Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“Perfect timing.” Ewan held out his hand for a high five.
With a grin, Dev slapped his palm, but then his face fell. “We should have put the rice on ten minutes ago!”
Ewan shrugged. “It’ll be fine. The curry can simmer for another ten minutes.”
“You didn’t forget the rice, did you? You should have reminded me,” Dev said accusingly.
“Nope. I let you forget about the rice and lured you upstairs for sex. Is that a problem?”
Dev laughed. “No, I guess not.”
Down in the kitchen, Ryan was stirring their pan. With the lid off, the fragrance of curry spices filled the room. “Damn this looks amazing. What are you guys making?”
“Chicken and mushroom curry,” Ewan replied. “Get your greedy hands off it.”
“Hey, I was just checking it for you.” Ryan replaced the lid and put the spoon down. “You disappeared. I didn’t want it to burn while you were off… doing whatever you were doing.” The grin on his face suggested his imagination might not have strayed too far from reality.
“It would have been fine. But thanks for your concern.”
“You’re lucky,” Ryan said to Dev. “I’ve been trying all year to get Ewan to cook for me. What’s your secret?”
“Um.” Dev seemed at a loss.
“I’m not cooking for him, I’m cooking with him,” Ewan explained. “Dev’s a maths genius, and he’s helping me with my stats assignments. It’s fair exchange. Whereas you don’t do anything for me apart from steal my milk and borrow money off me.”
“Sad but true,” Ryan sighed, mock tragic. “I clearly need to find something you want.” He raised his eyebrows at Ewan and gave him a dirty grin.
Sometimes Ryan was really flirty for a straight guy—or straight so far as Ewan was aware.
“Shall I put the water on for the rice?” Dev asked.
Ewan shifted his attention back to the task in hand. “Yes, sure. I’m starving.”
Once the rice had cooked, they dished up the curry and went through to the living room to eat. Nadia and Justine were sitting at the dining table with their laptops, books and papers spread out everywhere.
“Oh, sorry. We’re in the middle of an essay crisis. Do you need us to move?” Justine asked.
“No, it’s fine. We’re okay on the sofa.” Ewan sat on the sofa with his plate on his lap.
Dev joined him. The TV was off, but music played in the background.
“How is it?” Ewan asked after Dev’s first taste.
“Delicious.” Dev nodded his approval.
After that they ate in silence, punctuated by the rustling of paper, the tapping of laptop keys, and the drift of occasional conversation from the girls.
Once they’d finished, Dev insisted on washing up again.
The recipe had made enough for four people and quite a lot was left, so Ewan put a portion of curry in a plastic tub for Dev to take away. “That’s your dinner for tomorrow sorted.”
When it was time for Dev to leave, Ewan saw him out again. Like last time, he gave Dev a chaste kiss on the cheek. He wanted more, but didn’t want to blur the lines of their arrangement in case he scared Dev away.
“Goodbye,” Ewan said softly. “See you Friday, I guess?”
“Yeah.” Dev smiled. “See you Friday.”
Ewan sighed as he walked back to his own front door. He was impatient for Friday already, even though it would take them one step closer to the end of Dev’s lessons. The thought of this being over made his heart twist. Dev would be hard to give up.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Dev had just finished fixing an issue with one of the library computers at the end of his shift on Thursday afternoon, when a familiar voice greeted him.
“Hi Dev, haven’t seen you in a while. How’s things?”
Dev turned to see Rupert smiling at him in a way that might once have made Dev’s heart flutter. Interestingly, he now appeared to be immune. Not that Rupert wasn’t handsome—he was still good to look at—but he wasn’t having the same effect on Dev that he used to.
“Hey. I’m pretty good, thanks. Great, in fact.”
Rupert looked at his watch. “I just finished for the day. Are you done here? Want to go and grab a coffee and catch up?”
“Sure. Let me just test this is working okay.” Dev rebooted the computer and ran a few checks. It all looked good.
“Nice work,” Rupert said. “Shall we?”
Dev stopped at the front desk to let the librarians know he’d finished, and everything was working properly now.
A mild spring afternoon with a clear blue sky and bright sunshine greeted them outside, so Dev and Rupert went to one of the campus cafés that had outdoor seating.
Situated in a busy area of campus, the café’s outside tables were full, but students sat on a grassy area nearby and congregated on walls, benches, and steps. Dev ordered his usual chocolate milkshake while Rupert got a coffee.