Meanwhile, A Late Night Study Session Takes Place in Providence
Jefferey sketched as Kate lounged nearby, reading about Kissinger’s diplomatic moves in the Far East during the Nixon Administration. It had been a while since he had worked in the basement room that the Kelleys had made into a crafting space for he and the other FPO. Boyfriend had used it for its intended purpose the least, although a case could be made that Stephen was the one who actually used it least. Everyone had quickly realized they needed to expand into another part of the unfinished basement to create a soundproof room for Stephen to practice in, as his playing—good even from the beginning, was not conducive to allowing others to create or study.

Even if he and Kate had spread a little schadenfreude for Chad’s benefit in Dave’s Coffee the week before, Momma Two’s concern and caution had scaled back their public commentary on Boyfriend and Emilia Shaw. Jefferey had been vaguely aware of the hunger for real news about her—especially among the Sirenas—but he had been unprepared for the level of discussion that was building around their relationship. Boyfriend was, officially, still in London. That fact alone was keeping the lid on things here in Providence. Nevertheless, a couple of Boyfriend’s high school classmates had quietly reached out to ask if the rumors were true.

It was a good thing that the FPO had a reputation for being tight lipped.

He wasn’t sure if his having chosen to use Emilia as a subject for his semester design project earlier in the year was or was not a good thing. He had been interested when he chose her in September as one of his three options and was absolutely thrilled to be not only working on her but for her. She was exquisite and just screamed couture.

Now that he was finalizing his sketches, the only thing that worried him there was if his designs could live up to the subject—especially a subject that would be receiving his work just before or just after Thanksgiving.

He tapped on the eraser icon and used it to neatened up a line.

Jefferey suspected that word about Boyfriend had begun to circulate at RISD as well. Liza Morgan, the Pink Investigator herself, had passed through Meg DeCubellis‘s Sophomore Apparel Studio classroom and looked over everyone’s sketches. It was true that, as the department chair, the business she was officially on was a plausible reason for her to be there. But Jefferey had spent enough time around the Kelleys to have noticed she had paused a little longer when she glanced at his sketches and confirmed who he was working on from his Myriad-issued publicity photo of the East Side Provisional Team.

Kate had uncovered it when doing the research her mother had assigned her. Her knowing look made Jefferey wonder what else she had uncovered.

Liza Morgan’s jaw would drop if she had seen the source photo he was looking at now—the one Boyfriend had sent of him and Emi Shaw of them. He could not bring it to RISD for the obvious reason that it was not for public display.

At least, not yet.

The photograph he was working from was Kate’s 16 x 20 print—framed and matted (She had gone to the shop with a photo of her and John then swapped the one he had surreptitiously printed for her on one of the photo printers at RISD.). All five of them—Kate included, had thought it silly to get the photo printed and framed only a week into their relationship.

Then they saw the print—and Boyfriend’s smile.

And her’s.

He glanced over at Kate, who was lying down on her stomach and reading. She was slowly swinging her legs. She had been doing since she was six and it signaled she was really into what she was reading—focused enough that she was less aware of the world around her (Only Momma Two and Boyfriend were sharper than her.).

Jefferey smiled softly, tapping his way to a blank canvas on the new large screen iPad Pro that nominally the Kelleys had gotten for him. Kate had hinted that it was specifically from Boyfriend, who had come into some money along with his new role.

Once Kate figured out that he was Dee, they were able to put enough pieces together that they were able to discover just how much money—in general terms—he had come into.

Having seen those numbers, Jefferey felt much more comfortable about the gift and what it had cost.

He quickly sketched Kate’s form, trying to decide which cut of dress would be the most comfortable for her while she lounges and read. The thought of having her disappear entirely from his life was a painful one—one that John’s new romantic attachment was forcing him to consider. His and Kate’s romantic attachments in high school had never caused a problem but none of them had been serious—no matter what level of fooling around they had gotten up to with the men that had passed through their lives.

How they laughed when, comparing notes, they discovered they had both kissed the same boy.

Boyfriend, on the other hand, was always serious, which had been a double edged sword for him. The girls had appreciated that he took them seriously as people. But that same serious earnestness had made him a little intimidating as a romantic partner.

And now, for the first time, he was bringing a girl home. His earnestness would not be intimidating for her and, Jefferey guessed, was endearing in its own way but Jefferey understood how vulnerable it left him to Emi Shaw.

He looked down and realized he was sketching something that had begun to look more like a bridesmaid’s dress than the kind of casual number Kate might wear around the house.

Kate, and her hopes for her brother and herself, were getting to him—despite his best efforts to be the more rational one in this matter. There was no doubt she was enjoying this turn of events. And if she could get Emilia Shaw to take part in the trick she was planning on Boyfriend, it would be a story for the ages. But he had been around Kate long enough to sense her hopes for her and for him.

Jefferey quickly added a couple splashes of color to his sketch—no sense in wasting a good design—and switched back to his homework before he let himself get too invested in his hopes John’s potential future.