Theo gave him a knowing look. “That’s what I thought. And that’s ultimately why I’m here. Since Seb’s my best friend, I figured I should introduce myself. According to him, you’re a fascinating person.”
Nick’s head started to swim. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“What’s up with Sebastian? Try as I might, I can’t figure out his whole hot-and-cold, mysterious-flirtatious routine. It does my head in.”
“Yeah, ignore all of that. Sebastian acts cool, but it’s a big show he puts on for the other students. He’s been doing it so long, I don’t think he realizes it’s not real anymore. I promise there’s more to Seb than his reputation, though. We grew up together, and his life hasn’t been all that easy, so he acts out sometimes.”
Nick scoffed. “What problems could the poor rich kid possibly have? Does he have to do his own laundry now that he lives on his own?”
Theo’s eyes iced over. “You know, financial stability is an incredible privilege, but it doesn’t make people immune to misfortune. Sebastian’s parents did a real number on him when he was growing up, and having money didn’t make him any less depressed. You shouldn’t be so quick to make assumptions about Sebastian’s life. Or anyone else’s, for that matter.”
Nick swallowed. “I’m sorry. I’m a little bitter because I’m here on a full scholarship.”
“Your parents aren’t helping you pay for school?”
“No, they’re not.” He was surprised how hard his voice sounded.
Theo eyed him, as if he sensed there was meaning underlying Nick’s words. “I get it. There were times when my family was struggling, and I honestly thought that if we won the lottery, all our problems would be solved. But in the immortal words of the Notorious B.I.G.: mo’ money, mo’ problems.”
“Word. Well, you’ve listed a couple of reasons for coming here tonight, but somehow I don’t think you’re really here to get to know me.”
“I’m not not here to get to know you.” Theo winked. “Sebastian’s never shown such interest in a guy before, and it made me curious. But you’re right, I have other motivations. Honestly, I want to make sure you know what you’re getting into.”
Nick took a breath to steady his voice. “And what’s that?”
“It’s entirely up to you.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “How can you be so blunt one second and then talk like Yoda the next?”
Theo flashed a big, cheesy grin. “A gift, it is.”
Nick wanted to laugh, but it got caught in his throat. “I have a question. Everyone keeps describing Sebastian as a heartbreaker. Has he ever had a boyfriend? Like, a serious, long-term relationship?”
“Very good question. No, he hasn’t. His longest relationship was when we were freshmen, and it lasted a month. If you’re expecting a tender wooing, you’re not going to get one from him.”
“I’m not expecting anything, to be honest.” Nick shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, Sebastian’s a stranger who keeps popping up when I least expect it, and I don’t know what that means yet. I’m not trying to make a splash at this school. I want to catch up and graduate, and that’s it. If Sebastian’s going to get in the way of me doing that, then I’m going to avoid him. Plus, I’m not trying to broadcast my sexuality, unlike everyone else at this school.”
Theo’s brow furrowed. “‘Catch up’?”
Nick cleared his throat. “I’m a year older than most juniors. I took some time off. For personal reasons.”
“Did you take a gap year?” Theo perked up. “Where’d you go? Thailand? I hear a lot of students these days are going to Thailand.”
Nick blinked at him. “What’s a gap year?”
“Ah. Never mind. It’s one of those privileged-rich-kid things. But for the record, about the sexuality thing, you shouldn’t worry.”
“You’re the third person to tell me that, and yet here I sit, still worrying.”
Theo shook his head, and his wild red locks shifted like an octopus. “None of the students are gonna care if you’re into guys, and they certainly won’t blame you for being into Seb. Pretty much everyone is. Man, woman, gay, straight, and all the spectrums therein.”
Nick wasn’t sure why, but something that almost felt like jealousy sparked up in his chest. “Including you?”
That got a chuckle out of Theo. “No way. Seb and I would never work out. We’re way too different.”
“But the problem isn’t that you’re not into guys? You’re gay, or whatever?”
