Page 102 of Full Service

Oh hell. My department chair just saw me kissing and grinding up against my TA. I’m done for. I may as well walk right into the sea at this point. It’s over.

“Excuse me. There was something on his tongue,” I lie.

Yes, my tongue was on his. Nothing more, nothing less.

Dr. Brown arches an eyebrow at me, and I glance away.

“It was very dire indeed. A biological emergency.”

Dr. Brown’s other eyebrow rises. At this point, he’s going to levitate off the ground if I keep lying to him.

“Seems like quite the hazard. Are you alright, Everly?” Dr. Brown asks, probably wondering if I was sexually harassing him. Of course it looks like I was. He’s a student, my TA. I should be ashamed of myself.

I’m three percent ashamed of myself. For getting caught.

“I’m fine. Great even. Dr. Sinclair was super helpful.”

Dr. Brown does not seem appeased, and fuck, I need to leave before I end up in the sand hyperventilating. I may end up inhaling those itty bitty little bits of fossils and garnering a new, unheard of disease. I may have my eyeballs plucked out by the seagulls.

I can’t stay here.

“Well then. Excuse me,” I say and then push past Dr. Brown and the crowd of students, who are gathering to see what all the commotion is. I walk without looking back until I reach my car.

With fumbling fingers, I manage to unlock the damnable thing and slip inside, breathing deeply through my nose.

I will not panic.

I will not.

There are worse things that could happen. Much worse.

Like my dick could fall off. Or Everly could die.

Yes, far worse than losing my job.

Oh fuck, I’m going to lose my job.

A knock on the window has me glancing up, and I see Everly standing there, his gaze drawn, his lips turned down in a worried frown.

“Open up,” he says, his voice muffled behind the glass.

Reluctantly, I unlock the door and let him slide into the passenger side.

He closes the door and we sit in silence, nothing but the sound of my panicked breathing hitting my eardrums.

“I’m sorry about that,” he finally says, and I shake my head, swallowing roughly.

“It’s my fault. I should have known better than to do that at the beach.”

“No, it’s mine. I shouldn’t have believed you about the turtle.”

It’s so fucking ridiculous that I can’t help but snort a laugh.

“Not my finest excuse.”

“Yeah. Fucking fuck. If I had known what a liar you were, then I wouldn’t have let you kiss me like that.”

I sigh and rub at my eyes.