Page 8 of Hook-up to Holidate

Alitha crosses her arms on her chest, clearly done with our shenanigans. “I don’t think Indigo’s new girl is secretly a bad person, but only time will tell. In the meantime, I think it’s healthy to keep daydreaming about your future together.”

“Thank you, o’ voice of reason. I feel like you two are the devil and angel sitting on my shoulder,” I say.

“Who told you?” Dahlia laughs.

* * *

I get out of my 5999 Toyota Prius, my familiar, Momiji, tucked into the crook of my arm, and head toward my office. Mondays are my least favorite day of the week, because every Monday is the same, at least ten emails from students over the weekend who want my help with something. I love teaching and am so honored to have this position at such a young age, but some of their questions are easily answered if they’d just search for it online.

Augury University differs from every other college in The Americas. Not only is it a magical university, but they built it to coexist with nature. The buildings, made of wood and glass, sit in clusters that are connected by wooden platforms. It almost looks like a village in the trees, but each building is a classroom or office. The electricity runs on solar power, though many of our resources come from employees’ individual power.

When I enter my office this morning, something different awaits me. There’s a cupcake on my desk.

I set Momiji down, and the white sugar rabbit flops onto his bed, lazily ready to nap the morning away. Though he’s very active at dusk and dawn and is a great conduit for my magic, he’s practically useless as a companion sometimes. Still, I’m glad we bonded when I matured and that he gets to be my buddy for life.

Moving to investigate the cupcake, I realize the frosting is bright green with little sparkly sprinkles on top. It looks delightful, though it’s too early for this to be a Christmas gift. I pull out my phone and call Alitha.

“Hey,” she picks up.

“Hey, did you leave a cupcake in my office?” I ask.

“No?”

Who else could it have been? I’m not super close with any of my other coworkers, and our boss was recently fired for inappropriate behavior.Oh.

“Could it have been the new Department Chair of Charms?”

She clicks her tongue. “That’s probably it! Why don’t you stop by and say hi?”

“That’s a good idea. Thanks, love ya.”

“Love you!”

She hangs up, and I open my door, heading out of the shared office building and out onto a wooden platform that leads to the Department Chair’s building. I was expecting to meet my new boss today, though not first thing this morning. All I know about them is that their name is Professor Daelor, they’re twenty-eight years old, and they just moved here from another smaller magical university.

Thanks to The Convergence reversing global warming, even though we’re on an island right outside Florida, it’s actually chilly here in November. Donning a black jean jacket, I knock on the door, now adorned with a plaque that reads “V. DAELOR Mgd.”

The door swings open, and I drop my cupcake. It hits the wooden floorboards, splattering on the ground. I feel like my eyes are deceiving me, but right in front of me is V, the woman I spent one of the best weekends of my life with. And now she’s my boss, and I ruined her cupcake, and oh, fuck my life.

“Oh, I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to make a mess in your new office,” I say, frantically trying to wrap my head around the fact that Vega, the orcling I’m interested in dating, is Professor Daelor.

“It’s okay, let me help with that.” She squats down, taking a wet wipe from off her desk and cleans the floor. I throw the cupcake into the trash, guilt festering in my chest. I didn’t mean to ruin the cupcake… and I definitely didn’t mean to screw my boss.

“I was just coming by to introduce myself. I’m Indigo Watson, a first year adjunct in your department. I also teach one history course. Please, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” If I close my eyes and pretend my new boss has never seen me naked, it’ll be true, right?

V reaches around me and shuts the door. Our bodies are now uncomfortably close to one another, and I’m unsure how I should react. What am I supposed to do when everything that comes to mind is inappropriate?

“You don’t need to pretend we’ve never met before, Indigo,” she says. Her voice is soft, like she’s been wounded.

I back against the door, creating space between us, and she crosses over toward her desk. Her familiar, a hummingmouse, is sitting on a perch in its cage, watching us speak.

“I’m sor—”

“Please, stop apologizing. We didn’t know.”

My lips form a thin line. “But now we do.”

“Do you know the university’s policies on fraternization? Obviously, student-teacher relationships are forbidden, but what about cohorts?”

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