32. Killian
Killian
I ’ve been at Camrose for the past four years, and I’ve never been to a research symposium during my entire stay here.
Before Maddox mentioned it, I didn’t even know we did these.
Outside the auditorium where it’s being held, there are multiple easels showcasing the various research topics being presented today.
I weave through all of them until I find the one with Maddox’s name on it, beaming at the fancy text and graphs on the poster.
There’s a photo of him on the upper right, his hair combed back and wearing a button-down shirt, and I take a picture like the fanboy that I am.
I even hold up the bouquet of blue flowers I brought, showing it off to the camera.
His poster says he’s going to talk about Bayesian vs. Frequentist Methods. Whatever the hell that means. I won’t understand shit today, but I’m just happy to be here.
“Schultz!” Caleb’s voice calls. He walks over to me, Nick in tow. “Why did you bring flowers? This isn’t a graduation.”
“Because I wanted to!”
Caleb rolls his eyes at Nick, earning him a laugh from his boyfriend. He can clown me as much as he wants for bringing these, but I’m sure Maddox will love them. He’ll probably get tongue-tied, but he’ll love them .
We make our way inside the auditorium. Maddox’s presentation is starting in ten minutes. Another person is onstage, and many seats are already occupied, though I find a seat near the front. While waiting, I send Maddox a quick text.
Me: We’re sitting near the front, by the left side!!! You’re going to do great!
He doesn’t reply to my message, though it’s tagged as seen.
After the current presenter’s done, a gray-haired professor in a suit comes out to the podium to introduce Maddox and his research.
When my boyfriend walks out onto the stage, his eyes drift over to where I am, and I raise my hand in a slight wave.
He doesn’t acknowledge it, of course, though the corner of his mouth curls upward.
Maddox looks amazing. His hair’s combed and less unruly, like it had been in the picture outside the auditorium, and he’s wearing a navy button-down shirt that hugs his figure. Even the girl sitting behind us seems to agree that he looks great, because she murmurs, “Wow, he’s pretty.”
He really is pretty, and so incredibly confident. There’s not an ounce of tension in his posture, and the sure way he holds himself makes me fall in love with him even more.
Like I predicted, I don’t understand a word he says.
He goes through slides that are presented on an enormous screen, talking about numbers and jargon that goes right through my head.
Maddox may be tiny—he had to adjust the mic lower when he stepped up to the podium—but like I’ve said before, there’s nothing tiny about his presence.
He speaks with the confidence of someone who knows what he’s doing, and judging by how people around me are nodding their heads, I’m not the only one impressed by him.
God. I love seeing him in his element.
Each presenter is only given ten minutes to talk about their research before the audience is allowed five minutes to ask questions, and I wish it were longer—I could listen to Maddox talk all day.
Some people walk up to the mic, stand in the middle aisle and lob questions at him, and he’s able to answer each one of them without breaking a slight sweat. Fucking amazing .
I feel as if he’s only just come on stage and he’s already leaving, and because neither I, Caleb, nor Nick actually care for anyone else, we sneak out almost immediately. We make our way to the main entrance, and I text Maddox to let him know where we are.
“Beautiful flowers, Mr. Schultz,” says a familiar voice behind me.
I turn around and come face-to-face with Professor Wheeler.
“Uh. Oh, hi, professor,” I rasp out. “Uhhh.”
Caleb and Nick both get amused looks on their faces as I stumble for my words. Even if Professor Wheeler is apparently aware of my relationship with Maddox and didn’t give him a hard time about not reporting it sooner, it still feels shitty that we hid it from him longer than necessary.
“Calm down,” he says with a laugh. “I assume these are for Maddox?”
“Y-yes.”
“Speak of the devil,” Professor Wheeler says.
Maddox steps out of the auditorium and blinks at both of us. All my willpower goes into not crushing him in an embrace. His eyes drift to the flowers I’m holding, and his mouth drops.
“Good work, Maddox.” Professor Wheeler adjusts his glasses and gives Maddox a proud smile. “If that’s how you’ll present your thesis in your defense next week, I’m sure you’ll pass with flying colors.”
“Thank you.” Maddox’s cheeks brighten and he smiles widely. I bite down on my cheek to keep my own smile in check.
Professor Wheeler nods. “I’ll be watching the next presentations now. See you both around.”
“Killian!” Maddox hisses as soon as Wheeler’s gone. “You don’t usually bring flowers to a symposium!”
“That’s what I said,” Caleb says, snickering.
“What?” I pout. “You don’t like it?”
His shoulders stiffen. As I predicted, Maddox becomes all tongue-tied. He always does when I randomly bring him flowers. “I… I do,” he splutters. Maddox reaches over to take them from me, and I grin wide as I hand them over. Yes .
The four of us end up heading to a no-frills Mexican food truck parked a few blocks from campus.
If it were up to me, I’d have chosen something much fancier—something to celebrate Maddox’s presentation.
However, he said he really liked this place from the last time he came here.
Judging from the way Caleb and Nick practically inhale their food, I’m guessing he’s not the only one.
“I’m thinking of buying a laptop tomorrow,” Maddox says. It takes me a moment to register what he’s saying on account of how he’s licking sauce off his fingers. “There’s a shop downtown that has a sale right now.”
“You don’t need to,” Caleb says bluntly. “I ordered you one but it’s only arriving this weekend.”
Maddox freezes, and he turns toward Caleb with wide eyes. “Wh… what!? Caleb, why!? Are you serious?”
“Because you needed one.” Caleb frowns at me. “I don’t understand why he’s shocked.”
“I’m angry, not surprised!”
