Previously…
– Robbie gave Christian the hard press to go home with him and hook up, but Christian said he wasn’t ready. He later wondered if he’d blown it by trying to slow things down.
– Diane and Isaac finally went out to dinner for a proper date.
– After discovering that Claire and Tim had slept together, Tempest was unable to keep the news to herself and rushed to share it with Samantha. 
– When Trevor confronted Finn about having been in contact with Objection board member Katherine Fitch, Finn threw him off the scent by kissing him. Trevor later decided not to tell Alex about the kiss.

Trevor Brooks stands behind his desk on the eighteenth floor of Winston Tower, packing up his leather messenger bag. He is double-checking the inside pocket for his wallet when he hears someone entering the office, and he looks up to see Finn Campbell in the doorway.

“There you are,” Finn says. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Recalling the unexpected kiss that Finn planted on him the last time they spoke, Trevor’s mouth suddenly goes dry.

“I’ve been at that marketing offsite,” he says.

“I figured. So I guess that means you aren’t avoiding me?”

Finn folds his arms and looks back at Trevor, who finds his brain as empty as it could possibly be; he has envisioned numerous versions of a follow-up encounter with Finn, but now all those mental scripts are nowhere to be found.

“I haven’t been avoiding you,” Trevor says. “But I do think we should talk.”

“Yeah. Same.”

Without prompting, Finn closes the door, sealing the two men inside the office. With the overhead lights turned off and the sun outside obscured by a foggy springtime gloom, the work of lighting the space is left to the standing lamp in one corner. The result is an intimate atmosphere that sets Trevor even more on-edge.

“What happened the other day,” he blurts out. “It can’t–“

“I know. I’m sorry.” Finn clasps his hands together in front of his body. “Kissing you was impulsive and dumb of me. I just thought… I don’t know. You’re not angry at me, are you?”

“Angry? No. But I’m a married man, Finn. And we work together. And I’m your landlord. There are way too many complications here.”

Finn’s head dips forward in a sort of nod of resignation. “I know. I got swept up in the moment. But the thing is…”

Trevor waits, narrowing his eyes at the other man.

“The way you were questioning me about Gia and Katherine Fitch,” Finn says, “made me feel like you– like you don’t trust me at all.”

“So you kissed me?”

“Like I said the other day, it sounded like Alex was putting a bug in your ear about me being untrustworthy, or up to something, and I thought it might be because he sensed something between us.”

Trevor frowns. His own heated conversations with Alex about Finn fill his head now. He hates that Finn wasn’t that far off-base, that he can see through Trevor’s composed facade and recognized that the attraction between them is mutual.

“Alex noticed something odd and mentioned it to me,” Trevor says. “That’s all. I decided to ask you about it because you are a friend and someone I care about.”

“And I screwed it all up by kissing you when I shouldn’t have.”

“You didn’t screw anything up. We can put that behind us and not feel weird about it, okay?”

“Really?”

“Really. I just need you to tell me one thing,” Trevor tells him.

“Okay,” Finn says. “What’s that?”

“Are you sure Gia hasn’t put you up to something sketchy involving the Objection board?”

—–

Christian Taylor descends the short concrete staircase leading down to the sunken courtyard. The dull gray blanket of sky hangs over the campus of King’s Bay University, and Christian — who is wearing only a long-sleeved t-shirt — shivers slightly against the chill in the air as he scurries through the courtyard to the entrance to the campus bookstore. Once inside, he peers around to get an idea of where he might find the no-doubt overpriced office supplies, since he needs a pair of scissors to complete a project but can’t find the ones that he knows used to exist in his and Caleb‘s dorm room. Just as he locates a sign indicating that office supplies are on the back wall, he notices someone sitting at one of the small tables at the front of the store — and that person has already noticed him.

“Hi,” Robbie Wimbiscus says, a little awkwardly, as he looks up from the textbook spread open in front of him.

