Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ADONIS
Adonis
I need a drink. Who’s with me?
Eros
Whoa bro … are you okay?
Adonis
No, that’s why I need a drink.
Atticus
What happened?
Adonis
I’ll tell you over drinks. The Rock Room, 6 pm?
Demetrius
Hell, yes. I’m there!
Eros
I’ll be there. Gotta leave by 8 pm though. Working a shift at Triple Bs.
Atticus
I’ll be there.
Adonis
Thanks guys.
T his is not how I imagined my career going. Work hard. Write a bunch of papers, maybe even a book. Teach classes. Graduate students. That shouldn’t have been a difficult list to accomplish. I’d have to work hard, but it’s completely doable for someone in my position.
But I fucked it up.
Sleeping with my student is not on that list. It’s not even a life goal. Yet, here I am, standing outside my boss’s office, waiting to face the consequences of my poor decisions.
“Dr. Rosi,” he calls my name. He’s standing in his doorway, waving me in. “Thanks for coming to see me today. We’ve got lots to talk about.”
I nod. “I assume you talked to Clover already?”
“I did.” He admits. “It was an enlightening conversation, and one I wasn’t expecting to have.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” I say as he shuts his door. “There’s no excuse for my actions.”
“Adonis.” He squeezes my shoulder. “You’re not the first professor to fall for one of his students. Our jobs are demanding and time-consuming. It’s not like we have a lot of time to go out. Where else are we going to meet the woman of our dreams, if not in our classes?”
“Are you saying …” I point to him, not sure if I’m understanding his meaning.
He nods. “Yep. I met Caroline during my second year of teaching. She was in one of my undergrad classes. I was smitten from day one. Let me tell you, that was the longest semester of my life. I couldn’t wait until after finals so I could ask her out.”
“At least you waited. I did not.”
“I said I waited to ask her out. I didn’t say nothing happened before then.” He chuckles, and it makes me smile.
He rounds his desk and takes his seat. I take the seat opposite him. “Where Clover is concerned, I only have one question.”
“Okay.” I wait for him to ask.
He hesitates, watching me like he’s searching my expression for the answer. “Do you care about Clover?”
“Oh.” That was not what I was expecting him to ask. “Well, sir. Yes. Very much.”
“Good. I’ve been friends with her father for years. As such, I think of her as family. As you know, she’s been hurt. That scandal will haunt her for the rest of her life. Don’t add to that hurt. She’s a good girl, and she deserves a good man.”
“Yes, sir. I understand.” At least I think I do. I still don’t know how things really went down between her and that senator. I haven’t wanted to ask her for details. Partly because I don’t want to know, and partly because the truth terrifies me.
“It wasn’t her fault,” he says as if he’s reading my mind. “Senator Klint took advantage of her and lied. He told her he was separated from his wife and in the process of getting a divorce. He wasn’t. Her only mistake was putting her trust in the wrong man.”
“I don’t want to be the wrong man.” I admit.
“Then don’t be. You’re a good man. You’ll figure it out. Hopefully, with her.”
I nod, not sure that will be happening. “We’ll see. I’m still processing all this.”
“Understandable. Just give it time and don’t be too hard on Clover. She’s young and still trying to figure all this out. The scandal left a huge scare on her heart, and it’s still healing.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, sir.”
“Good.” He turns the page in his notebook and frowns. “Now on to tougher conversations.”
I laugh. “There’s something harder than this we need to discuss?”
He nods. “Maggie Clemons.”
“Oh.” My smile fades. “I knew she and Clover were struggling to get along, but I didn’t realize how bad it was until Maggie approached me.”
“Yes, she seems like a very jealous person.”
I snort. “That’s an understatement.”
Dr. Carver pulls a piece of paper out from under his notebook and hands it to me. “This is a transfer request to have her removed from your program. We can place her with another faculty.”
I frown. “Is that really necessary? I’m already losing Clover. I don’t want to lose Maggie too.”
I hear the lunacy in my words and have to fight back the laugh. Maggie drives me crazy, and I can’t wait until she graduates. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to push her off onto someone else.
