by Andy Gallo
Marcus cranked him the bird.
“Ed is too perfect to be real. He’s so fucking hot I had to hide a hard-on most of the night—”
A pillow hit him in the side of the head. “Not quite so many details.”
“He’s also kind and sweet and thoughtful, and that’s all wrapped up in strong, firm muscles and a wicked grin.”
Kicking off his shoes, he noticed a cup on Marcus’s normally tidy desk. “Did you get coffee?”
For a second his brother had a deer-in-the-headlights look. Then Marcus turned toward the cup and picked it up, shrugging. “Yeah. I… um… needed some caffeine because of the studying.”
“Where’d you go?” Normally he wouldn’t care, but Marcus’s hesitation made him curious. “Clearly not Starbucks.”
“You know I’m not a Starbucks fan.” He took a drink and picked up his book.
Jack raised an eyebrow. “So where did you go?”
“Um… the coffee shop just off campus. Back to your night. Tell me more about Ed. Where does he go to school?”
“Mervin County Community College.” As the words left his mouth, he knew it was a mistake. Marcus snorted.
“He goes to M C cubed? Are you kidding me? Community college? Jack….”
Jack glared at Marcus, resisting the urge to yell back. He grabbed his kit and made for the common bathroom. “Good night, Marcus.”
He knew his brother was kidding, but it still bugged him. More than it should? No, Marcus was wrong. Ed worked hard and was doing it all on his own. Something he and Marcus didn’t have to do.
“Whoa.” Marcus was at his heel before he got four steps toward the bathroom. “Sorry, bad joke.”
Jack threw him a hard look. “Ed’s paying his way through school. Imagine where we’d be going if we had to pay for school ourselves. Wouldn’t be Harrison, that’s for sure.”
“I know,” Marcus said, keeping his head down. “I’m not used to people who don’t…. Anyway, sorry.”
Jack held up his hand and sighed. “I get it. But if you ever meet him, you’ll see. He’s really smart.”
“I still get to meet him?”
Not anytime soon. First Jack had to win this bet. Then he’d come clean with Marcus about what really happened his first night out with Ed. “I don’t know, you really pissed me off.”
“Please?” Marcus gave him the sad puppy face he used to tease him with when they were younger.
Jack shook his head. “That’s the lamest sorry face I’ve ever seen.”
“I really am sorry.”
Marcus held up his hand. Jack grabbed it, letting himself be pulled into a hug.
He pushed back, smirking. “Now where did you get that coffee?”
Chapter Six
Jack’s phone buzzed and he swatted the sound away. Too early in the damn morning. Another buzz. He drowsily pulled himself from sleep. Across the room, Marcus mumbled in his sleep.
Jack checked his phone, body surging to life at Ed’s name on the screen.
Ed: Morning!
Ed: Oh crap, it’s probably still too early for you.
Jack couldn’t type back quick enough. Ed writing to him this early in the morning, that had to mean something, surely.
Jack: Nah, I’m totally awake. Why?
Ed: Just finished a job. Am close to Harrison….
Jack was already scrambling out of bed, messaging one-handed while he emptied his drawers for a clean shirt.
Jack: Send me your location. I’m in desperate need of caffeine. Bet you could use some too.
Ed sent a grinning dog and his location. Eighteen minutes later, Jack walked into the local Starbucks. He scanned the almost empty store and caught Ed’s broad shoulders at the counter.
Jack strode over and clapped the guy on the shoulder, giving it a lingering squeeze. “I have an eerie sense of déjà vu.”
Ed’s warm shoulder shook as he chuckled. “I haven’t mowed you down yet.”
“No, no, that you haven’t.” Their gazes snagged, and Ed definitely swallowed. Probably too early—in the day and their friendship—to tease.
Jack rocked back on his heels, dug his wallet out of his pocket, and ordered.
When they both had their drinks, they sank into armchairs in the corner of the room.
