Page 41 of Beautiful Trauma
“Christ, Henry, do you know what you’re doing? Isn’t that guy a little old for you?”
“Aren’t you the one who literally pushed me into dancing with Ezra at the club?”
Geoff released a long sigh. “I just wanted to see you smile and have a good time. I also hoped you’d get laid. Setting you up to have your heart trampled later wasn’t part of my scheme. Is the sex great enough to risk your academic career?”
I stood up so fast my chair nearly toppled over. Reaching for my wallet, I said, “I’ll cover dinner.”
“No!” Geoff said, wrapping his hand around my fist clutching two twenties in it. “Stop, Henry. Please sit down. I fucked this all up, and I’m sorry. Please don’t go. I haven’t seen you in so long, and I’ve missed you.”
I released a shaky breath then put my money back inside my wallet and returned it to my back pocket. Returning to my seat, I softly said, “No one can know, Geoff. Ezra could lose his job, and before you say he deserves it, keep in mind he truly cares about me. Besides, I took my final exams this week, so he’s technically no longer my professor.”
“Now what?” he asked.
“I honestly don’t know. We’re taking things one step at a time.”
Geoff tilted his head to the side. “And you’re sure no one in your class knows? I can’t imagine it’s been easy hiding your feelings.”
I replayed the past several weeks in my head, checking for instances where one of us gave anything away. No one could accuse me of getting preferential treatment from Ezra. I smiled when I remembered Drake mentioning Ezra’s blatant grudge against me for missing classes. I preferred everyone thinking the professor hated me rather than knowing we spent every spare minute naked together. The biggest hurdle had been touring the Museum of Sex exhibit. I couldn’t keep my mind from imagining Ezra and myself testing out some of the toys, and I’d nearly lost my mind when I came across the padded spanking bench. Ezra had threatened more than once to redden my ass during our relationship but hadn’t done it until we got back to his apartment after the tour. Heat still radiated off my flesh the next morning, and I’d had a hard time sitting, but it was so fucking worth it. I sometimes found myself extremely jealous of the sexual exploring Ezra had done during his travels abroad, but I got over it quickly since I reaped the benefits of his knowledge.
“Earth to Henry,” Geoff said, snapping his fingers. “I don’t want to sound like a whiny crybaby, but it’s my turn for your attention now.”
“Sorry,” I said, offering a smile. “You’re right.”
“Love looks good on you, my friend.”
My breath snagged in my throat. “Love?” I croaked out.
“Whatever,” Geoff said, rolling his eyes. “We’ll let you live in denial a little longer. What have you been up to besides bumping uglies with the professor? Are you working out?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I work out a few times a week. It helps me maintain my energy levels throughout the week. I’ve been sleeping a lot better and watching what I eat. It’s improved my stamina a bunch.”
“I bet it has,” Geoff quipped.
Shelley showed up with our drinks, delaying my response. Rather than zing him with a snappy comeback, I wadded up my empty straw wrapper and flicked it at him. Geoff placed both hands over the spot on his chest where it had landed. The silliness chased away any lingering awkwardness from Geoff discovering I was secretly dating Ezra. For the remainder of our dinner, we kept the conversation light, discussing the other things going on in our lives. I noticed Geoff wanted to avoid any conversation involving Des as much as I tried to steer clear of Ezra, so we silently reached a cease-fire.
The food was delicious, and the company was even better. I realized I needed to make time to spend with Geoff because his friendship was important to me, and I was the only person in his life who really knew him. Since Jess was in town and needed her car, I had planned on getting a Lyft over to Ezra’s apartment, but Geoff wouldn’t hear of it.
“Let me drive you over,” Geoff said. “It’s not like I’m going to show up at his place and harass him when you’re not around.”
“If you’re sure you don’t mind,” I said.
“Get in,” Geoff said, hitting the remote to unlock the doors. Traffic was as heavy as I’d expected on a Friday night, and it took us twice as long to get to Ezra’s apartment as it usually would. “Some big event must be going on,” Henry said.
“Something sports related, I’m sure.”
“Are you all set for the fall semester? You’d mentioned scholarships, grants, and getting a job at the school. Will that help with tuition?”
“Yes, and I also have federal loans. I’m in a much better financial position than I was for the summer semester. I’m slightly concerned my class load is too heavy, but I’m determined to make it work.”
“How are you going to fit in a third job?” Geoff asked.
“Des is letting me cut back to twenty-five hours a week, and then I’ll make the rest up as a teaching assistant. I’ll pick up extra shifts at Maria’s if I need them, but I think I can let that job slide for now.”
“It’s still a lot, Henry,” Geoff said. “Better make sure you get your dailyworkoutsto help with your stamina.”
“Knock it off,” I replied. “You can pull over here, and I’ll walk the rest of the way. That way you don’t have to go down an extra block before you can loop around and go back toward your house.”
Geoff pulled over and put his car in park. “Henry,” he said solemnly, drawing my attention toward him. “Please be careful with this guy. I’m not saying Ezra’s bad; I just don’t want you to get your heart broken.”