Laughing to myself, I plodded back out to help him to his feet. He tottered briefly and my amusement fled. “Oh, Jules. Are you actually hurt?”
“Hm?” Jules looked up at me through bleary eyes. “Naw. I think I’m exhausted and very, very well used,” he disputed, kissing my chest. “Although, my meeting in the morning is probably going to be rough if we keep going.”
“We’re done,” I assured him, helping him into the shower and bracing his hands against the wall. “I didn’t mean to go feral on you, I promise.”
Jules laughed, moaning a little as I began soaping him up. “I don’t remember complaining,” he pointed out, “and absolutely no one mentioned flubber, but I could definitely use some sleep.”
I finished washing him and guided him over to sit on the closed toilet wrapped in a towel while I gave myself a thorough scrubbing.
“Do you really feel up to going to the dining room?” I asked hesitantly. “You already said you’re really tired.” I helped him to his feet and guided him to the couch. “Why don’t I go grab some sandwiches and then we can change the sheets and call it a night?”
“That actually sounds great,” Jules sighed happily, snuggling back against the cushions. “Wake me when you get back.”
~*~
Exhausted was an understatement. Once we threw out the ruined bedding and put on the clean sheets and blankets, Jules had crawled into my arms and we slept like the dead.
I slept so hard that he even managed to get up, shower, and dress for his meeting Monday morning without disturbing me, which of course meant I missed the opportunity to wish him well in his final interview. I felt even worse when I found a text on my phone telling me to have a good morning and that he’d see me later.
Shaking it off, I dressed for the day and headed to my office where everyone seemed unusually cheerful and, if I was honest, seemed to be acting a little strange. It wasn’t as obvious when it was Kade making strange asides to no one or repeatedly high-fiving me for no apparent reason -I love him like a brother, but every family has that one member that everyone acknowledges isn’t quite right – but when Jeremy, and even Nan, started sneaking side glances into my office for no apparent reason, I was starting to worry.
“Hey, Kade?” I called his name as he passed my door and peeked in for the thirty-ninth or so time. “Can you come here?”
“Sure,” he popped in, grinning wildly. “What’s up?”
“Have we checked the carbon monoxide detectors lately?”
Kade’s smile faded into confusion. “What? Why?”
I gestured around the office. “Everyone is acting oddly. Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause that.”
Kade stared at me for a moment and began to laugh, giggles turned into massive belly laughs that had him leaning over and wiping his eyes. “Oh. Hell,” he choked when he tried to speak. “Chuck, swear, everything is fine. We’re just enjoying seeing you happy.”
“Uh-huh,” I muttered, unconvinced. “It’s a little weird for everyone else to be this excited about me getting laid.”
For some reason that had him grinning again, so I just shooed him back out of my office when he agreed to put in a maintenance request to check the detectors.
“Director?” Nan’s voice was weirdly chipper when she rang through the intercom. “Jeremy wanted me to remind you that you were supposed to meet the new creative arts instructor this morning?”
Oh, right. He’d finalized the blind hiring process the previous Friday, but I’d been too distracted by the promise if Jules’s visit to pay much attention or ask any questions. “What time?”
“They’re ready for you now in the dining hall,” Nan replied.
The dining hall seemed like an odd choice for a meeting with one new employee, but I shrugged and grabbed my coffee. “Please tell him that I’m on my way.”
I walked through the double doors and immediately noticed something was off. While there were usually a handful of students or residents lounging or studying in the dining room between meals, it seemed like the entire staff and all of the students were present, mostly silent but a few talking in hushed whispers.
I walked toward Jeremy who was standing in the center of the room talking to someone with their back to me.
As I drew close, Jeremy smiled, his eyes dancing. “Director, we finalized the hiring for our creative arts instructor. I’d love you to help us in welcoming Mr. Loukas.”
His words were buzzing through my head when the person beside him turned around and Jules offered me his hand to shake, a shit-eating grin on his face.
And suddenly all of the strange behavior in my office that morning made sense. Accepting Jules’s hand, I shook it firmly, returning his smile as the room around us exploded into applause.
“We’re very happy to have you one board, Mr. Loukas,” I said sincerely before lowering my voice so that only the three of us could hear. “I can’t believe you kept this a secret from me,” I said to Jeremy before turning to my Omega. “And as much as I love this surprise, I am absolutely going to take this out on your ass when I get you alone.”
Jeremy’s face glowed a bright red, but Jules just grinned wider and gave me a saucy wink. “I’m not entirely sure that that is the threat that you think it is.”
The End
