Page 44 of Teacher of the Year

“Excuse me. Did you actually just call yourself hot?”

His eyes dart down, and I recognize this as his tell. He’s blushing. His skin shines, and bashful Olan feels like the sweetest tiny gift.

I begin to recline and move my feet out a little. With the entire couch between us, it feels like a football field separates us. Probably a good thing.

“Do you mind?”

“Of course not. Make yourself comfortable.”

We turn toward each other, me sprawled out and him with his legs up under him, making him appear slightly taller than he truly is.

“Can I ask you something?” he asks.

“Shoot.”

“If this is too personal, please tell me, and I’ll cease the subject, but you’re young, handsome, and a terrific guy. Why are you single?”

“What I heard is you think I’m handsome?” His eyes dart down again, and this time, I know he’s blushing, and the mischievous part of me relishes it. “What makes you assume I’m single? Maybe I’ve just got myself a new boyfriend.”

Olan’s eyes go wide, and he looks like he’s just seen a ghost.

“I’m kidding. My last boyfriend kind of broke my heart, so I’ve been, I don’t know, recovering, taking it easy.”

“Oh, Marvin. Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

“The short version, he cheated.”

“On you? I’m so sorry,” he says, and leans over and rubs my calf.

“Yeah, not ideal. I walked in on them in our laundry room. Which probably explains my contempt for washing clothes. I gave my heart to Adam and he squashed it, so that was a colossal mistake. Anyway, I’m focusing on teaching. Which, by the way, can consume you if you let it. And it’s not like I meet throngs of men, teaching kindergarten.”

“This data tracks. And you clearly put everything into your job. I know a little about that.”

He pulls his hand away, and my calf yearns for him to return his powerful fingers.

“I guess after Adam I just didn’t know if a relationship was in the cards for me. I tried loving someone, building a life, and it bit me in the ass.”

“It’s probably not fair for me to speak about someone I don’t know, but he must be a fool to have been unfaithful.”

“That’s sweet. And thank you. When he told me, it was less about asking for forgiveness and more about him asking if we could have an open relationship.”

“An open relationship? Like dating other people?”

“Well, for Adam, more like fucking other people, but yes.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, an open relationship doesn’t fit into my framework.”

“Well, coming from someone who literally has only been with one person, me neither.”

My heart flutters, knowing our relationship rudders work similarly.

“My heart broke so quickly, my head couldn’t keep up. It hit me like a punch to the stomach. So, it’s just me. And Gonzo. He’s hoping to keep me all to himself for the foreseeable future. He’s a fantastic cuddle buddy and only requires minimal feeding and scooping of litter, so I’m not kicking him out anytime soon.”

Olan grins, and damn, his lips curl up enough to allow the tiny gap between his two front teeth to peek out at me, making my stomach wobble. Being friends with a hot man you’ve made out with feels like going to a gourmet ice-cream shop and only ordering water.

“What about you? What happened with Illona’s mom?” I’d had no intention of asking him this, but since he brought up my relationship status, why not?

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