Page 50 of Devil's Kiss

As the ceremony came to a close and everyone stood to go and greet those they were there to see, Jordan’s eyes cut through the crowd to where Derek was getting to his feet.

Straightening his suit jacket, Jordan told himself this was an appropriate setting for them to meet up and talk. Surely it wouldn’t look odd for him to approach and congratulate a former student on his accomplishment.

He greeted several of his colleagues and wove his way through the crowd, heading toward the tall man he could see wearing his cap and gown. Just as he was about to say his name, though, Daniel Finley slipped between him and his target, and Jordan came to a stop.

Shit.He looked around, trying to see if Brantley was there with his man or if… Okay,it appeared Daniel was on his own.Thank God.Jordan wasn’t sure he was that great of an actor. As it was, he was now turning on his heel to walk away from the two students he’d once found so interesting. He needed distance from them, and not to be under any kind of scrutiny. Lord only knew what Derek would do if that wink he’d thrown his way earlier was any indication.

He’d just catch up with him later.

“WELL,HELL. WHO would’ve thought that Derek Pearson would stick with school long enough to actually graduate?”

Derek turned around, recognizing Finn’s voice in a second, and pulled him into a tight hug. “Hey, fuck you, man. I can stick with things.”

When Finn pulled back, he looked Derek up and down and asked, “Since when? The only two things you’ve ever stuck with is running and smoking, which seems kind of counterproductive, but…”

Derek chuckled. “At least it proves that I can stick to something.”

“Yeah, but only things you enjoy.”

“Well, what’s the point of doing something you don’t like?” He paused and then flashed a grin. “I use the same motto in my sex life.”

Finn laughed, but the smile that crossed his lips didn’t quite reach his eyes and had Derek instantly concerned. Something was off. Finn was always the jovial one of the two of them, but this guy in front of him, he was trying to put on a good front, and it wasn’t fooling Derek for a second.

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Derek asked, then looked over Finn’s shoulders to see Jordan’s back as he walked away from them and into the crowd of students.

Fuck.He’d really wanted to talk to Jordan, but he wasn’t sure how to do that without alerting Finn. Then there’d be a million questions on why he needed to speak to Posh Spice, and really, he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t be able to finally spill all his secrets.

Hell, maybe that was what he needed to do. Go and get shitfaced with Finn and finally tell him everything that had been going on with his life. Maybe then Finn would feel comfortable telling him whatever was bothering him.

“Not much. I have my ceremony then I was going to go home,” Finn said, and the tone of his voice sent a feeling of apprehension through Derek.

“Do you want to go and grab a couple of beers and chat after you get done?”

Finn’s eyes found his, and the pain inside them had Derek taking a step toward his friend. “What’s going on, Danny boy? You’re starting to freak me out. Is it your mom? Katrina? Is everyone okay?”

Finn nodded quickly at that, easing Derek’s concerns over his family and health.

“Then what is it? I know something’s wrong. You could never hide anything worth a shit.”

As they headed toward the auditorium doors, Finn shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded. “Yeah. I was coming to…” He paused as they stepped out into the sun-filled summer day, and when they moved under one of the pavilion tents that had been erected, Finn toed the grass underfoot and finally looked Derek in the eye. “I wanted to see you graduate and…and to say goodbye.”

That brought Derek to a fucking halt. “Goodbye?” he asked, turning to face Finn, who was grinding his teeth like he wanted to scream.

“Yeah.”

Finn went to walk away from him, but Derek reached for his arm, stopping him. “Wait up. Where the fuck are you going that you have to say goodbye? I know we haven’t been real close lately, but?—”

“I’m going to Chicago.” The words were clipped and cold, and Finn’s expression offered no explanation.

What the hell was going on? “Am I allowed to ask why?”

Finn shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks and tilted his head to the side. “You can. I’m not sure I know the answer, though. Look, this is hard enough. Don’t make it any harder.”

“Then help me to understand, because the Finn I know wouldn’t decide to just up and leave his family.”

Finn’s eyes met his then, and the anger that had been cool and collected suddenly roared to life. “Really?You’regoing to say that tome?”

The force behind that question immediately had Derek’s spine straightening. “Well, it’s true. They’re here, aren’t they?”