Christian swallows the lump that has formed in his throat. He was so excited to have met Robbie after their somewhat impromptu first hangout, but their text message exchanges since have left a lot to be desired, and he assumed the older guy was blowing him off.

“Hey, Robbie,” he says in as even a tone as he can muster. “How are you?”

“I’m good. Studying for my Art History class.” Robbie picks up a highlighter that is sitting on top of the open book and twirls it in his fingers. “Sorry I’ve been such a crappy texter. I forget to look at my phone all the time, and…”

“It’s no big deal. Don’t worry about it.” Christian forces a smile. “I should get going. I have to grab some scissors–“

“Are you sure you don’t have a few minutes?” Robbie asks.

Christian, who has already begun to flee the scene, stops with his body half-turned away from the table. But he doesn’t know what he is supposed to say now.

“I’d love it if you joined me,” Robbie says, indicating the empty chair across from himself. “What do you say?”

—–

Chase Marshall Brooks tugs on his father’s hand. “Daddy! Can I go see Braden and Graydon?”

Alex Marshall scans the auditorium of the elementary school, where students, families, and faculty have gathered for the afternoon’s theatre production, a school-wide presentation of various fairy tales. When he sees Chase’s friends with their own parents, Alex raises a hand and waves.

“Go ahead,” Alex says. “Just stay where I can see you, all right?”

Without responding, Chase darts off to join his friends. Alex turns back toward Tempest and Isaac Banks, who have come to watch their little brother perform in the kindergarten class’s presentation today.

“He has friends named Braden and Graydon?” Isaac asks with a smirk.

“That’s some white nonsense if I ever heard it,” Tempest says, which elicits a laugh from both Alex and Isaac.

“You have no idea how many different spellings of ‘Mackenzie’ there are in his class,” Alex tells them. “Helping Chase make Valentines for all his classmates kind of hurt my brain.”

“You can point ’em all out to us during the play,” Isaac says.

The three gaze out over the rows of chairs set up facing the auditorium’s stage. Clusters of people stand around talking and laughing, and the din of conversation fills the large space.

“Chase is so excited that you both came to watch him,” Alex says. “He kept asking us last night if you’d be able to recognize him with his costume on.”

“It’s cool we get to see him do his thing,” Tempest says.

Alex laughs. “Yeah, he’s been working really hard on his three lines.”

“He’s gonna be awesome,” Isaac says. “But man, it’s so weird to think I have a little brother in kindergarten. Definitely didn’t expect to be spending my time at school plays when I first got to King’s Bay.”

Tempest sticks out her tongue at her older brother. “Yeah, ‘cuz you came here only to see Diane. And look how that’s working out.”

“What have I missed?” Alex asks.

“My big bro finally went on a date with Diane,” Tempest explains. “And it sounds like there’s gonna be more.”

“It’s definitely possible there’ll be more dates,” Isaac demurs. “I don’t wanna speak for Diane–“

“Oh, please. You know she’s into you the same way you’re into her,” Tempest says.

Isaac lifts his eyebrows at his sister. “Maybe you should stop teasing me and focus on your own love life. What about your lunch with Samantha the other day?”

“Okay, I’m intrigued,” Alex says. “Just how much have I missed?”

“My sister and her ex went out for lunch the other day,” Isaac explains.

“It was lunch! We’re friends,” Tempest says.

Alex sidles up next to Isaac so that the two can face Tempest down.

“Are you sure that’s all it was?” Alex asks.

“I’m sure.” Tempest shakes her head. “Definitely. Sam’s the one who broke up with me. I shot my shot a couple times to get her back. She picked Jaq.”

“Jaq is long gone,” Isaac reminds her.

“But Sam didn’t want to get back together with me even after they broke up,” Tempest says. “After everything we’ve gone through, even being friends is a miracle. Maybe that’s enough.”

“And maybe you owe it to yourself to see if that old spark is still there,” Alex says. “What’s there to lose?”

