Page 49 of Substitute for Love

Gabe opened his phone. “Not yet. I like to live dangerously.”

She opened the Substitute App and showed him. “Got mine already. Subbing in history on Tuesday. Jealous, Dr. Jones?”

“What? Can I have that one?” He looked like he was eyeing a puppy for sale.

She shook her head. “No way. The only other thing available is math.”

“Oh hey, look at this.” He held his phone up. “A creative writing class opened up.”

“No way. Serious? Wanna trade? I’ll drop mine and you can pick it up, then I’ll grab creative writing.”

Gabe hesitated. “I dunno. I’m thinking about taking up writing/” His finger hovered over the “accept” button for the creative writing class.

She held up her hands together in prayer. Besides books, writing was her dream. She’d love the chance to see if she could help students develop their writing. “Please. Please, please!”

“Okay. On one condition.”

“What? Cookies? Lunch? Snacks?”

Gabe considered her suggestions, closing one eye and pressing his lips together. “Food would be a good trade. No, I had something bigger in mind.” He waggled his eyebrows.

As much as she wanted to kiss him again, it wasn’t a good idea. “Gaaaaaabe.”

He narrowed his eyebrows at her. “What? Ohhhh.” He blushed. “Uh, no, I mean, you could help me with my research.”

His awkwardness was adorable, but more than that, it made Avery feel comfortable. “What are you researching exactly?”

“A site in Egypt I’m hoping to go help an old professor uncover.”

She tilted her head. So he really was planning to leave. Her heart panged for a moment, but she stopped her emotions. The only option was to be happy for him. “I see. One step closer to Indiana Jones. Sounds cool. Sure, I’ll help.” She held out her hand and they shook on it. So, maybe he really was leaving. Good for him. She didn’t want to make him think they were more than friends, even though their kiss had told her she wanted so much more. Still, she would let him tell her about it rather than ask.

Avery unaccepted the history job on the app, then quickly took the creative writing job. Gabe did the same for his choice. “Woohoo! History here I come.”

“So, we didn’t have to trade,” Avery said. “I would have helped you either way.”

“But it’s more than that,” he said. “I need help with writing. And maybe a few other things related to this research.”

“Oh, I see.” Avery put her hands on her hips. “I’m your new assistant.”

“Exactly.” He smiled. “Deadline is this Friday, so we gotta get on this ASAP.”

She shrugged. “I’ve got time now. Tell me more about it. I love this kind of stuff, you know. I worked at a nonprofit for a while up in Flagstaff.”

“Oh, that’s great. Very cool.” Gabe clicked on the tab with his email on it. “My mentor in college was this really cool professor who has been trying to get funding for an archeological dig. He finally got some funds, but if I want to go with them, I need to get more.”

“You’re gonna go dig up… stuff?” Avery asked. “When? Where?”

“Artifacts in Egypt. I’d leave in like three weeks. Or less, depending. It’s a big reason why I sub. I needed something I could leave at a moment’s notice but be okay leaving behind for like five to six months.”

Avery nodded, tapping her foot on the floor. The puzzle pieces were starting to fit into place. Gabe was a fun guy, but went in too fast. He had told her that. She had experienced that with him. Seemed like they both overcommitted and got burned out. Maybe they weren’t so unalike.

“All the more reason for us to be friends, then,” she said. At first she thought she had only said it in her head, but Gabe offered a sad smile. “You can text me when you’re gone, but don’t expect me to miss you.” She patted him on the shoulder playfully.

He shook his head, laughing.

“Shhh! We’re in a library,” Avery added.

At least, she was trying to convince herself she wouldn’t miss him. Shewouldmiss him. But the more she proclaimed she wouldn’t, maybe she’d start to believe it. Things had been so serious with Marshall, and she didn’t want to be so serious with Gabe. She liked it when they kept things light and fun.

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