Still, I’m a woman, so I was built to work smarter, not harder, and following his exact path isn’t necessarily the shortest route between points A and B.
I book it down the stairs and catch him just as he’s getting to his desk.
I slap at Ty’s shoulder, and he lunges out and grabs me by the wrist. I wrestle free and jump around his desk, only to come to a stop on the other side, breathing hard. We’re both on the cusp of laughing, smiles on our faces and fire in our eyes, when a throat clears from the door, catching both of our attention.
My father stands watching the two of us, his hands in his pockets as he leans into the jamb. “Well, I see the two of you are getting along,” he remarks casually, pushing off from his relaxed position to come toward us.
I gulp down against a rough throat, and I don’t dare look over in Ty’s direction. Playing tag at the end of class is definitely not the kind of behavior Nathaniel Rose puts on his syllabus.
“Nathaniel,” Ty finally manages, clearing his throat audibly before stepping over to shake my dad’s hand. “What brings you to my classroom today?”
I look down to the desk and start gathering the papers long forgotten in favor of our tussling match, largely seeing myself right out of the conversation.
“I came to catch up. See how the semester’s going. If I could be a resource to you or your classes.” I nearly roll my eyes at the floor—aka he wants to both have his moment and stay removed, typical Nathaniel Rose—but he doesn’t leave it at that, and he doesn’t leave me out of it.
Quite the opposite, in fact. He drags me right back into the conversation, kicking and screaming.
“I’ll admit, too, I also came to check up on Rachel. Make sure she’s living up to the expectations of a tenured professor.”
Making sure I’m living up to my potential, is what he means. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a million times. So much so that I can play the words over in my head exactly as he’d say them.
Ty glances between the two of us as my gaze shoots up and narrows, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from starting a scene right here. Fighting between my father and me is natural—ingrained by years of practice. I’d like to move on and grow out of it, but sometimes it’s so instinctual.
“She’s doing really well, actually. I’ve never had a TA this capable before,” Ty proclaims, going to bat for me in a way I didn’t expect. I mean, it’s not that I thought he would bad-mouth me. It’s just…he’s never actually told me he thinks I’m doing a good job before. As far as I’m concerned, being the best he’s ever had in an arena other than sex is news to me. “I haven’t even touched a test question this semester on her drafts. She has great intuition as far as avoiding the obvious without relying on the obscure.”
My dad’s eyes light with a little bit of pride, and I’m ashamed of my stomach as it flips over itself. I’ve always known my worth on my own—I don’t need to be validated by a man, even if I’m made from half of his DNA—but watching my father show me something other than distrust is…overwhelming.
“Well, I’m glad it’s working out,” my father eventually comments. Being sure to leave me completely out of it this time because, obviously, the last thing he wants to do is acknowledge I’m doing something right. “I wasn’t quite sure what I was walking into.”
Ty glances at me, I can feel his brief attention from my periphery, but I don’t look in his direction. I don’t fucking dare. Instead, I hold my dad’s eyes in blatant challenge to his implications. He’s butting in, like always, sticking his neck in a personal arena he has no business playing in. I won’t play this game right now, especially not in front of my boss.
Sure, I’m also sleeping with him, but that doesn’t demean the value of my work, goddammit.
I’m not a little girl anymore.
Nathaniel is as stalwart as ever, holding my eyes right back without even a crack in his façade. We consider each other for long moments before he finally turns his attention back to Ty.
“Ty, we’re having a faculty gathering before the start of break next week if you want to stop by.” Then he turns to me, unable to resist getting in one last dig. “Sorry, Rachel, but this one’s for the grown-ups.”
My eyes narrow as he offers a smile and a wave and exits the room the same way he came—quietly. I only wish he’d kept his mouth shut a little more while he was here. Or, you know, not come here at all.