(9:30) Trust me when I say that they won’t care if the place is a little untidy.
(9:32) Oh Cavan I wish it were that simple.
(9:33) Have you even gotten out of bed yet?
(9:35) I’m up, I’m up!
(9:36) Uh huh. I don’t believe you.
(9:40) Cavan SENT A [.JPEG]
(9:41) See? I’m up!
(9:43) Not to mention totally in love with you, I cannot believe you made me a full English! You hate greasy breakfasts! X
(9:45) I wanted you to have a good start to the day and make sure you were properly prepared for that interview with Rodrick.
(9:47) As much as I’ll be shitting myself later about it, this has definitely cheered me up.
(9:50) Good. Eat up and get yourself ready. Come by my office afterwards. We can have some lunch together.
(9:52) You’re just … so many wonderful things.
(9:53) Shut up.
(9:55) It’s true!
(9:56) Wait … I just realised … How are you even texting me right now?
(9:59) Two amazing things at the same time; double-period and a pop quiz.
(10:00) You’re just the worst teacher!
(10:03) Yes but you find my rebellious side hot, otherwise you wouldn’t be dying to get a job where I can bend you over my desk.
(10:05) … I hate you so much.
(10:06) Sure you do x
(10:08) Can you go back to torturing the younger people, please? Let me enjoy my breakfast in peace!
(10:09) Fine. Brat.
(10:11) You’re still coming to my office once you’re done with Rodrick, right?
(10:12) Of course I am!
(10:13) Good boy.
~0~
Cavan shook his head as he set his phone down to one side and promptly dug into the meal before him. Once he was done, he washed the dishes and his mug before grabbing his phone and heading into the bathroom. Lucas was right, he needed to take the day as gradually and as stress-free as possible.
He had a shower and made sure to shave the grizzly hairs from his jawline before styling his hair a little. Walking around in just a towel around his waist sent a little thrill down his spine. It was silly but he couldn’t imagine Lucas ever doing the same.
As soon as he was dressed, he made sure he had all the documents and anything else he may need in his bag. Everything was ticked off his mental list and he made a note on his phone to stop off at the shops down the road to grab something to cheer Bonnie up. She was closing in on her due date and she was not the nicest person to be around.
Eventually, his watch beeped for 11:30.
He had half an hour to get to the school so he could meet Rodrick in reception. Slipping into his winter coat and putting on his hat, gloves and scarf, Cavan swung his bag over his shoulder and headed out of the flat.
Rodrick was waiting for him in the reception area talking with the woman behind the desk. Cavan had a mini panic attack, but a quick glance at the clock on the wall told him that he was fifteen minutes early. Rodrick just liked to lounge about in the reception, apparently.
Taking a deep breath, Cavan walked in through the glass doors. “Good morning.”
Rodrick turned and smiled in a professional manner. It was odd how much taller and intimidating he appeared without Lucas there to cut him down a size. “Good morning Cavan. I see you found the place without any trouble.”
“I know I’m a little early but I’m happy to wait until you’re ready for me.”
Damn it, he was rambling.
“That’s okay, I’m free now if you want to come through to my office.”
Cavan nodded before following the bulking blonde down the hall towards his office. It wasn’t like he had a choice in the matter. Friends outside of work or not, didn’t mean this was going to be a breeze for him. He still needed to be as professional as possible. He shut the door behind him and took the seat Rodrick indicated for him.
All of a sudden, Cavan felt nerves twist and knot in his stomach.
The interview commenced.
Monday PM
The bell was shrill.
The students looked up from their quiz sheets. They’d been marking their neighbours answered and it wasn’t surprising that they all wanted to escape their teacher’s wrath. There had been far too many wrong answers already. It was a wonder no one had gotten detention!
As soon as the last student vanished from sight, Lucas exhaled loudly and dropped back into his chair. That had seemed like the longest lesson ever. He’d ended it with a pop quiz because he knew that at least seventy percent of his students were playing games on their phones. Suffice to say he was going to be talking down to a lot of parents at the upcoming parents-teacher-evening.
Rubbing his temples, he stood up and packed his things away. He needed to sit in the quiet space of his office. Checking his watch, he hummed to himself. If Cavan had gotten here on time, chances where he’d be about done with his interview with Rodrick.
That, at least, gave him something to look forward to.
Just as he was grabbing his Tupperware boxes and drinks from the mini-fridge in his office, a knock came at the door.
“I’m on my break!” he snapped.
“Oh, good I got the right room.”
