It’s difficult to pay attention to the way Lukas is guiding my fingers because my body is reacting to the way his arms feel around my body. The flush from a moment ago begins to creep down my neck and chest, and that excited swoopy feeling in my belly returns. How am I supposed to focus on the cube when he’s so close to me? This sort of feels like snuggling with Felix last night, having Lukas’s arms around me from behind. Or maybe like he’s hugging me. It’s a nice feeling. I can never remember my dad ever hugging my mom, not even when he’s trying to manipulate her.
My phone buzzes on the table. Saved by the vibration.
“I need to get that.” I ease out of Lukas’s hold, glad when he lets me go instead of holding me captive. “You all get started on lunch.”
I grab my phone and go out into the hall, glad for the escape. I need to get my mental state settled, and maybe my physical state too. I can feel my heart pumping harder than usual.
I’m still holding Sebastian’s cube, and I stare at it for a moment while my phone buzzes away. Finally, I snap out of it and swipe across the screen to answer just before it sends Ronnie to voicemail.
“Where are you?” Ronnie sounds vaguely panicked, completely skipping over the pleasantries and getting right to the point. “I’m at the dorm and you’re not here. You weren’t even in the cafeteria when I went to look, or the library.”
My stomach drops and I cringe. “Sorry, I thought I’d be home before you got back.” I should have messaged Ronnie this morning to give her a heads up, but I wasn’t even thinking about her, I was so focused on my homework and the copious amounts of coffee the guys kept pouring for me.
“That doesn’t answer the question,” Ronnie points out, irritation creeping into her voice as the panic ebbs. “Where are you? Did something happen?”
“I’m over near MIT. They were helping with my class article, and then we watched more of the show we started last time but it got late, so I crashed here, and then they offered that I could stay with them and study today.”
I drop my voice when I mention my reason for staying the night, moving into the living room and away from where the guys are so they don’t overhear me making it sound like I slept on the couch after working on my story all night. It’s not entirely a lie, it just … omits some of the more interesting parts of the evening.
“Wait,” Ronnie interjects, then in a quieter voice adds, “Did something happen with one of the cute cube guys? Girl, you need to give me the details! I give you details all the time!”
“You give me too many details,” I counter, hoping the guys don’t decide now is the moment to come tell me lunch is ready. With my luck, though, that’s exactly what’s about to happen.
“You’re not denying it,” Ronnie sing-songs. “It’s finally happening! My little Rebecca is growing up, and soon she’ll have her first boyfriend, and then she’ll finally getlaid! I’m so proud!”
“No comment,” I say dryly. The guys have accepted that I’m not interested in a relationship, but Ronnie will be much harder to convince. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get her to believe that I’m not, in fact, dating any of them.
“That means it’s true!” she squeals in my ear. I hold the phone slightly away from my head, wincing. “In that case, stay at their place as long as you want, but as soon as you do come home, I’m going to get all of the details out of you.”
I groan inwardly, because she’s right. Ronnie is a pro at prying information out of people, and I’m a terrible liar.
“Which one is it? Take a picture of him,” she adds, not giving me a chance to answer the question before barreling on into the next thought. Which is good, because I have no idea what to tell her. “The last time I saw all of them it was too dark and quick for me to remember what they look like. Posed is ideal, but I’d take a candid. Just make sure I can see his face.”
“You’re annoying.”
“You love me.” Ronnie makes confident kissy sounds at me through the phone, then hangs up.
“Everything okay?” asks Elliot as soon as I return to the kitchen.
They’re all sitting around the little table in the corner, elbow to elbow, since the extra chair has made space tight. I almost point out that we could use the bigger dining room table, but it’sso filled with homework that it would be silly to put it away only to pull it right back out again.
“Yeah, I just forgot to tell Ronnie I was staying over, so she freaked out thinking I’d been kidnapped.”
“We should have reminded you,” says Lukas, shaking his head. “We’ll do better next time.”
I’m about to point out that it’s not their job to make sure Ronnie knows where I am, but before I can say anything, Felix speaks up, sounding sad but resigned.
“So do we need to take you back now? Does she need you?”
“Nah, once she realized I’m alive she told me to stay here as long as I wanted.” Technically, it was more likeshewanted me to stay here so I can eventually get lucky, but I’m not going there right now.
“Oh, perfect,” says Elliot, adjusting his food on his plate but not actually eating any of it. “You must be hungry. We wanted to make you a plate, but didn’t know what you’d want.”
Felix adjusts his napkin and the rotation of his plate too, and I realize that all of their food is untouched.
“That’s okay, I can make it. You don’t have to wait for me, you can start eating.” It’s sweet of them to want to wait, but there’s no reason for it. This isn’t a formal dinner or anything, we don’t need to be beholden to etiquette to that degree.
I survey and the sandwich fixings arranged on the counter. There’s … a lot of options. They must take their sandwiches seriously. Although I suppose there isn’t anything theydon’ttake seriously.