Tempest rolls her eyes. “Shouldn’t we go check on Chase? Braden and Aiden and whoever might be distracting him…”

“Uh-huh.” Isaac’s voice is rich with amusement as Tempest goes off to join Chase and his friends.

“What do you think?” Alex asks. “Do we need to work a little matchmaking magic to help those two get out of their own way?”

“I think you might be onto something there,” Isaac says.

—–

A few minutes later, in the university bookstore, Christian and Robbie sit across from one another, talking.

“It’s okay,” Christian says. “I’ve been busy, too. The morning after we hung out, I had to be in court…”

Robbie leans forward. “Court? Like traffic court? Or are you some kind of bad boy and just hide it really well?”

“No, not for me. For my parents.”

“Who are your parents? Bonnie and Clyde?”

Christian chuckles. “Not even close. My dad is a cop, actually. Or the cop. He’s the police commander. And my mom–“

“Wait, your dad is the police commander?” Robbie interjects. “Then that means your mom is — that lady who was on trial for shooting the Footprint Killer a few years back, right?”

“Wow. You know your local news.”

“That story was kind of hard to miss.”

“Try living in the midst of it,” Christian says. “I was still pretty young, but the killer — he was my mom’s ex. Two of the people he killed were my grandpa and my uncle.”

“Wow. I’m sorry,” Robbie says somberly.

“Thanks.” A momentary hush falls between them. “Anyway, I’ve had a lot of family stuff going on.”

“Well, I’m really glad I ran into you. I’ll be better about texting in the future, too. You’re cool, Christian. And really, really cute.”

Christian feels his cheeks flush. “I don’t know about that…”

“You are. Seriously.” Robbie reaches across the table and tilts Christian’s chin upward, forcing him to make eye contact. “How urgent is this project you need the scissors for?”

“It’s due at the end of the week. I just want to get it done.”

“Turns out I have a pair of scissors at my place that you’re welcome to borrow,” Robbie says. “What do you say? Want to come over and pick them up?”

—–

In his office at Objection, Trevor stands behind his desk, waiting for Finn to answer his question.

“Your silence is kind of deafening,” he finally says.

“Don’t take it like that,” Finn responds. “I just… I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s a pretty clear question, Finn. Does Gia have you doing something sketchy or not? It’s no secret she doesn’t want Molly coming back.”

“I don’t know. Okay? That’s the most I can say.”

“It sounds like you do know something.”

“Trevor, do you know what a brand-new executive assistant makes? Not a ton. I’m trying to keep my job here. This has been a huge break, but it’s not like it’s made me rich.”

Trevor finds himself nodding along. “I understand that. But if you know about some plot Gia’s cooked up–“

“I know that she’s had me make phone calls to some board members and put calls from some of them through to her,” Finn says. “That’s my job. It isn’t that weird for the CCO to chat with board members.”

“No… but she’s the interim CCO, and it’s not like there’s anything pressing going on that requires the board’s input.”

Finn shrugs. “This ‘interim’ thing has been going on for a long time. There’s no telling when Molly will be back — or if the board will feel confident in reinstating her.”

“Do you think Gia is trying to convince the board to replace Molly with her permanently?” Trevor asks.

“I have no idea! This is all way above my pay grade, Trevor. I’m trying not to lose my job or a good reference for my next job.”

“If Gia asks you to do anything unethical, don’t worry about the reference. I can always be your reference.”

“Oh. Well, thank you. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Me, too.”

“But I appreciate it,” Finn continues. “And I’m sorry about that kiss. It was stupid. If you want to just forget that it happened, we can.”

“I think that would be best.”

“Okay. It’s forgotten.” Finn holds up both palms, as if to show that they are empty. “Never happened.”

“Great. Promise me that you’ll come to me if Gia asks you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable,” Trevor says. “That woman is a shark.”

“Sometimes you have to be.” Finn reaches for the door handle and pulls open the door.

