Free Foxe Hunt by Haley Walsh

anyone gave me those?” he asked innocently.
    Rick Flores sauntered in and stared at the flowers as he slid into his front row seat. “Whoo hoo. Check out the flowers. A Foxe hunt 59
    secret admirer?” He looked toward Alex at the back of the class and winked.
    Heather sat as Amber joined her and pouted, looking at the spray of anthuriums, birds of paradise, orchids, and harakeke.
    “He won’t say. The man is being coy. I wonder if it’s a teacher here.”
    Another round of “oohs” and whistles accompanied that and Skyler, unable to stop blushing, launched himself from his chair and headed for the front of his desk, ostensibly to begin teaching but hoping to hide the large bouquet from view.
    “Enough speculation. Just leave my personal life out of it.”
    Amber nodded her head with finality and glared at everyone in the room. Of course he knew she didn’t want to own up to the fact staring her in the face that Skyler had interests elsewhere.
    “We’re going to see the second half of Some Like it Hot today, remember?” He wheeled the TV into position and slipped in the DVD. With the remote he found the place they left off Friday and started the movie.
    He snuck to the back of the class and noticed Keith walking by the windows in the corridor, peeking in. Skyler slipped out the backdoor and caught Keith by the sleeve. The taller man turned a brilliant smile on him. “Hey, Skyler.”
    His stomach gave a little swoop and he smiled up at Keith.
    “Hi. Thanks for the flowers.”
    “You’re welcome.” He stepped closer but seemed to catch himself. He glanced back at the class through the window. Skyler looked too but they all seemed enthralled by the glow of the TV.
    “So have you thought about getting together tonight?”
    His spirits plummeted. God how he wanted to! “Oh… A friend had a really awful thing happen and I think I have to be available to him.”
    Keith’s face fell. “Oh. Well…naturally you have to be available.
    To him.”
    There was a hint in his tone that Skyler chose to ignore.
    60 Haley Walsh
    “Maybe tomorrow night?” Skyler suggested.
    “That might work out. I’ll let you know.”
    They stood awkwardly for another moment, Keith leaning toward him seeming to want to touch. But Keith finally turned, and with a little embarrassed wave, left.
    Skyler watched him go, wondering for the umpteenth time if his seeing another teacher on the sly was such a good idea. Take it slow , he told himself. Play it cool .
    § § §
    When Skyler got home after class he set the delivered flowers from Keith beside the other flowers the man had brought for their date, then kicked off his shoes. He tried to call Jeff one more time but got his voice mail yet again.
    Sighing, he fixed himself a dinner of pasta with fresh tomato, garlic, and basil. He washed it down with a little Pinot Grigio and took a full wine glass with him to his desk and began reading and correcting essays.
    The phone rang. Relieved, Skyler dived for it, but it wasn’t Jeff. It was Philip. “Oh. It’s you.”
    “Well thanks a lot,” said Philip.
    “No, I’m sorry. I thought it was Jeff.” And he told the whole terrible story.
    “My God, Skyler. That’s horrible.”
    “Yeah. I was sort of hanging around keeping the evening open in case Jeff called me. I feel so bad for him. For both of them.”
    “Well, it’s about ten now. Do you think he’s going to call?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Want me to come over and keep you company?”
    Skyler looked around the lonely apartment and decided that company was a good idea. “Yeah. Come on up.”
    Philip arrived not too long after. The large exotic spray of Foxe hunt 61
    flowers sitting next to the smaller arrangement on the kitchen counter dominated the room. “I didn’t know I was supposed to bring flowers.”
    “Oh,” Skyler said, toying with the petals on the small autumn bouquet. “Keith brought this on Saturday. For our date.”
    “And this one?”
    “Um…Keith sent