Ed’s gaze kept dipping to his chest, and Jack’s lips tipped up behind his mocha. “How was your morning job?”
“I was extremely motivated to get the job done quickly.”
Jack’s grin widened, and an ill-timed sip ended up rolling down his chin. He swiped it off. “Do you often have jobs close to Harrison?”
“Not as much as I’d like.” Ed rubbed his palm over the arm of the chair. “I mean, a lot of the time I have to drive out farther.”
“Well, any time you’re nearby….” He raised his cup.
Ed glanced at his chest again. “I like the look.”
Jack followed the sweep of Ed’s hand and—fuck. His shirt was inside out. “Right. Of course.”
Ed leaned forward in his seat, amusement lighting his eyes as he took in the rest of him. Shivers skittered through Jack and he held his breath. “I totally woke you, didn’t I?”
“Busted.”
The deep laugh Ed gave made it all worth it. “So you’re a high-ranking anchor in your fraternity?”
Jack snorted at the muff. From the way Ed stared at him, it was hard to tell if he’d done it on purpose or really had the term mixed up.
“We prefer to pronounce it ‘archon,’ but either way, I’m one of the fraternity leaders, yes.”
“Do you like it?”
“Which? Being in the fraternity or being an officer?”
“Both.”
Of course he’d want Jack to answer both. “Yeah, for the most part. I mean there are a couple guys I wish weren’t my brothers, but that’s how it is.”
“How’d you pick that fraternity?”
“There wasn’t really any other option.”
Ed’s brow furrowed. “I thought Harrison had a lot of fraternities.”
“No, not like that.” Jack waved his hand and shook his head. “My dad, both of them were in Pi Kappa Phi. Marcus and I grew up hearing all the stories about their days in the house.”
“Wow, that’s cool.”
“Yeah, they met when they were freshmen and were friends until… well… until my parents died.” He thought he’d been ready to deal with the issue, but confronted with it, he froze.
Ed scooted up on his chair, leaning forward. “You okay, Jack?”
Jack rubbed the ring at the chain around his neck and drew in a calming breath. “Yeah. Yeah.”
Ed seemed to realize Jack needed a change in conversation, because he abruptly started telling Jack how his sister had woken him last night screaming murder. She’d gone to the bathroom at night, and when she walked back to her room, someone was in there, rustling the sheets.
Ed had launched into her room with a bat only to be confronted with their cat. The first time the cat decided not to be shy. In the middle of the night, rolling around Becky’s bed. They laughed so hard, they needed to make a cup of hot milk to settle down again.
“Sounds like you’re a good guy to have around… wayward cats.” And panicking… friends.
Ed sipped his coffee. “What about you?”
“I like to think I’m a good guy to have around too.”
“I’m sure you are.” Ed set his coffee down. “Look, about last night….”
Jack clasped his cup, muscles rigid. Here it was. “Yeah?”
Air blew into the café along with a group of rowdy hipster students toting stainless steel cups. Jack shuffled forward on the cushion to hear Ed better, but Ed’s gaze strayed toward group and his mouth flattened.
Jack cursed the interruption, but it was clear the moment had passed.
“What are your plans the rest of the day?” Ed asked instead.
“The rest of the day?”
Ed laughed, and Jack soaked
it up.
“Class, bantering with Brittany—she’s awesome—frat meeting about the spring formal, messing around with the guys. Might squeeze some actual study in there.” A lot of study, actually.
“Messing around with the guys?”
That piqued your interest, did it? Jack smirked. “Play a bit of ball if the weather holds. Get out the PlayStation and hit the video games if it doesn’t.”
“What’s the spring formal?”
Jack groaned. “The bane of my life.”
Jack followed Marcus into their room after their morning class—of which he spent the majority daydreaming about Ed. He was pretty keen to get back to that, to be honest.
He’d told Ed about the spring formal, leaving out any mention of his bet with Harper to land a date. He didn’t want to freak Ed out. Or make him think he was asking him to come.
First they had to cut through the subtext.
