Gravity (Greenford #2) - Romeo Alexander Page 0,9

rooms, with homemade meals served in the morning and evening, and super high reviews. Just didn’t know when to do it, and after knowing how stressed you were about finals, well, I made up my mind.”

Caleb turned, reaching down to grab Samuel’s shoulders and smile down at him. “This is too much.”

Samuel snorted. “It wasn’t as much as you think. I was able to squirrel away a few bucks here and there. And now, we’ve got a whole weekend to live like pampered children visiting their family’s house.”

Which was exactly why Caleb had fallen in love with the Victorian-style house when he’d seen it on a bus trip. It had positively screamed home comfort, and he’d ached to have a chance to stay a night or two there. He’d grown up raised by his grandparents, and after losing them in his mid-twenties, he’d craved a piece of the comfort that would remind him of his childhood.

Samuel reached up, taking hold of Caleb’s hand and squeezing. The look in his eyes was so ridiculously warm and full of affection, Caleb forgot what he was going to say. Sometimes Caleb got so used to how distant Samuel was, he’d forget just how warm and thoughtful the man could really be.

Here was a man who picked particular moments to touch or cuddle with Caleb and often wandered away from emotionally driven topics that threatened to expose him. Yet, here too was a man who would cuddle close to Caleb in the dead of night when he thought Caleb was fast asleep. A man who he caught watching him intently at times and who paid attention enough to know precisely what a surprise gift for the both of them would be.

A man who sent his heart racing, even as he left his head spinning.

“C’mon,” Samuel said with a wide smile, tugging him toward the front door. “Let’s go check in.”

Caleb did the only thing he could do and followed this confusing, wonderful man into the warmth of the front lobby.

The sound of the office door jerked him out of years old memories. Without thinking, he stood, facing Dean Thomas as the man entered the room. The older man’s face was flushed slightly, and the genial expression had gone.

“Apologies,” the man said hastily. “It seems I’m going to have to cut this meeting shorter than I previously stated. I had meant to arrange for a little tour of the campus.”

Caleb shook his head. “There’s no need to worry about that. Unless there were huge changes over the years, I’m sure I can remember where everything is.”

The older man flashed him a warm if somewhat strained smile. “Well, that’s good to hear. I will, however, have someone meet you on Monday to show you around our facilities. Best that you have complete familiarity with the environment before you begin running it, right?”

“Absolutely,” Caleb said, stepping forward to hold his hand out. “And I know you’re currently pressed for time, but honestly, from the depths of my heart, I want to thank you for this opportunity. It’s my intention to make sure that I live up to the standard that’s been set.”

Some of the tension left the dean’s face, and he reached out to clasp Caleb’s hand. “And I hope that this marks a new, better chapter in your life. So, welcome, Professor, to Greenford University.”

Samuel

If asked, Samuel would have claimed that he spent most of his Saturday doing housework and keeping up with his coursework. In reality, he’d spent most of his day curled up with a new book and drinking far too much coffee. It wasn’t like he had many guests over to his house, so no one would see the disorganized mess his home had become over the weeks.

The lie served the primary purpose of keeping anyone from asking after the book he’d been reading. He was a full-grown man in a respectable career, and there was no way in hell he was going to admit to reading romance books. Though whether that was because of his career or because he didn’t want people thinking he was overly sentimental, Samuel wasn’t quite sure.

As much as he was loathed to leave the book behind, his phone eventually trilled an alarm to warn him that he needed to get moving. With a heavy sigh, he finished the chapter he was on and consoled himself with the knowledge that at least he wasn’t almost at the end of the book. If he was forced to choose between