Joey clears his throat. “Seventies.”
Ray frowns. “Excuse me?” he sneers. “Did you say something?”
Joey looks to me like he’s asking for permission, and I nod quickly. “The Chicago Botanical Gardens opened in the early seventies. The Horticultural Society has been around since the 1800s, though.”
His voice is cool and even, but firm. I know he must have read this in one of the Chicago history books he’s been reading, and when I see how taken aback Ray is to be corrected, I start to smile to myself.
My boyfriend is hot and intimidatingandsmart.
“I don’t know if that’s true,” Ray frowns.
“It is,” I say brightly because I’m that confident in Joey.
“Well,” Professor Thomas says, cutting the conversation off. She brushes the front of her pantsuit. “Enough with that trivia. I suppose the speeches will be starting soon, yes?”
She and the other students walk away, but Ray hesitates for a second. I can tell how much he hates being corrected, and I think he’s about to argue some more. As soon as he opens his mouth, though, Joey lets out a low, quiet growl beneath his breath, and Ray turns on his heel and walks away.
“Shit,” Joey laughs. “Sorry. I didn’t mean—”
I plant a kiss on his lips, laughing loudly because I can’t stop myself. “Absolutely do not apologize,” I tell him. “That was perfect.”
Joey grunts. “He’s a smug motherfucker, isn’t he?”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “Way too smug.”
Joey rubs my back. “I’m sorry you didn’t get that placement, Milo. I know how much you wanted it.”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “Me, too.” The lights flicker, indicating the speech is about to start, and I take Joey’s hand. “Actually, now that I’ve made my appearance, maybe we can sneak out of here?”
He nods. “Sure, I mean, whatever you want.”
I cast my eyes out over the crowd. I know everyone from my class is going to be talking about Ray’s news, and it might be a little petty of me, but I just don’t know that I have the energy to stomach that.
“I never skip stuff,” I say quietly, then laugh. “I’m never even late.”
Joey starts inching backward, still holding my hand. “Let me show you how it’s done, then. It feels good.”
As soon as we’re out of the reception hall, he pulls me to the side and kisses me. I kiss him back, still taking care with his bruised face. Disappointment sits in my stomach like a rock, but breaking the rules with Joey and running off to be with my boyfriend reminds me that there’s much more to life than a research fellowship can offer.
There’s Joey, and our future, and a whole new life that’s starting tonight.
When we finally stop kissing in the corner, I turn and see Janelle, the laboratory instructor I’ve been chatting with after class lately. She’s running in late and looks a little frazzled, but when she spots me, she redirects and starts walking our way, her heels clicking and her jacket swaying behind her.
“Janelle, hi!” I say, then squeeze Joey’s hand. “This is my boyfriend, Joey. This is the lab instructor I told you about.”
Janelle smiles widely, and unlike everyone else, she doesn’t blatantly stare at Joey’s injuries. “You skipping the reception?” she asks.
“Uh…” I try to think of an answer, but Janelle just laughs.
“Good choice,” she whispers.
“I heard that Ray got the Botanical Garden fellowship,” I admit, and Joey squeezes my hand. “I was kind of hoping for it.”
Janelle frowns and shakes her head. “The team in charge of the fellowship is horrible. You don’t want to work with them.”
“Oh.”
Janelle thinks for a second, looking me and Joey up and down. “I don’t want to keep you,” she says, “but I’ve been meaning to ask—why don’t you join my team this summer?”
