Page 46 of Tenure

I frown and take my time before I answer him. The truth? The idea of him dating anyone else makes my blood turngreenwith jealousy. But it doesn’t feel right to say he can’t. I’m sure there are things he’s going to want to do, places he’ll want to go witha date that I can’t attend. Faculty things. Professional things. Friend things.Adult things.

“Am I in a position to ask you that?” I say quietly.

He turns and looks at me. “Yes.”

He scowls as I unbuckle my seatbelt, but I don’t care. I scramble over to him and give him an enormous hug, him making a wheezing noise as I squeeze his middle.

“I’m driving!” he barks, but he doesn’t push me away. “Get back in your seat. And put your seatbelt on.”

“Okay,” I say, scrambling back into my seat and putting it on right away.

“So, we’re,like, totallyboyfriend girlfriendnow,” he says in a mock voice.

I laugh and he visibly relaxes, more than he did in the car before the restaurant.Is this really what was bugging him? He wanted to ask me to be his girlfriend?Absolutely nothing he’s done or said from quite literally the second we met has been predictable.

“You’re deeplyunboring, you know that?” I say.

“Gotta make up for the math.”

I scowl. “Math isn’t boring.”

“This is why I like you so much.”

My phone vibrates—again—and I take the opportunity to check it knowing full well we’ll be too busy once we get back to his place.

Leave it to you to go from two awkward kisses in your life to being fucked by a Henry Cavill lookalike who doesn’t even feel bad about it

He just asked me to be his girlfriend

I fucking hate you a little bit, you know that?

xo

Is it a secret? Like, in front of other people?

Dunno. He outed us to someone at work at dinner. Doesn’t seem to care too much about who knows

I feel like he’d just threaten anyone who gave him a hard time

Probably

Are you coming over later so I can get the FULL cup of tea?

Not coming back tonight

Tomorrow then?

I’ll text you when I’m home

You’re staying for the weekend, aren’t you

Dunno

That means yes. Can he go more than one round at his age do you think?

You have no. fucking. idea.

Yep I def hate you. Byyyeeeee

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