Below the Belt

by E M Lindsey

  Noah shook his head. “I understand, and actually I have a meeting tomorrow morning at six because the head of the Classics Department is a fucking sadist who has it in for me, and my children, and my children’s children.”

  Adrian laughed, and briefly wondered at the differences between being a classics student and business. His professors, the heads of his department, only gave a shit that your ass was in the seat at the start of class, didn’t move until it was over, and that all your shit was turned in on time. They were really in different worlds, and yet Adrian couldn’t help himself but imagine the two of them making it work.

  “I can walk you home,” he said finally.

  Noah smiled but shook his head. “You’re clearly done for the night, and it’s literally a whole five-minute walk if I take it at an easy stroll. You can walk me to the door, though.”

  Adrian conceded. It felt a little like a blow to his manhood, or at the very least his ability to be an attentive partner. His first instinct was to insist, was to push himself, but then he realized Noah’s response was what he needed. He acknowledged Adrian’s limitations without treating him like an infant. He didn’t offer to stay, to tuck him in, to make it better. He just offered a compromise.

  The two of them kissed a few lazy moments longer, then finally broke apart to clean up. Adrian fetched a wet flannel from the bathroom, then let Lemon out of the back room before returning to Noah’s side. Looking up from the bed where he was struggling into his jeans, Noah startled at the sight of the retriever.

  “Holy shit, you have a dog,” he said flatly.

  Adrian reached out and put his hand on Lemon’s back. “She’s my support dog. I swear she’s docile and everything. I forgot to ask you if you were allergic or…”

  “It’s fine,” Noah said, smiling as he stood up and crossed the distance between them. “She’s gorgeous. I was never allowed to have pets when I was a kid. Though she’s not a pet, right?”

  Adrian shook his head. “No, but she’s mostly off-duty when we’re in the house. You can pet her.”

  Noah took the immediate invitation to lean in and pat her gently. Lemon was eager for more affection and wasted no time in licking Noah’s face and burrowing against him. With a laugh, Noah buried his face along her back and scrubbed along her sides.

  “Holy shit, I love her,” he said.

  Adrian felt his heart swell even more and knew he was in serious trouble. It had been a handful of hours, and here he was, falling way too hard, way too fast, with no way to hit the brakes. And yet, he felt no compulsion to do so. There were no barriers to cross between them. They were on even footing, even if their lives were different. He would take it.

  Noah eventually rose from Lemon’s side to give Adrian a kiss and cuddle of his own. Then they reluctantly parted and made their way to the living room where Noah fetched his bag and Adrian his crutches. His legs weren’t cooperating well, but he strapped on his braces so he could at least walk Noah to the street.

  “You don’t need to,” Noah said.

  Adrian sniffed. “My mother would skin me alive if she knew I let a date show himself out. Just let me do this.”

  Noah rolled his eyes but let his hand rest at Adrian’s waist in the elevator as they rode down. They made it to the street, most of the lamps out since it was just past midnight, and Noah sighed as he gazed up, then at his bag.

  “You okay?” Adrian asked.

  Noah hesitated, then nodded and reached into the zipper. Adrian felt a small jolt of surprise to see a folded white cane in his hand. “I’ve always had shitty vision and losing an eye didn’t help. My therapist suggested this at night to help keep me from falling on my face.” He unfolded it, then gave it a couple of taps on the ground. The tip was metal, a small pinging sound echoing off the brick building. “It’s taken some time to get used to.”

  Adrian realized what Noah was really saying. He was adjusting to something outwardly visible declaring himself different, declaring himself an object to be stared at, considered, assumed. He knew how much it sucked. Letting go of one crutch, Adrian drew him close. “I love it. Mostly because it means you’ll get home in one piece and nothing will stand in the way later this week when I have actual stamina to fuck you.”

  Noah sucked in a breath, then let out a tiny groan and turned his head to kiss Adrian. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. I’ll be extra careful.” He hesitated, then asked, “When can I see you again?”

