“Please, professor?”

“C’mom, it just isn’t fair! We’re paying for ourselves.”

“It’ll only take a minute, promise!”

The many voices of the students overlapped one another as they begged Professor Davis to let them make a pit stop in their field trip and grab some beverages from a nearby restaurant. Overwhelmed, the older man waved his hands, sighing loudly.

“Okay, alright, fine, yes, I see your point.” Professor Davis scratched at his stubble, grimacing. “But, I’d rather you not storm the restaurant, so I need someone responsible to collect the drinks and order.” His gaze landed on a dark-haired male standing nearby, and he smiled. “Corey, would you mind helping me out?”

Corey perked up at the sound of his name, a smile quickly spreading over his lips. “Not at all, professor,” he reassured. “I’ll have it done in a jiffy.” He started to go around with a notepad and pen, asking for people’s orders. When he got to you, his expression flattened. “Ah, yes, hello,” he said dryly. “Yeah, tell me what you want. I’ll get it.”

A few minutes later, Corey came back out, several trays of drinks in his hands. It was actually kind of impressive how well he balanced them all. “One for you, another for you, four for you. Geez, you’ve got cash to burn.” Corey cleared his throat, handing you your drink. “And here’s yours, I suppose.”

His brows scrunched together a bit, and he gestured for you to come a little closer, his voice dropping lower.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier this week,” Corey murmured, “about your request for us to fake date for that party your friend is forcing you to go to. I’ll do it, as long as you pay me.” He paused. “And I hope you’re not expecting me to be romantic.”