I stifle a laugh behind my hand, making Maddox glower at me. Across from us, Nick’s clearly trying not to laugh as well. “Maddox, baby,” I say. “Caleb is NHL-bound. I think he got a signing bonus.”
“That’s right,” Nick says. “Caleb spent days researching a really nice model.”
“Still!” Maddox’s cheeks redden, and his voice gets all high-pitched. “I didn’t ask you—I didn’t ask you to spend it on a laptop, and I’m sure your family could have used the money, and I—I—”
He looks at me, maybe searching for support. Instead, I mouth at him, “Thank you?”
Maddox’s mouth snaps shut. Smiling, I put my arm around his shoulders and pull him close. It takes a few seconds, but he sags against me, then sighs. Very softly, he says, “Thank you, Caleb. I appreciate it.”
Caleb snorts. “Was that so hard? Jesus Christ. Did you also bust a vein when you thanked Schultz for what he did to Ulrich?”
Oh, shit. Caleb, shut the hell up.
It’s too bad I’m not telepathic because he doesn’t hear my thoughts. He even gives me an impish grin, and I’m suddenly worried for my safety if he doesn’t quit talking.
Maddox’s voice goes weak. “Why?”
“Oh, you didn’t know?” Caleb asks innocently.
“W-what did you two do?”
“Me? Didn’t do a thing… but let’s just say that the last time I saw him, thanks to Schultz here, he looked as if he was about to shit his pants, and I doubt he’s ever going to bother you again.”
“W-what happened?” Maddox gives me a wary look. “Killian, did you do something?” I give him an innocent smile, and he turns to the one guy who can’t lie to save his own life. “ Nick. Tell me what happened.”
Nick smiles sheepishly. He hesitates before taking pity on Maddox—or maybe Maddox scares him too, which, fair. “Schultz smashed his windshield with a baseball bat.”
“What!? Killian, no!”
“It’s okay, babe. I told him I’d pay for it. He hasn’t sent me a bill, though.”
Mouth agape, Maddox stares at me. I’m not sure if he’s surprised, angry, or disappointed.
Honestly, it might be all three. Because his wrath really does frighten me, I put my arms around him and squeeze him as hard as I can.
He accidentally drops the empty paper bowl he’s holding, and Nick chuckles and picks it up from the floor.
Maddox tries to push me away, but I don’t relent, and when I titter and rock him side to side, kissing his hair, he finally slackens in my hold.
Maddox clutches at my jacket, his fingers pressing against the layers of fabric. “You’re doing way too much.” After a pause, he says softly, “Thank you. But please let that be the end.”
Oh. Well, all right. I’m going to have to get used to that. “If he comes at you again, I’m not holding back. But you’re welcome. Nobody touches you but me.”
Maddox bursts out laughing at the same time that Caleb makes a pained sound and turns away from us .
“I heard from Walters that Ulrich left town,” Nick says softly as he stacks his, Caleb’s, and Maddox’s empty bowls together. He takes mine, too. “His girlfriend broke up with him because of what happened, and… um… wait. Do you want to hear about it, Maddox?”
I peer down at my boyfriend, who’s gone still in my arms. He blinks at Nick slowly, and the grip he has on my jacket tightens.
“No,” he says after a long pause. “No, I don’t, but thank you. I refuse to let him have any power over me anymore.”
“Okay,” Nick says, smiling, and leaves it at that.
I kiss the top of Maddox’s head. “My boyfriend has better things to think about than that shithead… like the thesis defense he’s about to kill. Then apartment hunting.”
Caleb frowns. “Apartment hunting? Did you lose your spot at graduate housing?”
“Maddox and I are getting a place together.”
“What…?” Caleb gapes. “Back up. You two are getting a place together? Isn’t that way too fast?”
“No,” Maddox says surely, and I puff my chest out.
“You guys haven’t been together for that long.” He points a thumb at Nick, who gives him a slight smile. “Nicky and I have been dating longer, and we’re not looking for a place together.”
The smirk that spreads across my boyfriend’s face is devilish.
And downright gorgeous. God, I love that look on him.
He says, “And why’s that? You’re both going to be playing for the same team, so you’ll be together almost all the time, even on the road.
Then you’re going to go separate ways each time you’re heading home from training, or a game, or whatever?
Why wouldn’t you just choose to live together?
You’ve already been staying together in a dorm room for a year, so it can’t be a huge adjustment. ”
“You’re not wrong,” Nick says softly, the corner of his mouth lifting, and Caleb shoots him an alarmed look.
Maddox tacks on, “I can’t see why you’re hounding me for doing something that you should also do, Caleb.”
I titter. “Maybe he’s got commitment issues. Not everyone is as perfect a couple as us, baby.”
Thoughtfully, Maddox nods. “Hmm, yeah. That’s definitely it.”
Nick rubs a hand over his face and stifles a laugh.
“Oh, fuck off,” Caleb says. “I see what you’re both doing, trying to egg us on or some shit.” It seems to work though, because he lifts his chin at Nick and says, “Hey, Nicky, should we be looking for a place together?”
Nick beams. He beams. He smiles so brightly I feel like I should wear sunglasses. “Now that Maddox has pointed it out, I don’t see why not.”
“Great. Settled.” And that simply, Caleb’s face splits into a shit-eating grin.
Looking between Maddox and me, Nick says, “Wow, we’re actually doing this.”
I nod. “We should have a housewarming party… kind of like a last hurrah before we all split ways. We can have it in the beautiful apartment Maddox and I are going to be leasing.”
“You haven’t even found a place yet,” Caleb points out.
“We will.” I give Maddox a meaningful look. “I’m good at manifesting.”
Because who knew that I’d ever find the guy of my dreams? And yet here we are.