I didn’t expectto find Brody with Alis when I stepped out to ask Deborah if she found the plates I requested a few minutes ago. Why is he here? Why is he standing so close to her?Pull your shit together, Dexter. Now is not the time to act like a jealous boyfriend.I’m not her boyfriend. I’m her boss. Kind of; not really. She’s my grader. That’s all. For now.
I walk toward them and extend my hand in greeting. “Brody, I didn’t expect to see you today.”
Brody shakes my hand, smiling in a way that conveys he does not register the frustration emanating from my eyes. “Dr. Belanger, it’s great to see you, sir. I was just showing Alis around campus when I found out you commandeered my lunch date for a work meeting.”
I look at Alis with a quirked eyebrow that says,Date?
She laughs, clearly uncomfortable, and Brody releases his grip and moves his hand to the small of her back.The fuck?!
She looks stunning today in a navy blue sundress and yellow flats. I’ve noticed since her first day on campus that she has an eccentric sense of style — especially pertaining to those yellow shoes. Other than the night I met her in those sexy as fuck strappyheels, every time I’ve seen her she’s wearing brightly colored footwear.
Her long blonde hair is in a low ponytail, its waves trailing halfway down her back.The back another man is currently touching.
I don’t hear their goodbyes; I’m too busy trying to control the rage welling up inside me at the sight of another man touching Alis. My only consolation right now is that she is clearly startled by his misplaced hand. Her body tenses and she pushes her glasses up her nose, averting her eyes as best she can.Ok, so either she doesn’t welcome his touch or she doesn’t want him touching her in front of me.
Next thing I know, Deborah pushes a few paper plates into my hand. From the nudge she gives me, I deduce she tried to get my attention and I didn’t hear her first attempt. I remove my gaze from where Brody’s hand was moments before and look at Deborah with an appreciative smile.
“Thanks, Deborah. Alis?” I nod my head toward my door and turn to walk into my office. I need to gather myself before I look at Alis again. I told her these meetings would be strictly professor/grader, and I can’t renege on that five seconds into our first meeting by asking about her relationship with Brody.
She’s my grader. She’s my grader. She’s my grader.I scan the room as I reach one of the chairs in my office, setting the plates next to the pizza box on the coffee table before gesturing for Alis to take the chair next to me.
“Thanks,” she says, setting her bag on the floor next to the chair before sitting down.
I still haven’t looked at her, busying myself with opening the pizza box and making sure I didn’t forget to grab the napkins off my desk. When I have no reason to keep looking down at the table, I look up at Alis and offer her a plate. “I assumed you’d be fine with pizza for lunch. Nico’s has the best pizza in town and it’s conveniently right across campus.”
She takes the plate and then reaches to pull a slice from the box. “Pizza is great, thanks.” Once she has her pizza, I motion toward thewater bottles on the other side of the table and she takes one, wedging it between her thigh and the chair.
We eat without talking for a few minutes, and she’s the one to break the silence. “This is delicious. I was originally supposed to eat at Nico’s for lunch today so this was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t have to miss out.”
Well, if she is going to bring Brody into this conversation then it’d be rude not to acknowledge his unwelcome presence in my office. Happy to oblige.
“Brody was going to take you to Nico’s?” I ask, careful to keep any trace of accusation or jealousy out of my tone.
She nods, blotting her mouth with her napkin before responding. “Yeah, he offered to show me around campus today.”
“And then out to lunch.” It’s a statement, not a question. She narrows her eyes the slightest bit. Dammit, I guess my tone isn’t as impassive as I thought.
“Yep.” She pops the ‘p’ and takes another bite of her pizza, not offering any other explanation. Why does she do that? She did the same thing the first time we talked in my office — shut down a line of questioning with a single word, leaving me without anything more.
Do I push for details or let it go?The man in me wants to know why the hell she’d be having lunch with Brody when she shut me down with the excuse that now is not a good time for her to get involved with anyone. The professor in me reminds the man that this is a work meeting and it’s none of my business who she dates.
After being blindsided seeing Brody’s hand touching Alis, I garner what’s left of my self control and shove the jealous man aside.She’s my grader. She’s my grader. This is a grader meeting.
I stand and walk toward my desk, disposing of my plate and napkin in the bin. I decide to sit in my desk chair, creating more space between us and thus enforcing the professional nature of this meeting.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought we were meeting here.” She gestures around the seating area.
“Take your time. I’m just pulling up some notes about this week’s assignments. You can move over here when you’re finished eating.” I don’t want her to feel rushed; I just needed the barrier between us to keep myself from venturing into personal conversation. She asked for professional; I can be professional.
She finishes her lunch and disposes of her plate and napkin, opening her water bottle and taking a sip before she reaches into her bag and pulls out a notebook and pen.
“I see you brought your own writing materials this time.” I grin at her and she rolls her eyes before sitting in the chair across from me.
“Figured asking you for a notepad would be a lost cause.” Cheeky. Alis’s eyes twinkle playfully, something I wasn’t expecting from her.
“N’importe quoi. Ta gueule, casse-couilles,” I snap back. Alis snort-laughs just as she takes a sip of her water. That laugh is so unbearably cute.
“Ah!” She covers her mouth and nose with her hand, still laughing. “Now I’ve got water in my nose!”