“Whatever,” Theo confirmed. “I’m pansexual. Sebastian’s gay, as I suspect you already know. Dante will tell you his orientation if you catch him riding a caffeine high at three in the morning on the night of a full moon. That’s another reason why the three of us are friends. Queer birds of a feather.”
Nick nodded. “Makes sense. So, is this you inviting me to join your gang of queer hotties, Mean Girls–style?”
With a snort, Theo shook his head again, and the crimson octopus returned. “Not at all, though it bodes well that you make movie references too. Part of me wants to tell you to run as fast as you can. Another part wants Seb and you to fall in love and live happily ever after.”
Nick’s heart thumped hard in his chest. “Love?”
“And that—” Theo jabbed a finger at Nick’s chest “—brings me to the real reason behind my visit, at long last. In the interest of fairness, I’m here to give you a warning. If you don’t want anything to happen with Sebastian, you have to tell him to fuck off now.”
“What? Why?”
“Because Sebastian is charming and intelligent and gorgeous, and no matter how strong you think you are, or how careful, or how jaded, eventually, you’ll fall for him. This isn’t a situation where you can get your toes wet. Either jump into the deep end, or get the hell out of the water.”
Nick’s head was reeling. “If Sebastian’s your friend, shouldn’t you be talking him up?”
Theo’s face was unreadable. “I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”
Nick tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry. “And you think I would get hurt, if I decided to go for a swim.”
“Sebastian has a lot of baggage. And not the good relationship baggage, like a broken heart that proves he has one. His baggage involves pain and betrayal and questioning if love even exists, or if most people on this earth are destined to lie, cheat, and die alone. And everyone, everyone, thinks they’re the special someone who’s going to come along and ‘fix’ him.”
“But no one is,” Nick finished.
Theo’s mysterious smile was back. “That remains to be seen.”
Nick swallowed. “Why are you telling me all of this? I gotta admit, this is up there on the strange scale. Ever since I came here, I keep having the oddest conversations with people. What’s the point of it all?”
Theo waved him off. “It’s just like I said. I’m here to give you a warning. And honestly, I know we don’t know each other, but you seem like a cool guy. I’d like for us to be friends.” His green-gold eyes met Nick’s from across the room, the expression in them unreadable. “For now.”
“Seb.”
Sebastian chewed absently on the end on his pencil as he stared off into space. Thoughts darted around in his brain, refusing to settle. They made it difficult for him to focus on anything, including the beautiful-albeit-gray campus around him and the voice calling his name.
“Sebby.”
“Don’t call me Sebby,” he mumbled automatically.
I need to go grocery shopping and change the dead light bulb in my fridge. Maintenance will fix it if I call, but they take forever. I bet I can do it myself.
He made a mental note to look for a hardware store while he was in town. That was his best bet for finding whatever kind of light bulbs he needed. A cool burst of morning air ruffled his hair. He closed his eyes to soak it in. The air smelled like autumn, ready to sweep over campus in all its gold-and-ruby glory.
“Sebastian. Earth to Sebastian.”
Sebastian’s gaze finally drifted over to the man sitting across from him at their usual table in the quad.
Dante quirked a thick eyebrow at him. “You need another shot of espresso or something? You keep spacing out.”
“Sorry. I have a lot on my mind.” He looked down at the textbook that was open in front of him. In the past half hour, he’d highlighted three sentences. That didn’t bode well. Normally his focus didn’t taper off until the middle of the semester. What was up with him this year? “Is it possible to get senioritus in your junior year?”
“Yes,” said a dreamy voice to the right.
Theo appeared and heaved a full backpack onto the table. The wood creaked ominously beneath the weight. “Morning, gents. I thought I might find you here.”
“Morning,” Sebastian and Dante mumbled in unison. The branches above their heads swayed in the breeze as if waving hello.
Dante eyed Theo’s bursting bag. “How’s that morning lecture treating you?”
