As she recounted the day’s events with her best friend in front of the school bookstore, Kayden began to wonder if the new TA position would be a mistake.

“He also wants me to call him Misha, now.”

Aisha’s lips parted in awe. “What? So, he’s telling you he considers you his equal.”

Legs crossed atop the cushion of the bench she sat on, Kayden fiddled with the latte in her hands, watching the ice dance. “I didn’t see it that way, but I guess you’re right.” She slouched even further until she rested her elbows on her thighs. “Except he will be my boss, not my equal. If he expects me to act like a colleague instead of his employee, that could be a problem.” She bit her lip and mumbled, “I’m already a bit too friendly with him.”

“That’s definitely what it sounds like.” She fidgeted with the end of her blue hijab anxiously.

“I already turned in the paperwork, but honestly…” She hesitated, bringing the straw to her lips. “I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t have.” Drinking the caffeine did the opposite of calm her.

“I have to admit,” Aisha lifted her hot tea to her mouth. ”I definitely agree with you there.” Glancing away, she took a sip.

Astonished, Kayden’s eyes shot sideways in an attempt to meet her friend’s gaze. “What? Why?”

Aisha gave her a stern look in response. “Oh come on. It’s like you forget I was in that class with you. For one—“ she jutted out her thumb to begin a list “—he’s closer in age to you than you are to most students.”

“Don’t exaggerate.”

“Two—” she extended her index finger next “—it’s a male-dominated department… and a small one, at that.” Her middle finger went up for her final point. “And three: I have witnessed with my own eyeballs you flirting with Kaiser. How exactly are you going to be able to keep your cool, seeing him every day and talking to him alone in his office without drawing suspicion?”

With a grumble, Kayden sat upright, placing her feet on the linoleum floor and wiggling her torso to flex and stretch her spine. “I don’t flirt with him…like, not obviously anyway…and I’ve been in his office alone with him before.”

Aisha’s lips parted in stunned laughter. “Girl… you stare at his butt literally every single time he turns around! And the way you look at him…smile at him…even just the way you say his name. And, oh yeah, touching him so casually…”

Huffing, she hid her eyes in her open palm. “Oh my god.”

She shrugged. “To be fair, you have had a whole semester in his class without me to witness it, so maybe you don’t do it anymore, but you definitely had a tone when I was around. It was pretty obvious.” She took another sip of tea.

Kayden ran her hand over her forehead and laced her fingers through her hair, flipping the curls back off of her face. “Great, so I assume everyone else noticed, too, and when they see me as his TA...”

Without hesitation, Aisha proposed a solution. “I suggest you get a boyfriend.”

Sighing, Kayden stirred the ice around her cup again, staring intensely at the liquid rather than meeting her friend’s eyes. “I don’t want to date, and I’m not going to fake a relationship, especially not to appease any sexist assumptions about my position as TA.”

“You could always try being a more devout Mormon.”

Kayden glared at her friend sardonically. “Yeah, cause converting for convenience worked so well the first time that I should try again.” The last thing she wanted to do was relive her time as a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints—who comes up with such a long-ass name for a religion, anyway?

Aisha threw up a hand as she shrugged. “Hey, I’m just saying that you’ll get less scrutiny if people think you’re a prude.”

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arm over her chest to grip her other arm defensively. “It’s not my job to police people’s toxic ideas.”

“It might be when your actual job is at risk. And your academic reputation.”

Another sip of coffee. “People will be judgey regardless.”

“Well, speaking of judgey: my parents don’t want me to stay here this summer because they think I’m spending too much time with a heathen.”

Kayden grinned wryly. “They’re not wrong.”

“If I don’t prove I’m dedicated to my scripture and prayer, they won’t pay for me to go here anymore. If you pretend to be more devout and godly, you’ll be helping us both out.”

She pouted playfully, eyebrows furrowed in fake concern. “But my wardrobe’s not cut out for godliness.”

Aisha aggressively thumped a palm down on the faux leather cushion. “Kayden, please be serious! They’ll send me to BYU!”

Now her pout was genuine. “Okay, fine. I don’t want you to go to BYU either.” She hung her head again, staring at her own shoes. “I’ll text Stephanie about maybe going to church with her over summer.”

That appeased her. “Thank you.”

Kayden lifted her gaze, straightened her spine and pointed a semi-lecturing finger at her. “However, you really need to start standing up for yourself. They’re your parents, but you’re allowed to be your own person. You don’t have to obey them into adulthood.” She slouched again. “Plus I can’t play the ‘good Mormon’ full-time.”

Aisha waved her palm dismissively while sipping her tea. “Yeah, yeah. That’s easy for you to say. I’ll figure it out eventually.”