“Hm?”
“Can I use your dildos on you soon?”
The laugh he gave me filled the room.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Danny
“Okay, Professor Brainiac,” Stella said as I droned on and on through Zoom about derivatives and their importance in calculus. “I think I’ve had enough math for one day. But seriously, you’ve been a huge help.”
I sat back in my chair with a sigh. “Sorry. I tend to nerd out about these kinds of things, but I hope I clarified some concepts for you?”
She smiled at me through the screen of my laptop. “Honestly, you’re better than my professor. I get the feeling these teachers are on another level than the rest of us, and they’ve forgotten how to talk tonormal people. The way you explained everything made sense.”
Her praise sung through me, hitting all the notes of my academic-centered brain. “Well, I’m glad I could help. And I’m relieved I’m still able to explain things like derivatives in a way that is comprehensive andclear.”
“Because of what happened?” Her smile flipped upside down and her brows set into a deep V. It was sweet she was pissed off on my behalf.
I should have avoided the topic because it agitated me, but it had been a while since I’d experienced an angry outburst. I wanted to be honest about things, however, with others and myself. “Brain damage is like snowflakes. It’s never the same from one person to the next. I may never be able to walk without aid and I’m probably going to have to get used to creating messes because my left hand is screwed, but I can still do mental calculations and recite all the verses of “I wandered lonely as a cloud.” That part of my noggin doesn’t seem affected, so I’m trying not to complain about things too much.”
Her expression softened and she kissed the screen. “You’re awesome, Danny. No matter what. If it weren’t for you and the counselors, I know a lot of us lost kids wouldn’t have made it.”
Tears pricked my eyes and I sniffled. “Thanks, Stella. That means a lot, but you know what would mean even more?”
“Hm?”
“Doing well in calculus. So keep at it, kiddo.”
She rolled her eyes but seemed pleased. “All right. I better run. Talk to you later.”
We ended the session and I shut my laptop. I pushed at the floor with my feet, spinning in my office chair, and watched the overhead light turn until everything swirled around me. The window was open, a comfortable breeze blowing in and sweeping away the cobwebs in my brain. Most of the summer had passed me by in a blur of frustration and confusion, but I refused to miss what was left. Ronnie mentioned spending a day at Navy Pier because Jere had never been there, and it was as good a place as most to spend a warm afternoon.
I'd been thinking a lot lately about what to do with my life. After shooting an email to a colleague at my previous job, I’d learned they’d hired someone to replace me. I wasn’t upset about it because I’d known it would happen. I wheeled back to my desk, opened my laptop, and navigated to a news article on the project I’d been working on before the assault had knocked me out of commission. As much as I wanted to return to the firm and get back on track to fixing the planet, I wasn’t ready for a nine-to-five, forty-hour work week. And even if I could regain most of my abilities—which was still unknown—the neurologist had seemed sure I’d be plagued with headaches for the rest of my life. What I needed for the time being was something that required little effort. Something easy and sporadic that also filled my craving to better people's lives.
Biscuit pushed the door open with his nose and slipped in. He rubbed his body against my leg in the cat version of awhat’s upand jumped into the window to watch the birds fly around, his tail flicking. It was a lovely day outside, the sun shining against a cloudless, late summer day. It seemed a shame to spend it cooped up in my room. With a release of breath, I rested my head against the back of the chair and leaned back as far as it would go.
The door squeaked and Jere appeared over me. He bent down, kissed me and we took turns sucking each other’s bottom lips into our mouths.
“Hi,” I said with a smile and pecked his nose.
“Hi,” he echoed and took my lips again.
I’d never get tired of kissing him. Sloppy, invasive kisses were reserved for sex and teasing, while the quick, chase smooches he was currently giving me let me know I was cherished. I noted the black cut-off he had on and his slick-backed hair. I turned the chair around so I could see him better.
“Are you heading to the gym?” I asked.
“Yes, unless you need something of me,” he said, coming to kneel between my legs. He laid his head against my chest, his hands sliding between the chair and my body to hold me close.
I buried my nose in his damp hair. “I’m good. I actually have a book to finish, and it seems like the perfect day to sit on the front porch and knock out some reading with a glass of iced tea. You go work on this amazing body, I’ll be fine.”
He made a sound of acknowledgement but didn’t move. Glancing over my shoulder, he asked, “What are you looking at?”
“I was just catching up on my firm, purely out of curiosity. I miss working there and long for the late days of hammering out the details of a project so it’s ready for presentation. I’d survived on cold pizza and stale coffee for months.” I sighed, a sudden heaviness weighing down my shoulders. “My first assignment starting at Hanover was the Greener Pastures project. That wasn’t the official name, of course, and it was a simple initiative: reintroduce native grasses and plants around Illinois major highways. No sense in leaving those areas bare, is there? My job consisted of sourcing the specimens and presenting cost-effective options to transplanting them. We were two weeks out from presenting the proposal to the department of transportation when I was… Well, the proposal was accepted and takes effect next year.”
“I’m sorry your passion was stolen too, Danny,” he said, leaving sweet little kisses all over my neck, and the hinge of my jaw between the bone and my ear.
“Well, I still havepassion, but it’s going to have to be diverted to something else for the moment. What that is, I haven’t figured out yet.”
