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“Tell me, Charlotte, did Brynn spend the night at Stanley’s house a few days ago? I saw them together, and when I tried to check in with her, she blew me off.”
“Uh . . .” Charlotte’s gaze darts to Brynn and she winces as she says, “I don’t think so?”
“That’s what you want?” Brynn glares so hard it’s a miracle her eyes don’t pop from their sockets. “You’re unbelievable, but you can relax. Nothing happened.Now,will you leave me alone?”
I drop my arm from her shoulders and face her straight on again. “He’s a terrible kisser, am I right? Is that why you didn’t go back to his place? Too much tongue? He looks like the kind of man who would swallow your whole face if you let him.”
Brynn rolls her eyes. “For your information, not all girls just sleep with a guy because they can. Some wait.”
“Fish lips? I bet he does the fish lips thing?” I purse my lips. “I can see Douche Dick being a fucking goldfish.”
Brynn growls and shoves an angry hand through her hair. I watch the movement like a man mesmerized. “He has no problem in the kissing department, okay? Gosh, why do you even care so much, anyway?”
I grin, because getting a rise out of Brynn Nichols is one of my favorite pastimes and she’s getting more frustrated by the minute. I’m like a kid at Christmas and when I don’t answer, she screws up her face and asks, “Did you actually need something from this encounter or did you just want to stop and torture me?”
Fucked if I know. I’m starting to wonder myself . . .
“I just wanted to check in and make sure you’re okay. If you’d answer my texts, you’d know that, and I wouldn’t have to hunt you down to see for myself.”
“Trust me, I won’t make that mistake again.” The muscle in her jaw twitches. “You came. You conquered. Now can you leave?”
“With pleasure,” I say when I spot Chris and Damon, AU’s quarterback. “See you ladies later. Don’t be a stranger, Charlotte,” I say, pointing toward her as I jog over to join my teammates.
I reach Damon first, and he offers me a fist bump before he cranes his neck to peer over my shoulder. “Bro, who are the hot chicks?”
“Nobody you need to know,” I snap.
Chris snorts. “The blonde is off-limits. Trust me. You don’t wanna go there.”
I don’t correct him, even though it’s clear he’s insinuating I’m into her. But he’s right about one thing: Brynnisoff-limits. Chris can think what he wants, but the last thing I need are any of the assholes on the team getting any ideas. I know what they’re like. I’ve been playing football since I was ten. I’ve spent more hours in a locker room over the years than I’d care to admit, and there’s one thing I know for certain: we’re all a bunch of horny assholes. Despite giving her a hard time, Brynn is too good for all of us. So, I might as well be up front about the fact that she’s a no-fly zone. Plenty of other runways where they can land their planes.
“So what’s the plan for tonight?” I ask. It’s been a hard week of practice and after fretting over Brynn ignoring my texts all week like a fucking girl, I’m ready to let loose, have a little fun. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to get my mind on another chick for a change. All this keeping tabs on Brynn is screwing with my head.
“We were just talking about that.” Chris lifts a chin toward Damon.
“There’s a party at Psi Delta. It’s supposed to be pretty chill, mostly brothers and some of the team. It’s kind of a feeler to see who might want to rush next year. They’re always trying to get athletes.”
I nod. Several of the guys on the team are Psi Delta and they’ve tossed around the idea of freshmen checking it out. I have no interest in a fraternity, myself. My teammates have always been my brothers, and no one can replace my crew from Riverside. We’re still tight despite the distance between us. But I’m not opposed to a frat party. A change of pace and free beer would be nice. “I’m game.”
“Cool.” Chris glances down at the leather watch strapped to his wrist. “I’ve gotta jet. Family thing. But I’ll see you two assholes later?”
“I’ll drop by your place before ten and we’ll head out,” Damon adds.
I slap him on the back and turn to head for the apartments. “Sounds like a plan. Later,” I call out, as we all head out separate ways.
Once I reach the apartment, I unlock it and head inside. It’s quiet, and I make my way to the living room where I turn on the television, preferring the background noise to silence. My legs twitch as I head into the kitchen and peer into the nearly empty fridge before grabbing a protein drink and closing it again. I pop the lid off and take a sip of the chalky liquid, antsy as I peer out the window into the empty street below, wondering what the hell to do with myself until the party tonight.
Practice this morning kicked my ass, so the gym is out. I know by now Chris will be gone for the remainder of the day. Most days, it’s like I don’t even have a roommate. Unlike Brynn’s misfortune, I couldn’t have asked for a more chill dude to livewith, but he’s originally from the Ann Arbor area, which means he’s always traveling to and from campus, headed to see family and friends and helping out at his old high school job. He may as well commute for how much he’s gone.
Most guys my age would probably welcome the solitude of having an apartment to themselves, but the truth is I resent the solitude. Though I would never admit this to anyone, prior to college, I was looking forward to having a roommate. Living alone is something I’m all too familiar with. Without any siblings at home and my parents gone all the time, too busy with work or traveling to act like they had a son, most of my time spent inside the four walls of my home was spent alone. The only adult interaction I got throughout the week was either with Harriet, our housekeeper, or the time spent at the Nichols household, which was the complete opposite of mine.
With Teagan, Brynn, and their other little sisters, there was never a dull moment at their place. It’s vibrant, full of life, and you can always find someone to talk to. It’s half the reason I spent so much time there, although it didn’t hurt that Teagan’s parents—Nikki and Joe—were more than welcoming. They’d practically adopted me throughout the school year. I often wondered if it was part of the reason Brynn hates me so much. Maybe she was sick of sharing her family and having me around.
I take another sip of my shake, then make my way into the living room and sink down into the leather sofa. My parents paid a lot of money to furnish and decorate the place before I moved in. It was their way of showing me their love, I guess. Or their way of stifling the guilt of never being there when it counted. Who the hell knows. To them, material things always come first. They’d rather shell out thousands of dollars for furniture and a decorator to come and set the place up for me, rather than actually help move me in themselves and make the place a home.
I scrub a hand over my face, then pull out my phone, needing a little levity to counter the serious direction my thoughts are headed in so I start a group chat with the guys. It’s only been two weeks since my friends and I all left Riverside, going in different directions to different schools, and I miss those assholes like I’d miss a fucking hand.
ME: College football is no joke. I want a refund.
