Page 28 of Antagonist

Everyone laughs.

“I’ve spoken to all of you individually about this year’s Spring Fair. I’m really impressed by your desire to have a diverse and interesting experience for the children. So let’s get right into it.”

Ellis plugs in his laptop, and an empty document is projected onto the whiteboard.

The noise in the room grows louder as parents throw ideas at Ellis and he attempts to capture them all in the document. Before long, the list is growing and, in my opinion, a little too far-fetched.

“What the hell am I doing here, Stella? This isn’t for me.”

“You’re organizing this with Fletcher. I’m not letting you pull out. You need this.”

I stare at her. “What do you mean?”

She sighs and lowers her voice even more. “I can tell you’re struggling with the move to a small town. I think this would be a good chance to meet some people and get involved in something important to Megan.”

“You had to pull the Megan card.”

As much as I hate to say it, she may be right. My call with Tate and Indy replays in my mind.

I look around for Fletcher. He’s sitting with Melodie and her friends, but he’s not paying attention to them. Instead, he’s scribbling in a small notebook. His long blond hair drapes over his shoulders, so I can’t see what he’s writing.

His hand moves in a fluid motion over the notebook. Is he drawing?

Everyone’s voices fade into white noise as I secretly indulge in my observation of Fletcher. It’s the first time since we met that I’ve gotten to do this. Look at the man without the mask. Forget about the jokes, the nicknames, how much he irritates me.

He tucks a strand of hair behind his ear, and my fingers twitch on my lap. How soft is his hair?

I’m so lost in my thoughts that I’m too slow when he lifts his head and turns toward me. He smiles, and I smile back.

He tears the page he was working on from his notepad and folds it. Without breaking eye contact, he says something to a guy sitting next to him.

The note passes from person to person until it reaches me. I shake my head in disbelief, and his smile changes. I see a small blush rise up his neck.

I want to see more of it, but his hair is doing a good job of covering his skin.

He nods for me to open the note, so I do.

Inside is a pencil sketch of us as superheroes and a question:Want to save the Spring Fair with me? Beneath the writing, there are two boxes, one for yes and one for maybe.

I hold a laugh at the absence of a hard no.

I pull out my phone and type a message.

Harrison:Someone needs to learn about consent.

Fletcher:You can consent to working with me or maybe working with me.

Harrison:Where’s the option to pull out?

Fletcher:Five minutes with me, and you won’t want to pull out.

I snort and hide the screen when Stella gives me a chastising look.

Fletcher:Ten minutes, and you’ll also want to work with me.

I close my eyes and draw a deep breath. My dick is reacting to this exchange.

Harrison:Fine.