Page 328 of His Hungry Wolf

He didn’t look at me.

“Yeah. I’ll text you.”

I wanted him to kiss me bye. He didn’t. After being as affectionate as he had been all weekend, it couldn’t be because Quin was there. It had to be what he had learned about his birth. He was clearly having a hard time dealing with it.

“Okay,” I told him before collecting my travel bag, getting out of the truck, and watching him drive away.

As much as I wanted to stand there thinking about what I should do next with Nero, I knew I had to get to class. Entering as quietly as I could, I found a seat in the back and pulled out my phone to take notes. When the class ended, my plan was to sneak out.

“Kendall, can I speak to you for a moment?” Professor Nandan said as I tried.

As large as the class was, I didn’t think he would notice that I was late. I was readying my excuse when he brought up something else.

“How’s your experience with Nero, going?”

Oh, of course he was asking me about my time with Nero. The student counselor program is what he had been working on his whole career.

“I think it’s going well. In fact, that’s why I was late. He had invited me to the town where he grew up so I could get better insight into the origins of his issues.”

“He invited you to go home with him?”

“Yeah. There was also a festival this weekend. I had helped his brother’s boyfriend build a costume for it so he was the one who actually invited me. I mean, they both did. But, I went because of Quin.”

“Quin?”

“His brother’s boyfriend. He has a house there. They moved into it this weekend.” I thought about it and laughed. “I guess there was a lot going on.”

Professor Nandan stared at me suspiciously.

“What?”

“It’s my mistake for not saying this before, but dating someone you’re trying to help is never a good idea.”

“Dating?” I said feeling my face flush. “No! Why would you suggest that?”

“It’s okay if you are dating him. I don’t want to make it seem like there would be anything wrong with it. But, if you are, I will have to assign someone else as his counselor.”

“Why?”

“Trust and consistency are the two bedrocks to counseling. It is often what allows people to open up and work through their feelings.”

“I’m both of those things.”

“And, that’s great. But, the complexity introduced by intimate relationships often interrupts that. Again, there’s nothing wrong if you two are dating. It would mean you’ve made progress with your bias against football players. But, as a person trusted with Nero’s mental health, I would be required to remove you from your role with him.”

I looked at my professor not knowing what to say but knowing I had to say something soon. Weren’t Nero and I dating? Hadn’t we had sex? Hadn’t he told me he loved me? Didn’t I love him?

At the same time, I didn’t want anyone else to be assigned to him. He was making tremendous progress with me as his counselor. He had opened up so much. And hadn’t I gotten the answer to a question he had wondered about his whole life?

Sure, we might have experienced a bump in the road as he’s processing it. But, I was the one who had done that for him. No one else could have. I’m the only one who could help him in the way he needs it. I’m positive about that.

“Don’t worry, Professor Nandan. The two of us are just counselor and counseled,” I said with a forced smile. “And, I think he’s making a lot of headway. He’s opened up a lot. I think I’m helping him.”

Professor Nandan looked at me skeptically but relented. “Well, I’m glad to hear that. His coach did mention that he’s been playing better than ever.”

“See. I’ve been helping him. You can trust me, Professor Nandan. I have his best interest at heart.”

“That’s good to hear,” he said finally relaxing. “But, keep in mind that your counseling doesn’t give you permission to be late for my class.”