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River takes my bag and unlocks the car door. Sometimes he can be ridiculously kind and thoughtful. He pulls me into a hug so tight, it’s nearly suffocating. “I’m sorry about the party. Message later so I know you’re safe, okay?”
“Yeah, of course.”
He waits until I pull out of the driveway before he goes inside.
What the hell have I signed up for this semester? And how much of Kodiak can I tolerate before I break?
I meet Josiah at the quad. He greets me with a hug and huge smile. “How was your first week?”
“Goodish. Good. I made it through, so that’s what counts.”
His right eyebrow lifts above his black-rimmed glasses. “Uh-oh,goodishsounds more like not good.”
“It was okay.” Cue internal eye roll. No one likes a Negative Nancy. “Living with my brothers is an adjustment.”
“Ah, right. Maverick seemed all right, though?” It’s posed as a question.
I fall into step beside him. “He’s the easier of the two for sure, but he plays hockey for the school team, and my twin plays football, so it’s jock central there right now.”
Josiah makes a face. “Oh man, that sounds like the opposite of your jam.”
“Uh, yup, pretty much. The dudebros are bad enough, but the girls are the worst. It’s desperation nation over there. When I left, there had to have been about twenty girls in thong bikinis wandering around the backyard.”
“What about the shirtless jocks?” He waggles his brows.
“They’re nice to look at, as long as they don’t open their mouths and speak to me.” My cheeks flush at the memory of River’s football friends chatting up my chest before I left.
“There has to be at least a few of them who aren’t total dirtbags, though, right?”
“Probably—not that it matters. There’s zero chance I’d ever date one of those guys.”
“Who says you have to date?” He gives me a knowing smirk.
I scrunch my nose. “You mean hook up with one of them?”
“Sure. Why not? Those guys have great bodies and wicked stamina.”
“My twin would murder any of his teammates who so much as looked at me the wrong way, so a hookup is out of the question, and also not my style.”
“Hmm . . . I can see how that might be a problem, then.” Josiah opens the door to the Identity and Inclusion Center. It’s marked with a safe space symbol. “Well, if you ever need a wingman at one of those house parties, you let me know. I’ll be the Goose to your Maverick.”
“Oh my God, you did not referenceTop Gun.”
“The opening was there. How could I not? My mom watched that movie all the freaking time.”
“So did mine.”
“I used to fantasize about Goose and Maverick hooking up in the locker room.”
“But Goose’s mustache.” I scrunch my nose.
“A little tickle for your pickle.” Josiah waggles his brows and I burst out laughing.
“Anyway, I was obsessed with that movie for a while, and fighter planes, but mostly with young Tom Cruise.” He makes a heart with his fingers and holds it up to his chest.
“Here’s an interesting fact: My mom was on a Tom Cruise kick when she was pregnant with Maverick.”
“So she named him after the character in the movie?”
