“Hey.” He cupped my chin in his hand. “I do think you’re strong. I think you’re perfect. You don’t need to prove anything to me.”
I smiled up at him.
“Does that mean my apartment is cozy enough already?”
I laughed. “It could be cozier.”
“Mhm. So back to my original question. What else do we need?”
“A rug in the living room might be nice.”
“Good thinking.”
***
“What about L. A.?” James asked, as we pulled to a stop at an intersection.
“I think I want to stay on the east coast.”
“Finally, now we’re getting somewhere.” He turned to me and smiled. “North or south?”
“North. I think I’d miss the snow.”
“Me too.” He put his foot on the gas when the light turned green. “But I don’t want to go too far north. Tons of snow would be worse than no snow.”
“You’re probably right.” I pulled my legs up onto my seat. New York seemed to be a good fit. Minus the fact that I preferred a back yard with grass and friendly neighbors. But central park had been beautiful. That whole day I had spent with him in New York had been wonderful. “If we moved to New York, where would we live?”
“If we moved to New York, I think I’d like you to give the city a try. Maybe an apartment in Manhattan?”
“Would that be weird? You know so many people in the city. I wouldn’t know anyone at all. Tyler said he was going to interview for a position where he’d have to move there, but that wouldn’t be until after he graduates. And he might not even get it.”
James didn’t even seem to react to me mentioning Tyler. Maybe he was starting to accept the fact that he was my friend.
“You’d know me. Penny, if we moved to New York, I’d still be hanging out with you all the time. I prefer spending my time with you.”
I could tell that was where he wanted to be. “You said you left New York because you needed a change. If you went back, do you think you’d be unhappy again?” I couldn’t help but think about his addiction problem. His brother had been here for less than 24 hours and James had already drank more than I had ever seen him drink. Maybe being around people he used to know wasn’t what was best for him. But he had seemed so happy during our day trip to New York. It was his home.
“I’m not sure I could possibly be unhappy as long as I have you.” He didn’t turn to me and smile. He wasn’t saying it to be flirtatious. He said it because he thought it was true. It was similar to what he had said to me after he hadn’t spoken to me for weeks. That he couldn’t possibly have a good life without me in it.
“I think we should go to New York then.”
He laughed. “I thought you didn’t like the city?”
“I liked it with you.”
He put his hand on the center console and I quickly grabbed it. He ran his thumb across my knuckles. “Is that really what you want to do?”
“NYCU has a beautiful campus. And it’s only a 15 minute subway ride from Manhattan.”
He turned toward me and smiled. “You’ve been thinking about this for awhile?”
I shrugged. “I did a little research. And wouldn’t it be easier to start a company there? With all your connections and stuff?”
“Connections and stuff?” He laughed. “I don’t need investors. I can start it anywhere. I was starting it here. But yes, I probably would have had to go to New York every now and then.”
“So let’s just go permanently.”
“Is that really what you want to do?”
“Yes.” I squeezed his hand. I wanted to start my life with him.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m positive.”
He pulled to a stop outside his apartment building and leaned over and kissed me. “So how about we tell the reporters what really happened?”
They were already rushing over to his car.
“You don’t care about making Joe mad?” I asked.
“Nope. I care about making you happy.” He kissed me again before stepping out of the car.
I opened up the door to follow him.
“James! Are the allegations true? Have you seduced several students at the University of New Castle?” A woman’s microphone was already waving in front of his face.
“No.” He looked over at me and held out his hand.
I grabbed it and he pulled me beside him.
“Just Penny.” He was talking to the reporter, but he was looking down at me.
“How did your affair start?”
“It isn’t an affair. I filed for divorce last year. My ex-wife and I have been separated since then.” James tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. We were in front of dozens of cameras, but it somehow seemed like we were alone. I loved how he made me feel like I was the only one that mattered.
“How long has this been going on?”
“We met right before classes started.”
“You met outside of class?” The woman looked surprised.
I turned toward the reporter. “Yes, we met in a coffee shop. Actually, we didn’t really meet so much as he bumped into me and spilled coffee all over my shirt. He was really sweet; he let me borrow his sweater so I wouldn’t have to walk around campus with a big coffee stain down the front of me. I thought he was just another student. I was shocked when I went to class the next day and found out he was a professor.”
The woman smiled at us.
Maybe we can win them over.
Another reporter stepped in beside her. “How many students did you have relationships with before Penny?” He was gruff and didn’t seem touched at all by the story of how we met.
Maybe we can’t win them over.
“None. Just Penny.”
“And what about Blive Tech International? Did you make a habit of sleeping with your employees? Maybe your young interns?”
“No. All of my relationships at Blive Tech International were purely professional. I don’t even think I ever met any of the interns.”
“So what made you be unprofessional in your current position? What made you break the code of conduct at the University of New Castle?”
“We didn’t break any rules. Student-professor relationships aren’t mentioned in the handbook. Given the fact that we didn’t do anything wrong, I think we’ve both suffered enough backlash. I’m appalled by how the university has handled this situation. And I’m greatly disturbed by how the entire campus has reacted. By harassing Penny and I instead of trying to find the truth.”
“Of course there’s been backlash. Because the university has found the truth. There’s evidence that you’ve had sexual relationships with several students in addition to her.”
“Which isn’t true. I get it, okay? It’s their word against mine. But every girl that came forward was failing or almost failing one of my classes. With their testimony, their classes were canceled and they got As. They must have known what would happen. I don’t think their motive could be any more obvious. The university should be punishing them, not us. Or at least trying to get to the bottom of what happened instead of pretending lies are the truth.”