Dr. Carver furrows his brow. He clearly didn’t expect me to say that. “Are you sure? I thought you’d be happy about this change.”
“I’m sure. Removing her will only make it worse for everyone. She has her faults, but she’s worked hard, and I’m not willing to make her lose all that work because she’s stuck her nose where it doesn’t belong. I’ll make it work.”
“If you’re sure.” He takes the paper back and flips it upside down. “It’s your call.”
“I am. She’s proven herself as a hardworking student. I’ll manage.”
“Consider it done. I’ll tell Maggie when I meet with her tomorrow.”
“Can I tell her? Might be less threatening coming from me. Plus, I think that will help repair our working relationship. Give us a chance to start fresh.”
“Okay, just let me know if you need me to do anything.” He picks up a second piece of paper and hands it to me. “You don’t have a choice on this one.”
I take it and frown when I see it’s the transfer paperwork for Clover. I knew this would happen, but it doesn’t make it any easier.
“It’s the only way, Adonis. We’ll get you a new student in the fall.”
I nod and sign the bottom and try not to worry about how much this is going to hurt my chances of getting tenure. Hopefully, the setback isn’t too severe, and I can make up the time without consequence.
The Rock Room is much more my style of bar over Triple Bs. It’s owned by the same family, but where Triple Bs is flashy and loud, The Rock Room is relaxing and chill. Sometimes they have live bands on the weekends or host sporting events, but mostly it’s people like me who just want to chill with a good drink.
I arrive before my brothers and snag a table in the back where it’s more private and away from the flow of traffic. I order a whiskey on the rocks and wait.
Thankfully, I don’t have to wait long before Atticus shows up and slides into the booth opposite me.
“Hey.” He studies me for a moment. “You look like shit.”
“Thanks,” I mumble and take a sip of my drink.
“Must be a good one,” he says before he waves the server over and places his order. “Hit me with it.”
I shake my head. “Wait for Dem and Eros. I only want to say this once.”
“We’re here,” Demetrius says as he slides into the booth next to me and squeezes my shoulders. “You look like shit, bro.”
I growl. “So I’ve been told.”
“It’s a girl, isn’t it?” Eros asks with way too much excitement. Then he rubs his hands together like he’s about to win a prize. “I love it when girls are involved.”
“Shit.” Atticus shakes his head in disappointment. “Sydney and Dylan were right.”
I toss a wadded napkin at him. “Don’t talk to me like you’re my father.”
“What did Sydney and Dylan get right?” Dem asks.
“That he’s dating his student,” Atticus says with irritation.
I cringe.
“Oh, shit,” Eros laughs. “Never would have guessed you’d fuck a student, Donnie. Thought you were the good one.”
“Well, it blew up in my face, so cheers to me.” I hold my glass up and down the rest of it in one gulp. Then I look around for our server, but I don’t see her anywhere.
“What do you mean by blow up?” Atticus asks.
“Well, let’s see.” I lean back and get comfortable. “My other student found out and tried to blackmail Clover. Then I found out she’s done this before, so now I feel used and betrayed and lied to. My boss knows. Clover will no longer be my student, and my career has taken a hit. Who knows if I’ll get tenure once it’s all said and done?”
“How did she use, betray, and lie to you?” Dem asks.
I glare at him. “That’s what you got out of all that. Not that I could lose my job?”
“There are other jobs, man,” Dem says with conviction, and it throws me off. “But there’s only one perfect girl. If she’s it, then you gotta fight for her.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?” I ask.
“Listen.” He leans closer like he’s about to reveal some super-secret information. “I know I’m a player, but that’s because I haven’t met the one yet. When I meet her, I’m never letting go.”
“Well, no one said Clover is the one for me.” The lie burns deep. I’ve no doubt that I love her. I just don’t know how to move past this yet. She may still be hurting over what happened with the senator. But I’m hurting too.
Demetrius laughs like what I said was the funniest thing he’s ever heard. “Man, you should see yourself. If she’s not the one, then I’d hate to see how bad you look when you do find her.”
