I Locked My Professor's Office Door, and Left Belonging to Three Men novel · Chapter 7 of 24
Chapter 7: Section Five
Marcello put his hand on the small of my back in the middle of the faculty tailgate.
Forty people stood around us, and he left it there.
It was the first Saturday in November, cold and bright, and the whole lot behind the Big House smelled of grilled brats and wet leaves.
Maize and blue flags snapped on every tent pole.
Nathan stood on my other side holding a paper cup of cider.
Colin stood close behind me, big and warm against the wind.
Nobody looked twice at the four of us.
That was the trick of it, Marcello had said that morning.
Four colleagues and a graduate student at a football game were the most ordinary sight on earth.
"The hand," I murmured.
"What about it?"
"People can see it."
"It is on your coat," Marcello said mildly. "Through two layers of wool."
"It's moving."
"Is it?"
His thumb traced a slow circle at the base of my spine.
I had to look away from the chair of the department, who was explaining the offensive line.
"You told me to stand beside you where everyone could see," I said.
"I did."
"I thought you meant something else."
"I meant exactly this," Marcello said, low. "You're not a secret, Hannah."
His thumb stilled.
"You're a woman standing next to a man at a game."
My throat tightened.
It was a very Marcello thing to say, and it was the kindest thing anyone had said to me in a month.
Nathan leaned in and topped off my cup.
"For the record," he said, "I'm also touching you."
"Where?"
"Nowhere you can prove."
His knuckle brushed the back of my hand against my coat.
Colin's shadow fell across all three of us.
"Oh, yeah," he said gently. "No. We should go see the truck."
Marcello's hand pressed once.
"Shortly," he said.
I laughed and felt my face warm.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–6 of I Locked My Professor's Office Door, and Left Belonging to Three Men are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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