Chapter 40
Forty
ADDIE
The summer holidays always had a way of ending abruptly.
It felt like they had just started, and now I was getting orientated at my new campus in preparation for the new academic year.
“And this is your office,” Becky said as she handed me a key and gestured to my name on the door. It never got old seeing my name, and all the letters that followed it, on an office door. It felt extra special seeing it this time because I was home, and soon, my name would get some extra letters.
I took the key from Becky and unlocked my new home away from home. It was what you would expect from an office that also doubled up as a tutorial space. A too-small dark wooden desk, one too many chairs of various sizes stuffed in, a bunch of empty shelves waiting to be filled.
“Holy shit, this is real,” I said as I took it all in.
“It is. How does it feel?”
“I feel deeply unprepared somehow.”
Becky frowned. “Unprepared how?” There was no hiding the worry in her voice, that maybe she had made a mistake calling me in for this job.
If Becky’s entire vibe hadn’t been off since I picked her up from her house, then I would have messed with her over this. But I didn’t.
“No, I’m prepared. Everything is fine. But this is a big change. The start of this school year feels different.”
“You’re going to be great.” The worry was gone from her voice, but it was replaced with the sadness that had coloured our entire morning.
“Are you okay, Bex?”
Her eyes snapped to me. “I’m fine,” she replied. “Are you good to go—”
She was cut off by a soft knock on my office door. We turned to see a man standing in the open space.
He was shorter than us. Blond. Hazel eyes.
His being here, in this building, could only mean one thing: he worked in humanities.
My gut, and the tweed blazer he was wearing, told me that he was a history professor.
Probably less niche than Becky, who worked specifically in ancient civilisations, but still firmly rooted in teaching about the past.
“I thought I heard your voice,” he said. His voice was deeper than I expected. The vowels suggested that he came from down south.
“Josh!” Becky exclaimed, dropping immediately into her posher work voice, which was…wild to witness in person. “I didn’t know you were dropping in today. I was just showing Adrienne around so she could get her bearings before the circus comes to town.”
“Adrienne?” Josh asked. He looked at me, his eyes moving up and down my body before settling on my face.
He stared at me so intensely, I worried for a moment that I had something on my face.
Or neck. Which wasn’t possible because Eli was very good at not marking up my neck.
Although he hadn’t left a new mark anywhere for a while.
“Yes, Adrienne. She’s the new English professor,” Becky said.
“So, you’re the infamous Adrienne,” Josh said, a smile on his face.
I smiled back. “It’s always worrying when people start throwing the word ‘infamous’ around.”
“It’s never been anything but good things. Apparently, you’re quite the superstar in the teaching department.”
I looked at Becky, wondering what the fuck she had been saying about me and my teaching capabilities, of which she had never witnessed. She just smiled slyly and lifted one of her shoulders.
I turned back to Josh. “I don’t know about a superstar, but I do love what I do.”
Josh somehow managed to smile even wider as he pointed at the room next to mine.
“I’m right next door, so we will be office buddies.”
“Oh. Great. That will be…fun.”
A wider grin. “I think it might be. Anyway, I will see you later then?”
“Yeah, see you next week,” Becky answered. Josh’s smile got wider once more, and then he was gone.
I waited a moment, looking at the space where Josh just vacated, and turned to Becky.
“What the fuck have you been saying about me?”
Becky laughed sharply. “Nothing bad. You’re one of my sisters. How exactly am I not going to talk about what you’re doing when people ask?”
“And who exactly is Josh? I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned him.”
“He’s one of ours. As in, he’s a history professor.” I knew it. “Although he’s kind of one of yours. He loves the Tudors.”
“What does that…Oh, Shakespeare?”
“Yes, Shakespeare. Isn’t loving him the entire personality of the Henry clan, except for Vivi, who has taste?” she asked teasingly.
I rolled my eyes. “Give me five minutes, and I will give you a cerulean blue-esque speech about how everything you do is influenced by that time period. I’ve just gotta get my thoughts straight on it.”
“Yeah, sure. Can you straighten your thoughts out while we head back to Clo’s? We have a party to get ready for.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Are you supposed to be so bold about admitting there’s a party happening?”
Becky rolled her eyes. “Don’t act like Clo didn’t already warn you about your birthday party weeks ago.”
I half snorted, half laughed as I locked my new office door.