Marcus clapped him on the back of the head. “Dude, you know you’re on laundry.”
Jack flipped him off. “No way.” He stared at the pile of dirty clothes and shook his head. “Do our shirts and pants fuck like bunnies while we’re gone? I’d swear we didn’t have this much laundry to do when we left.”
Marcus laughed, then proceeded to add to the pile by shrugging out of his shirt and tossing it into the basket. “What? We’re going for a run first, no?”
Jack snagged his shirt and popped his head through his yellow-and-black T-shirt. Shorts on, he perched on the edge of the bed and laced his sneakers.
Marcus pulled him to the floor so they could stretch. “What route do we want to take, and don’t say—”
“To the river and back by way of Granville.”
“—Granville.” Marcus shook his head and sighed. “What is it with you and that stupid hill? Can’t we just run down to the river and then use the path next to Brittany’s sorority to come home? It’s all flat that way.”
“What?” Jack leaned forward and grabbed the soles of his feet. Bending his head, he felt the stretch in his hamstrings. “You’re Mr. Lacrosse Jock, should be a piece of cake for you.”
Marcus imitated his roommate and held the position for a few seconds. He exhaled, released the stretch, and sat up. “You really excel at finding the worst hills in the area to take me running.”
Standing, Jack put his hand on his desk to keep his balance while he stretched his quad. “You’ll thank me when you’ve still got gas left in your legs at the end of a lacrosse game.”
Marcus shook his head, then did a double take. “Do you have to wear that shirt?”
“What?” Jack pulled the bottom taut so the lettering was easy to read.
“‘You will get very wet on this ride?’ Really? Where’d you get that?”
Feeling pleased, he pressed the wrinkles from the front. “Brittany bought it for me.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Marcus turned to stretch his left hamstring.
After warming up for another couple minutes, Jack steeled himself for a grueling run.
“Race you. Loser does the winner’s laundry this week.”
One day one of these bets was going to backfire on him.
If they weren’t starting to already.
Jack resisted the urge to tap his foot on the linoleum like his chem lecturer did when he waited for his students to hurry up and settle down. Why was it taking her so long to pack up? They’d spent enough hours here working on the finishing touches of their assignment.
“Brittany,” he said, “c’mon, or I’m leaving without you.”
He pushed open the door and made his way outside. Brittany muttered something, rushing to catch up.
Outside, the cool, fresh air breezed over him.
“Keep your junk in your jock, I’m here.” Brittany flicked her braids over the collar of her coat. The mocha denim complemented her light brown skin perfectly. “What got you all pissy? It’s not like the cafeteria food is worth rushing there.”
He tried not to laugh but couldn’t hold it back. Brittany always had a quip to lighten the mood.
“True,” he said, putting his arm around her and pulling her closer. He patted her arm and got an arched eyebrow in return. “I have to get the laundry in before we can eat.”
She slapped his hand and wiggled free. “You lost another bet with Marc, didn’t you?”
“He cheated, I’m sure of it.” It was a bad omen. He turned and wagged his finger at her. “I was at the entrance to the horseshoe, three houses from a lopsided victory—I mean, his ass was trounced. He was huffing and he had nothing left.”
“And yet….” She raised an eyebrow. “If you were trouncing him, how’d you lose?”
“I tripped.” He pulled up the right leg of his jeans to show her the scrape on his knee. “I glanced back to see where he was….”
“You mean you looked back so you could gloat.” She raised that eyebrow again and cocked her head.
“Anyway, when I turned, I tripped on a piece of the curb that had broken off. I swear he must have planted it there. He really hates doing laundry.”
Brittany slipped her arm through his and moved closer as they crossed down a narrow path between the law building and library that cut their time back to the fraternity by five minutes. “Do you have to make everything a competition?”
“What’s wrong with pushing each other?”
“Nothing, but you bet on everything. I mean, if you weren’t brothers, you’d probably bet on who could, you know—” She made a fist and moved it up and down in front of her crotch. “—the most in a day.”
