Page 72 of Love, Academically
An acutely painful or embarrassing situation
Rhys
Fuck.
He could not hug this woman anymore. Well, he could, and do a lot more with her, make her moan and whimper and scream his name. That’s verypatentlywhat his body wanted and it was overriding his brain, because why on earth would he bury his face in the softness of her neck, or encourage her hips towards his, moulding her curves to his frame?
This wasnota date. This was not arelationship.
This was a deal, a bargain. Two people helping each other. He had been her fake boyfriend for the ditchwater equivalent of a person (Jason), and she was here being his girlfriend for his family to show them how much of a success he was.
But it had become more than that. He hadn’t quite intended to bare his soul, just tell her the bare minimum so she could get by. But no, his stupid mouth had other ideas because this woman in his arms made him feel so damned comfortable, so accepted, that it was easy to let all his tension and stresses go.
His emotions (and for that matter, his dick) hadn’t been this difficult to control since he was a teenager.
Rhys was glad when his uncle, Daffydd, interrupted when he did because otherwise it would be painfully obvious to everyoneexactly where all the blood in his body was heading, especially in these stupid trousers.
He really needed to measure himself and update the website. Perhaps Lila would help? No, that was not the thing to be thinking about right now.
“Get a room you two” came a loud and rather slurred voice from over Rhys’s shoulder and he quickly disentangled himself from Lila.
“Fuck. Sorry,” he said. Whether he was apologising for nearly mauling her, or for whatever was going to come out of Uncle Daff’s mouth now, he wasn’t entirely sure.
“Daffydd, nice to see you,” he said, holding out his hand.
“Rydyn ni’n deulu,we’re family, Rhys!” Daff batted away his arm and pulled him in for a sloppy, swaying hug. Pulling away, his uncle went to hug Lila, but Rhys put a hand on his chest.
“No, Daff,” he said with a smile. “No hugging my girlfriend.” It slipped out of his mouth so easily.
It wasn’t that Daff was handsy or whatever, but Lila hadn’t even said hello and this epitome of the ‘Drunk Uncle’ wanted a hug? Nope.
“Of course, and you’reSaesneg, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am,” she said with a smile.
Rhys was getting used to deciphering the many nuances of Lila’s smiles and this one was indulgent and amused. If it was strained and wary, then he would have turned her right around out of that situation and taken her home to her comfortable sofa, her myriad of blankets and whichever insipid old romance she wanted to watch.
“Ah well,cariad, you two make a lovely couple,” Daffyd said, sloshing amber liquid around his glass. He was decidedly worse for wear, his eyes not quite pointing in the same direction, his bow tie crumpled and his face ruddy, but he was happy and smiling.
Daffydd had aways been his favourite uncle. It was Daff who Rhys called when he missed the last train home from nights out in Cardiff. It was Daff who made sure he had a much more in-depth sex talk than the perfunctory one his dad gave him. Daffydd was the one he called, overwhelmed with emotions, when he didn’t want to work at Dallimores anymore and wanted to be a historian.
“What you should do, my boy,” Daff said, his pointing finger swaying slightly, “is give your beautiful girlfriend a kiss.”
Daff knowingly winked at Lila, a ridiculous, over-exaggerated wink that Betty Boop would have been jealous of.
“Daff,” he warned.
“What?” Daffydd shrugged, mock hurt. “I’m just saying, ‘young love’.”
Yes, air quotes from his pisshead of an uncle.
“Daff, I’m not going to—” he started, but Lila interrupted.
“Oh, Rhys,” she admonished, with a swat on his arm. Then, turning to Daffydd, “He’s so shy.”
Grabbing both his lapels, Lila turned her face up to his and tugged him down towards her. The softness of her lips pressed against his and she leaned into him. His hands snaked around her hips, pressing her harder to him. It was chaste and hot, and Lila’s hands flattened against his chest, aligning herself to him just right,
