by Tabatha Kiss
“The offer stands forever, you know that.”
I nod before walking off down the hall.
“Remember!” she shouts at me. “Sweet, delicious karma!”
I chuckle as I close my door and quickly check to make sure my work uniform is hanging on the back. My sketchbook sits on my desk, open to my latest attempt at Drew. I reach for my comb beside it and hover here for a moment. His eyes, solemn and downturn. His cheekbones, sharp and shaded. His lips, sweet and delicious as karma.
As much fun as it would be to go full Jenna on this situation, I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. Sure, Seth has never been the greatest brother, but something about that karma just feels so… petty.
It was a one-time thing.
The only path forward is to forget this week ever happened and move on with my life.
I close the sketchbook and get ready for work.
Chapter 12
Heidi
“Order up! BLT no mayo!”
I spin away from the register and stride toward the kitchen window. By this point in my shift, I mostly run on auto-pilot. Take an order, put it in. Deliver order, get a refill. Grab the check. Repeat. We’re not too busy this morning, which is a good thing considering most of my brain power has gone to reliving that kiss repeatedly.
You taste too good.
Heaven help me.
I grab the BLT and swing my way over to table twelve. “Here you go,” I say to the woman as I set it down. “Can I get you anything else?”
“No, honey, I’m good,” she says, barely looking up from her Kindle. Must be a delightful book. “Thanks.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
Rinse. Repeat.
Honestly, I’m glad that kiss was a one-time thing. If it weren’t, then I’d have to live through shift after shift with Drew’s tongue on my mind. I can’t even imagine what that would be like. To have to live my life knowing I could leap on his face anytime I wanted to? I’d never even go to class. I’d be homeless and broke just knowing he’d be there every time I turned around.
One-time thing was the right decision.
“You’ve got a couple cuties at table three, Heidi.”
I smile at Brandy the hostess as she glides past me. “I’m on it,” I tell her with a smile.
She hums, teasing me as I grab two menus and hustle toward the tables near the left of the entrance.
“Hey, little sister!”
I snap to attention a few feet away from table three.
“Seth!” I say in surprise. He looks as shocked as I do, along with the second cutie across from him in the booth.
Drew.
“Hey,” I say.
Seth gestures around. “You work here?”
“Uh...” I step up to the table, helplessly focused on Drew. “Yeah. I started a few weeks back.”
“Awesome. We love this place.”
I tear my eyes away from Drew. “Oh, yeah?”
“We come here every morning after a party for pancakes. It’s our tradition.”
Drew nods. “We call it post-party pancakes.”
I chuckle. “Something like that just names itself, doesn’t it?” I look at my order pad. “So, you guys want the triple stack?”
“Yes, please!” Seth says. “Bacon and scrambled eggs on mine.”
I jot it down. “All right.”
“Turkey bacon and egg whites for me, please,” Drew says.
Seth sighs. “Dammit. Okay, fine.”
Drew raises his hands in defense. “Hey, I said nothing.”
“No, no. You guilted me into it.” Seth points at my order pad. “Make mine egg whites, too, but I’m keeping the bacon.”
“Freshman fifteen happens to juniors, too, man...” Drew teases. “All I’m going to say.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I laugh as I make the correction. “You guys spend a lot of time together, huh?”
“Well, Heidi,” Seth begins, “when two men love each other very, very much—”
“Stop,” Drew says.
I bite my lip, smothering my laugh. “It all makes sense now.”
“Love unrequited,” Seth says, faking tears. “Cuts like a knife...”
Drew exhales slowly as he looks at me for help. “And coffee, please.”
“Yes! All the coffee you have!” Seth straightens up, proud and happy. “We had two very… long nights.”
My gut twists as I glance at Drew. “Oh, really?” I ask, hiding it.
“Well, I did, anyway...” Seth shakes his head at Drew. “My friend here spent the night with his old pal, Couch.”
Drew smirks. “You realize you just bragged about getting laid... to your sister.”
“What? She cares.”
“I highly doubt she does.”
“Heidi, you care, right?”
I wrinkle my nose. “I really don’t.”
Drew cants his head. “See?”
“Wow.” Seth feigns offense. “Ganging up on me at Manny’s. I see how it is.” He shifts on his seat and smiles, effortlessly moving on. “How about you, little sister? You have a good time last night?”
I fight every impulse to look at Drew. “Uh-huh,” I answer.
“You make it home okay? You kinda disappeared after beer pong.” Seth squints. “Or did I just pass out?”
“I made it home. I left shortly after the game because I...” I lose the fight and my eyes shift toward Drew on their own. He discreetly taps the table twice. “Had to work in the morning!” I blurt. “I tried to find you to let you know, but...”
“Must have been when Bethany walked in,” Drew says.
Seth glances up at nothing and sighs with stars in his eyes. “Bethany...”
“Ah. That must have been it.” I nod at Drew, thankful for the assist. “So, I need to check on another table, but I’ll put your order in and be right back with your coffee.”
“Thanks, little sister!” Seth says.
Drew nods, his eyes soft and warm. “Yeah. Thanks, Heidi.”
I smile as I turn away.
