Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 164557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
NEW SEMESTERS ARE SO PROMISING. A NICE, CLEAN BLANK SLATE, WHERE everything feels manageable again, the stress of the previous semester momentarily lifted. I love meeting my new professors. Getting my hands on the syllabus for a new class. It’s like this one magical, optimistic moment where the future is mine for the taking and anything seems possible.
This snowy January day, I’m in a great mood, no pressure waves in sight. My morning Rehabilitation Engineering lab was utterly fascinating, gearing up to be my favorite this semester. We’re learning about assistive devices, and today we spoke in depth about prosthetics and their impact on patient mobility and quality of life. I almost regret not choosing to design a rehabilitation device for my capstone, but it’s far too late to change direction now.
Will meets me outside the lab, looking gorgeous as always with his brown hair swept away from his forehead and his jaw clean-shaven. Boyfriend #1 is the epitome of the boy next door, and yes, I am now referring to him as my boyfriend. It’s a lot easier than continuing to call him “the guy I’m seeing” or “the hockey player I’m banging.”
Boyfriend #2 is looking more rugged these days thanks to the beard he’s growing out for hockey purposes. Briar is killing it this season, and I’ve discovered that hockey players are superstitious as hell. Beckett forgot to shave on the day the team dominated what was supposed to be a brutal matchup, so obviously, his facial hair is the reason they won. Not skill or anything. I told him he looks like an Australian mountain man now. I’m into it.
I’m into them. But to the world, Will is my main man. My only man.
Beckett doesn’t seem to mind that he’s not the public face of our arrangement, but it still activates a jolt of guilt inside me each time I’ve held hands with Will at Malone’s while Beckett is standing five feet away. Sure, he fingered me in the car on the way home the other night while Will drove, but I still feel bad. I don’t want him to think I’m ashamed of him, although I get the feeling he likes having that distance between us. Beckett doesn’t do love. He’s made that clear.
Not that I’m in love. You can’t be in love with two men. That’s just crazy.
I’m certainly in lust.
Totally in like.
But I’m not taking this any more seriously than I need to. We’re having fun, that’s all.
“Do you want to grab lunch at Carver Hall or drive into Hastings?” Will asks as I wrap a red wool scarf around my neck.
“Let’s just do the dining hall. I have that stupid Delta Pi meeting this evening, so I want to stay on campus. But I’ll come over later after the meeting.”
We’re almost to the exit when his phone rings. He glances at the screen, and his jaw tightens. “Sorry, I have to take this.”
“It’s fine. Go ahead.”
We step through the doors, and Will sighs before answering, “Hey, Dad.”
I keep walking beside him, my winter boots crunching against the snow-packed path. We finally got some snow last week, and the entire campus is now a blanket of white. Will stays quiet for several long beats, and I can tell from his stiff posture that something is up. He rarely receives calls from his father that don’t stress him out.
“Another one?” he says, his voice tense. “What, the Capitol piece wasn’t enough to boost your image?”
I catch the frustration in his expression. I hear his dad’s voice, loud and authoritative, wafting out of the phone, but I’m not close enough to make out the words.
Will clenches his jaw again, rubbing the back of his neck as he listens. “Yeah, I get it… I said I get it. I just—Fine. I’ll do it. Tell Alessia to email me the details.”
He ends the call, his shoulders slumped.
“What did he want?” I ask.
He stuffs the phone into his pocket, then slips his gloved hand through mine. “He scheduled another interview. Another puff piece about his son being a star athlete and a good role model.” The sarcasm is unmistakable. “He’s obsessed with making me look perfect in the media. It’s like he thinks I’m some kind of product he can market.”
I frown, stopping in front of him. “You don’t have to let him do this all the time. You can say no.”
Will shakes his head, offering a rueful smile. “You don’t know my father. He bulldozes you until you give in. It’s impossible to say no to him.”
The defeated cloud in his eyes breaks my heart. Will is so strong in so many ways, but his father has this power over him that makes him feel small. I hate that for him.
“You’re stronger than you think,” I say, looping my arms around his neck. My breath comes out in a white cloud. “You’re a strong, sexy, assertive man. You don’t have to let him control you.”