Chapter Eleven
“He wants to see you now,” Emily said to Dr. Schneider. Her voice was thick with the tears which still ran down her cheeks. If it hadn’t been for those, she might have smiled at the irony of inviting the University President into his own office.
As it was, all she could really, truly focus on was trying her level best to get out of the lobby doors and off campus where she could think about what she was going to do now.
“Emily? Are you all right?”
Dr. Schneider asked moving towards her concerned.
Tears still streaming down her face, she nodded and attempted a small smile.
“Yeah,” she said. “I mean, I’m not all right now. But…I will be.”
He looked as though he wanted to say something to that but, whatever it was, Emily knew she didn’t want to hear it. She gave him another smile and turned towards the door. Apparently, that was enough for Dr. Schneider. As soon as she turned from him, she heard his quick footsteps moving towards the office door. As soon as the door opened, she heard another set of footsteps, much stronger but just as quick rush out.
Emily didn’t dare turn around.
She had a feeling she knew who was rushing after her. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say either.
“Emily!”
Without stopping at the sound of Kurt’s voice, without turning around, she opened the lobby door and marched out into the hall.
She didn’t think he would follow. And, she told herself she didn’t want him to. He’d made his decision. He’d proven that his job and his father-in-law’s wrath was more important to him than she was.
That was why she was surprised to hear his same strong, fast gait following her out into the hall.
“Emily, wait! Please, wait!”
Despite herself, she stopped. She didn’t turn around. Lifting her hand, she wiped her eyes knowing that the small bit of makeup she’d worn for the day had most likely smeared around her eyes making her look like a raccoon.
Kurt moved in front of her and touched her chin, lifting her black circled eyes to look at him.
“Em- “
“Kurt, don’t,” she said as firmly as she could. “If your job matters more to you than me then…that’s it. There’s nothing more to say.”
She tried to move away from him and back down the hall. He caught her arm before she could.
“But, there is, Em!” he said. She turned around, her tear stained eyes as hard as she could make them. He pursed his lips together and that little wrinkle in his forehead, the one he always got when he was forming some kind of plan, appeared again.
“Come with me,” he said.
Before she could say a word, he moved his hand down to entwine with hers and tugged her back towards the office door.
He kept a firm hold on her hand even as he opened the door to the president’s office and faced Malcolm behind the president’s desk and the President seated in the small, uncomfortable chair in front.
Both men turned to look at them.
Malcolm's eyes darted from his son in law to Emily and finally to their hands, clearly linked together.
“Kurt, what is going-?”
“I resign,” Kurt said before Malcolm could finish. “I resign my position at the college. That way Emily can stay.”
“But…but…you can’t resign!” Dr. Schneider said looking almost panicked as his small eyes behind the square glasses looked quickly between Malcolm and Kurt. “The book! We’ve already got publicity set up for it!”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Kurt said. “Of course, I’d love to stay on but, if that means that Emily has to leave, then I’ll go.”
Dr. Schneider’s face fell and he turned fully to Malcolm as though expecting the other man to say something, to talk some sense into Kurt. Malcolm's eyes narrowed when he looked at his Son in Law. As though he was trying some kind of mind trick, trying to get Kurt to align exactly to Malcolm's way of thinking.
“Kurt,” Malcolm said quietly. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“I do,” Kurt said. “I’m going to resign and, once I do that, I’m going to ask Cheryl for a divorce. I’m sure she’ll agree.”
At the word divorce, Malcolm's face turned, almost imperceptibly red with fury. A second later, he took a long breath as though swallowing down his anger.
“You know this won’t go well for you,” he said. “My daughter’s name isn’t going to be dragged through the mud. If all of this gets out, you’ll be the one who gets blamed.”
Kurt’s hand squeezed tighter against Emily’s she felt his pulse begin to race and, for half a second, wondered if he might back down.
“I know,” he said. His voice was even and calm. As though he was not terrified of the man in front of him. Even though Emily knew that he was and she could not blame him. “You can say whatever you want about me. And, Cheryl can get everything she wants in the divorce. I won’t fight you on any of it. I just want to be with Emily.”
Emily’s heart soared at Kurt’s words. The tears streaming down her cheeks dried almost immediately and she felt a bright smile that she couldn’t stop if she wanted to spread across her lips.
“Really, isn’t there something we could work out?” Dr. Schneider asked desperately. “Malcolm, couldn’t we find some compromise, something that would allow Kurt to stay.”
Neither Malcolm nor Kurt acknowledged Dr. Schneider’s interruption. They were both staring at each other. Eyes hard, both of them waiting for the other to back down. Both of them knowing that the other wouldn’t.
“I’m afraid Kurt’s made his choice, Dr. Schneider,” Malcolm said finally. His eyes still fixed on Kurt. “That’s all there is to say.”
“I’ll turn in my letter of resignation at the end of the week,” Kurt said.
And, without another word, keeping a firm grasp on Emily’s hand, he led her out of the room closing the door behind them.
Their hands remained pressed together as they walked through the hall. They didn’t stop and they didn’t say a word to one another until they stepped into the bright sunlight outside the main University office.
That was when Emily stopped.
“Did you mean what you said back there?” she asked. “About…about wanting to be with me?”
Kurt turned to her, a smile on his face to match hers.
Slowly, he let go of her hand and, opening his palm, moved her chin up and kissed her gently, softly on the lips.
This kiss was not the same as most of their others had been. It was not hurried or desperate or needful. It was slow, tender, loving.
After what might have been minutes or hours or days, he pulled back just slightly.
“Does that answer your question?” he asked.
“I think it does,” Emily said.
With that, she leaned forward and kissed him gently again. As her lips moved against his, she felt the breeze fly through her hair and the warmth of the sun on her face. All the while, she could not help but think how wonderful it was to kiss the man she loved in the light of day.