The Odds of Happily Ever After (The Reyes Siblings #2)

Chapter 39

chapter thirty-nine

gabe

Gabe

Are you free to talk at 3?

Max

Sure. Faculty office?

Gabe

See you there.

Luna

Hey, can we talk tonight?

Gabe

Of course. Pick you up after your shift?

Luna

No need! Let’s just meet at my place at 6:30

Cesar

Call me asap

“You’re resigning,” Nora repeated in a monotone.

I leaned back in her visitor’s chair and braced my palms on my thighs. “I am.”

“When I saw your message requesting a meeting, I assumed you wanted to discuss your dissertation. Although I suppose this will serve you better for now. It’ll give you more time to focus on writing.”

“To the contrary—along with my resignation, I’ve also decided to withdraw from the PhD program.” It was the first time I’d said the words out loud, and it took an invisible load off my shoulders, loosening the heavy knots at the base of my neck.

It felt good. Liberating.

From Nora’s horrified expression, she didn’t share my sentiment. “But you’re so close. You’re willing to let all these years of studying and teaching go down the drain? You’ll be yet another statistic, Gabriel.”

“Academia has been a big part of my life, but I’ve realized that it no longer aligns with my future plans. I don’t consider my years here as time wasted. I’m thankful for everything I learned in Sterling.”

She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her desk and pinning me with her stare. “Are you a hundred percent sure about this decision? I know I gave you critical feedback on your recent draft, but there’s no need to be hasty. Most candidates undergo multiple rounds of revisions, and that shouldn’t discourage you from proceeding.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that. I know I’m capable of completing the requirements, but to be frank, I would rather put that time and effort into expanding my business.”

“And that’s the only reason? Your decision has nothing to do with how you were supposedly seen socializing with students in a club last Saturday?”

I froze.

Nora’s sigh told me my reaction didn’t go unnoticed. She sank back into her chair and rubbed her forehead. “I need to ask if it was just a passing greeting or something more . . . involved.”

That knocked me out of my stupor. “I’m not sure what you’ve heard, but I can promise that nothing untoward happened.”

Not in public, at least.

“All I’ve heard is what I told you.”

My fingers dug into my thighs. I’d known the risk of this happening, yet it didn’t stop me from hating the knowledge that people were speculating about me and possibly Luna.

“I’ve known one student for a while due to my friendship with her older sister, though she was never in my class. I was at the club to wish her a happy birthday.”

Nora tsked. “You couldn’t have greeted her through text? Or in private?”

“I could have.”

This was where things became more complicated. I could continue to hide between the friendship excuse, but it wouldn’t fly in the long run. Not if I wanted to be in Luna’s life the way I intended. I needed to prove I would stand up for her, even when it was difficult.

Nora had always been blunt but fair, so I decided to trust her with the truth. “To be transparent, I wanted to be there for her because she’s important to me.”

She stared at me wide-eyed, momentarily at a loss for words. “Important to you,” she repeated after a few minutes, emphasizing each syllable as though to confirm the subtext she’d deduced.

I nodded.

“Well, then. I suppose you’ve made up your mind.”

“Yes. I intended to finish this semester of teaching, but given the news . . . I think it would be better for me to resign immediately.”

This time, Nora’s sigh came heavier. “Technically, you being in a relationship with a student whom you have not or will not be instructing isn’t against the rules.”

“Yes, but there’s no controlling public perception. I don’t want to cast doubt on her or the college. And frankly, I wouldn’t want to hide a relationship with her.”

“Well, shit.”

I blinked at her unexpected reaction.

“I always wished you would soften up. I just never thought you would leave the school in the process. It goes without saying that it will be a big loss for our department.”

My throat thickened.

“But it seems like you found something more important to you than numbers. I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you, Nora.” I cleared my throat. “Will the rumors have a negative impact on her academic standing? She’s here on scholarship, and I don’t want to put that at risk.”

“In cases like this, it’s usually the professor who takes the brunt of the blame—unless, of course, the student is accused of stalking or the like. That would be a completely different scenario. I assume that doesn’t apply here.”