“I’ll walk out with you.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have to meet Alex at Chase’s school. They’re putting on a play,” Trevor tells him. “Every grade is doing a different fairy tale. Should be wild.”

“That sounds like a crazy time,” Finn says with a laugh. “And don’t worry about Alex — he will never, ever know about what happened.”

“Good. Thanks again.”

The men step out of the office, and Trevor gives Finn a wave before turning the corner and heading toward the lobby. As the sounds of phones ringing and fingers typing on keyboards punctuate the air throughout the office, Finn watches Trevor depart.

“Looks like we’re going to have to move faster than we’d planned,” he says under his breath.

—–

After about a ten-minute walk from campus, Christian and Robbie arrive at a four-unit apartment building with chipped gray paint on its exterior. Robbie leads the way down a walkway to the left side of the building and then stops at a door labeled with the numeral 2.

“This is it,” he says as he unlocks the door. “Try not to be too impressed.”

Christian smiles as the tall, slender man holds open the door to let him into the apartment. He feels his heartbeat quickening once he realizes that he is alone with a virtual stranger in an unfamiliar home.

“This is cute,” Christian says, trying to present as calm on the outside as he takes in the space. The small living room is dark, but there is a brown leather sofa in good condition against one wall and a large flatscreen TV perched on a console across the room. The slightly scratched oak coffee table doesn’t exactly match the rest of the decor, but everything appears to be clean and in good condition; nothing about the place screams “serial killer.”

“I think the scissors are in the kitchen drawer,” Robbie says, and he ducks into the small kitchen, whose countertops are at least 20 years out of date. “But if you aren’t in a hurry… do you want something to drink?”

Christian hesitates. Although he has had alcohol before, he isn’t sure it is a good idea right now.

“Oh. I…”

“I’m not serving booze to someone underage,” Robbie jumps in. “But I have La Croix. And a Keurig.”

“Oh, um, sparkling water is great. Yeah.”

Robbie returns from the kitchen with two cans and hands one to Christian. They each pop their can open.

“To an unexpected run-in,” Robbie says.

“Cheers.”

Christian feels nervousness vibrating throughout his body as he takes a sip of the sparkling water.

“Here,” Robbie says, holding out his hand. “Give me your phone.”

“What? No–“

“I’m gonna type in my address so you can text it to whoever you want. Would that make you feel less weird about being here?”

Feeling caught, Christian freezes, but finally he says, “Yeah. I guess so.”

“Then gimme.”

He hands over the iPhone, and Robbie quickly adds his address to his contact card.

“Text that to your best friend or your mom or whoever,” Robbie says. “I’m serious. No one who has any intention of hurting you would offer that up.”

“Okay. I see your point.” Christian giggles nervously and then wonders if he sounded too juvenile or girly, but Robbie doesn’t seem to notice. Christian thinks about it for a moment and then decides to send the address to Bree, along with the message that he’s working on a project off-campus and wants her to have the address “just in case.”

“Feel better now?” Robbie asks.

“I guess so. Yeah. Thanks.”

“Good.” Robbie grins at him. “Because if you don’t have anywhere to be this afternoon…”

Christian sucks in a sharp breath. He recognizes the gleam in Robbie’s eyes, despite never having been in a situation like this before.

Play it cool, Christian tells himself. Play it cool. Play it cool.

He manages to do so — at least, he thinks he does — as Robbie holds their eye contact and leans in, but as soon as Robbie presses his lips to Christian’s, every nerve in his body seems to explode. He has imagined so many times what it would be like to kiss someone, and now it’s actually happening. He gives in to his instincts, kissing Robbie back hungrily, and soon they are falling onto the couch together, making out feverishly as Robbie runs his hands all over Christian’s body.

END OF EPISODE 1180

Is Christian making a mistake by being with Robbie?
Should Alex and Isaac give Tempest a helpful nudge?
What are Finn and Gia going to do next?
Discuss all this and more in the comments below!

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