carefully step around the poor exhausted baby, careful not to disturb him, and follow Bjorn into the entry.

Bjorn opens the door just as Kaino is reaching for the doorbell. They raise their eyebrows. “That’s efficient.”

“Is it okay if I hug you?” Over Bjorn’s shoulder, I can see Kaino’s eyes soften. They nod and step into his open arms, completely engulfed in the embrace. When Bjorn lets go and Kaino steps back, they take one look at me and frown. “What happened?” They’re by my side in an instant, stroking my cheek and holding my hand.

I squeeze lightly and jerk my head toward the kitchen. “Let’s go in so I can sip my wine and we can all sit down.” Bjorn was wonderful at distracting me, but thinking about the threat to my tenure has my stomach roiling and my anxiety spiking again.

Bjorn pours Kaino a glass of red wine. “Do you want to move into the living room? It might be more comfortable.”

I shake my head. “Here’s fine. It’s not going to be that long of a conversation.” I could drag the story out and add more drama by giving them all the details of what a bastard Dean Koontz has been over the years. But that would take energy that I don’t have. “It’s upsetting. But there’s nothing to be done, other than waiting to see what happens.”

“Maybe it’s better if you start at the beginning.” Kaino strokes my hand, and Bjorn smiles encouragingly.

In my mind, I replay today’s interaction from start to finish, trying to organize my thoughts. All it accomplishes is making my blood pressure and embarrassment spike. Though I acted as if I wasn’t worried—there’s no way I’d let Koontz know he got to me—I have no real idea what the provost will say. And I’m terrified about my future at the school. When I start to speak, my voice quavers. “As we assumed, some students saw us at the cafe on Tuesday.” Why do people think it’s okay to plaster the private lives of others on social media? Why is a kiss such a big deal? I grip the stem of my wine glass. “It made it back to the dean of my department. He doesn’t like me to begin with.”

“Why not?” Bjorn looks personally affronted, and it’s incredibly sweet.

“Because I’m gay. Because I have long hair. Because I’m a Leo. Who the fuck knows?” As my voice creeps into higher octaves, the words spill out of my mouth, faster and faster.

Kaino scowls. “Because he doesn’t approve of your teaching methods?”

“Oh no. That’s the one area he does approve of. He’s as much of a hardass as I am in the classroom.” It makes me want to loosen up a bit, just to academically flip him off. “He showed up at my office after my last class of the day to have a chat.” I make air quotes when I say chat.

“About what?” Bjorn’s expression is stormy, and I feel vindicated.

My hands shake as I flail them around. “Well, he talked at me about decorum and deviant behavior.”

“Excuse me?” Kaino’s scowl is fierce. “Deviant behavior?”

It’s all I can do not to go off on a rant about the jerk. “Right?” I practically shout it like an expletive. “His words. He very succinctly told me our behavior”—I gesture to the three of us—“set a poor example for the students. He outright called me promiscuous and told me I’m too old to act that way!” My blood pounds in my head, and I feel tears pricking at the back of my eyes. How dare he impugn my character. “He thinks polyamory is deviant behavior and unacceptable in a tenured professor.” I suck in a deep breath, and my voice cracks. “He’s going to the provost to withdraw his support of my application.” My gaze darts between Bjorn and Kaino. “I’ve worked hard to get to this point. It’s fucking difficult to navigate all the hurdles required for the application, and that sanctimonious prig is going to try to destroy my future because of his ridiculously narrow views.” Tears of frustration stream down my cheeks at the thought of having to start the whole decade-long process over again at another institution.

“That motherfucker!” Bjorn’s voice is so loud that Pita jumps to his feet and runs to stand behind him, ready for action.

“Bjorn.” Kaino’s voice cuts through the chaos. “Not helping.” Bjorn clenches his fists, taking slow deep breaths in and out.

I laugh a bit wildly. “He’s right, though.”

“Xander.” I laugh again. Kaino’s hands wrap around my forearms, and they give me a firm shake. “Xander.” Their command voice is like a slap to the face. My gaze locks on theirs, and I’m shocked into silence. “Calm down. Take a breath.” I am breathing. Don’t they see how fast my chest is moving in and out? “A slow one.” Kaino puts their hands to either side of my face, holding my gaze. “Breathe with me, Kit. You can do this.” They inhale slowly, and I follow suit, holding it for a few beats, then we exhale in tandem. “Good boy. You’re doing so well for me.” They smooth back my hair and wipe at my tear-streaked cheeks. “That’s it. Just breathe.” Ridiculous though it is, their few words of praise settle the rest of my wild thoughts. I bring my hands up to cover theirs. “We’ll figure this out. Just breathe for me.”

It takes a minute, but with Kaino’s help, I get myself under control, wiping the remaining tears from my face. “I’m sorry.”

“Shh. No need to apologize. This is very upsetting. But we can figure it out together. We just need to stay calm and focused.”

Pita whines piteously. Bjorn drops to his knees and scratches behind Pita’s ears. “It’s okay, bud. Everything’s fine.” Then he looks at me. “What’s not fine is what that”—he cuts off whatever expletive he was about to spew and takes a breath—“dean said. What can we do? How do we fix this?”

I shrug. “Nothing to fix. If he hasn’t already gone to the provost, he will soon. The damage will be done.”

“Can’t you go to the provost? Explain your side if he’s already been there, and cut him off at the knees if he hasn’t.”

Damn, I love how irate Bjorn is for me. It does make me feel a tiny bit better. “I could, but I don’t want to appear like a whiny baby who runs to her because I can’t handle some name calling.” Instead, I went running to Bjorn and Kaino. But they won’t judge me. “Plus, he may not say anything, and then I’ll look really foolish. I want to appear as professional as possible.” Even if I’m scared shitless, as Bjorn would say.

Kaino, ever the voice of reason, interjects. “I doubt your provost got to that position by listening to every irate dean who reports to her.”

“True. She’s fair in her dealings with everyone.” That, more than anything so far, helps calm my nerves.

They nod and squeeze my hand. “What about HR?”

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