One awkward post-kiss interaction with Drew down...
An infinite amount to go.
“Cutie number two is staring at you.”
I raise my head, amused by Brandy’s sing-song voice as she glides in my direction. “What?” I ask as I wipe down the counter.
She stops with a smile. “Cutie number two,” she repeats, “is staring,” and pauses for effect, “at you.”
“Which one is number two?”
“White t-shirt.”
Drew.
I smile. “Really?”
“Mm-hmm. That boy has not taken his eyes off you for twenty minutes.”
I set my rag down on the counter slowly as I shift on my toes. Being swift and discreet, I whip my head around to look, instantly making eye contact with Drew across the diner.
He flicks his eyes away.
I face forward. “Probably just wants a refill,” I whisper.
Brandy snorts. “He wants something.”
I chuckle as she glides away again. Another quick wipe of the counter and I grab their checks by the register with auto-pilot engaged. He’s just a customer. Just a normal customer. No reason to think otherwise.
I return to their table. “You guys are all set. You can pay up front.”
Drew bobs his head as he slides his check in his direction and fishes into his back pocket for his wallet.
“Come back and see us again,” I add as I turn away.
“Hey, Heidi,” Seth says. “Hold up.”
I pause. “Yeah?”
“What are you doing Friday night?” he asks. “You working?”
“Uh...” I quickly picture my schedule in my head. “Nope. Why?”
“Beach party,” he says. “You in?”
I chortle. “You guys are having another party?”
They laugh. Loudly. My smile drops.
“Man, you learned nothing at orientation, did you?” Seth quips.
“This one’s smaller.”
“Ah...” I say with interest.
“Chill out on a private beach, light up the grill, and drink until we can’t feel our legs anymore. Off-season means no nosey neighbors. And, best of all… boat.”
“No boat this year, actually,” Drew says.
Seth’s jaw drops. “Excuse me?”
“I told my dad we were going out there this weekend and now he’s having it moved to the marina.”
“Seriously?”
“After what we did to it last year, are you really that surprised?”
Seth pauses for a moment, then shrugs. “Fair enough.”
“Wait…” I smile with suspicion. “What did you do to it last year?”
“Nothing you need to worry about,” Seth says with a pointed stare at Drew.
Drew mimes a key over his mouth and tosses it away.
“It’s a fun tradition with our core friend group,” Seth says to me. “One last hang before the weather turns to shit, and the semester starts kicking our asses. You should come.”
I pique a brow. “I qualify for the core friend group?”
“We voted,” Drew says. “It was unanimous — after some extensive debate.”
“Well, of course,” I say.
“You can bring Jenna if you want...” Seth frowns. “Though, I secretly hope you don’t.”
I grin. “You know she’d never let me hear the end of it if I went to a beach party without her.”
“Then, bring her. I’ll bear it. Whatever. I’ll just drink until she becomes a mermaid. That’ll be fun! What do you say, little sister? You in?”
I glance at Drew. He sits there, strong and casual as ever, almost as if the thought of spending another party with me doesn’t fill him with dread.
Maybe that kiss really did for him what he said it’d do.
We’re acquaintances and nothing more.
“Sure,” I answer. “Yeah, I’m in.”
Seth pounds the table with his fist. “Excellent!” He chugs the last of his coffee and nods at Drew. “We should head out.”
“Yup,” Drew says.
“We’ll pick you up at sundown on Friday,” Seth says as he stands. “Where are you staying these days?”
“Uh...” I hesitate. “218 Shanice Street.”
He tilts his head in surprise. “Well, look at you. Squatting on Shanty.”
“It’s nicer than it looks from the curb.” I roll my eyes. “That’s a lie. It’s awful, but… affordable.”
“Yeah, I bet.” He laughs. “See you then, Heidi.”
“See you then,” I repeat.
Drew stands and hovers for a second as he waits for Seth’s back to turn.
Then, he smiles.
“Bye, Heidi,” he says as he leaves.
I take a step back to give him room, keeping one eye on Seth to make sure he doesn’t pick up on anything he shouldn’t. Not that there is anything to pick up on, right?
Acquaintances.
“Bye, Drew,” I say.
A beach party?
I can hear Jenna shrieking in the distance already.
Auto-pilot engaged.
I clear their table, spotting delicious cash next to Drew’s mug. I reach for it, pausing as I count one too many zeroes on the bill.
1-0-0?
That can’t be right.
I pick it up. I blink twice.
Nope, I read it right.
Drew left me a one-hundred-dollar tip.
I search for him at the entrance, but he and Seth are long gone now.
Was it a mistake? Or did he do this on purpose?
If so, why?
I pocket the cash and get back to work.
Chapter 13
Heidi
I walk up the porch of the Delta Xi house. The door is wide open, but I pause in the doorway and knock first.
“Hello?” I ask, my voice echoing slightly.
The atmosphere is different than last night. The foyer is empty, not packed to the brim with party-goers with red cups in their hands.
“Yo!” someone greets me from the couch in the next room over. “Come on in.”
I stick my head in, spotting a guy with a math textbook balanced on his knee. “Hey,” I say, stepping inside.