“Did your boss actually say you’d lose your job?” Atticus asks and I couldn’t be more grateful for the shift in conversation. I don’t want to think about Clover right now. Not until I decide what to do about her.
I shake my head. “He said it’d be fine as long as I continue to work hard. It’s a setback, but not the kiss of death.”
He nods. “Good. Now tell me more about this girl. Clover, is it?”
“Yeah. Turns out she got caught up in a scandal with a senator before she transferred here. She hid that from me. Now I don’t know if this is just her thing or if she really does like me.”
“Aww,” Demetrius and Eros say at the same time.
I punch Demetrius in the arm and growl.
“Hey, he said it too” He points at Eros.
“He’s not the one sitting next to me,” I say. The server returns with Atticus’s drink. “Can we not talk about this anymore and just drink?”
“Hell, yeah!” Demetrius says. And we each order a drink plus a round of shots.
An hour and countless drinks later, we’re all a little drunk and a lot loud. Especially Demetrius. I think he’s drank twice as much as the rest of us.
“Come on.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders and points to a group of girls across the bar. “They look like they’re up for some fun. Let’s see if one of them will help you forget about your girl.”
I push his arm off me and frown. “What happened to her being the one ?”
“Yeah, but you fucked that up.” He smiles and pushes to his feet. “You coming or not?”
“Not.” I grumble.
Before he walks away, his phone rings. He pulls it out of his pocket and frowns. “Dammit.”
“What is it?” Atticus asks.
“It’s the station.” He silences it and slides it back into his pocket.
“Is that wise?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I’m not on call tonight.”
“What if they need help?” Eros asks.
“I’m drunk dip shit. What am I gonna do?” His phone rings again. “Dammit.”
He pulls it out and silences it again.
“Are you sure you’re not on call?” Atticus asks.
“Yes, Dad! I know my schedule.”
Atticus tosses his hands in the air in surrender. “Hey, just making sure. The last time we went out drinking, you were on call and Dylan had to cover your shift.”
“Well, I’m not this time,” Demetrius says, his tone conveying just how pissed he is by Atticus’s line of questioning. He picks up what remains of his drink and tosses the rest back. “I’m gonna go look for some fun. You guys are killing my buzz.”
He storms off toward the girls he pointed out. A few minutes later, we hear him laughing with them.
“Should we go after him?” I ask.
“Nah,” Atticus says. “It’ll only piss him off more. Let him cool off.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I sit back in the booth and rest my head on the back.
I’ve got my own problems to sort through. I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with my drunk brother. I just hope he’s not doing something even dumber than what I’ve done.
The next morning, I wake up late. And not because I want to, but because my oldest brother is banging on my door.
“Donnie, get up,” Atticus yells. “We’ve got a situation.”
I sit up in bed and groan. I’m groggy from drinking too much.
Then I jump when I hear a loud crashing noise, followed by one of my brothers yelling obscenities.
I scramble out of bed and pull on the first pair of joggers I can find and rush out of my room. “What the fuck?”
The small living space is trashed and there are broken dishes all over the kitchen floor. Demetrius is curled up on the floor, hugging his head. If I’m not mistaken, he’s also crying.
Eros is leaning against the wall with his hands resting on his knees. I can’t see his face, but he’s breathing heavily. When I look at Atticus, my stomach sinks. The grim expression on his face says it all.
“What happened?” I ask.
He takes a deep breath and looks me dead in the eyes. “There was a fire last night. A bad one. That’s why they kept calling Dem.”
“Okay, but he wasn’t on call, right?”
“Correct,” Atticus says. His voice cracks and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “But they needed help. They called in another unit for backup, but it took them too long to get there. The building collapsed.”
“Shit.” I run my fingers through my hair. This sounds awful, but it doesn’t explain why everyone is so distraught. “Who got hurt?”
Atticus quickly looks away, but not before I see the tears forming in his eyes. “It’s Dylan.”
“Fuck.” I stare at Demetrius on the floor and the way he’s sobbing. I close my eyes and pray I’m wrong. “He didn’t make it, did he?”
“No,” Atticus whispers. “He didn’t make it out of the building alive.”