“Thank you, gentlemen, for coming in today. Ryder, these supplies will all be delivered to the academy for you.” Alister put all of my items to the side and looked at Luca and Aiden. “Have all of your needs been met?”
Was he asking Aiden and Luca if they needed anything sexual?
“I’m good and had a wonderful time visiting the store,” Luca said.
“Luca, can you take Ryder to the car? I’ll be just a few minutes,” Aiden said.
“Yes. Take your time. We’ll meet you in the car.”
Luca flung his arm around my shoulder and nudged me to start walking. When I glanced over my shoulder, Aiden winked at me.What was he going to do?I bit down on the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from saying anything out loud.
“Thank you for coming in today,” Blaine said to us as soon as we walked into the main part of the store.
“Thank you, Blaine,” Luca said as we made our way to the door.
The SUV was still parked in front of the store, so we didn’t have to walk far. Luca opened the door, and I quickly got in and moved to the middle seat where I’d sat on the way over. He shut the door, and as he walked around to the other side to get in, I faced forward and made sure the privacy glass was still up between the back seat and the front. The moment Luca got in and closed the door, my curiosity spilled out.
“What did you do with Blaine? Is that what Aiden stayed behind for with Alister?”
“Blaine has an incredible mouth and set of hands,” Luca explained. He smiled as I stared at him. “It’s been a while since I’d seen Blaine and thought while I was here, I might as well visit memory lane.”
I gathered enough saliva in my mouth to swallow so I felt confident that if I spoke, my voice wouldn’t sound funny or hoarse.
“So, what, you and Blaine just went into the back room or something?” My mouth kept asking things that I knew I had no business asking.
“Yeah. Don’t tell me you and some guy from high school didn’t sneak off to do something you didn’t want to get caught doing.” I didn’t say anything, as I felt my heart pounding wildly out of control.Act cool.“Maybe to do something that some uptight asshole told you was dirty or that you shouldn’t want.”
I swallowed hard and forced a smile to make it look like I was familiar with what he was talking about.
“Lots of times,” I lied.
“It’s not just something high school kids do, Ryder.”Obviously.“Don’t be ashamed of that or getting it handled.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.What was he talking about?Just as I was about to open my mouth to ask him, I followed his eyes to the bulge in my pants.Play it cool.
“I’m not ashamed.”
“You’re going to be surrounded by guys who all have many of the same needs.”
As I nodded, my heart about jumped out of my chest when the door opened. I quickly turned as Aiden got in.
“Ready for some sightseeing?” Aiden asked.
“Absolutely,” I said calmly. Though I sounded collected and was able to play off being nervous as fuck, I wasn’t sure if I could keep this up for four years.
13
Atlas
December
Now that the stressful health evaluations and his final exams were behind us, I felt as though I could really get Ryder ready for his start of the school year. I had been able to arrange his final exams for the community college to be taken at NYU earlier in the week. Though I was certain he wouldn’t be using those course credits anywhere, I applauded his desire to finish something he’d started. That was built into his personality, and he’d pull from that over the next four years.
All the Omnia students would meet weekly with their mentors and then monthly with one of the psychologists. The psychologists were available for appointments on an as-needed basis as well. The psychologist who met with Ryder for his initial evaluation suggested to me that I meet daily with him, and he would like to see Ryder weekly. I was sure it was due to the fact that Ryder’s background was rough, and that was being gentle with the wording.
There were so many topics I wanted, and needed, to broach with Ryder, but it was a balancing act of not overwhelming him with too much at the same time. He was acclimating well to staying on his own at the hotel, and I made sure I spent ample time with him each day. I’d also made sure that since last week, he spent some time with Luca and Aiden. Since Ryder had left his home, I felt it was crucial he spend time socializing with some people close to his age. Luca and Aiden were good for him right now. They could give him an idea of life on campus and field any questions he might feel more comfortable asking them. I hoped that if he heard about the life of an Omnia student from recent students, it would soften the shock.
Each day, I would meet him for breakfast in the restaurant of the hotel, and we’d talk about a wide range of things, but I always asked him how he was feeling and how he’d slept. So far, his answers flirted between “fine” and “good.”
