Josh wasn’t my dirty little secret, but I still felt weird about how we met. Maybe in a few years it would be cute, but now? Not so much.
Wait, a few years? I was getting a little—no, a lot—ahead of myself.
“Funny story,” Josh began, and I elbowed him, clearing my throat. He glanced down at me then grinned. “I’ll let Bri tell it.”
Stan’s eyes turned toward me, as well as everyone else’s at the table. Just my luck that the other conversations had hit a lull.
I swallowed. Might as well tell the truth. It would get out eventually anyway, and with Josh’s eyes on me, I couldn’t lie or he’d get offended, thinking I was embarrassed of him.
I wasn’t. Really. I just wished he had more direction, that’s all. Especially in this group full of people who were all about direction.
“Josh was actually assigned to me for academic counseling.”
He put his arm around me and squeezed my shoulder. “When I heard I was on academic probation, I expected to meet some crotchety old lady. Imagine my surprise when Bri came in. I lucked out—she may be crotchety, but she’s hot.”
Everyone chuckled at my expense. I crossed my arms in mock anger, but relief washed over me in waves. The ice was broken, and the secret was out with no snide comments. Maybe I’d underestimated my group.
Josh was perfectly comfortable here. My worries were completely unfounded. Or maybe I had lied to myself about what I was really worried about.
If I was honest with myself, I have to admit that I knew Josh would be fine. He was extroverted, the type of guy who could make friends in an old folks’ home. So while I tried to convince myself that I was worried that Josh would be uncomfortable, I was more worried that my friends wouldn’t accept him, which was wrong. It didn’t matter what they thought.
Josh was right. I liked him and he liked me. To hell with everyone else.
Conversation took its natural turn toward academics, which meant that Josh didn’t have much to add. He fidgeted with his silverware and played on his phone a little bit. Was he checking the time? Counting down the minutes until he could leave?
Part of me was annoyed. He could try to be interested. Or at least pretend like he was. Yeah, I got that talking about academics might not be all that exciting, but it was my life.
He slipped his phone back into his pocket and reached for my hand, holding it under the table. I relaxed instantly and silently berated myself. Stop over analyzing everything!
A conversation down at the other end of the table caught my attention.
“This girl comes into my office hours, and she’s wearing Greek letters—Omega Zeta something or other. I don’t remember.” Mike rolled his eyes. “Not like it matters. They’re all the same.”
Mike was a TA and taught a chemistry lab. He was probably the one I liked the least out of our group.
“Anyway, she comes in asking for help, but right away I knew she was going to be a lost cause.”
“Why?” Josh asked.
Mike cocked his head. “Why what?”
“Why is she a lost cause?”
“You must have missed the first part of the story. She’s a sorority girl.”
Josh’s fist clenched. Oh, no.
“Actually,” he said, clearing his throat loudly to make sure he had everyone’s attention. “The overall Greek GPA is higher than the non-Greek GPA.”
“Really,” Mike said drily, clearly not believing Josh. I didn’t realize that, either, but Josh wouldn’t lie about it. I narrowed my eyes at Mike.
Josh leaned back in his chair, assuming a relaxed posture, one that exuded confidence rather than being confrontational. “Check it online. I guarantee it’s true.”
“Yup, he’s right,” Casey said, the irritation clear in her voice. She hadn’t bothered to check, but she probably knew that little fact already. I always forgot that she was Greek.
“Didn’t Bri say you met because you were on academic probation?” Mike asked Josh pointedly, with a smug expression on his face.
I wanted to stick a fork in his eye, to rip that smug look right off his face. Screw him.
This was what I’d been worried about, that someone here would look down on me—us—because of Josh’s probation and how we met. And now that it had happened? It just made me realize what a jerk Mike was.
Under the table, I snaked my hand to the inside of Josh’s knee in a show of support.
“Also true,” Josh said easily. “But don’t look to me as an example. My GPA actually brings the average down. I’m working on that, though.”
“They still seem like a waste of time. A bunch of social nonsense,” Mike muttered.
“Let me tell you something, Mike,” Casey said, leaning across the table. Uh-oh. I recognized that tone. “Do you remember a few years ago when the animal shelter almost closed because of lack of funding?”
“Yeah. So?”
“It’s still here because of the Greek community. We all came together and put on some silly social nonsense that raised enough money to save it. In fact, it’s still operating in part due to the continuing efforts of the Greek community.”
“Plus, each individual organization sponsors a charity,” Josh added.
“Thank you,” Casey said to Josh. “As for you, Michael, you need to think twice before you start spewing ignorant garbage. I’m proud to be Greek.”
Mike pursed his lips and folded his arms across his chest.
I did my best to hold in my laugh—truly I did—but it was too hard. Score to Casey and Josh.
“Have a nice night, Mike,” Casey said. “Consider this me uninviting you to our Friday gatherings until further notice.” My eyebrows shot up. Casey was the organizer for our group, but I never thought she would go there. She really must be angry, even more so than she was letting on. She was usually a the-more-the-merrier kind of person.
