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“Hey stranger. I haven’t seen you in a hot minute.”
“Oh shit,” Thatcher cursed under his breath as he pulled Astrid in front of him. He locked his arms over her chest to cage her to him, like she could be a human shield.
I glanced back at Emily, but she didn’t seem like the crazy type. More like she was excited to see a friend she knew.
“Hi, Emily. I hope you’ve been well,” Thatcher cleared his throat.
Astrid tipped her head to the side, probably as confused as the rest of us. Then her eyes widened, and her face turned red. And my beautiful girl cast her gaze to the ground.
I didn’t like that.
At all.
My entire life, I’d had enough people making me feel less and uncomfortable for things out of my control, not that they’d ever know it. It was unacceptable for Astrid to feel that way.
“I’ve been good. Looking at grad schools,” Emily said, a furrow appearing between her brows. Well, whatever was making Astrid uncomfortable, Emily had no idea, so it wasn’t anything she’d done.
“This is my girlfriend, Astrid. She’s looking at going here next year.” Thatcher tightened his hold on Astrid, and I was afraid for a second I’d have to step in and help her out. He was in the choke zone.
“Oh! Hi, nice to meet you. Are you transferring in?” She stepped forward and extended her hand.
Astrid took it limply with a grimace. “No, prospective freshman.”
“Oh…” This time the word was drawn out and tinged with disapproval. But she didn’t say anything else. Lucky for her, because Beck and Rhys were both now crowding around Astrid. “You look familiar. Have we met before?”
“One time. When I came to pick up some things for my art teacher. He’s a friend of the professor Thatcher TAs for.” Astrid coughed.
“Fuck,” Emily muttered and stepped back. “Okay. You know what, give me just a second. I’ll have another guide come give you the tour.” Without another word, she fled. Literally fled back into the building.
When Astrid tried to step away, Thatcher tightened his hold again. “Nope, you may turn around, but you cannot step out of my arms. That was uncomfortable as fuck, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of this as a possibility. But I need you to touch me right now, please?”
Sighing, Astrid turned in his arms and hugged his waist. “I’m not mad. It was weird, but I’ve dealt with weird all my life.”
“Good,” Thatcher rubbed his cheek on the top of her head.
“Was that who I think it was?” Beck pointed after Emily with raised brows.
“Yes,” Thatcher groaned.
“Want to fill us in?” Rhys leaned against the tree next to the table.
Trying unsuccessfully to hold in his laughter, Beck explained for Thatcher. “When Astrid first met Thatch, he was getting a nice little…hmmm. This isn’t as fun as I thought it would be to explain.” Beck pinched his lips to the side. “He was in a compromising position. With that girl. Let’s just say, he was a taker and not a giver.”
“Would you stop using that phrasing, you jackass!” Thatcher whipped his head around to glare at Beck who smirked.
“What? I’m sure you’ve changed Astrid’s mind on her first impression by now.”
At that point, we all started to laugh. Thatcher included. “I hope so.”
“You guys weren’t virgins. I get it.” Astrid tossed her hands up.
I started to open my mouth, then shut it. I couldn’t say anything. She saw Trinity sometimes on a daily basis. I was just glad she saw what she meant to us. She was different. Other girls didn’t even matter now that we were with her.
And I had officially lost my man card. Good thing it was only inside my head.
When a guy came out this time, he gave us the welcome speech and introduced himself. Thatcher didn’t know him, so I guessed we were good.
Small hiccup aside, it was a great day. We toured the halls, facilities, and each met with counselors to talk about potential schedules.
