Page 10 of Dear Mr. Brody

I chanced another glance at the dance floor to be sure and found Parker Mills and his friend Marcos from my creative writing class grinding against each other under the strobe lights. Curiosity winning over caution, I stared longer than I should have. Parker pulled Marcos toward him, a salacious smile on his full lips as his hand slid down to Marcos’s ass. A knot formed in my throat, and I found it difficult to swallow. Were they together? It dawned on me I shouldn’t care. My students’ relationships were not my business.

“Which one is he?” Ethan asked.

“Two of them, actually.” I nodded to where they were both dancing.

“The guy in the red harness is a student?” Anders sounded incredulous.

“Yeah, and the guy he’s dancing with is a student as well.”

“Damn,” Ethan said. “I could not be a teacher.”

“Should I be concerned?” Anders asked with a smile, draping his arm around Ethan’s waist.

Ethan grinned up at him and whispered something in his ear I couldn’t hear. By the look on my boss’s face, I didn’t think it was something I’d want to know anyway. Luckily, when I turned around, Parker and Marcos weren’t there any longer, or at least I couldn’t see them anymore. Just in case, I decided to leave and avoid an awkward run-in if possible. It was late enough, I needed to head home anyway. Lanie had to be at the yoga studio early tomorrow, and I’d promised to take Anne to school if she watched her tonight. We’d planned for her to drop Anne off at seven in the morning, and even though I’d only had a few drinks, I was old enough to know I’d regret it tomorrow.

“I think I’m going to head home. I have an early morning.”

“I thought the office was closed tomorrow,” Ethan said.

“It is, but I have to take my daughter to school, and I have a lesson to plan for tomorrow night.”

“You’re not driving, right? You have a ride?” Anders asked, pulling out his phone. “I can call for one.”

“No, I didn’t drive, and I can grab a Lyft. Don’t worry about it.”

“I insist.” Anders’s fingers tapped across the screen of his cell before I could argue. “Looks like they’re about five minutes out.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

I said my goodbyes to Ethan and Anders, asking them to tell Wilder thank you for the invite, and headed toward the front door. A guy with dark hair and a nice smile caught my eye as I passed the bar. His light brown eyes met mine, and my mouth went dry. My heart wild in my chest, I slowed as he stood. Did I have the courage to talk to him? Each one of my breaths was thick with anticipation as he moved closer, and I took a step toward him. I was in my head, going over what the hell I would even say to him. A simple hi could work, or hello. As I was trying to build up the courage and untie my tongue, someone knocked into my right side. A splash of liquid rained down on my shoes and wet the bottom of my jeans.

“Shit, I’m—” he stuttered as I grabbed him by the arms, hoping to stop us both from falling onto the sticky floor. Parker Mills stared at me, his blue eyes wide, his cheeks filling with color. The guy I’d wanted to talk to completely forgotten. “Fuck… I mean, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“It’s okay,” I said, shocked and fumbling for words, I realized I was still holding on to him for dear life. This close I could smell his soap and sweat. The thick muscle of his arms warm under my palms. I dropped my hands immediately. “It’s not a big deal.”

“I think I ruined your shoes,” he said, placing his half-empty glass on one of the nearby tables.

“I never liked these shoes anyway.”

His laugh was nervous. “I should watch where I’m going.”

He sounded a little drunk, and it made me smile for some reason.

“Shit happens,” I said again without thinking and exhaled. “I was just leaving, actually… my ride is probably waiting outside.”

“Oh.”

“I was here for a work thing,” I blurted, and his lips twitched as he nodded. “A release party… For a client.”

“Cool… I’m here for the alcohol and the men.” His smirk was unapologetic, and I huffed out a laugh.

“This is awkward, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Only a little.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, and his shirt lifted, exposing a small sliver of skin. I turned and looked toward the door. “I should probably…”

“Yeah… You wouldn’t want to miss your ride home,” he said, and his light eyes came alive with the same playful spark I’d noticed the other day in class. Parker smiled as he took a step backward, his cotton shirt stretching across his broad chest as he shoved his hands in the back pocket of his jeans. “See you tomorrow, Mr. Brody.”

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