“Are you serious?” Mike sputtered.
“You pissed me off,” she said. “And this isn’t the first time. You’re basically an asshole. No one even likes you. So it’s time for good-bye.”
I clapped my hand over my mouth. No, she didn’t! It was exactly what I was thinking, though.
Mike stood abruptly, his chair scraping back behind him. He angrily grabbed his coat off the back of it and threw a twenty on the table to cover his part of the check. Then he stalked out without another word.
“I hate that guy,” Casey muttered.
I looked at her with wide eyes. “Geez, Case. I didn’t know you felt so strongly.”
“He is kind of a tool,” Stan said. A few others nodded as well.
“That was the last straw. Most grad students are cool,” she said, “but some think they are so superior. I had a TA just like him when I was a freshman, actually. Perhaps this was just a little misguided anger. But good riddance, anyway.”
Josh held his fist out, and Casey bumped it with hers. I should have known the two of them would get along. They probably had more in common with one another than I had with either of them.
“I like your friends,” Josh whispered into my ear. His breath tickled my neck, and I was all too aware of his hand on my thigh. I closed my eyes for a second to concentrate on the feel of his fingertips, to wonder what they would feel like with no clothes in between.
Now I kinda felt like checking my watch to see if it was time to go yet.
Later, as we were putting our coats on to leave, Casey hugged me. “I can understand why you’d want to keep him under lock and key. Yum.”
My jaw dropped open, and I pulled away from her. “Casey!”
She shrugged. “I call ’em like I see ’em.” She winked. “Have fun tonight.”
“Have fun tonight?” Josh asked, slinging his arm over my shoulder as she walked away. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“It means…” I took a deep breath. “It means we’re going back to my apartment.”
Chapter Twenty-One
&nbs
p; Josh
Bri had gotten a better parking space than me, so she probably made it back to her apartment before I even managed to hoof it all the way to my car. And it wasn’t for lack of hurrying on my part. But as much as I wanted to run every red light and stop sign on the way to Bri’s place, I was a model citizen and obeyed all traffic laws.
Well, sort of. Ten over the speed limit was kind of a gray area. Those were just suggestions anyway. Except for Bri, my little rule follower. She probably actually did twenty-five in the twenty-five mile an hour zone.
But something told me Bri might want to break some rules tonight. As I climbed the stairs to her apartment, I thought about the look on her face as we were leaving, and I started taking the stairs two at a time.
I knocked on her apartment door, but not before I tested the door handle to see if it was locked. It was. Good girl.
She opened the door with her phone held up to her ear with one hand.
Sorry, she mouthed to me.
I nodded and quietly closed the door behind me. In the living room, she gestured to the TV and handed me the remote with an apologetic look on her face.
I flipped through the channels, but not much was on. I finally settled on some sci-fi movie about aliens who came to Earth masquerading as college girls with an evil plot to suck the life out of people, mainly stupid college guys who couldn’t see past the push-up bras until a tentacle came out of the girls’ mouths.
This was some high quality programming. I was a high quality kind of guy.
Bri came out of the bedroom right at the climax of the movie, where the aliens were shedding their human disguises to show their true selves.
“Sorry, Marie doesn’t usually—” She stopped at she noticed what I was watching. “Oh my God, is that…? And is she…?”
“Yes and yes,” I said. “The aliens’ plot to take over the world is being foiled by the nerdy smart girl. And now look! The hot stupid guy is falling in love with her.”
Bri dropped onto the couch next to me. “That has to be the worst CGI I’ve ever seen.”
I tilted my head to look at it from another angle. “Yeah, it’s pretty bad.”
“Anyway, sorry about that. Marie doesn’t normally call on Friday nights, but her brother was admitted to the hospital tonight.”
“Is everything okay?”
She sighed. “They think he had a heart attack, but they’re still waiting for tests.” She chewed on her thumbnail for a moment. “He should be okay. She thinks.”
“I’m sure they’ll get him straightened out.”
“Yeah. I hope so. Uncle Max has never taken care of himself, but it still makes me worry. It freaks me out, actually. He’s her younger brother.”
I nodded in understanding. “How old are your parents?”
“They’re already in their sixties. Sometimes I wonder if I should have tried to go to school closer to home.”
I laughed a little. “That never even occurred to me. I got as far away as I could while still staying in state.”
We sat in silence for a minute, watching the credits roll on the movie. I was sorry to hear about her uncle, but it really was a buzzkill. The look I’d seen in her eyes earlier was gone, replaced by worry.
I put my hand on her knee and starting flipping through the channels. “Is there something you want to watch?”
I turned my head to wait for an answer, and she pressed herself up against me, her hand on my cheek. Her eyes searched mine for a moment, then she crushed her mouth to mine. No hesitation, no holding back.
Hello. I guess when my girl decided she wanted something she went after it. I was much obliged to assist her.
I dropped the remote on the couch and pulled her into my lap, her legs straddling me. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I started trailing kisses down her neck, lingering for a moment on her collarbone.
