by Tabatha Kiss
“Good morning,” he says. “Rough night?”
“Long night,” I say, keeping it vague. “That couch gets more uncomfortable every semester.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” he says, not really sorry. “Thanks for letting me have the room again.”
I shrug as I open my dresser. “Anytime.” I grin. “I guess you had fun?”
“Oh, I did.” He softly sighs. “I very much did.”
“Bethany again?” I ask, based on his expression.
“Is it that obvious?”
I throw on a shirt and shrug. “Only slightly.”
“But this was the last—”
“—the last time, I swear,” I finish with him.
I laugh. He scoffs.
“Okay, fine. I have a Bethany Problem but, in my defense, she came on to me this time so I’d say it’s her that has the Seth Problem.”
“I know the feeling,” I mutter.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“By the way, I confirmed it,” he says. “Tammy is single now.”
I file that information away for later. “Cool,” I say as I retrieve my pants from the bottom drawer. “Post-party pancakes?”
He stands up and nods. “Post-party pancakes.”
I finish getting dressed and we head downstairs to begin our usual morning after ritual. We reach the common area where several of our brothers lounge about, some still drunk from the night before.
“Hey, Newbury,” Corey says. “Did I just see the girl you were macking on last night sneak out of here twenty minutes ago?”
“Yes.” Seth gives the room a bow, damn proud of himself. “Yes, I felt the touch of a woman and it was precious. Highly recommended.”
“Was that Bethany?”
“Yeah.”
“Barely recognized her. She looked good.”
Devin chuckles. “Not as good as that tiny hottie you were playing pong with, though.”
I make a cutting motion against my throat, a futile attempt to warn him, but he doesn’t take heed.
Seth glares. “Oh, yeah?”
Corey perks up. “Oh, shit. Yeah! The one with the stamps on her arm?”
“That’s the one!” Devin groans loudly. “Man, I must have pictured a hundred different ways of crawling up that little skirt.”
They both howl with horny laughter.
Seth glares even harder as he grins. “You liked her, huh?”
“Yeah. Who was she?”
The grin falls. “She was my little sister.”
Devin face turns dead white as Corey slides further down into his chair. I stay back with a hand on my face, smothering the grin trying to slide up my cheek.
Seth stands a few inches taller, displaying dominance. “And she… actually, I want everyone to hear this. Delta Xi!” He backs up into the foyer so his voice echoes even louder. “Hey, Delta Xi! House announcement! Get out here!”
Here we go…
I shrug at Corey and Devin. I tried to warn them.
Several doors open on the second and third floors. Some step out to look over the balcony, others just poke their sleepy heads out to listen. A group wanders in from the kitchen, Brick in his baby blue bathrobe included.
“Now,” Seth begins, “as some of you are aware, my little sister attended our party last night.”
Someone cat whistles upstairs.
“Hey!” Seth scolds them over the chuckles. “I want you all to know right now that she is off-limits! No one, and I mean no one, may touch her, taste her, smell her — hell, don’t even look at her for too long! Ya hear me?”
I pinch my tingling lips as a gray rock settles in my gut.
“I’m invoking Delta Xi law!” he adds with a nod to Brick. “No girlfriends, no sisters, no mothers. Isn’t that right, Brick?”
Brick nods sagely. “That is law.”
“Any Delta Xi man who breaks Delta Xi law will be punished to the full extent of Delta Xi law! Now, raise your hands!”
The house obeys, tiredly lifting their arms. I follow suite.
“I do solemnly swear,” Seth leads the chant and we repeat it, “that I will not touch Seth’s baby sister, Heidi Newbury.”
We parrot it back, and that gray rock sinks even deeper.
Fortunately, as far as I’m aware, Delta Xi pledges aren’t applied retroactively.
Seth lowers his hand, satisfied. “Thank you for your time. You may go about your morning business.”
The rest of the house clumsily returns to their rooms.
Seth spins toward me. I quickly compose myself in case my expression gives away that I can still taste Heidi’s lip gloss on my tongue.
“Let’s roll!” he says. “Delta Xi!”
I swallow hard, but I manage some enthusiasm as I repeat, “Delta Xi.”
Chapter 11
Heidi
I come. I come hard.
Bringing my rabbit into the bathroom with me is something I usually reserve for bubble bath night, but I’m a little more worked up this morning than usual.
Drew.
Well, that kiss was memorable. I’ll probably be rubbing off to that memory for a long time. The way he pulled me in. The power of his lips and the irresistible flick of his tongue on mine. His warm breath and the strain of his voice as he said my name.
And I’m coming again.
I stick my other fist in my mouth and bite down to keep it quiet beneath the spray of the showerhead. My rabbit isn’t the loudest thing in the world, but it can make quite the buzz at the highest setting. Luckily, Jenna got back late last night with a very special guest judging by the scrunchie proudly displayed on her doorknob this morning, so there’s little chance of her overhearing me release some tension.
I let out one final inaudible moan before turning off the water and reaching for my robe on the hook outside the curtain. I dab my moist hair until it’s only damp before stepping out into the hall. The smell of fresh coffee tickles my nose and I quickly shove my massager into the pocket of my robe.
