Page 46 of The Token Yank

“Afternoon,” she said. Eamonn checked the clock on the wall, and it was a quarter past noon. “Ihaven’t.”

Eamonn knocked on Rafe’s door, but there was no answer. He returned to his room and found a sleeve of English tea biscuits next to the door with anote.

Thanks for your help last night. I really appreciate it. We’ll talk later. I’m busyadulting!

He read the note in Rafe’s excited voice, and it made him smile. The tea biscuits didn’t hurteither.

It was Saturday, and Eamonn had nowhere to be. He strolled through campus on this brilliant day. A crisp breeze swept through campus, and red and orange leaves rustled on trees. Autumn snuck up on him likethat.

“Eamonn!” Rafe called out from an outdoor table in the student unioncourtyard.

Something seemed different about Rafe. He had this blaze of confidence on hisface.

“I need your digits.” Rafe pulled out a newmobile.

“Is that a flipphone?”

“It is. I’m going totally Bush era. I bought a prepaid phone and topped it up at a corner store in town. It’s also where I got you those teabiscuits.”

They exchanged phone numbers. Rafe crossed something off a list in hisnotebook.

“You seem like a man on amission.”

“I am. I researched work options last night, and in the U.K., people on a student visa are allowed to work up to twenty hours per week. First thing this morning, I came to the student union and looked at job postings, and Apothecary is hiring for a runner. I interviewed about an hour ago and was hired on the spot. The manager said he’d never met someone so enthusiastic about picking up empty glasses and stocking the bar withice.”

Rafe could hardly contain himself. He was like a contestant onThe XFactor.

“I’ll make an hourly wage plus get some of the bartenders’tips!”

“That’sbrilliant!”

Rafe did a drum roll on the table, apropos of nothing, just pure adrenaline. “I can’t believe this. This has been one of the best mornings of my life. I can do anything! I mean, my parents and teachers always told me growing up that if I put my mind to something, I can achieve it. But this is the first time where I truly believe it.” Rafe exhaled and came down to earth, or closer to it.This fucking guy. Eamonn wanted to scoop him up in hisarms.

“I’ll finally have money of my own. I’m not even going to do direct deposit. I can get paper checks and just cash them so my parents won’t know.” Rafe put a hand on his arm, sending a pulse of heat to Eamonn’s head. “Thank you, Eamonn. I don’t think I would’ve done any of this if it weren’t foryou.”

His sincerity, and the way his lips puckered, left Eamonn tripping over his words. “I did nothing. This is allyou.”

Rafe hopped up from the table. The warmth of his hand lingered on Eamonn’sarm.

“I’m gonna go fill out paperwork. I’m soexcited!”