Gravity (Greenford #2) - Romeo Alexander Page 0,8

it when he was still tired and emotionally worn down from everything.

“I wouldn’t bother him,” Caleb assured him. “I’ll be sure to hunt him down and speak with him myself. I’m sure there’s plenty to catch up on.”

“Undoubtedly, and perhaps having a friendly shoulder would be helpful as well,” the dean said, looking up when someone entered the room. “Ah, can you give me a moment? I’ll finish up our little meeting in a minute, but duty calls, I won’t be long.”

Caleb nodded. He wasn’t exactly going to complain about being left alone after being delivered a sizable blow. He’d honestly not known that Samuel had returned to Greenford, let alone settled down to a career. After the last time they’d seen one another, he’d thought it would be easier to simply not know what Samuel was doing, where he was, or who he was with.

Samuel Harrison. By far one of the most frustrating people Caleb had ever dealt with. He had a sizable amount of intelligence and was about as independent as a person could be without completely cutting themselves off from other people. Caleb remembered him as being quick with a laugh, but boy oh boy, when his temper flared, he had no problem showing it.

But there had been moments that stuck out for him, among all the bitter arguments, stubborn refusals to back down on both their parts. And the headbutting. They were moments of pure sweetness and kindness from Samuel, ones that had given Caleb hope in their second round and kept him afloat in their first.

“Where are we?” Caleb asked, leaning against the cool window of the cab and looking out onto the slush-covered streets.

“In a cab,” Samuel pointed out, a smile in his voice.

Caleb closed his eyes. “Sam.”

His finals had just finished, and until he got the results back, he didn’t think he was going to have much patience. He’d spent that time working two part-time jobs and trying to cram as much studying in as possible. He was ready to collapse for the next twenty-four hours, and maybe sleep for the twenty-four after that for good measure.

And he was not in the mood for Samuel’s attempts at being a smartass.

“Don’t be an ass,” Samuel chided, but surprisingly, he didn’t sound irritated. “We’re in a cab, driving downtown.”

“And why are we doing this? I want to go home,” Caleb groused.

“Your apartment is currently experiencing below zero temperatures from a hole in a window and a broken furnace if you remember.”

Right. He’d almost forgotten about that. His landlady swore it would be fixed within twelve hours, but that had been two days before. Caleb had been using his stove to keep himself warm, curling up on a makeshift cot on the kitchen floor.

“And didn’t tell me about until last night,” Samuel added, irritation flaring in his voice.

“I didn’t want to bother you. Last I checked, you’ve been doing your own studying,” Caleb pointed out.

“You’re always welcome in my apartment, Caleb. You’re just being stubbornly independent for no good reason.”

That was rich, coming from Samuel of all people. Although Samuel had always been a little distant the first time they’d dated, it had reached newfound levels in the few years between seeing one another again. Of course, now he was hot and cold, and Caleb was never sure which temperature the tap was set at.

Sometimes he wondered if he was just convenient for Samuel, and that was the extent of what they were.

“Look,” Samuel said softly, laying a hand on Caleb’s thigh and squeezing. “We’re almost there.”

He wanted to demand to know where ‘there’ was, but he knew better. He was tired, had the beginnings of a headache, and was coming off a very long and stressful week. Anything that came out of his mouth would probably be rude and snappy. Samuel’s patience could be variable, and from the sound of the man’s voice, the guy was already wound tight if the tremor of excitement in his tone was any indication.

And then he realized where they were. Which was confirmed the moment the cab pulled up in front of a small building nestled between a restaurant and a coffee house.

“This is…” Caleb said, staring up at the sign.

“Marie Sister’s Bed and Breakfast,” Samuel proclaimed proudly. “The place you were practically drooling over weeks ago.”

“I was not drooling,” Caleb complained, opening the cab door in a hurry.

Samuel laughed, paying the cab driver. “Sure you were. I looked them up after that, saw that they offered really nice