Chapter 26 - The Aphrodisiacal Properties of Intersectionality and Juxtaposition
I greeted Preston with a quick kiss. His mouth wasn't exactly designed for such short-shrift, but I was already running behind, and if I indulged in the kind of kisses his lips demanded, I'd miss our presentation altogether.
And, so, small peck it was.
Mike and Dr. Collins' last minute list of all the shit that they'd forgotten to pack up in their rush to be "on time" ran through my head, but I wasn't so distracted that I missed Preston pressing the back of his hand to his forehead in a melodramatic swoon against the door.
"What are you...?"
He hammed it up instead feigning innocence when caught, fanning himself with his other hand and affecting his best southern drawl and twang. "My stars, sugar, but you sure do clean up nice."
I looked down at myself. I couldn't exactly take credit for the burgundy dress shirt, or the black pin-striped slacks, or the cap toe derby shoes. Those were all things Laurel made me buy. But, I did take responsibility for the military tuck keeping my shirt neat, and was rather proud of the effect. My attempts at looking professional, however, stopped at getting my tie to cooperate.
"Glasses today?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said. "I lost a contact and didn't have time find my new ones."
"It looks good."
"Glad one of us thinks so." I began searching for the power cord to Dr. Collins' projector.
"Need my help?"
"No, just need to find this..." I'd already torn the office apart looking for it, and found no sign of it. I was halfway through my second search when Mike shot me a text saying that it had been in his laptop case the whole time. Fucking wasted fifteen minutes that I didn't really have on that damn cord.
I was already developing a headache.
"This presentation got you that rattled?"
"Mike and Collins have me rattled." I massaged my temples. "I was doing great on time until Mike called this morning about some shit he forgot to do and begged me to come in early. Now, I'm the one running behind."
He paused. "I thought the presentation wasn't until 2."
"But, that's in half an hour."
He cocked his eyebrow. "And where is it?"
"In the next building."
"Relax, Indie," he said. "You're freaking yourself out." He cupped my face between his hands and rose up on his tip-toes to kiss me until I did as he asked. I gave in, pulling him in close, and swept my tongue past his lips. I was reluctant to let go of the cute little distraction when he pulled back.
"Here," he said, picking up the ends of the black tie hanging loose around my neck. "Lemme handle that." Preston's nimble fingers deftly tied a knot. "Four-in-hand," he said, referring to the knot. "And good choice on the skinny tie."
"Thanks," I said and adjusted the tie, another item Laurel made me buy. I still considered myself lucky; Laurel had picked out nearly everything in her fiance's wardrobe. I was irked at Mike enough that I'd thought about convincing Laurel that he needed more clothes.
Preston looked at my wrist. "You're still wearing that thing?"
I glanced down at the Brazilian wood bracelet that had been hidden by my shirt sleeve. Preston had given it to me as a joke really, and I'd only worn it for kicks the first time. The rectangular dark wood beads, each featuring a tiny image of a not-so-attractive Virgin Mary, with little round spacers between looked interesting, even if I did recognize that wearing the bracelet bordered on cultural appropriation.
I fully expected a lecture from Dr. Collins when he noticed it a couple days ago. However, when I handed the bracelet over for his inspection, he started laughing.
"Margaret Mead," he said. "It's not La Virgen de Guadalupe. It's all pictures of Margaret Mead."
He pulled a copy of
Male and Female
, Mead's mid-century comparative study of sex roles, and pointed out her picture on the back. I looked back at the bracelet. Yep, Margaret Mead painted as the Virgin Mary, her veils flowing in all their Georgia O'Keeffe'd glory.
Cultural appropriation
AND
blasphemy!
I hadn't taken off the bracelet ever since.
"It's my good luck charm," I told Preston. I turned around to start looking for the rest of the shit Mike and Dr. Collins forgot. As I set them on the corner of my desk, Preston neatly packed them into my satchel.
"Are you leaving in your piercings?"
"All of them," I smirked. "One of the other professors 'helpfully' suggested that I take them out."
"And, you're leaving them in." He grinned wickedly. At least
he
got it. "Why not pull your hair back so your ears will be more visible?"
"Good idea." I fished a hair elastic out of my satchel and tied up the top half, then patiently waited while he arranged the bits in the front that always fell out to his satisfaction. He eyed me critically for a moment.
"Very nice."
I thanked him again and gathered the last of the items from the last minute list. While I slipped on my black blazer, I cast a quick look around the room in case I missed anything. "I think I got everything," I looked at my wristwatch, "with fifteen minutes to spare." I did up the buttons and dusted myself off before turning back around. "How do I look?"
"Wow...uhm..." Preston's mouth opened and closed a couple times while his eyes travelled up and down my body. "...Damn..." His honey ale eyes looked downright hungry by the time they made it up to my eyes. "Good enough to eat." He came over and slipped an arm around me as he pulled out his phone.
"Why are you taking a picture now?" I asked as he aimed it above us.
"'Cause you look hot."
"Why are you in it?"
"'Cause I also look hot."
I rested my arm across his shoulders. Preston was well-dressed - sweater, dress shirt, chinos, bow tie (I'm still not sure why finding out that he doesn't use clip-ons turned me on) - as per usual. I gave my best ironic expression when he told me to smile, and he snapped a couple shots.
"Still want to come watch?" I pulled away and started loading myself up.
"Wouldn't miss it," Preston said. He grabbed the boxes of printed materials and held them under his arm. "Besides," he licked his lips, "I have every intention of eating you after this, and I'm not letting you slip away until I do."
I chuckled a little. I'd been stressed out and tense all morning, but in only fifteen minutes he'd managed to turn my brain to mush. I leaned down and bit his neck above the collar. "Let's get going."
Coats on, lights off, door locked, satchel over my shoulder and Preston on my arm. We made our grand entrance, unfashionably late and loaded down with everything Mike should have brought over earlier.
And I didn't even get mad when I found out that Mike and Dr. Collins had forgotten to tell me two hours ago that our presentation had been pushed back to 3.
~*~*~*~
I looked down at my lap and tried not to cry.
Majoring in English Lit. was the single most idiotic thing I have ever done.
Only two and a half years and I'd already lost my damn mind. I should have majored in biology like every other pre-med. But,
no
, I had to be a fucking moron and listen to the bullshit coming out of my college advisor's mouth about how med schools preferred humanities majors. I cursed my damn advisor, and all my guidance counsellors, and every godforsaken English teacher for not making me hate the subject, and then threw in every other teacher I had because I was sure they figured into my predicament in some yet to be determined way.
Majoring in English had to be the most colossal mistake ever made in the entire history of mankind.
I'd barely finished my first semester as a junior, but my head was so fucked up that I was popping an almost painful boner over the literary exegesis of a rap song.
And all because I just
had
to comment on Indie's music.
His tastes were fairly predictable - samplings from several rock genres, songs that my dad probably listened to when he was at the police academy (and some songs my grandpa listened to when
he
was at the academy), and a few songs from indie bands that were hella mediocre, but everyone still lost their shit over.
But then,
10 Dolla
by M.I.A. comes on (a song so completely