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I motioned to my ear, and Ander leaned closer, shouting to be heard over the volume of the music. It was lucky that the Mansions, the row we lived on, was made up of student houses. A street of large Victorian double-fronted residences, they were more or less identical in layout. Tonight, the residents of number 3 were throwing a party for their neighbour Tina’s birthday—one of the housemates of number 5—and I was several drinks in already. Truth be told, I wasn’t a big drinker, but after the confusing interaction I’d had this morning, I needed it. Just enough that I could relax, not enough that I’d have a hangover tomorrow. I couldn’t afford to get wasted, not when I had so much on my plate. Between my dance degree, work, volunteering, my packed social life, and the time I spent with my grandma, there wasn’t time for anything that would keep me out of action.
“I said, what’s on your mind?” he repeated, and I raised a shoulder in a lazy shrug.
“Nothing in particular. Man trouble.” I glanced over at Elliot, who was playing poker with several of our housemates and people from number 3 and 5, his bottom lip pulled between his teeth as he contemplated his hand of cards. “Not that you have to worry about such things anymore.”
He smirked at me. “I never had to worry about man trouble, but girl trouble, yeah. What’s the matter? Someone being clingy? Won’t take no for an answer?”
“Mmm, not exactly.” Was it clingy if Ander’s standoffish, supposedly uptight lecturer showed up at my dance rehearsal? Clingy wasn’t the right word for it. “He’s…confusing.”
Ander threw his arm across my shoulders, gesturing at the crowds. “No need for confusion when you have all these options. You’re a great kisser—I should know. Go and treat someone to your expertise.”
“Aww, babe. It sounds like you’re angling for a repeat of our kiss.” I laughed when he pulled a face at me. “I’m joking. That was…a bizarre experience.”
“You can say that again. At least it helped me to realise that Elliot was the one I enjoyed kissing.”
“Yeah. You’re welcome for that.” My distracted gaze landed on a guy standing in the corner of the room, arms folded across his chest. “You invited Finn?”
Ander followed my gaze, his brows pulling together. “I didn’t invite him specifically, but the whole football team was invited. You can’t expect him to stay away.”
I jabbed a manicured finger into his chest. “Just keep him away from me. Far away.”
“You need to stop holding a grudge.” With an eye roll, Ander dropped his arm from my shoulders. “He threw up on you during freshers’ week, JJ. That was, like, eighteen months ago!”
“He ruined my shoes. They were a limited-edition Nike and Gucci collab. They were irreplaceable!”
“Oh, bloody hell, you’re not still complaining about those shoes, are you?” Another of our neighbours, Liam, came strolling over, his arm slung around his boyfriend’s waist.
“You can fuck off,” I told him in the politest way possible. Speaking of grudges, I could swear the guy still held a grudge against me for daring to flirt with his boyfriend before they were even officially together. When I gave him a sweet smile, he glared at me. Yep, he definitely still held a grudge.
His boyfriend elbowed him in the side, and his glare instantly melted away, replaced with a sheepish look. “Sorry, JJ.” When his boyfriend kissed his cheek, he flushed, a smile curving over his lips, and it made me smile, too. Fuck the bastard for being so cute that I’d forgive him for acting like an asshole.
A sudden thought struck me, and I gasped out loud, clasping my hands to my chest. “Fucking hell! I’m the fairy godmother, aren’t I?”
Three sets of eyes swung to me, the expressions ranging from amusement to confusion.
“You two.” I pointed between Liam and his boyfriend, Noah. “If it hadn’t been for me flirting with Noah, you’d never have got your shit together.”
“Bit of a stretch,” Liam muttered, but I was still talking, my attention going to Ander.
“You. Where do I begin? The kiss. Revolve. Sid. A shoulder to lean on.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re our fairy godmother and my joint snail dad.” Ander pressed a loud, exaggerated kiss to my cheek. “When does the fairy godmother get his own prince?”
I drew myself up to my full height. “This fairy godmother doesn’t need a prince. There are too many frogs—aka hot boys—to kiss. See you all later.” With that parting shot, I whirled around dramatically and stalked off. I had no destination in mind, but the conversation had reminded me of one thing. There were plenty of hot guys out there, and tonight, I was going to make the most of it.
An hour later, I was teetering in the space between tipsy and drunk, so I’d switched to water. I’d made a circuit of the house, but no one had caught my eye. This was a dire situation.
Making a snap decision, I opened HookdLDN, the local hook-up app, scrolling to see who was nearby. Ooh…someone was in my vicinity. A new person. Tapping on their profile, I scrolled through the pictures they’d added. Mmm, yeah, they’d do. No headshots, but as long as they were reasonably good at sucking dick, I’d take it.
Instead of going into my messages, I took a closer look at the photos, noting their build and the defining features on show—hands, tattooed arms, thick thighs… Then, I placed my phone back in my pocket and aimed for the centre of the lounge, taking a good look at every guy I passed. This was going to be a treasure hunt.
I hit the jackpot when I reached the first-floor landing. Discreetly checking my phone, I compared the photos with the guy slouching against the wall, a joint hanging from his lips. His short-sleeved T-shirt meant his tattoos were on show, and yep, they matched the pictures. He wasn’t my usual type, but he was pretty hot and, according to his profile, into sucking cock.
Perfect.
Coming to a stop in front of him, I plucked the joint from his lips and put it out against the wall, ignoring his shout of protest. “You won’t be needing that anymore.”
“What the fuck?”
