Ansel watched quietly as Helen questioned Lucio, impressed by his love's calm demeanor. He wasn't surprised; Lucio had shown he was capable of handling others without breaking a sweat, and seeing him do so here again only strengthened Ansel's affections.<br/><br/>"Ah, you must be a model," Deandra interjected, nodding her head confidently. "You know they have tutors and contact professors for private studies for models who are constantly working. I'm sure with a face like yours the photographers never stop calling you. And with Ansel's credentials, I don't think there's a better professor in Chicago to contact."<br/><br/>Ansel smiled, taking a long drink of his favorite bourbon before speaking. "Lucio did seek me out. As you can see, I would have regretted it immensely if I had refused him."<br/><br/>"I hope I'm not being crass," Oliver said, a beautiful man with closely cropped brown hair and a clean shaven face. His green eyes looked at Lucio shrewdly, as if he questioned the legitimacy of the young man's story. "I believe last time we saw you, you were dating a young lady. What was her name?"<br/><br/>"Petra," Ansel relied bluntly, taking another sip of bourbon.<br/><br/>"She's not with you?"<br/><br/>"No, Petra and I decided to go our separate ways." Ansel hadn't wanted to bring Petra up, not when he had neglected to tell Lucio about how Petra had left him the night before. Hopefully Lucio wouldn't question him about it later. He didn't want to think about her, talk about her. All he wanted was to enjoy his time with his love.<br/><br/>Oliver nodded and tipped his glass at Lucio. "And you, young man, you're picking up the pieces of Ansel's broken heart, I presume?"<br/><br/>Ansel scoffed and shrugged his shoulders, already annoyed with Oliver's tone. It was something he had always done, condescendingly speaking to any pretty thing Ansel brought around. Ansel wasn't known for having successful relationships, just for having a lot of sex. As far as Oliver was concerned, anyone Ansel fancied, female or not, was just a toy, not someone for him to take seriously.<br/><br/>"Lucio is doing no such thing as I am not broken."<br/><br/>"So you're serious about this one," Oliver said dubiously.<br/><br/>"I'm his as long as he'll have me."<br/><br/>"And you, Lucio, you're happy settling for an old man?" Deandra giggled, the champagne in her glass spilling lightly over the edge as she tipped it forward. "You could have any man you like, and you content yourself with an academic? You're not just trying to get a good grade out of him, are you?"