“Good morning!” Jenna announces from the kitchen table in her pajamas. She sits back in a chair with her hair in a messy strawberry blonde ponytail and her bare feet propped up on the table. “Long shower, eh?” she hints with a mug of coffee cradled in her hands.
I grab an empty mug from the cabinet above the coffeemaker. “Feeling a little sluggish today, that’s all,” I say.
“Yeah, I’ll bet.” She sets her mug down. “You had a real long night of bitching out early.”
“Was that before or after you abandoned me like you said you wouldn’t?”
She raises a hand. “Okay, first of all, that’s not what I did and I have receipts.”
“Please proceed.”
“Thank you. Bobby was hopelessly blowing up my phone all night long.”
“I recall you texting more than usual, yes.”
“So, I located the nearest eligible plaything to enlist his help. His name was Jack, and he had very blue eyes.”
“Help with what?”
“With making Bobby very, very jealous.”
My eyes roll. “Of course.”
“I am not proud.” She places a hand over her heart. “But also maybe a little bit.”
“And how did that plan work out for you?”
As if on some cosmic cue, Jenna’s door opens down the hall. We both go silent as she smiles and a pair of boots thump in our direction.
Bobby strolls into the kitchen, fully answering my question. “Good morning, ladies,” he says, his chin-length blond hair sloppily pushed to one side.
“Good morning,” Jenna says, leaning back.
He bends down and gives her a quick kiss on the lips before bobbing his head at me. “Hey, Heidi,” he says.
“Hi, Bobby,” I say, keeping a cautionary pinch on my robe to hold it closed. “You want some coffee?”
“Oh, no. Thanks, but I got to take off. I have some places to be.”
“Okay,” Jenna says with
a shrug as she gazes up at him. “I had a good night.”
He smiles. “Yeah. Me, too.”
“Call me later?” she instructs.
I sip my coffee, hiding a smile behind my mug.
“I will,” he says as he bends down and gives her another kiss. He steps back and waves to the room. “Bye.”
“Bye,” Jenna and I say.
We stay quiet until he sneaks out the front door.
“I thought Bobby was canceled again,” I say, amused.
“Oh, he still is,” Jenna says as she retrieves her mug. “I’m making him work for it. I would have told you that if you didn’t sneak off.”
“I didn’t sneak off.” My lips twitch. “I was walked home… by a boy.”
Jenna raises a curious brow. “What boy?”
I sit down at the table. “I’m going to tell you something and you have to promise to keep it a secret.”
Her feet plop to the floor. “You have my attention, Ms. Newbury,” she says.
“Okay.” I take a breath. “You remember Drew?”
She pauses. “Drew…?”
“We played beer pong with him last night,” I remind her. She squints. “The guy who checked our IDs? The model from class?”
“Oh, right!” she says, remembering now. “Resting Prick Face, sure.”
I smile. “His name is Drew… and I knew that before last night.”
Her eyes twinkle for gossip. “Did you?”
“Yes, I did.”
“And how did you know that?”
“Because he told me on campus the other day while he was jump-starting my car.”
Her jaw slowly opens. “You were acquainted with this young man?”
“Yes.”
“When did you get acquainted?”
I chuckle. Only Jenna can make a word like that sound dirty. “After class the other night.” I take a sip of coffee, purposefully making her wait. “I couldn’t get my car started, I was about to call you to come back for me, but then he stopped to help.”
“Well, that was awfully sweet of him.”
“It really was.”
“And you offered to blow him in return, right?”
I snort. “No.”
She sneers with disappointment.
I raise a finger. “Hold on. The story’s not finished.”
She relaxes.
“Anyway, I told him not to worry about it. I’d just have you come back and give me a jump in the morning.”
“Why would I do that? I don’t know how to do that.”
“Eh, you know me.” I shrug. “I was nervous. I wanted to yeet myself out of that situation as quickly as possible... but then he offered to give me a ride home.”
“And... you accepted that offer, right?” she asks, cautiously optimistic.
I smile. “Yes, I did.”
Jenna gasps with surprise. “Really?”
“He was here. In this house.”
She squints at the room. “I knew I sensed hot guy the other day.”
“He wasn’t here for very long,” I say. “Just a few minutes, but that’s all it took for me to make a complete ass of myself.”
“What did you do?”
“I invited him in to dry off. We got kind of wet in the rain.”
Her brow piques. “Go on…”
“We got to talking. It really seemed like we were clicking for a bit, but then...” My cheeks heat all over again. “I kinda... sneezed on his face.”
“Yeah, you did,” she says, biting her devious lip.
“No, seriously. That wasn’t some dirty metaphor. I literally sneezed... on his face.”
She pauses, slowly deflating. “Oh.”
“He left. Immediately. He could not have bolted fast enough.”
“Oh, honey.” She pats my hand. “I would have, too.”
I exhale. “I thought that was the end but then he was waiting for me at my car the next morning with jumper cables.”
“Interesting...”
“He asked me out for last night, but I’d already promised you I’d hang, so I declined.”
“Uh, pause.” She raises a finger. “When a hot model asks you out on a night when you already have plans, you cancel those plans. You hear me?”
