Page 9 of Damaged Professor

I don’t know how he does it, but I can practically hear the way that he’s capitalizing that word. My brows scrunch up. “Shit, I forgot about that.”

My parents have a big party for their wedding anniversary every year. They invite everyone in the family and our close family friends. That means everyone will be there, from extended family, like cousins I see twice a year, to my mother’s co-workers from the museum. It’s a big deal.

Ashton shoots me a bewildered look. “How did you manage that?”

“I’ve been busy,” I say, with a dismissive wave.

Ashton says, “Must have been really busy to let this slip your mind.” And then, “It doesn’t matter. Look, I just wanted to talk to you about it. You remember that you’re supposed to help me get the catering taken care of, right?” He points at the papers. “I’ve done the hard part already.”

I grab the pile—it’s pages and pages of meal options. “Gathering the leaflets?” I ask.

“Yes! And I’m letting you do your favorite part—read through the descriptions and narrow down our options. We need to figure out the food asap. I'm not interested in having to scramble at the last minute. As much as we all love the deli, I don't want it to end up being our only option because we fucked around. Mom’s not going to like it if we feed her meat sandwiches on her fiftieth wedding anniversary, you hear me?”

Fifty years. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be with someone for so long—to love someone for so long. Chelsea made sure of that.

“And we need to make sure that there’s a vegan option for Aunt Nancy,” he continues.

“I hear you,” I tell him. “I can’t do it today, but what about this weekend?”

Ashton pulls his phone out of his back pocket and swipes open his schedule. It’s filled with brightly colored writing and various stickers denoting what he has to do each week. He’s the CEO of a tech discovery company, and he’s pretty much always got something that needs to be dealt with.

“I can do Sunday at my house, but Liv is going to be there with the kids,” says Ashton. “Or we can do Saturday at my office, around two.”

I think on it for a moment. “I don’t think that the kids are going to help us figure out the catering.”

“It’s settled then,” he says and stands up. "I'll see you Saturday."

“You are leaving?”

Ashton flashes me a smile that’s all teeth. Then he gives my shoulder a squeeze with one hand, shoving the phone into his back pocket with the other. “Yep. I have to get back to work. But I believe in you, Dylan, you can do this.” He motions to the pile sarcastically.

“You’re going to actually show up this time, right?”

He’s already at the door. “I’ll be there.”

It clicks shut and I am left alone again. The house seems cold and uninviting. The sense that I’ve made a big mistake grows.

I shudder and get up. Why am I letting this affect me so much?

I’m being ridiculous. Abby is in the past—where she should be—and I have work to do.

Chapter five

Abby

Thedrivermakessmalltalk, but I can hardly focus on what he’s saying. I rub my calf, using all the self-control I can muster to not take off my heels and start rubbing my feet. I shouldn’t have walked so long before calling a cab. But it was impossible for me to stop. The moment I got out of that house, I wanted to disappear.

Not that I didn’t love every bit of that night. Or this morning— that last kiss almost had me fainting.

But I knew I had to leave before I said something stupid. And the more I walked, the more I thought about Dylan. And James.

The cab drops me right in front of my house. Nichole is already waiting outside, sitting on the grass, oblivious to the world around her.

“I told you I’d call you when I got here,” I tell her. I walk slowly, trying to maintain my composure. And to think I used to doubt the walk of shame's authenticity.

“No, no, no, you can’t just spring out the news and expect me to just wait.” She jumps to her feet.

I get my keys out of my pocket and open the door. The campus neighborhood is still quiet and calm. Seeing as how the semester hasn't started, most students haven't arrived on campus yet. And those who have are probably too hungover to be up and about.

---