  Adrian considered, then said, “Any chance you can make class on Thursday night? I have a private session with a new vet around the time Anna has class. We can get some food after, go back to mine and…relax.”

  “Netflix and chill?” Noah said with a wink. “That sounds perfect, and I can totally make that work.”

  Adrian kissed him one final time before stepping away. “Get the hell out of here before I lose my ability to let you go. You have an early meeting and if you stay, there’s no way you’re getting any sleep.”

  Noah groaned. “I hate being responsible. Text me, okay?”

  “You know I will.” Adrian backed up a few paces and watched Noah turn, put the cane in front of him, and begin his careful trek back to his place. It was only when he turned the corner that Adrian finally went inside, and he hoped surrounded by the smell of them together now seeped into his sheets, he’d be able to rest.

  4.

  He felt a little ridiculous as he walked into the building, a hum in the back of his throat, his coffee in hand. He wanted to burst into song—and not just because he’d been laid, but because it had been so fucking good he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He’d jerked himself off in the shower that morning remembering the way Adrian’s cock felt sliding against his, and he almost missed two green lights on the walk to campus because he’d been lost in echo of Adrian’s dark eyes.

  He didn’t burst into song, nor did he start humming, but he could feel an ache in his cheeks from his smile that would not leave. Stepping into the empty room, Noah glanced around and saw a couple of the other professors already there. A small, pathetic array of supermarket bagels and store-brand spreads were laid out, and he was grateful he’d gotten himself something before heading in. He got a nod from a couple of the older guys, and then he spotted the newest and youngest professor, Trevor Bane, who was eyeing him with a half-smirk.

  “Good night?” he asked when Noah made his way over.

  Noah sipped his coffee primly. “It was my usual.”

  “Yeah, I’m gonna say that your usual doesn’t usually have you walking into work with a love bite on your neck,” Trevor said, dipping his head in low so he didn’t draw attention.

  Noah’s cheeks immediately flared white-hot and his hand flew to his shoulder. He’d felt sore there, but he’d been in such a damn rush he hadn’t stopped in front of the mirror for more than a second. The collar of his sweater had fallen to the side and when he pressed on his skin, it hurt. Like a bruise. Like a love bite in the exact same shape as Adrian’s mouth.

  How had he not noticed?

  “Uh,” he said.

  Trevor laughed, shaking his head and clapping Noah on the shoulder. “It’s about time, man. Some of us were getting seriously worried you were just going to start adopting cats.”

  Noah pursed his lips and sipped his coffee again as he tried to compose himself. “Can we not make a big deal out of this? It’s really new.”

  Trevor put his hands up in surrender. “Of course, man. No worries. Who is he, though? Where did you meet?”

  “We actually met at Baum’s,” Noah confessed. “I had a couple of kickboxing passes and his sister teaches the beginning class. He works here. I don’t think he’s full-time, but he teaches over at the Business School.”

  Trevor looked mildly impressed and let out a low whistle. “Nice. I know a couple of the guys over there, chill dudes. Maybe I know him?”

  Noah half considered keeping it quiet, but he figured it would be out soon enough if this actually went somewhere. And with
the way he was feeling… “His name is Adrian…but I just realized I never got his last name.” He was a little mortified by that, but Trevor didn’t seem to care. Then again, Trevor was the kind of guy who took home a new partner every time he went out. He found commitment an archaic relic of religious institution and wanted no part of it. Quoted from a drunk night a few months prior.

  “You gonna see him again?”

  Noah couldn’t help his smile. “Yeah, we have a second date planned for Thursday. Just need to get through the hell that is Wednesday staff meetings and I can unleash all my frustration on a heavy bag…”

  “Then some heavy dick,” Trevor said with a wink.

  Noah rolled his eyes and looked away, shifting so Trevor was totally in his blind spot. The guy knew what Noah was doing and laughed, nudging Noah with his knee, but kept quiet. Noah enjoyed the rest of his coffee as they waited for their boss to arrive—who was naturally late but acted as though the rest of the department should be flattered that he bothered to show up to the meeting he himself had called.