She moaned a little. It was so hot. I was so fucking gone for this girl.
I pulled her shirt up, and she raised her arms so I could pull it all the way off.
Oh Jesus fuck.
She was wearing some kind of lacy black bra, and her breasts were spilling out of it. I pulled one cup down and put my mouth to her nipple. She gasped, and I smiled, my tongue still working on her skin.
My fingers fumbled with the back clasp on her bra, and it took me several tries to get it undone. Shit. That never happened. I couldn’t think, couldn’t function when my hands and mouth were on her skin.
She ran her hands under my shirt and up my sides, giving me goose bumps. I yanked my shirt over my head so I could feel her bare flesh against my chest.
She bit her lower lip and looked down at me with half-closed eyes. I groaned. I almost lost it right there.
She climbed off my lap and used my hand to pull me up. Then she led me to the bedroom.
…
Bri
Beta Chi was doing an event for their local charity, something involving Special Olympics. I wasn’t too clear on the specifics. All I knew was that when Josh asked me to go bowling with his fraternity and a local Special Olympics group, I was excited, so much so that I invited Casey. Josh had said the more the merrier, especially more girls. The Special Olympics athletes included boys and girls, and the Betas tried to bring girls to the events to make the female athletes more comfortable.
Casey was waiting for me outside her apartment, her eyes barely open. It was early for a Saturday, not quite nine, but I’d come prepared. I handed her a travel mug of coffee as soon as she got in the car.
She took a sip. “Whoa.” Her eyes widened. “I’m definitely awake now.”
“Too strong?” I asked.
“A little. At least there will be no risk of me nodding off.”
When we arrived at the bowling alley, Josh was already slinging his ball down the lane, and he was surprisingly chipper for it being so early in the morning. When he pulled me into a bear hug and spun me around, I pulled back, looking at him suspiciously.
“Are you really an alien come to seduce poor unsuspecting college students?” I put my hand to his cheek. “What have you done with my Josh?”
He laughed and pulled me close, kissing my forehead.
Since Josh was already occupied, Casey and I joined a lane with Cori, Luke, and two Special Olympic athletes, who were typing their names into the computer.
It turned out that Casey already knew Cori. Well, sort of. They were in the same sorority, but Casey had been a senior when Cori was a freshman, so they’d pretty much only known one another by name. Still, small world, right?
It felt like some kind of sign. For the first time, Josh and I had some sort of a collide between our worlds. I’d take it.
I searched for a ball that would both fit my fingers and wouldn’t be too heavy. It had been years since I’d gone bowling. I might’ve been in middle school the last time I went. But I figured it didn’t matter too much if I wasn’t competitive.
I figured wrong.
Those Special Olympics athletes took the competition seriously. So did the Beta Chi guys. If I had realized they weren’t just having fun, but training for their upcoming competition, I never would have laced on the rented bowling shoes. I mean, they were having fun, but it was serious fun.
So when they needed someone to set up for lunch, I gladly volunteered. It didn’t take long, though. The bowling alley employees took care of everything. I just had to tell them where to put the food and drinks.
Maybe asking for a volunteer was a really just a nice way of asking me to clear the lane.
While I waited for the pizzas to arrive, I took a seat and watched as Josh critiqued his partner’s last throw…pitch? I didn’t even know what the correct term was.
I did know that I enjoyed watching Josh bowl. As he released the ball, he struck a professional-looking bowling pose with his arm flung straight out, his right leg crossed behind the left, and his butt…let’s just say it was a nice view. One I wouldn’t mind watching twenty or so frames of.
After a few more tries, his partner took his turn, and while it wasn’t a strike, eight of the ten pins went down, a definite improvement. Josh high-fived him.
It warmed my heart to watch him. He was so patient.
The guys were doing a good thing here. Seeing them in action and remembering the dinner conversation from the Bookstore made me realize that I didn’t do crap to help anyone. Sure, part of my job as an academic counselor was to help people, but I got paid for that. When was the last time I went out of my way to help a charitable cause? Once when I was in high school, I helped collect canned goods for the local food pantry as part of a service project for the Spanish Club. But since then? Nada.
The game started winding up, and Josh wandered over to where I was waiting.
“You’re really good,” I said. “I didn’t realize you were a bowling pro.”
He laughed. “Hardly. But this is my third year doing this, so I have picked up a few things.”
“You should have warned me the competition would be so fierce. I got eaten alive out there.”
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the tip of my nose. “If things got too bad, I would have swooped in and saved you.”
“It’s really cool what you guys do here,” I said.
He shrugged. “No big deal.”
“I’m trying to compliment you. And it is a big deal. You don’t see me out there doing anything like this.”
He shrugged again. “I doubt I’d do it either if not for the fraternity.”
“Just take the compliment.”
“Okay, then. Thanks.” He looked away, and I peered at him. Had I embarrassed him? I had. The cooler-than-cool Josh Davidson was blushing.
The employees set down several pizzas on our tables, so I pulled on plastic gloves to distribute the slices onto plates.
Wanting More (Love on Campus #2) Page 20