“It’s great.” Theo plopped, boneless, onto the wooden bench like a ragdoll. “And by ‘great,’ I mean ‘it’s terrible, and my life is a dumpster fire.’”
Sebastian chuckled. “You’re not allowed to call me dramatic ever again.”
“You don’t understand. There’s a reason why literally every list of college advice tells you not to sign up for morning classes. Between that and late-night studying, I’m lucky I live on campus, or I’d never get any sleep.”
“I sympathize,” Dante said. “Thanks to the late lab I have Thursday nights, I feel like I go to class, sleep, and when I wake up, I’m right back in class. Plus, my mom sent me like twelve frantic texts because I didn’t call her before bed like I normally do.”
“Man, having parents who love you must be so rough,” Theo said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “The last time my dad called, he’d pocket-dialed me from whatever bar he was in. And I know it was a bar, because I heard the distinct sound of karaoke and bad decisions.”
Without asking, Dante reached into Theo’s bag, pulled an apple out from amongst the books, and traded it for the unopened bag of chips in front of him. Theo grabbed the chips and started wolfing them down.
“I knew your blood sugar was low,” Dante muttered.
Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Could you two be more married?”
Dante and Theo both froze for a fraction of a second—long enough to be noticed, but not so long Sebastian wanted to remark upon it—before Dante shot him a far-too-casual look. “You heard from your folks recently, Seb? Are they back in town yet?”
“Nope and nope. They could be dead for all I know.”
“Jesus, don’t say shit like that. When was the last time the three of you were in the same room?”
Sebastian thought back. “Well, they both attended our high school graduation, though they were seated on opposite sides of the auditorium. Dad spent the whole night with his hand on his assistant’s ass, and Mom brought the pool boy as her plus-one. So, I don’t think that counts.”
Theo flinched. “You never told us that.”
“Whatever. Who cares where they are? It’s not like I need them for anything.”
Dante reached for Sebastian’s shoulder, only to drop his hand a second later. “At least this happened after you turned eighteen. It didn’t ruin your childhood or anything.”
“Oh yeah, my childhood was great.” Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “After busting my ass all my life to make them proud, I turned eighteen, and then it was like I wasn’t their problem anymore. No more need to put on pretenses for Sebastian. They can have all the affairs they want, right out in the open, and I’m supposed to ignore it.”
Theo’s eyes were huge. “Sebastian—”
Sebastian realized his voice was rising with every word, but he couldn’t seem to stop it. “At least once they’re divorced they won’t technically be cheating on each other. My only family is falling apart, and everyone acts like I shouldn’t care because hey, I’m not a minor.”
When he’d finished, mortification crept through him like a choking vine. Dante and Theo both seemed stricken.
“Sebastian, I’m sorry,” Dante said.” I didn’t mean—”
“Let’s take a break.” Sebastian closed his textbook with a thump. “It’s the first Friday of the new term. We should do something this weekend. Throw a party. Drink lots and lots of alcohol.”
Theo and Dante exchanged a glance, like maybe they were going to insist on talking about what had just happened. Sebastian glared at them, daring them. In the end, they backed down.
“I’m in.” Dante shrugged. “Though we’re not having it at my place. The first party of the year is always the messiest. Remember the one we threw at the start of sophomore year? I had to buy all new living room furniture.”
“That’s what you get for putting a Slip ‘N Slide indoors.” Sebastian brushed his thick bangs away from his eyes. “I’m happy to host. It’ll have to be tomorrow, however. I’m having company over tonight.”
“Oh?” Theo asked. The sunlight streaming through the tree cast dappled patterns on his pale skin, making him look like a Dalmatian. “Anyone we know?”
“Marshall Wallace, that one twinky blond in my West African History class. He asked me if I wanted to get together and ‘study’ tonight. It’s like the college version of Netflix and chill. I wonder if I’ll so much as crack a textbook.”
“Godspeed,” Dante said. “Does this mean you’ve given up on Nick?”
Sebastian raised a brow at Dante’s hopeful tone. “You wish. The bet is still very much on, and I intend to win. Barbzilla will be mine.”