  At five till, Charlie strolled through the door, his light eyes narrowed and scanning the room until the came to rest on Noah’s form, and he smiled. Noah shifted uncomfortably, giving the guy a nod without drawing too much attention. He realized that if this thing with Adrian was actually going somewhere, it meant he’d have an excuse to give to Charlie once again. Maybe it would take the edge off now that he could say he was spoken for, and Charlie would turn his attention elsewhere.

  “You look chipper this morning,” Charlie said as he slid into the seat next to Noah. “Good news?”

  Noah bit his lip, not wanting to say anything just yet, not until he spoke to Adrian. “Nothing special, just had a nice, relaxing night.”

  Trevor snorted. “Right. Relaxing. Our boy finally got laid.”

  Noah wanted to punch Trevor in the face, but before he could retaliate, Professor Lowe entered the room with a sneer. “Nice of everyone to make it on time,” he said as though his staff were the ones who had walked in the door five minutes after the meeting had been set. Noah settled back in his seat and did his best not to acknowledge the fact that all of Charlie’s attention was on him now.

  ***

  The meeting dragged out for ages. Lowe was trying to pull the department together after a fall out where Classics and Religious Studies had been forced to absorb each other and the department heads had been demoted. The departments had all blamed each other, enrollment was down, and frankly Noah couldn’t bring himself to give a single shit. He had a fairly full enrolment in each of his classes which meant he was in no danger of having them cancelled just yet. He wasn’t vying for head of the department—just tenure to secure his future and plump his CV should he choose to look for work elsewhere.

  He let his mind wander to Adrian, to the way he held Noah, the way he kissed him, the way he fucked. They hadn’t done more than rub off on each other, but it had felt so fucking good if he let himself linger in those thoughts, he was going to have a situation happening in his trousers. He forced his mind onto other things. On the scars Adrian bore which almost looked like tattoos, on the dark ink he wore on his forearms, on the shapes and symbols over his fit chest. He even took a moment to remember the first time he’d seen Adrian, and the way he’d held his ground in the ring without any assistance and had bested his sister.

  Noah was falling deep and fast, and though it should be a problem, he couldn’t bring himself to worry. He startled a little when Lowe called the meeting to an end and groaned as he pushed to his feet. He was hoping Charlie had moved on, but when an arm grabbed him as he made his way into the corridor, he knew he had no such luck.

  “You shouldn’t let Trevor spread rumors about you like that,” Charlie said, turning Noah to face him. “I mean, not that most people will care, but I know you’re going for tenure and…”

  Noah flushed a little and glanced away. “Being in a relationship isn’t going to disqualify me.”

  Charlie made a small, choking noise. “Relationship?”

  Noah let out a tiny sigh. “It’s…new. I’m not entirely sure what it is, but I’d rather not discuss it just yet.”

  “I understand,” Charlie said, his voice suddenly ice old. “It’s only, when I invited you out not last week you told me you still weren’t ready to date. I didn’t realize you had changed your mind in such a short span of time. I only regret I missed the window.”

  Noah licked his lips, regretting every lie he’d ever told to this man. He knew he should have been straight forward from the off, but Charlie made it so damn difficult most of the time. “It just happened, okay? I wasn’t out searching for a date. We met under…unusual circumstances and we hit it off. Sometimes you just can’t control when you connect with someone.”

  “Clearly,” he said. He gave Noah a firm once-over, then turned on his heel and left.

  Though Noah wanted to believe that was the end of it, he had a feeling Charlie wasn’t going to let this go so easily.

  5.

  “…and tomorrow we have a quiz. Prepare to do some short translations and then identifying various forms of middle-passive verbs we’ve been working on for this module. If you have any questions…”

  Noah almost groaned aloud at the sight of Derek Jones’ hand raising into the air. He was good student, in both of Noah’s classes, but it was clear the kid was angling for a letter of recommendation and Noah desperately wanted to tell him he’d just write it so he’d be left alone.

