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He smiles and stands up. His pajamas are absolutely soaked with water that’s turned a bit pinkish from my blood. After a hesitation, he reaches up and unchains that silver necklace he always wears and fixes it around me. It feels warm from his skin. “It was my grandfather’s,” he says. “So that no matter where I was, I always knew the way home. I want you to have it now.”
I try not to cry, but I don’t know how not to. I clasp the silver medallion. “Wow. Thank you.”
Bastien looks up at me from under his lashes, suddenly bashful. “So is that more like you pictured it?” he asks.
I nod, unable to say anything more.
“Happy?”
“Ecstatic,” I manage, and then pull him close.
Chapter twenty-seven
Bastien
Levi is already halfway through scratch-made pancakes when I come down the next morning. He smiles at me and kisses me on the cheek. “Good morning, fiancé.”
“Good morning.” I look out at the dim light. It’s only 6:30 and he looks downright peppy.
“How are you feeling?”
“Pretty underslept, but I’ll manage.” I pop my back and drink a sip of coffee. “This is going to be an awkward day on the job.”
“Which is why you are getting pancakes and coffee. Also, I wanted pancakes this morning.” He slides them onto my plate.
“Bless you.”
“So, what’s your class schedule today looking like?”
“I teach at 9, 12, 1, and 2 today, then I have lab tomorrow at 9 and 10, and then I have a 12:30 and a 2 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
“They really are working hard this term.”
“Yes. They’re overloading me.”
“Can you play hooky? I am injured and need to be taken care of.” He bats his eyes at me.
“No.” I take out my phone. “Speaking of which, let me check my email.” I access the email server and skim over what’s arrived since yesterday.
“Oh,” I say. “I got fired.”
“What?!?” Levi is suddenly standing next to me.
I stare at the email.
From: [email protected]
Dear Sebastien:
Given the stunning developments of this day, I have made the difficult decision to suspend you without pay pending the result of an ethics tribunal. You will not be permitted to return to campus until they have reached their finding, except for the specific meetings they request. Dr. Baker has graciously agreed to take over your classes in your absence. Yours sincerely,
Arthur Hughes
Dean, Social Sciences.
I hand the phone to Levi. He sits down heavily on the chair. I eat my pancakes in silence.
