Page 34 of Private Exhibit
“Right-o.” Oliver half rose out of his chair. “You want me to go with you?”
Devon shook his head. “I think I'm just gonna go for a walk.”
Oliver hesitated before he said, “Alright. Don't forget your phone.”
“Got it,” Devon said, tugging it just far enough out of his pocket for Oliver to see, then pulled on his shoes. Devon paused there. He took a deep breath and yanked the door open.
Devon yelped, nearly running into someone standing there, hand raised to knock. It took him a moment to recognize the man—the context was all wrong—but once he did, Devon felt his stomach turn.
Oh gods. It was Dr. Gerard. There. At his apartment.How? Why?Devon could barely look at the man's face, not wanting to even dare guess what Dr. Gerard was feeling, especially after all that anger earlier in the day.
“Oh no,” Devon gasped. “Did I do something wrong? Please don't fire me. I can do better–”
Dr. Gerard slowly lowered his arm as his brow creased in a frown. “Sorry. I got your address from the hospital,” he began, cutting Devon off, then his frown deepened. “Why would I be here to fire you?”
Devon squirmed. “I don't know.” He paused. “Why are you here?”
“I…uh…” The man rubbed the back of his neck, then blew out a heavy breath. “I don't–” He shook his head. “Sorry. Were you going out?”
“Yeah. Um. I was just going for a walk.”
“Mind if I join you?” the doctor blurted out in a rush.
Devon blinked. “You want to go for a walk withme?”
“Yeah,” Dr. Gerard whispered. In a voice so low that Devon could barely make out the words, the man added, “Gods help me.”
“Oh.” Devon gulped.
“Dev?” Oliver called from across the room. “You alright?”
“Fine,” Devon gasped, whirling around to see Oliver studying their unexpected visitor. “Um. Oli, Doctor Gerard. Doctor Gerard, my roommate, Oliver.”
The two men nodded at one another, then Oliver disappeared back behind his computers while Dr. Gerard looked down at Devon. The doctor coughed, then took a step back. “Shall we?”
Devon felt a blush take over his face as he hurried out into the hallway and pulled the door shut behind him.
Dr. Gerard held out a hand. “After you.”
Devon ducked his head and turned towards the elevators.
The ride down was silent, as was the walk across the lobby and out the front door. Dr. Gerard stayed just behind Devon the whole time, letting him lead the way, but Devon was just as aware of the man as if he'd been right in front of him. He swore he couldfeelthe doctor's presence. Like his skin or his soul somehow knew how many inches away the man was at all times.
“Are we going anywhere in particular?” the doctor asked as they stopped at the street corner.
Devon felt his face go hot. “I wanted to go pick a new favorite plant,” he mumbled.
“A new favorite plant?”
“Yeah.” Devon risked a peek at the doctor's face. He thought he saw genuine curiosity there instead of annoyance or condemnation, so he went on. “Every time I get a new job, if I get to keep it for more than a day or two, I pick a new favorite plant along my route to work. Which is actually kinda hard because there are so many beautiful plants all over the city, but I like topick a favorite anyway. It gives me sort of a touchstone, I guess. Something to look forward to. Of course, I really hated all my other jobs because they were too noisy and crowded, so I really needed that moment of peace and beauty to keep me motivated, but now…” He trailed off, feeling himself blush all over again. “Sorry. I'm rambling.”
Dr. Gerard looked down at him. His face was hard to read, but it wasn't as severe as it had been. If anything, Devon thought he saw a hint of a smile there. “Don't stop,” the man whispered.
Devon quickly turned away to hide a smile of his own, then crossed the street when the light changed. “Doctor Gerard?”
“Call me Andy,” he murmured, his tone almost making the statement sound like a question.
Andy.Devon pressed his lips together, fighting the urge to grin. It felt so wrong to think of the man by his first name. It was too intimate. Too personal. The man was his boss, after all. Yet it gave Devon a thrill nonetheless.Andy. Andy. Andy.“Andy,” he breathed. “Alright.”
