Page 2 of Snowed In

So, knowing he’d have to stop by and see Magnus to grab Piper’s thumb drive wasn’t exactly a hardship.

“It’s about two hours from campus,” Piper said. He closed hiseyes and leaned back against the pillows. “I’ll call him and let him know to expect you.”

“He’s not part of the panel, is he?”

Piper smiled and shook his head without looking at Adam. “No. You know how he feels about university politics.”

Yeah. Everyone did. Magnus had been asked over and over to guest lecture at some of the most prestigious universities in the country, but he told them all he wouldn’t set foot on a campus that allowed students to buy their way into programs while leaving talented children scrambling for fractions of what the privileged were given.

He was not a fan favorite amongst the bureaucracy, and it was one more thing Adam loved about him. Adamdidteach, but mostly because he had bills to pay and research funding was getting harder and harder to find.

“Okay. I’m not sure if he has my number but let him know he can call me if he needs to. And tell him to be on the lookout for a blue SUV.”

Piper opened his eyes and raised a brow at him.

It took Adam far too long to realize his mistake. “Fuck. Right. Uh…don’t tell him I said that?”

Piper laughed. “He’d probably laugh, but since we’re friends, I won’t mention it.”

The last thing Adam wanted was for Magnus to think he was some sort of jackass with his head in the clouds. “Can I blame the holidays?”

Piper snorted. “Go for it. I’ve been blaming them for everything. Then I’ll blame spring pollen counts, and summer heat…et cetera.”

Adam grinned softly. “Get some rest. And call me if you need anything, okay? Just…take care of yourself.”

Piper gave a slow nod. “Between you and me, I think you’re taking my last hurrah.”

“Which means?—”

“Retirement,” Piper said with a heavy sigh. “I can’t keep up.”

“If anyone’s earned it, it’s you.” And Adam meant that.

Piper had put in the work. Most astronauts didn’t lean in the way he did. They didn’t fall in love with the stars and the atoms that made up the universe. They did the job NASA asked them to do, then they went home and went about their business.

For Piper, he’d put everything he had and everything he was into his education. It was heartbreaking to see his body failing him, and Adam sent a prayer off to the stars they both loved so much that this was only temporary.

That Piper would heal, and he would find his own happiness he’d put on hold for everyone else.

Adam wasn’t a big fan of long drives, and he was even less of a fan in the deep winter when there were back-to-back storms on the horizon. He’d heard a few whispers about polar vortexes which was just what he needed, but he knew if he could hurry and make it fast enough, he’d be able to get in, get out, and make it to the hotel with just enough time to settle in.

He felt unsettled the way he always did during the holidays. He had no real family to speak of anymore. His parents had moved on with younger spouses and new kids, and he’d been all-but forgotten every year. Every now and again, his mom remembered to call, but Adam spent most of the season lying through his teeth when he told people he didn’t care about the holidays.

Hedidcare. He just had no one to care with him.

Or about him.

And he’d rather live in his untruth than admit how pathetic it all was.

At least the conference would distract him. It was on work he and Piper had been researching together long-distance, so he wasn’t going to be out of his depth. Piper had worked closely with the panel while Adam hadn’t, but he hadn’t heard any protests about him joining up, so he was calling it a win.

He’d spend forty-eight hours with a small group of people, then he’d head home and wallow for the few weeks everyone was on vacation before he could get back to work.

“In ten miles, take the exit.”

Adam startled at the sound of his GPS. He hadn’t realized how close he was to getting off the freeway. The dark clouds on the horizon told him that was a good thing. They were fat and deep, rich grey and full of snow that would eventually pile on the asphalt. He’d been stranded more than once, and the last place he was good at surviving was in his car in a blizzard.

He had a survival kit but he didn’t want to use it.

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