  “Professor, will there be a study guide for this?” he asked.

  Noah almost pinched the bridge of his nose. “As with the other classes all term, you can use the Greek-to-English sentences at the end of the chapter as a guide for what you’ll find on the quiz, and for practice you can work on English-to-Greek. In fact, if you work on the first five sentences in chapters seventeen and eighteen and turn them in before the quiz tomorrow, I’ll give you some extra credit points.”

  That at least got the class writing it down before they threw their books in their bag and headed out. Noah held his breath, expecting a few of the stragglers to want to chat with him. The last thing in the world he wanted was to delay the walk to his office. He had two hours of office-hours and then he had to race home and get ready for his kickboxing lesson. And then…

  And then there was Adrian.

  Luckily, everyone seemed as eager to end their week as he did. Most of his students didn’t have classes on Fridays, and Noah was looking forward to a long night tonight and maybe even a chance to sleep in. And, if Adrian had time, maybe being able to see him again over the weekend. He didn’t want to push, didn’t want to hope for more, but they’d been texting every so often over the last twenty-four hours. If he was reading the tone right, Adrian was as excited for this night as he was.

  Gathering his bag, Noah started out, then felt a wave of dizziness. The familiar pressure shift in his ears indicated it was about to get ugly, and he made a bee-line for the elevators before it hit him full on. The vertigo was intense, and with only one eye working, he had trouble keeping his balance. The short walk to his office now seemed like a hundred miles, and by the time he stumbled to one of the low brick walls near the front of the building, he was close to falling over.

  Digging his phone out of his pocket, he peered at the time and realized that Sabrina had classes and Esther was long-gone. His finger hovered over Ryan’s name at first. Ryan worked only half a mile from the main campus and had rescued Noah more than once from an attack of vertigo. But his second though had him scrolling up to the As. To Adrian’s name.

  It rang three times before Adrian picked up. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you yet.”

  Noah flushed. “I know, I’m so sorry. I uh…I was wondering if you were busy right now. I never thought to ask when your classes were, but I’m…sort of having a little trouble.”

  “I’m actually at the garage right now,” Adrian said with some regret in his voice. “I’m not far thoug
h, how can I help?”

  Noah felt his flush retreat into something soft in the center of his chest. “You know what, it’s not a big deal, really. I’ll just…”

  “Noah,” Adrian said very softly. The busy background noise faded into nothing, and that was oddly soothing to Noah’s spinning head. “Just tell me. You don’t sound like it’s no big deal.”

  “It’s just…I’m having some vertigo right now. It’s nothing major, it happens all the time. But my balance is a little off and I was trying to make it to office hours but…”

  “I can be there in five,” Adrian said. Noah could hear keys suddenly, and then the clinking sound of a crutch. “Where are you?”

  “The Modern Languages building. My Greek class just got out.”

  “And you want me to get you to what building?”

  Noah shook his head, knowing he’d be totally useless to any of the students who needed him. “I’m going to cancel, it’s fine. I’ll just send out an email. You really don’t mind?”

  “Not even a little bit,” Adrian said. “Hang tight, okay?”

  “Thank you,” Noah breathed. He heard a hum of acquiescence before the line went dead, and Noah squinted his eye at the screen as he pulled up his email. Luckily, he had a pre-written template for all this, and quickly sent out the mass email to his students, promising to make it up with an extra day the following week. That done, he hunkered down on the bench, pressing his hand to his sighted eye as he waited.

  Five minutes went by, then ten, and just before he started to really panic, he heard Adrian’s gait on the pavement. He looked up to see the man walking toward him, leaning heavily on a cane. Noah attempted to stand, but his world spun, and he fell back onto his ass. It was humiliating, even if Adrian likely understood exactly how it felt not to be able to get up on your own, and he bit his lip as he tried to keep himself in check.