“Brittany!” He jerked to the side. God, he wished he could blink that image away. “Gross.”
“Hey, I said if you weren’t brothers.”
“Yeah, well, the bet with Marcus is the least of my worries.” Jack sighed and let her link their arms again. He kicked at a loose stone and it scuttled to the side of the building and bounced back. He kicked it again. “I bet Harper I could get a date for the formal. Loser has to leave the house.”
“What’s got you down? You can take me.” Brittany pushed her shoulder against his. “That would really be a kick in the balls for him.”
“A guy, Brit. I need to bring a guy. Not you.” Preferably this guy I met in a bookstore….
She laughed. “You’re in trouble then.”
“Gee thanks.” He scowled as he tried to pull his arm free, but she tightened her grip. “Isn’t being supportive part of your job as my ha—” Brittany smacked the back of his head. “—ow!”
“Don’t say it.” She tried to smack him again, but he ducked. “I’m not your hag or anyone else’s.”
“Fine, you’re not my hag.” He rubbed away the sting. “But you don’t need to be so negative.”
“I was teasing. Seriously, why are you worried? Didn’t you meet him last night? And early this morning?”
“Yes, but….”
“And aren’t you meeting him Thursday night?”
“Yes, but….”
“But nothing. You’ve nothing to worry about.” She curled her hand around his and swung it until he turned toward her. When he met her gaze, she winked at him. Despite himself he smiled. “There’s my Jackie.”
“We’ve only had one date so far, and turns out it wasn’t really a date.”
“Please. You act like you need to take a boyfriend. Just find any old boy date.” She made that face that screamed Don’t be a dumbass. “Harper was a fool to bet that you can’t find a date. You don’t have to sleep with them, just get them to come along.”
“Yeah, but….”
“No buts, Jack…. Well, maybe if the butt is hot.” She raised her eyebrows several times.
“No, there is a huge but—problem. If things don’t work out with Ed or he doesn’t want to come to my formal, it’s not like there are that many options. In case you’ve missed it, I’ve gotten something of a bad rap on campus after Kieran. Not only have I turned down a few guys who’ve asked me out, I said no
to Evan Ulstead last fall when he asked me to be his date for his formal, just as a friend. It might be harder than you think for me to find someone to go, even if we’re not boyfriends.”
“So you pissed off a few of the gays on campus. Go look on Grindr.”
“Grindr? Do you know what kinda guys are on there?”
“Hey, I may not be a hag, but I do need to keep up on things if I’m going to be your best straight girlfriend.”
There was more to this than she let on, but he let it go. “I’m not… there yet. Let me try the normal way.”
“Pssh. Normal is so overrated.”
Jack’s stomach clenched. She was totally up to something. “Just let me deal with this.”
Brittany didn’t seem to hear him. “I know! You could take my cousin. He’s gay.”
“Your cousin David?” When she nodded, he snorted. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“What’s wrong with David? You don’t like black men?” The eye roll caused him to scowl.
“You know that’s not true.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Brittany!” He stared at her to be sure she was serious. “No.”
“Why not?”
“He’s got a husband.”
“Jack, I didn’t say you were going to sleep with him, but if you did, you’d better let me know.”
He hissed at her and walked faster. So much for expecting help from her.
“Jack, wait.” She ran up and got in front of him. “I’m serious—well, not about the sleeping with him part. Just bring him as your date.”
“Brittany, he’s thirty-five.”
“So? You don’t think he’s attractive?”
“No… I mean, yeah, he’s hot….”
“Damn strai—gay he is. He probably has a killer body too. Played semipro football. Now he’d be a date that would turn heads.”
She couldn’t be serious. “No.”
“Why not? Don’t want people to think you’re looking for a sugar daddy?”
How did she know all these things? He stopped walking, put his arms on her shoulders, and held her steady. “Just stop. I have no problem with black men or older men, but he’s married.”