Lucas couldn’t help but smirk as Cavan closed the door behind him. “Yes, you did. How did it go?” He offered Cavan one of the drinks as the younger man sank into the chair across the desk.
“It went okay,” Cavan shrugged. “I’m having a trial period until Christmas holidays. If nothing else, it’s a bit of extra money.”
Lucas inclined his head, “Well at least he likes you on a professional level.”
Cavan rolled his eyes. “You can’t say that for sure.”
“Oh, yes I can. I’ve worked with the man for a decade at least, and I know that if he doesn’t like someone he will outright say so. Why do you think Eleanor wasn’t able to get a job at this school?”
Cavan snorted some of his Sprite and choked on a laugh. “Oh God! Are you serious?”
“He may well tolerate her oddities in public and they do get along for the most part. Professionally, however? Rodrick would sooner set the school on fire.”
Cavan chuckled. “So, what’s for lunch?”
Lucas pried off the lids of his neat little containers. “Rice, chicken balls and lentil soup.”
“Good, I’m starved!”
As they shared out the portions and started to eat, Cavan asked about Lucas’s lessons of the day. As he listened, his phone buzzed. With a frown, he dug it out of his pocket.
BONBON [13:27]: Hey Cavan on your way back, could you grab some cheesecake? I really fancy watching FRIENDS and you can’t do that without cheesecake! X
Lucas cocked an eyebrow at the interruption.
“Bonnie,” Cavan said.
“What does the vessel of sheer idiocy want this time?”
“You know you really shouldn’t call the baby that.”
“Why not? All babies are dumb.”
“They’re smart … for their age.”
“You could show them their own toe fifteen times throughout the day, and each time they’d be as excited as if someone discovered aliens fornicating on mars.”
Cavan blinked in amusement at the comparison. “Now, now, Godfather dearest, what happens when we need to babysit the rugrat?”
“We do what your parents did with you.”
“Oh?”
“Tie a cookie to a stick and dangle it over their heads.”
“Hey!”
Lucas laughed. “Okay, okay I’ll stop teasing you.” Cavan pulled a face before returning his attention to the food. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Lucas asked.
“Holing up with Bonnie and watching box-sets and eating cheesecake, apparently.”
“How entertaining,” Lucas remarked drily.
“Well she likes to watch the things you don’t. It’s a win-win situation. Are you goin
g to be home after work or are you going to go out with Fletcher?”
“Well we need to pick his bike up at the shop and I said I’d give him a ride to the garage.”
“Did they ever find out what was wrong with it?”
Lucas shook his head, “Not as far as I’m aware. It’s been tuned up though, so whatever the issue was it’s likely to have stopped for now.”
Lucas’s watch beeped. He had ten minutes before his next lesson.
Cavan pouted, “So soon?”
“Afraid so, brat. Don’t worry. I’ll be home before you know it.”
“I know, but if you and Fletcher go out for a beer or something let me know. That was I can cook something for Bonnie and no one has to go hungry.”
Lucas straightened up from where he’d been putting his containers back in the fridge. He stared up at Cavan with a strange look in his grey eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re just –how did you ever get to be so thoughtful?” Lucas couldn’t help but ask.
Cavan adopted a dopey grin and shrugged. “What can I say? I like taking care of Bonnie. She’s hilarious!”
Lucas smiled with a shake of his head. Striding over to Cavan, he leaned up and pressed a lingering kiss to the young man’s lips. “Take care of yourself, kid.”
“Yes sir.”
Lucas swatted his arse as he turned for the door. “And behave!”
“No!” came the petulant reply.
Lucas smirked as the door closed on Cavan’s grinning face.
~0~
September seemed to rush by in a flash of hot spells, rowdy students and Cavan getting integrated into the school. He was grateful that Lucas and Rodrick were there to help him figure things out, and he was also enjoying his role as a teaching assistant. It was busy work, mostly, but the pay wasn’t dreadful and he rather enjoyed waiting by Lucas’s car at the end of the day, so they could drive home together.
They’d fallen into a routine and it was nice.
Cavan applied for other jobs, but he either didn’t even get a rejection e-mail, or he progressed to a phone-interview which led to nowhere. He wasn’t deterred too much, however, as having Lucas work in the same building definitely had its perks. Having lunch in the older man’s office and sneaking a kiss or two always helped to break up the day and give Cavan that little extra boost.
