It was something Jacob used to say in high school when Felix begged him to come over. Felix had never turned it back on him before. It was… disturbing.
“Speaking of,” Felix continued, checking his phone. “Isn’t it Call Your Parents time?”
“No,” Jacob lied.
Felix gave him a skeptical look. And fair enough: itwasCall Your Parents time. Every week, same day, same time. In his first year Jacob had a tutorial and they had to change the call time by an hour, which his parents were still annoyed about. They were proud of Jacob for going to college, of course. But they treated it like it was an obstacle keeping their beloved son away from them. They still hadn’t forgiven him for going to college in Indiana. Even after he said it was Felix’s idea. Which was true, of course. But he never mentioned how relieved he felt after watching their small town fade away in the rear-view mirror. The further they got from Pennsylvania, the better.
Jacob held his head high, gaze trained on the door to Felix’s dorm. “I said I was skipping it this week, okay?”
Felix gasped. “And they didn’t offer to fly out and feed you soup? You only cancel when you’re on death’s doorstep! Here, let me palpate your lymph nodes.”
Jacob ducked out of the way of Felix’s probing fingers. “Cut it out! Seriously, Mess. Get yourself cleaned up or you’re not getting anywhere near me.”
“But—”
“Felix.” Jacob stopped in front of Felix’s dorm, raising his eyebrows expectantly. “Notanywherenear me, man.”
Felix paused. Jacob watched the implication sink in, Felix’s teasing grin fading into something hungry and… nervous? Butbefore Jacob could be sure about that last part, Felix’s grin came back in full force.
“As you command,” Felix said in a goofy voice. He veered over to a drinking fountain, waggling his fingers in the stream before giving up the show and scrubbing at his nails.
Jacob watched, surprised, as Felix washed his nails with genuine dedication, wiped them clean on his ratty shirt, then jogged back to his dorm.
“After you,” Felix said. He swung the door open and bowed, irritatingly charming as ever.
Jacob fought back a grin. If he smiled every time he was charmed by Felix, the guy would be impossible to deal with. He was difficult enough to deal with now, Jacob considered as he headed into Felix’s empty dorm and took off his shoes to line them up neatly next to the door.
Felix followed, slamming the door and kicking his shoes off with such violence it had to be to annoy Jacob. “So,” Felix said as one shoe landed on Shane’s bed, the other wobbling on the windowsill. “What are we crossing off the list tonight? Hand jobs? Felching? Docking?”
“Felching and docking werenoton the list,” Jacob said, heart hammering. He wasn’t even sure what dockingwas. It sounded like… hitting? Maybe? No, if it was about adock, then something would have to come intodock…
Jacob would look it up later. After he answered his parents’ angry texts. Those always came after the worried ones. Once upon a time, Jacob would have been apoplectic about it. He would ignore Felix and shut himself in his room until he was on his parents’ good side again. But the longer he lived away from them, the harder it was to give a shit that they were upset with him. What the hell were they going to do other than guilt-trip him at Christmas? They would do that anyway. Why not add a little more? None of his classmates had a weekly mandated callwiththeirparents. Felix’s parents barely remembered what he was majoring in.
Felix snapped his freshly clean fingers in Jacob’s face. “Hello? Earth to Jacob? Get the feather duster, we’re docking.”
“It doesnotinvolve feathers,” Jacob said automatically.
Felix sniggered. Of course he realized that Jacob had no clue what docking meant. Jacob couldn’t even be mad at him, though he gave it his best effort.
“Quit it,” he said, shoving Felix’s shoulder.
Felix rocked easily with the motion, biting his lip. His gaze was trained on Jacob so intently it made Jacob wonder: was this why Felix always wound him up? So Jacob would touch him?
It was a ridiculous thought. Felix had been annoying him long before any sexual urges set in. He just loved annoying Jacob.A sacred calling,he’d once described it during their first drunken night at Liberty Heights.Nothing in my life will ever be as important as pissing you off, Jacob Branson.
His mouth had been bright red from the half-priced shots at The Last Call. It had been the first time Jacob ever thought about kissing him.
Or, to be more accurate: it was the first time he’d beenawareof the thought. There were times Jacob suspected he’d kept a great deal hidden from himself. Things he could never tell his parents about.
“Jacob,” Felix repeated, stepping closer. “Come on, man. What are we doing?”
Jacob hesitated. Then he took off his pocket protector and placed it on Felix’s nightstand.
“I want…” he started. The words choked in his throat.
Whole new Jacob,he reminded himself. “I want to see you naked,” he blurted. “I want to… I don’t know. Feel you against me.”
He expected Felix to laugh. Not alot, obviously—he’d rein it in after a few amused barks. But Felix didn’t laugh. He just stared at Jacob, first in shock and then in something oddly close to tenderness. Like he thought it wassweet.
