Twenty Seven

Two weeks later and Joel's birthday finally rolled around. I asked a million times if I could invite our friends, and was told a million times that he preferred to just spend the day with me. I didn't blame him. Over the short amount of time I knew him, I could see that he was relatively antisocial, and I wondered if he had always been that way. Maybe it was yet another thing Callie had done to ruin him.

Not that I minded staying in with just the two of us. That's all I had known. We didn't even go grocery shopping together in fear that someone might see us. Our relationship was utterly secretive.

Still, the fire hadn't died, so when we got together, we raised hell. Even with our 'title', we were still undefined, chaotic. Exhausting, but in a satisfying way. I didn't see it as a problem anymore. It was just… us.

With a yawn, I took my seat on the stool in the art room. Amazingly, I got there early. I had spent most of the night working on my next progress assignment for Econ, trying to create a financial portfolio for a fictional company, so I never went to sleep. June still wasn't in yet, but Joel was. Noticing me come in, he slowly made his way to my table, pretending to be bringing me a brush for our newest project, creating a scene. He set it down on the stained wood, leaning against it casually.

"You look exhausted." He whispered. I raised a brow.

"That's not very nice, Professor." A smirk touched his lips, his eyes darkening.

"Come see me after class." My eyes darted around, ensuring nobody was paying attention to us, before whispering in response.

"I have work, then econ. I'll see you tonight, anyway, remember?" He had taken Friday off for his Birthday, so I was planning on heading over directly after my shift and spending the night.

"Not until eleven. You could spare a few minutes." He argued back, with that challenging brow of his. But before I could protest, June joined us.

"Good morning, Jen." He said cheerfully. "Professor." He added with a bit of disdain, eyeing how close Joel was to me.

"Good morning." I replied quietly, expecting Joel to retreat, but of course, he didn't. He just stood upright, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched our interaction. Shit.

"Do you have work today?" June set down his bag, rolling his sleeves up to prepare for painting. I nodded my response, facing him reluctantly. "Cool. Do you want to grab drinks again?" He asked with a large grin, his bright eyes flickering to Joel before landing back on me. My eyes widened. What the hell was he doing?

"Miss Matthews. Our appointment?" Joel interrupted, his voice low and menacing. My mouth went dry.

"Uh, yea. Professor." I rushed out the last part for June's sake, but Joel's eyes heated. He didn't bother saying another word and just stormed to his desk, pulling the pack of gum from his back pocket to pop a square. I was in so much trouble.

"What's his problem?" June asked, running a hand through his perfectly pretty hair. I shrugged, keeping my eyes down as I prepared my palette.

"He wanted to speak to me about my muse project." I lied through my teeth.

"Why? Did you do something wrong?"

"I don't know." I mumbled out, thankful when he took the hint and dropped it. I had planned on telling June about us eventually, but now was definitely not the time.

.

.

.

"Are you planning on staying mad at me all day?"

He huffed, popping what looked like his last square of gum into his mouth. I groaned in frustration, turning in my seat so I could place both of my hands on his thigh. "We ran into eachother while I was at work and got lunch. It wasn't like it was a date or anything."

"That's not the issue and you know it." He growled.

"Okay, fine. I didn't tell him about us. But you didn't tell me he was the chancellor's son!" Joel clenched his jaw.

"I dont care who the fuck his dad is, Jen."

"Bullshit. I'll believe that when you stop hiding me to more than just those you see as competition." It was a low blow, but I was feeling emotional. It was times like these that the fragile nature of our relationship really showed, along with my insecurities.

"Jen, that's not fair. You agreed to this."

"I agreed on our secrecy. I didn't agree to be controlled, Joel."

"I'm not controlling you! Damn it, I just don't want other men hitting on you all the damn time. You're mine. Not fucking June's." He sounded troubled, his brows furrowed as he pulled into the garage.

"Yea, you made that clear in your office." My mind flashed back to our 'appointment.' How could something so punishing make me feel so close to him? When did I become this way? I hopped from the car, bounding the two steps into the mudroom, then jogging up to Joel's bedroom to deposit my overnight bag. I was in desperate need of some chapstick, so I dug around for some, crossing to the large mirror over the dresser to apply it. He wasn't too far behind me, undoing his striped blue tie so he could change for a more relaxed evening.

He dropped it to the top of the dresser, stepping up behind me and tracing my hips with his thumbs.