He does a quick double-take, eying my uniform. “Oh, sweet!” he says. “Does Manny’s deliver now?”
I glance down at my uniform and shake my head. “No. I’m actually looking for Drew. Is he here by chance?”
He shrugs with disappointment. “Drew who?” he asks. “We’ve got two.”
“Uh...” I pause, realizing I don’t know his last name. “He rooms with Seth Newbury.”
“Oh, that’s Rose.” He points toward the stairwell. “Third floor. Last door on the right.”
“Thanks.”
I walk up the stairs, feeling a little self-conscious about the uniform. Should have changed, I guess.
I reach the third floor and turn right, following his instructions. The door sits slightly ajar. I pause, verifying the names on the tag first. Seth Newbury. Drew Rose.
Rose. I smile. That’s cute.
I knock twice.
“It’s open!”
My ears perk. It’s definitely Drew, but his voice is strained with quick, labored breaths.
I push the door open the rest of the way.
Drew dangles from a pull-up bar attached to the open closet doorway. His bare back glistens with sweat as he rises and lowers. Rises and lowers. Rises and...
Good lord, those lats.
Drew drops to his feet. He spins around to face me, pausing with interest when he sees it’s me standing in the doorway. “Hey, Heidi,” he says, out of breath.
“H-h-hey,” I stutter as I see his abs. There’s a tattoo along his right ribs. Greek letters. Alpha Delta Xi.
Gulp.
“Sorry to interrupt your workout,” I say.
“Oh, you didn’t,” he says, motioning at the bar. “Just finished my daily thousand,” he claims, flexing his core.
“You do a thousand pull-ups a day?” I ask, sensing bullshit.
“No.” He smirks. “I do a thousand pull-ups twice a day.”
I snort. “I’m sure you do.”
He grabs a towel off the back of a desk chair. “You looking for Seth?” he asks.
“Uh, no,” I say, stepping forward into the room. It’s a medium-sized room, large enough for two twin beds, two desks, and a TV stand in the corner. Not a terrible arrangement. “I came to see you, actually.”
“Little old me?” He dabs the sweat off his forehead and drapes the towel over the back of his neck. “Whatever did I do to deserve this honor?”
I reach into my pocket for the one-hundred-dollar bill.
He nods. “Oh. That.”
I step closer, but not too close. “I can’t accept this.”
“Why not?”
“You tipped a hundred on a thirteen-dollar tab.”
“I appreciate exemplary service when I see it,” he says. I open my mouth, but he talks over me. “Hey, I’ve always said that if you can’t afford to tip well, then you can’t afford to eat out. It’s just a fact.”
“Except this feels less like a tip and more like a handout.”
“It’s payment for services rendered.”
“Thirteen-dollar tab.”
“It’s a gift, then. Put it toward your car.”
I sigh. “Is that why you did this? That dumb vision board?”
“I really don’t think it’s dumb,” he says. “And I enjoy helping my friends. What can I say? It’s my weakness.”
I pause at the word. “Friends?” I ask.
Drew hesitates, his gaze briefly dropping to my mouth. “It’s what we have to be,” he says.
I press my lips together as my stomach twists all over again. “Not acquaintances?”
He looks up again, his face showing as much confusion as I feel. “Hell,
I don’t know.” He breathes a laugh. “Honestly, Heidi, last night’s got me all fucked up. With that kiss and what Seth said this morning—”
“You told Seth about it?”
“No,” he says. “He doesn’t know, but he said some things that made me feel… guilty about it. He’s my friend. He’s always been loyal to me, and I should have done the same.”
“So…” I shift on my toes, “you regret it, then?”
“No.” His lips twitch into a smile that disappears just as quickly. “But it can’t happen again, so if I have to make gestures of friendship to you until that sinks in, then that’s what I will do.”
I swallow hard as I look at the money in my hand. “Friendship,” I repeat.
“I enjoy helping my friends,” he says again.
“You certainly do.” I chuckle. “But… come on, you’re a college kid. There’s no way you can afford to be this generous.”
He waves a hand. “Don’t worry about it.”
“You come from a rich family or something like that?”
“Something like that.”
“Must be nice.”
“It can come in handy.” He smiles. “Look, just… keep the money. Just this once. I’ll never do it again, I swear.”
I pinch the bill between my fingers, finally giving into the temptation of possible financial freedom. “Fine,” I say. “I accept it and I thank you for your friendly generosity.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Anyway, I’ll…” I gesture at his abs as I shift back toward the door, “let you get back to this.”
He looks down at himself, proud of his work. “Gotta look good for Thursday.”
“Thursday?” I ask.
“I’m modeling for your class again.”
Oh, dear lord.
“Cool,” I squeak.
“Yeah. Professor Wilson sent me an email asking if I was okay with showing a little skin this time.”
“And… you’re okay with that?”
He shrugs. “Sure.”
“Of course,” I say, jolting as the back of my foot connects with the doorframe. “Why wouldn’t you be? You’re…” I chuckle. “Just look at you.”
His lips curl slightly. “Are you okay with it?”
“Pfft! Duh. Yeah. I’m okay with it. It’s just a little skin, right?”