"Drake will get over himself," Evan said casually. He had already returned to scrolling on his phone, but there was something new in the set of his shoulders, a satisfaction that hadn't been there before. He was proud, James could tell, and James' face flushed a little with the knowledge.
"You deserve to be happy, James," Camelia said quietly. She offered him a small smile that made his stomach twist, and James couldn't help smiling back, leaning down and pressing his lips against hers in a soft kiss.
"I think so too, sweetheart."
His phone buzzed again, and when James glanced down, he saw that his father was calling back. His stomach clenched with the familiar anxiety, and then he furrowed his brow as he declined the call.
"Yeah, no. Let's see." He scrolled to his contacts, finding his Dad's name. His thumb hesitated over the screen for a split second, and then he blocked the number. "Don't fucking call me." He spit the words out, as if his father's bad behavior was his phone's fault, and then he deleted the contact for good measure. He had long since memorized the number so it wasn't like he couldn't call Drake if it was really necessary, but it still felt fucking good.
"About fucking time." Evan's words were low, and James barely saw him move out his chair out of the corner of his eye before Evan was cupping his face, lifting him for a hard kiss.
James froze for a moment. It was the first time that Evan had kissed him in public, and the alarm bells immediately sounded in his mind. What if someone was watching? What if someone reported him to Drake?
Then he relaxed, and kissed Evan back. Evan's fingers stroked his jawline as his tongue teased along James' lower lip, and James couldn't stop himself from whimpering a little as his cock twitched.
"I'm proud of you, pet," Evan murmured against his mouth, giving James just enough space to suck in a breath before sealing their mouths together again. His lips were demanding and firm, and James knew that if he asked, he would bend over the table right then and there for Evan, witnesses and finals be damned.
Before he could do something as embarrassing as say that aloud, though, Evan relented, pulling away. He pressed another tiny kiss to the corner of James' mouth then straightened up, giving James a small smirk. His eyes flicked over to Camelia, and when James looked at her, her eyes were hooded, her pupils blown. She shifted a little in her seat, pressing her thighs a little more tightly together, and when she met Evan’s gaze, she pouted.
Evan chuckled. "Patience, you two," he murmured, winking. He returned to his seat, picking up his phone and resuming scrolling. "You can wait until we get home."
"Easy for you to say," Camelia muttered. Her hand squeezed the top of James' thigh again, drifting upwards to brush against the hard length of his erection, and James sucked in a breath before he caught her fingers, chuckling.
He was fucking free.
Chapter thirty
Evan
Evan carded his fingers through Camelia's hair, pulling her firmly against his chest as she browsed on her laptop.
Finals had been a breeze, though Evan had known that they would be. Camelia and James had studied hard and aced everything, and Evan...well, Evan was just there for them. For his lovers, his people. He couldn't give a flying fuck if he had passed his classes, though he had never failed a course before.
Camelia made a soft sound of contentment, and James reached out to link his fingers with hers. He was laying on his side on the bed next to Camelia and Evan, his eyes closed. His blonde hair was getting a little long, and it spread out on the bed underneath him in a way that made Evan want to sink his fingers into it, to grip it. Pull.
He brushed his fingers along James' brow, and smiled when his gray eyes peeked open. There were shadows under his eyes, but they were exhaustion from staying up too late to study,rather than the fear and anxiety that had clung to him for so many years.
Evan knew that it would take a while before James really relaxed, before he stopped looking over his shoulder and before the first thought that he had wasn't what Drake was going to think about this or that. But Evan...was sofuckingproud of him.
"I love you," Evan said softly. He thumbed at James' lower lip, and his cock twitched when James' tongue flicked out to brush against the pad of his thumb.
"Love you too," he murmured. He closed his eyes again, and Camelia rested her head back against Evan's chest as she made a soft sound of contentment.
Quickly followed by a little gasp of surprise, and when Evan glanced over her shoulder, she had a new email pulled up in her inbox, with the subject line,Camelia Meadows, Urgent. Employment Offer.
Evan scanned the top line of the email, continuing to stroke Camelia's hair as he did so. "Wow," he finally murmured.
"What?" James didn't open his eyes, his voice heavy and sleepy.
"Camelia got a job offer from a nonprofit. Effective as soon as she graduates." Evan dropped a kiss on her cheek, noting the way that she worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "They saw her last talk at the rally and want to bring her on as an advocate for Omegas."
James opened his eyes, and when he looked at Camelia, there was a spark of pride, of awe in his eyes. "Wow. That's incredible, sweetheart."
Camelia fidgeted a little, and Evan rested his chin on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Camelia chewed her lip a little more, and then she sighed, looking down at James, peeking at Evan. "It just...it isn't what I saw myself doing, is all. I always thought that I would become adiplomat. You know, bring people together of different worlds, address big global issues, that sort of stuff."
Her voice was quiet, a little sad, and Evan nodded. He understood the conflict, of having a plan and being at a crossroads. Part of him had felt that way when he and James had met her; she had thrown a chink in his plans, though ultimately a welcome one.
