Page 73 of Made to Be

I beamed at him. “Of course, and I’ll give you a grand tour of the lab too. If you want.”

Before he could respond, a cheery voice broke through the noise of the room,

“Mr. Grimsley!”

My head shot up to see a small group of five students approaching me and Cam. I could recognize them all from the senior Enchantments class. Despite not being much of a people-person, I loved my job and, in turn, my students. I smiled kindly at them,

“Well, hello there fellow nerds.”

The students all laughed and snickered. One of them, Becca I recalled, asked me,

“Will you be offering extra credit with our projects, Mr. Grim?”

I chuckled at her causal use of my nickname. I still internally cringed when people called me “Mr.” Made me think of my dad and I shuddered.

Cam shifted awkwardly in his seat, clearly unsure if he could get up and return to work and not come off as rude. Gosh, he was so cute.

“That remains to be seen,” I told her ominously and the others avidly listening.

“That’s not a no, then.” Another student elbowed her jovially.

“Doing anything fun over break, Mr. Grimsley?” Another asked, a young man named Joseph.

I couldn’t help but notice how his freckled cheeks blushed as he smiled at me. Cam noticed too. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he tried – and failed – to not scowl at the poor guy. I never fraternized with students. Ever. So, Cam had nothing to worry about even if he wasn’t in my life. But his not-so-subtle jealousy made my heart flutter in my chest.

My lips twitched as I replied cooly, “Just going to the Cresthill Music Festival with my boyfriend Cam here.”

Cam’s wide blue eyes shot to me with surprise. The young man visibly deflated while the others grew equal parts surprised and intrigued.

“Mr. Grim, we didn’t know you had a boyfriend!” Becca chimed.

“No way!” another exclaimed. “Bull Witchery? You got tickets? So jealous!”

Then all eyes were on Cam. Once they finally noticed him, their interest only grew as appreciation flickered across their features. I knew how good Cam looked, especially when taking him in for the first time. I’d been stunned when I’d first seen him, and he’d been in a morgue! That black hair which was longer on top and freshly buzzed on the sides into a smooth fade. The muscles, the tattoos, the piercings, those gorgeous, dreamy blue eyes... Even his long sleeves couldn’t conceal those delicious biceps, the fabric hugging those muscles obscenely.

Suddenly, I was the one growing jealous. Cam was hot; he turned heads everywhere we went. But that didn’t mean I was going to let my students ogle him right in front of me, little shits.

Cam cleared his throat and glanced between the small group and me.

“Uh, hi,” he said with a small wave. “Cam. The boyfriend.”

They all blushed, offering hellos and shy smiles as they stared at Cam.

“I should get back to work,” Cam told me as he rose from his seat across from me. When he stood to his full towering height, they all craned their heads back,eyes wide with awe. Even Joseph couldn’t hide the attraction in his gaze.

That’s right, this ismyman, I thought with a proper amount of smug maturity.

“Sure thing. I’ll be waiting.”

For good measure, I crooked my finger, gesturing for Cam to lean down. When he bent toward me, I grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him closer, stealing a kiss on his cheek like a thief. A wicked smile spread across my face as his cheeks flamed burgundy.

Cam returned to work and the group of students said their goodbyes for the break. By the time Cam’s shift was over, I had gotten a good chunk of leftover work and grading done – look at me being proactive and responsible – even while being distracted by Cam’s ass in those slacks. We were currently walking hand in hand across the campus to the arcane building, an eager skip to Cam’s steps. Hell, who was I kidding? I was practically skipping too.

Early snow had begun dusting the ground over the past few days, covering the tree branches and sidewalks and crunching crisply beneath our matching Converse. We were each bundled up in our winter coats and scarves, Cam’s head tucked within a black beanie while my wily curls were rapidly accumulating snowflakes.

Once we made it to the large three-story brick building, we eyed the sign above us that read,“Briarwood Mage University Arcane Studies Building.”

Cam made a noise of appreciation. I had no clue why; it wasn’t impressive and looked just like any other university building with its many aged windows and water-stained stones. We walked up the few steps and reached the set of double doors to the front entrance. The building was locked seeing as break had begun and campus hours had just ended, so I pulled out my key to unlock the door.