“Not at all.”

“Then no, I don’t foresee it affecting the status of her scholarship. However, it’s a small campus and student might gossip about her, especially since you are . . .” Nora waved a hand at me. “ You .”

“I see.” Not for the first time, I wished I could have flown under the radar at school.

“Tell her to report any cases of bullying or harassment, though I hope it won’t come to that.”

So did I. I could take the criticisms people might have of me, but not of Luna. “I will. In the meantime, let me know what you’ll need from me. I’ll do my best to help with the reassignments and anything else.”

“Does Max know?”

I shook my head. “I wanted to talk with you first.”

“I appreciate that. He, however, will not appreciate having to take on your class load.”

“I’ll get him his favorite beer.”

Nora laughed. “We’ll miss you, Gabriel, though I expect we’ll see you from time to time. I’m sure the college population will miss their most eligible bachelor.”

Now that was a title I would happily relinquish.

I left Nora’s office in a state of stunned disbelief at my own actions. I had just said goodbye to the career I had worked on for so long and the place I’d gotten my sense of identity and achievement. I did what I hated doing—I quit without accomplishing my goal. Still, the world kept turning and, more than that, the future looked more promising than it ever had. I just needed to ensure Luna wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire.

luna

After back-to-back classes culminating in a pop quiz, I hurried into the campus store stressed and out of breath. There had to be a sadistic side to any professor who chose to surprise students with a quiz on a Monday, of all days. I should ask Gabe if he’d ever done that.

My lips turned up at the thought of seeing him tonight. At least I could look forward to that at the end of this hectic day. Even though it hadn’t been twenty-four hours since we said goodbye, I missed him already.

“Hey,” I greeted Kai as he glanced up from the cash register.

He flattened his lips and returned to what he was doing. “Hi.”

My steps faltered. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“That doesn’t sound like nothing.” Stopping in front of the counter, I studied him. He avoided my gaze, and my shoulders tensed. “Are you . . . mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad?”

I stayed quiet.

Finally, he looked me in the eye, none of his usual easy cheer on his face. “It’s Professor Martins, right? The guy you’re in love with.”

My pulse raced as I looked around, double-checking that the store was empty. Lowering my voice, I said, “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“A professor, Luna? Really?”

“I was never in any of his classes, okay?” My fingers curled around a wad of my skirt. “We know each other because he’s my sister’s best friend.”

“You couldn’t have told me about him?”

“I didn’t tell Chloe either. Kriz was the only one who knew I had a crush on him. Then Gabe and I became friends?—”

Kai shook his head. “He’s taking advantage of you.”

“Trust me, he isn’t. If you knew?—”

“But I didn’t, did I?” he muttered. “Not until he showed up at your party.”

My skin felt hot, and I had to fight to keep my voice even. “Because I invited him. It was my birthday. I’m sorry I didn’t give you a heads-up, but I’m not sorry that he came. And I’m definitely not apologizing about my feelings for him. Weren’t you the one who said I was entitled to whatever feelings I had?”

Releasing a sound of frustration, Kai flattened his palms against the counter. He exhaled roughly.

“I need to prep for my shift,” I said when he didn’t say anything else. “Can we talk about this another time?”

He dipped his head and moved away from the counter. He was putting on his backpack when he turned to me. “I won’t tell anyone, but we weren’t the only students there. You should know that I already heard people talking about Professor Martins partying with students.”

My mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”

“What did you expect, Luna? All the girls are into him, and he never talks to anyone outside of class. Of course he’s not going to go unnoticed when he suddenly shows up at a damn club.”

After hitting me with that revelation, Kai left me alone with my fears and thoughts of worst-case scenarios. I wanted to call Gabe and check if things were okay with him, but students began trickling inside the store. I managed to shoot him a quick text, and then I put on a smile for my customers.

But as I tried to focus on doing my job, I couldn’t stop worrying about how I might have cost Gabe his.