Chapter 48
FORTY-EIGHT
Blakely
And the award for the most awkward breakfast in the entire world goes to…
Sydney stared at Julian like he hung the world, and Julian liked to talk. A lot .
Devon’s hand was permanently attached to my thigh, which he squeezed every time the couple said something that made him want to punch a wall. He ended up squeezing my thigh so much he was likely to leave a bruise.
Most of the time, he wore his normal, neutral expression, but when the two discussed how they met, I thought I was going to have to hold him back.
“You tell the story.” Julian smiled at Sydney, and she acted coy before diving in.
“Well, about halfway through last semester, my psychology professor ended up having to go on indefinite leave. They didn’t give us many details, but I don’t think anyone really cared when Dr. Bohlman was replaced by Dr. Julian McDonald.”
My fork almost clattered to my plate, and Shelly, Devon, and I wore similar expressions of shock. But neither Sydney nor Julian noticed—they were too busy staring lovingly at one another.
I waited for one of them to say sike, then glanced at Devon out of the corner of my eye. His jaw worked, and the hand on my thigh was growing tighter by the second. An angry flush was creeping up his neck, and I knew if I didn’t do something quickly, we were likely to witness a Devon-sized explosion.
“But,” I began looking back at the couple, “You didn’t start dating until after she was through with your class?”
I knew that wouldn’t fix it completely, but the timeline was important.
“Yes, definitely,” Julian confirmed, and I sagged a little in my chair, squeezing Devon’s hand and slipping my fingers through his. “We didn’t pursue anything until after her final grades were posted. I wasn’t going to chance her education like that.”
Although it was a sweet sentiment, it did little to make Devon relax.
“I’m going to grab some more,” Julian said. “Anyone else need anything?”
“I’ll come with you,” Sydney said, jumping from her seat and grabbing her plate. The rest of us shook our heads, and the two of them walked into the kitchen.
Shelly glanced over her shoulder, making sure they were out of earshot before she turned back to us and said, “This could go down as the worst surprise I’ve ever experienced.”
“It’s definitely…something,” I said, pushing my food around my plate.
Devon shook his head and looked up at Sydney and Julian under lowered lids.
“And there’s just something about him that really rubs me the wrong way,” Shelly continued.
“He was her teacher ,” Devon whispered angrily. “Is that not the issue?”
Shelly waved her fork in her hand, checking over her shoulder to make sure they were still far enough away. They were. I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but they were taking forever in the kitchen. And I didn’t necessarily care, either. I wanted to know what Shelly was going to say.
I tried to act normal and take another bite as I anxiously waited.
“I’m not one to judge,” she said, dropping her voice even lower. “Your father was twenty years my senior and my boss. It has nothing to do with how they met. He just really rubs me the wrong way. There’s something off about him.”
I had to force myself to swallow and take a sip of my water. I’d kept my thoughts to myself, but agreed with Shelly—there was something odd about Julian. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but he made me feel off balance. Like there was something more beneath the surface that I didn’t want to experience.
“So, Blakely, I actually wanted to ask you something, if you don’t mind,” Julian prompted as he slid back into his chair beside me. He glanced warily at Sydney, and I watched as she nudged his shoulder and beckoned him to continue.
“Okay,” I said hesitantly. Devon’s hand on my thigh loosened, and his thumb stroked idly against my skin through a hole in my denim. His touch was no longer an attempt to ground himself but to soothe my frayed nerves.
“Sydney,” Devon warned as Julian simultaneously said, “It’s about your kidnapping.”
My fork clattered to my plate, and the bounce of metal against porcelain echoed through the silent house. My breath stuck in my throat, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Julian’s dark ones. I barely knew this person, yet he felt comfortable enough to ask me about that?
“No,” Devon growled next to me.
Sydney straightened in her seat and cocked her head. “Devon, I’m sure Blakely can speak for herself, and if she doesn’t want to?—”
“It’s for a paper I’m working on,” Julian tried to reason. “I would be respectful of your experiences, but a firsthand account would be invaluable.”
“No,” Devon said again, anger and annoyance brimming in the one-word, definitive answer.
Finally, I shook myself free of my shock and found my voice. “I don’t think I’m up for that right now.”
“That’s okay.” Sydney smiled and picked up her fork and a new topic of conversation like her brother wasn’t just prepared to lurch across the table at her new boyfriend.
Julian, though, didn’t take the denial as well. He looked at me for another beat or two, long enough to make me uncomfortable. But he finally blinked, and I swallowed.
“I should probably head back to my place.” My voice shook slightly, but only Devon picked up on it. He immediately stood with me.
“I’ll come with you.” I knew better than to argue. I didn’t want to argue anyway. Devon wanted to get out of there almost as badly as I did.
“I’m so sorry, Blakely,” Julian stammered. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomf?—
“You didn’t,” I said, lying through my teeth. He had made me uncomfortable, but I would not let him see that. Devon took my plate from my hands and rinsed both before slipping them into the sink.
Tato came to stand next to me at the end of the table and near the back door. Shelly pushed her chair back and stood, giving me a wide-eyed “help me” look as I stepped into her open arms.
“Don’t leave me here with them,” she whispered jokingly. I squeezed her tighter when she added, “I hope you know you can stay whenever you want and for however long.”
“Thank you,” I murmured back. She let go, and Devon kissed her on the cheek.
“Bye, Mom,” he said. Turning, he warily appraised the other two at the end of the table. “I’ll see you later, Syd.” His eyes jumped to Julian, and his teeth clenched. “Julian. ”
He didn’t wait for a response, turning and striding out the back door without missing a beat. I awkwardly waved and followed Devon and Tato outside. They both stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to Devon’s apartment, and I swear Tato sighed with relief the same time Devon did.
“That was the worst,” I said, walking straight into Devon’s open arms.
He kissed the top of my head and took a deep breath as his arms wrapped around me. “It was,” he agreed. We stood there for several seconds until some of the tension had dissipated, and I felt like I could breathe normally again.
“Honestly, that question wouldn’t have bothered me so much if it weren’t for everything that happened last night. And the person asking it. He’s…strange.”
“Strange wasn’t the first word I would use, but I agree.”
I stepped back and glanced up at him. Tato had made his way up the wooden stairs and was glancing back and forth between us and the door in front of me, which he pawed at twice.
“They’re in the honeymoon phase,” I offered. “Who knows if it’ll last beyond that.”
“We can only hope,” he murmured, and his frustration at the situation was a little funny. He was so protective, and I couldn’t help the small smile creeping across my lips. He noticed it and shook his head. “This isn’t funny, Blake.”
“Nope, not funny at all.” My smile only widened. He leaned down and kissed me, which was the appropriate way to wipe the smile from my face because I couldn’t help but kiss him back.
“Let’s go,” he said, tugging me up the stairs.
“You don’t have to come with me.”
At the top of the stairs, he let Tato into his apartment and stopped me long enough to kiss me once more and whisper against my lips, “Try to stop me.”