"Hey, if it's you, it's an unnecessary casualty by definition," he said quietly -- the closest he would let himself come to lecturing.

Her question startled him, and he spun away in his chair slightly. "I don't know. I thought I could just stay the summer and take a break from real life," he confessed. "But turns out I really like teaching, and I love this crazy place. I might re-up for the fall and see how I feel in January."

"You have to go in a few weeks, don't you?" He sounded almost shy.