"I don't want to fight." He sighed, pulling my back flush against him. I capped the lip balm, turning to face him with an apologetic smile. I didn't want to fight, either. I had planned a delicious stir fry for dinner and even rented the Jason Bourne series for us to watch. This was going to be a good night.

"Okay." I agreed. He flashed me those gorgeous dimples, lifting my face up to meet my lips. I half expected him to be urgent, frantic, since our fight was over June, but he wasn't. He was soft, almost hesitant with his kiss.

"Let me shower and I'll be right down." He whispered against my lips. I hummed, my fingers trailing to undo his belt buckle. He raised a brow.

"I'm just helping you undress for your shower." I defended, tugging on the clasp and zipper. He chuckled, shaking his head as his fingers went to work on the buttons to his shirt. The way the fabric was rolling off his skin had me hot, and I was eager to see him naked, but I also wanted to get things set up downstairs. If I took him to bed now, we wouldn't leave. Plus, I was still a little sore from being bent over his desk. So as soon as his last clothing item hit the carpet, I turned him towards the bathroom, giving his ass a nice slap. He growled, but obeyed.

"Later, baby." He threatened, or promised. I wasn't sure with him. I smiled as the door shut, bending over to retrieve his stripped clothes for the wash. He was normally so neat, but he was awful about leaving clothes on the floor. I normally teased him for it until he picked them up, but it was a special weekend. I could manage this time. I folded his dress shirt over my arm before reaching for his pants. His empty gum packet went straight in the trash, and the receipt for lunch went on the dresser. I did one last sweep through his pockets, before landing on the front right. There was something in there.

Wait.

The second my fingertips brushed the cool metal band, my heart sank. He was still carrying his wedding ring around? Why? I stood perfectly still, trying my damndest to find a reason besides him missing her for him having it. But there wasn't one. Had he lied to me? He made the active decision this morning to put it in his pocket, so it had to mean something to him. We had been dating for two weeks already. I had a right to be upset over this, right?

I mean, what would he say if I kept memorabilia of my past relationships on me at all times?

But I couldn't bring it up. We weren't supposed to fight this weekend and that would most certainly end in a fight. So maybe if I left it on the dresser, on top of his receipt, he would see it and bring it up on his own. He could tell me why he had it.

He would tell me, right?

.

.

.

He hadn't mentioned it. It had been three hours, and he was still just holding me on the sectional downstairs. If I went back to the room right now, would the ring still be there? Or had he already put it back in his pocket?

My eyes flitted down to the light gray sweats he was wearing. It could be here, with us, now. The thought made my stomach churn. I had to stop thinking about it.

I broke away from our cuddling, sliding the blanket from my lap and standing with a stretch.

"Where you going?" He asked, his attention off the high action world of spies and espionage.

"I have to start dinner." I replied as casually as possible, throwing in a smile for good measure. He smiled in response.

"Already that time, huh?" He stretched out his long legs, rocking to his own feet. "I guess it's a good time for me to go get my gum. Need anything from the store, baby?"

"No, I'm okay. I think I got everything I need." He crossed to the counter, grabbing his keys and wallet and shoving them in his pockets. I followed behind him, running through the steps of prep work ahead of me in my head when I felt the warmth of his hands slide around my waist. I had also showered and changed, and was now clad in short pink cotton shorts and a white tank. He loved these colors on me, so I planned accordingly.

He pressed his lips to my hair before turning me to capture my lips. He groaned into the simple kiss, making me smile.

"I love kissing you." He mused, running his hand over my hip and back towards my ass. I giggled, tugging on his white tee.

"If you don't leave now, we'll be eating at midnight."

"Fair enough." He chuckled, pecking my lips one more time before sauntering his sexy little ass to the mudroom. "Be back in ten, baby." He called with a wave over his shoulder.

"Drive safe."

Okay, now for some distractive cooking.

I was far from a top chef, but this was something my mom taught me how to cook before I left for college. She said it was perfect because it made a lot of leftovers and was simple to make, which had proven true so far. I hoped Joel would like it.

I had just taken out all the tools I would need, and was working on chopping the bell pepper when I heard the front door swing open.

He was back sooner than expected.

I set down my knife, grabbing the kitchen towel to wipe my hands as I crossed through the living room towards the entryway.

"Did you forget some-thing…?" But as I rounded the corner, I didn't see Joel. No, it was a woman. With a key.

"Oh. Hi." She blinked, taking in my casual appearance with the same surprise I was sure I wore on my face.

"Hello."