“Yes,” Theo said. “Thank you.”
“Don’t be like Great-Uncle Stephen, Theo.”
“No, I don’t think there’s a risk of—”
“You have people who love you. People, Theo. You don’t need things to comfort you.”
Peg paused here to dab at her eyes, smile up at him tearfully, and give his hand a final squeeze before getting off the elevator. When the doors dinged shut, Theo was still staring after her, and he had to jab the open button to step out onto the third floor.
As he made his way down the hall, though, he groaned.
Auggie was sitting outside his office.
Theo tried to brace himself, but he didn’t know what was coming. A fight? Blackmail? Tears? The last time he had seen Auggie, he had just jerked him off through his underwear, passed out, and called him the name of his dead husband. What was the Emily Post etiquette for the follow-up conversation?
Before Theo could reach Auggie, though, a door opened, and Dr. Kanaan poked her head out into the hall. She wore a loose hijab and an elegant black suit; her thick eyebrows drew together when she spotted Theo.
“We need to talk.”
“Morning, Dr. Kanaan,” Theo said. “How was your break?”
“Not great, Theo. My parents were in town. My husband was so anxious he went through a Costco pack of Tums.” She shook her head. “You. My office. Right now. We’re going to discuss how to keep you in this program after the holiday party.”
At the end of the hallway, Auggie had gotten to his feet; when Theo looked at him, he gave a half wave and buried his hands in his pockets.
“I’m sorry, I’ve got a very upset student I need to talk to,” Theo said. “Can we have this conversation in a little bit?”
“Sure,” Dr. Kanaan said. “Would you like to have it before you get called into the chair’s office, or after?”
“I promise I’ll hurry. He’s obviously upset, and I told him I’d talk to him first thing.”
“Then hurry, Theo. I’m just trying to help because I want you in the program.”
Dr. Kanaan shut her door, and Theo hurried down the hall. He had lied about arranging to talk to Auggie—that was a surprise—but he hadn’t been lying completely; Auggie obviously was upset. His eyes and nose were red, and his shoulders were hunched, and even through the thick coat, it was clear he was clenching his hands in fists.
“Auggie,” Theo said, his tone as neutral as he could manage. He unlocked the door and stepped inside; cardamom and ginger perfumed the air, and he saw a pot of tea—cold, when he checked—that Grace had left.
Auggie followed him inside and shut the door.
“How was your break?” Theo asked. “Sit down. I guess we need to talk.”
“I’m not . . . I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Well, we have to talk about it eventually.”
“No. We don’t. I’m just here because—because I want to know if you picked up something.”
“Like, an STI? No. And, anyway, we didn’t do anything that would transfer an STI. I could go with you to a clinic, though, if you—”
“Oh my God,” Auggie moaned, and he pulled his fists out of his pockets and pressed them to his eyes. “Just stop, please. I mean when we were at Robert’s apartment. Did you pick up anything, take anything while we were inside?”
Theo was in the middle of powering on his computer, and he froze. Then, bracing himself against the plastic tower, he said, “He came to talk to you too.”
“They both did,” Auggie said. “And I’m fine. It’s fine. I can handle it. I’m not asking for your help. I just need to know if you took something.”
“What do you mean, they both did? His partner came too?”
“Yes, of course. I always see them together. I thought maybe that bitch would have lost her eye after what you did to her, but no, she’s just got a little scar.”
It took Theo a moment to understand. Then he said, “I think we should sit down. This is going to be a longer conversation.”
“Will you just answer my fucking question?”
The shout rang through the small office.
“I know you’re angry at me,” Theo said. “I know you probably hate me—”
“Jesus Christ, Theo. Give me a little fucking credit. It was one night, we were both drunk, and we fooled around. It’s a little fucking embarrassing that I was just some fucking stand-in for your dead husband, but it’s not like you were the love of my life. Can we talk about something important, please?”
Theo sat down; his cheeks stung like he’d been slapped.
“Well?” Auggie said.
“I didn’t take anything.”
“Fine. Ok. That’s all I needed.”
“Auggie, please sit down.”
“I’ve got shit to do.”
“I want to talk to you.”
“Sure, great. Text me sometime.”
Theo was out of the chair before he realized it, slapping a hand against the door, holding it closed. He took huge breaths, trying to calm himself.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Auggie said, elbowing him, trying to clear him from the door. “I’ll scream. Do you want your fucking professor buddies to come down here and find a student screaming in your office?”
“Sit down,” Theo said quietly. “Right now.”
Whatever Auggie saw in his face, it made him blink, and he slunk around Theo and dropped into a chair. For another moment, Theo stayed at the door, drawing deep breaths, fresh pain needling his knee. He limped back to his seat and sat carefully.
Auggie was staring at the floor, but he asked, “Are you ok?”
“I shouldn’t have gotten up that fast.”
“Oh,” Auggie said. Then, “I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. Someone came to my house last night. He threatened . . . me. It was the guy
