Felix dug his chin into Jacob’s chest. “Get out of your head, man. You look like your parents are going to come in and yell at you.”
“I do not,” Jacob replied. He pulled Felix closer, rubbing his arm apologetically. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m not as duck-like as you thought.”
Felix laughed. “You’re doing fine. I knew you weren’t much of a cuddler.”
Jacob frowned, examining his cuddling technique. “Am I bad at it?”
“No, dipshit. This is nice.” Felix shoved his chin harder into Jacob’s chest, only stopping when Jacob slotted a hand under his face.
“You know what else is nice?” Felix continued, lying down on Jacob’s hand with such peacefulness it made Jacob suspicious of where he was planning to jab next. “The free student day at the fair.”
Jacob groaned. “The fair’s in town again? Jesus.”
“Come on,” Felix coaxed, grinning up at him. “I said I’d drag you into my shenanigans! Whole new Jacob, remember?”
Jacob couldn’t see how a shitty fair with a hundred different health code violations would do anything to change him as a person. But Felix was looking at him so pleadingly, and Jacob did ask him to drag him into these things.
Jacob sighed. “Fine.”
CHAPTER 7
Felix stared into his wallet despairingly.
A quarter. That was all he had left to survive on until his parents sent him his weekly spending money. Unfortunately, he’d spent all of that on his secret house-training lessons, and it looked like next week would go the same way.
Which meant hecouldn’tget the donut he’d been craving since he walked into the fair set up four blocks from campus. Unless, of course, Jacob took pity on him.
“Jacob,” Felix said, leaning on Jacob’s sturdy shoulder. “Old buddy. Old pal.”
“I’m not getting you a donut,” Jacob replied, his eyes fixed on the donut cart they were in line for.
Felix bit his tongue. He almost wanted to come out and admit why he was so broke—but he wasn’t house-trained yet. He could only cook a few recipes, and he still didn’t have that cleaning instinct that Jacob and now David talked about—the ability to walk into a room and realize what needed tidying. Apparently, it would come the more he cleaned. If he showed Jacob his ‘skills’ now, Jacob would laugh at him. And Felix wouldn’t blame him.
“Okey-dokes,” Felix said, forcing his voice to stay chipper. “In that case, go ahead without me. I gotta see a man about a dog.” With that, he stepped out of the donut line.
“Hey,” Jacob called as Felix weaved through the irritating happy couples and the broke college students taking advantage of the free student day. “You’re not getting one? You said you were hungry! We’re almost at the front of the line!”
“I’m saving money,” Felix replied, ignoring his stomach growling. “I’m anadult.”
“Sure,” Jacob said skeptically. “I’m still not getting you one!”
Felix flipped him off and raised his voice over the growing crowd. “Come up with something exciting to do while I’m gone! We haven’t had any shenanigans yet.”
Jacob shouted something, but whatever it was got lost in the noise of the Ferris wheel screeching. Felix glanced over to see the guy who ran it swearing, yanking at a rusty piece of machinery that didn’t look like it should be yanked. Or operational, Felix considered as he watched the Ferris wheel jerk back into motion. Despite the obvious death trap, Felix couldn’t help but be tempted. If only he had the few dollars it cost to ride it, since the Ferris wheel wasn’t included in the free student day. And if only Jacob hadn’t already refused to go on.
Felix gave the Ferris wheel one last longing look. Then he turned to find a quiet spot to make a phone call.
He wedged himself in between the porta-potties and a cotton candy cart, which somehow smelled even worse than the porta-potties, and dug out his phone.
David Stanton answered in two rings, the prompt bastard.
“Hello,” he said in that deep, gravelly voice that Felix refused to find sexy. “This is David Stanton.”
“Yeah man, I know. I called you.” Felix went to lean against the cotton candy cart, only stopping when he saw the grime all over the wall. He might not be the cleanest guy ever, but he had some sense of self-preservation. Especially around Jacob, who would make him go home and shower if he got covered in whatever the muck was.
“How can I help?” David asked.
“Uh, just booking in another cleaning lesson,” Felix said. “You said you prefer to call rather than text. My group project guys rescheduled, so I actually can do Thursday afternoon.”
