“You should let them help you out with that sex list,” says Ronnie, handing me the phone. “Sounds like they’d be into it.”
I stare at her, slack-jawed. She hit the bullseye and has no idea, and I’m not about to tell her.
“I’m heading to the shower.” Ronnie retrieves her shower caddy from where she had dropped it when she grabbed the paper from my desk. “If you’re gonna sext with them while I’m gone, put a hair tie on the door so I don’t interrupt.”
I glare at the door as it closes behind her, then return my attention to the phone screen. I need to answer, but I’m scared. I know they’re not just offering a movie night.
I sit there long enough that the door opens and Ronnie strides back in, wrapped in a bathrobe and hair dripping over her shoulders.
“Did you text them back?” she asks, setting her shower caddy on her desk and reaching for her hairbrush.
“Not yet.”
“Rebecca June Flynn, you text those cute nerds back right this minute and tell them you want another movie night, and this time you want it naked.”
I roll my eyes at her, and she grins cheekily and fluffs up her wet hair, attempting to gain a little volume. My phone buzzes again, and I dive for it.
“Don’t even try to tell me you haven’t thought about it.” Ronnie blows me a kiss as I check my phone. “I think you should go for it.”
The message, from Elliot, sends a swirl of butterflies through my midsection.We don’t want to pressure you. We’re just excited.
I take a deep breath and tap out a response.Movie night sounds great. I’ll bring the list.
Chapter Ten
It’s been a week since I saw the guys, and even though we’ve texted every day since I agreed to their sex list plan, I’m still nervous about meeting them. I’m not fully confident in how this whole arrangement is actually going to go.
When they text me to arrange a time to pick me up, Felix says,You can stay the night, if you want.
Do I want that? Dotheywant that? I hadn’t thought about what would happen after the sex stuff.
He sends a follow-up text while I’m thinking.We’d like it if you stayed, but if you don’t want to, we understand and will bring you home whenever you’re ready.
They’re so sweet. I don’t know if I’m ready for any of this, but I guess if I’m going over there to fool around, it can’t hurt to plan to stay the night. If I change my mind, I’m sure they’ll bring me back to the dorm.
I can stay the night, I tell them.
The typing bubble appears and disappears a few times before Lukas finally responds.We’re looking forward to it. See you at seven.
The guys had agreed to let me interview them for the article series I’m working on for class before driving over to their house for movie night, so we meet up at a coffee shop near my dorm after my last class. It’s much louder and harder to have a proper conversation than any of us expected it to be, so as soon as we’re done with our coffees we leave.
The drive over to their house is fairly quiet. They don’t talk much because I think they just need to decompress after the loud café and a full day of classes, and I’m quiet because without my interview questions to drive the conversation, all I can focus on is the rest of the evening. I’m nervous. I know what’s happening tonight, and I feel like I’m going to vibrate right out of my own skin with the anticipation.
Lukas won’t let me carry my own overnight bag in from the car, and I can feel my heart pounding as he sets it down at the base of the stairs, but then he walks right on into the kitchen as if this is the most normal night in the world.
“I’m glad we’re home where it’s quiet,” says Sebastian, following him into the kitchen. Felix and Elliot are close on his heels, so I trail behind them.
“I didn’t think the café would be so loud on a Friday night,” says Elliot, pulling nacho fixings out of the fridge and laying them out on the counter. “I expect that when we go to a party, but a café?”
“Next time we research better,” agrees Felix, grabbing a baking pan from the cupboard.
Sebastian pulls a bag of chips from the pantry and pours them onto the pan. Watching them go through the motions of their Friday night nacho routine, is fascinating. The way they move around each other in the kitchen, everybody knowing exactly what their job is and where they need to be to avoid running into someone else, it’s almost like watching a choreographed dance.
“Normally we go to a library to study, and it’s much quieter,” he tells me. “You should join us next time.”
“We could still bring in a latte for you,” offers Lukas, grabbing a packet of popcorn from a different cupboard and laying it out flat in the microwave.
All eyes are on me as they wait for my response.