“If you want to win, why are you seeing other men?” Theo asked.
“I’m single. I can do what I want.” He paused. “And Nick has been strangely resistant to my charms so far.”
Dante flashed a big, bright smile. “Not falling for your snake-oil routine, huh? Sounds like Blondie’s too smart for you.”
Sebastian scowled. “Au contraire. I’m enjoying the chase. So far, Nick has proven to be a fun distraction. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s cute too. I love how tan he is. All that bronze skin. Makes me want to lick it and see if it tastes like metal.”
“Well, that was far too much information,” Theo chirped. “I see that poetry class you took last year paid off. If I can give you some advice: I wouldn’t sit on your laurels with Nick for too long. Someone else is bound to come along and snap him up.”
“Like you?” Sebastian fluttered his eyelashes at Theo. “Forgive me if I don’t see you as a threat. You may share a dorm with him, but unless you happen to bump into him on laundry day, that’s hardly an advantage. How often do you suppose the average college guy washes his clothes? Once a month?”
“Gee, if only I’d had the wherewithal to assault him behind the dining hall like you did.” Theo flashed a sweet smile. “But as it just so happens, I spent some time in his room last night.”
Sebastian’s stomach grew cold, as if he’d swallowed ice. “What happened between you?”
“You know I’m not one to kiss and tell.” Theo went back to shoveling chips into his mouth, looking for all the world like they were discussing the weather.
Sebastian didn’t buy the casual act for a second. “Don’t play coy with me. I trademarked that. If you had sex with Nick, I want to know.”
“Why?” Theo waggled his eyebrows at him. “You jealous?”
“Of course not,” Sebastian said, knowing perfectly well that he was. “I don’t want to put time and effort into trying to win the bet if you’ve done far more than kiss him. I love a good chase, but not if I’m going to end up with a wild goose.”
“Fear not. Nick is still totally up for grabs. When I was in his room last night, we talked. About you, actually.”
Sebastian’s heart couldn’t seem to decide if it wanted to skip or race. “What’d you tell him?”
“Nothing you’d disapprove of. I wante
d to learn more about him and gauge his interest in you. You’re in luck. Despite seeming like an intelligent person, he likes you. Wouldn’t shut up about you.”
Sebastian’s stomach warmed back up, along with the rest of him. “He said that? Like, he directly stated that he likes me?”
“Not in so many words, but it was clear you’ve got his attention.” Theo tapped a finger against his chin. “Although, that may not matter much. If he gets expelled, none of us will get to kiss him.”
At that, Dante rejoined the conversation. “Was that a gentle reminder that we could all be expelled at any time? Thanks to the underage drinking and the partying and the general sinning? Or did Nick get into actual trouble?”
“The latter.” Theo glanced at Sebastian. “When I spoke to him last night, he’d just come from a confrontation with half the swim team. Seems he ogled the wrong man’s boyfriend and almost started a fight.”
“Who was he looking at? Was it Robby?” Sebastian scoffed. “I swear, I don’t get why everyone thinks he’s so hot.”
Theo’s brows knit together. “Um, priorities? Nick was nearly involved in a violent incident. You know, like a crime? If the administration got wind of it, they’d expel him. Since you’re determined to win the bet, I’d think you’d care about that.”
If he got expelled, I’d probably never see him again. To his surprise, the idea made Sebastian’s guts lurch like a boat caught in a storm.
It’s because you don’t want the bet to be over before it even begins. It’s been fun, and it’s taken your mind off your sucky family and how depressed you’ve been lately. That’s all.
Sebastian cleared his throat. “I’m confident you told Nick to watch his back. I’m surprised he needed to be told, though. You’d think he’d know better than to get into a fight.”
“I think he was provoked.” Theo shrugged. “That’s what I heard anyway. One of the swim guys brought up Nick’s parents, and he lost it, which confirms that particular rumor. He took a year off for bereavement.”
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