Page 3 of Edward’s Bunny

I couldn’t contain my excitement anymore. Professor Stanton laughed, and I bowed my head in embarrassment.

“Sorry.”

“It’s quite all right, Mr. Bondar. I’m happy that you accepted.”

“Thank you so much. Do you know what the scholarship would entail?”

“It would be a full ride. It would pay for all your classes and books; if you wanted, we could even set you up in a dorm.”

My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe it. I could go down to part-time at the Pavilion. The Pavilion was a beachside restaurant where I worked as a line cook. It was how I survived through the years and made it through school. I enjoyed working there and made many good friends, but taking a break and focusing on school would be nice.

“Does that sound acceptable?” Professor Stanton asked, breaking me out of my musings.

I nodded. “That sounds amazing.”

Professor Stanton grinned broadly. “Perfect. I’ll get things rolling with the dean. You should hear more before the new year.”

“Thank you again.”

“You’re very welcome.” He looked at his watch. “Okay, I have an appointment to get to. Go ahead and enjoy your evening.”

I rose from the chair and held out my hand. Professor Stanton stood and shook it. “Thank you for everything. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.”

Professor Stanton scoffed. “If only. My parents are flying in. That’s who I’m going to get now. It’s the only reason I let the class leave early. But that’s beside the point. Have a great holiday; I’ll see you after.”

“Yes, sir,” I replied, releasing my grip from the handshake.

I picked up my back and turned toward the door, giving a tiny wave before heading out. I was still in shock that I was doing so well. I had thought I was getting by, but for this to happen was incredible. I’d faced so many hurdles, and here I was, overcoming them.

I inhaled the cool night air as I exited the building. I loved the fall weather in Tampa. It was very comfortable and not the sniffling humidity of the summer. I hurried to my late-model Camry and smiled to myself. The car was starting to give me issues, but I’d had it since I was sixteen, and I refused to get anything newer. For one, it’d taken me a long time to get it, and for two, I needed to save money.

Money, I thought bitterly. It was one of the major points of contention between Randy and me. He wanted to spend it, and I refused to be pampered by anyone. I had to work for everything. It was why I still lived in a crappy apartment. It was funny. The situation was never a huge issue between us. In fact, he loved my independence, and as long as we were together, he didn’t care.

Then Haiti happened. Randy had gone down there with Doctors Without Borders, and since his return money, my independence, and my apartment had been a constant complaint. We just weren’t meshing like we used to. Maybe we should just go our separate ways. I cringed at the thought. It was one I'd had a lot of lately. I felt guilty thinking about it, especially since we’d been together for six years. But since my best friend Owen had met his fated mate in the lion shifter, Hayden, the thought of leaving Randy increasingly entered my mind.

Fated mates weren’t real. That was what I believed for the longest time, but then I saw how it happened for Owen, and I wanted it. I was insanely jealous of the pair. They blended perfectly. They were like peas and carrots. Hell, even if Hayden was a damn predator, I wanted it.

I should let Randy go. “No.” I shook my head. “Tonight will be different. It has to be.” I said, defying the thought.

Class getting out early was a godsend. Randy was off work, and the gained hour would give us some much-needed time to connect. I pressed the accelerator and sped through the streets. Hell, I might even get laid. It’d been weeks since the last time we had sex. He was always on-call, and I was always working or in school.

I pulled into the Bay Vista complex, and for being six, the place was already rocking. It was a classic college apartment, and many residents loved to party. They were good people. They just liked to have fun, were loud, played crappy music, smoked weed, and drank. Okay, who was I kidding? The nightly parties and the constant crappy music drove me insane. It was a shithole.

Parking, I turned off my engine and opened my door. I didn’t need to focus on the parties. I had a man to get to. The thought brought a smile to my face and a pep in my step as I practically ran toward the entrance. I took the stairs two by two and in no time I was on my landing. I hurried to my door and quickly unlocked it before swinging it open. The smile on my face dropped instantly.

"What are you doing home?" Randy asked, coming out of the bathroom wearing powder blue scrubs. I used to love it when Randy wore scrubs. He filled them nicely. His athletic physique, accompanied by his deep brown eyes and towering height of 6 feet 3 inches, made him incredibly attractive. He was a walking wet dream, but lately, that dream had turned into a nightmare. I knew what the scrubs meant.

I stared at him, not answering his question. I remembered when I first saw Randy in his scrubs. We had just started dating, and he invited me over to his place after a long shift at the hospital. I was eager to see him as I rushed over. When he opened the door, I remember being so taken aback by how attractive he was in those powder blue scrubs. He had greeted me with a warm smile, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I told him how amazing he looked.

Back then, seeing Randy in scrubs symbolized his dedication and passion for helping others and it filled me with pride and admiration. But now those same scrubs had become a haunting reminder of the darker side of his profession and the distance it had created between us. I longed for the days when they brought me joy rather than the foreboding that consumed me now.

"Why are you wearing scrubs?" I ignored his question, closed the door and walked deeper into the room. Dread filled me, as I feared I already knew the answer.

“Ali called. I need to head into the hospital.”

“Again? You weren’t even on-call. I’m sure Ali can get the person on-call and handle things herself. Not to mention we have dinner with my family.”

I was getting sick of Ali. I never met her, but I hated her. She was a doctor who worked with Randy and had traveled with him to Haiti. It was Ali this and Ali that, since his return. But the biggest issue was she would call Randy into the hospital when he wasn’t on call. If I didn’t know for a fact that Randy was gay and would never go with a woman, I’d think they were having an affair.