I laugh. “Lesson learned. Didn’t matter, though. We ended up at the same party he invited me to. Somehow.”
“Fate, honey. It was fate.”
“Doubtful.”
“So, that’s why he let you in with that bogus ID?”
“I guess so. Then...” I frown. “Seth happened.”
“Fucking Seth,” she slurs.
“They’re roommates. Best friends since their freshman year.”
She scoffs. “Well, that’s a twist.”
“After beer pong, I saw you flirting with him, so I went outside to get some air.”
“Oh…” Jenna cants her head as she puts it all together. “So, that’s why he ignored all my signals. He was totally crushing on you.”
“A little bit.”
“And I didn’t even notice that you liked him. Man, I’m a horrible friend.”
“A little bit,” I joke.
She sneers. “Continue, please.”
“Drew followed me outside and offered to walk me home. Bobby arrived around that time, so I figured you’d be busy with him the rest of the night and wouldn’t mind me bailing — especially not when a cute boy offered to walk me home.”
“You made the right call.”
“He walked me home, and then…” I lick my lips. “He kissed me on the porch.”
Jenna swoons. “You made out with a model,” she says.
“I made out with a model.”
“I’m so proud of you. Like a mama bird pushing the chick out of the nest for the first time. Flapping your little baby wings.”
“I can’t see him ever again, though.”
“And there’s the crushing parental disappointment.” She huffs. “Why the hell not?”
“He’s Seth’s best friend,” I remind her.
“Oh, fuck Seth!” she says. “You owe nothing to that guy and everything to yourself. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.”
“I know, but… Seth apologized to me. And he was sincere about it. We might actually have a shot at a normal brother-sister relationship now. I can’t date his roommate.”
“Heidi, we’re talking about a beautiful boy who obviously likes you who’s not a total weirdo like most of the guys who’ve been into you, let’s just be honest here.”
“You’ll get no argument from me,” I say.
“Drew is fit and hot and in a fraternity — and not just any fraternity. He’s Delta Xi which is like... the Mensa of hot as fuck frat guys.”
“He is pretty hot.”
“And you’re just going to throw that away because your bully of a brother will throw a bitch fit over it? Not on my watch, Heidi Newbury. Not on my watch!”
I smirk. “You’re getting worked up about this.”
“Because you refuse to see the amazing opportunity being presented here!”
“And that is?”
“Two words. Three syllables. A thousand possibilities.” Jenna leans forward. “Secret. Fling.”
“Oh, no.” I lean back. “No, no, no. I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can, you should, and you will.”
“No, I can’t!”
“Do you have any idea how hot a secret fling is?” she asks. “Do you remember me and Embry?”
“Do I remember you and Vice Principal Harris? Yes, me and the entire town remember that.”
“It was so fucking hot.” She visibly shudders. “I’m getting shivers now just thinking about it…”
“It was illegal,” I point out.
“Eh…” She hums. “Unethical.”
“Well, it should have been illegal.”
“Whatever. The point is... do it. Latch onto that ridiculously sexy boy and have some fun. If not for you, then do it for me.�
�
“How do you benefit from my relationships?”
“A rising tide lifts all boats, Heidi.”
I chuckle. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. The kiss was a one-time thing. An act of closure. He said so himself.”
“Yeah, okay.” She rolls her eyes. “Sure, it was.”
“It was!”
“Flash him one boob and I’ll bet my entire trust fund he drops to his knees and licks your feet.”
I cringe. “What is it with you and licking feet lately?”
“Don’t knock it until you try it. Doesn’t negate my point.”
“Which is?”
“Please do not let Seth pull the same shit on you now that he did back in high school. He was a dick then, he’s a dick now, and you owe it to yourself to proudly fuck the living daylights out of his best friend under his nose. It’ll be sweet, delicious karma. Trust me.”
Jenna’s bedroom door opens down the hall again. I shift nervously on my chair, convinced of a stranger prowling our house as another pair of shoes slowly bound in our directly.
Jenna doesn’t react. She just smiles.
A blue-eyed man finally appears in the kitchen doorway, fully clothed but with only one corner of his shirt tucked into his ripped jeans.
Jack?
“Hey,” he says, shifting awkwardly. “Good morning.”
I blink. “Good morning.”
Jenna looks over her shoulder at him. “You heading out?”
He nods. “Yeah, I have to go to work, so...”
“All right. I’ll see you around.”
“See you around,” he repeats, slowly offering the room a limp salute before turning and making his way down the hall to the front door.
“Call me!” Jenna shouts after him before the door closes.
I silently stare at her.
She smirks. “Now that’s what’s up.”
I have no words.
“Crap,” I say, sitting up. “What time is it?”
“I dunno,” she says, reaching for her mug. “It’s still Friday night to me.”
I push up out of the chair, taking my towel with me. “I have to get to work, too,” I say.
“Work?” she asks. “I thought you were off this weekend.”
“I was, but I’m covering a shift to save up a little more to pay off my car.”
Jenna opens her mouth.
“No,” I say, stopping her with a smile. “I don’t need a loan. Thanks, but no thanks.”