Outside of work had settled down as well; every other weekend, Lucas and Cavan would drive down to see Cavan’s family -Georg had suddenly started working on Saturday afternoons -and on alternating weeks, his Mama and sometimes Sophie would come up for brunch on Saturday mornings.
Sunday was their one day to relax properly before school started all over again on Monday.
Cavan had requested to have a late start on Thursday mornings so that he could continue his driving lessons. Sometimes, late in the evening, Lucas would even take him out to an empty car park, and he would do a few laps in there, getting used to doing emergency stops and parallel parking in tight spaces under the cover of night.
“If you can do it in the dark, you’ll fly through the test,” Lucas had stated one such night.
Slowly, Cavan’s confidence grew to the point that, in an exuberantly good mood, he booked his driving test for the end of October. He’d prefer to do it before the roads got too icy with the onset of winter.
On the two days when Cavan finished earlier than Lucas, usually due to parent-teacher-evenings or Lucas having to attend a detention he’d set, Cavan would walk the twenty minutes home and stop in to check on Bonnie. They often spent a lot of evenings together, especially if Fletcher had to work late. Then Lucas would join them and help Cavan cook dinner, all the while smirking as Bonnie insisted on helping and being shooed out of her own kitchen.
It had gotten to the point where Bonnie’s stomach and ankles were so swollen she couldn’t move very fast and Cavan had to bend over double just to be able to awkwardly hug her.
She didn’t have too long to wait until she gave birth. Only another few weeks and she would be able to hold her baby in her arms and look forward to all the sleep she wasn’t going to have.
Lucas was such a pessimist.
On the first weekend of October Cavan had dragged a very begrudging Lucas down the hall to help his friends do up their second bedroom into a suitable nursery. That meant that Cavan painted most of the walls with Fletcher -being the two tallest out of the four of them -whilst Bonnie shouted instructions at Lucas on what section of the changing table and cot needed to fit where, much to the older man’s chagrin. Cavan had to hold back his laughter as he heard Lucas grumbling and swearing under his breath.
The job got done, for which Fletcher was grateful.
Bonnie then insisted that they get a take-away to celebrate. To err on the side of safety, they ordered a few pizzas and sides, with a big cookie for dessert for Bonnie. Since her cravings had hit, her sweet-tooth had gotten so bad, Lucas was surprised she had any teeth left at all.
It made Lucas happy, though, that he could happily walk down the hall and collapse into his own bed at the end of a long day listening to Bonnie nag him. Having Cavan crawl up alongside him and spoon him from behind was just an added bonus.
Monday PM
On his way back to the flat, Cavan stopped off at the local shops to grab some cheesecake and other items for the fridge. They’d needed a bit of a top-up and he doubted he’d be bothered later during the week if he was going to be called in to lessons as Rodrick had said he would. It was a slow-week and Rodrick had said that he could work just the three days if he liked. Cavan hadn’t minded, he had another telephone interview to prep for, so he was more than grateful. The only thing he’d truly achieved for himself in the last week had been to pass his driving test first time. Now he was just waiting on his new license to arrive in the post, before Lucas insured him on his beast of a car.
It made Cavan giddy just thinking about it.
Once he’d paid for the treats, he hugged his arms tightly around himself and ducked out into the windy afternoon. It was a wonder he’d gotten back to the block of flats in one piece.
Stopping off at his and Lucas’s place, he shoved a few items into the fridge before making his way down the hallway to Bonnie’s flat. He was just fiddling with his keys –Bonnie had insisted that he take one of their spares just in case she couldn’t waddle her way to the door fast enough –when he heard a low noise from the other side of the door. Frowning, he slotted the key into the lock and turned.
The door swung open.
As he walked down the hallway, twisting his head this way and that, a chill ran down his spine. Setting the bag of cheesecake on the coffee table, Cavan frowned. Bonnie was in he knew that. Maybe she was just on the toilet?
“Bonnie?” he called out.
Silence.
“Bonnie are you in the bathroom?”
“…Cavan?”
Searching for the source of her voice, Cavan hurried into the bathroom –empty –and the kitchen –empty –before hurrying down the hallway towards the bedroom.
“Bonnie I’m going to come in, okay?”
He didn’t wait for an answer.
Pushing the door open, Cavan was momentarily dazed by all the lights glaring at him. When he was able to refocused his eyes, he froze when he saw the state Bonnie was in; she was hunched over on the edge of the bed, her knuckles white where she gripped the duvet, her hair a frazzled mess around her tear-stained cheeks. Craning her neck up, her lip trembled when she saw Cavan.
Unknown Number Page 56