Better Together: Boys of Talbert Hall #3

by Ward, Quinn

  “No way! You’re too big to get decent air,” he teased. If it’d been anyone else, I might have been offended, but this was Chase. I knew he was having fun, and if he wanted to give me a hard time, I had it coming. “But if you really think so, what are we betting?”

  “Bathroom duty for a week?” I suggested. I was used to being the most immature of the bunch, but it seemed that title belonged to Matt and Chase. The two of them started giggling uncontrollably—Matt, to the point he had to stop and double over, holding his stomach. “What the hell’s so funny?”

  “You said duty,” Matt informed me through gasping breaths.

  “Yes, duty. D-U-T-Y,” I clarified as I rolled my eyes. We’d seriously been reduced to the point of bathroom humor?

  “Yeah, but doodie. You know…it's what you do in the bathroom,” he explained as if I was slow and hadn’t gotten why it was so amusing. By this point, he had tears in his eyes and Chase had a hand cupped over his mouth, trying to hide his own laughter. “It’s what makes bathroom duty necessary.”

  “You’re insane.” I rolled my eyes, again, because Matt seriously wasn’t letting this go. “Come on, let's get our tickets before there’s a line. And when Chase is stuck on bathroom duty, I'll be sure to eat a lot of Mexican food, so he has to deal with my doodie.”

  I couldn't even believe the words coming out of my mouth. They were so juvenile. So… Hilarious, if I pulled the stick out of my ass. I was the one who’d been moping because I thought I’d ruined my chance at getting along with my roommates, so I couldn’t really bitch when this is what I got. At least they were including me.

  “That’s disgusting and totally unnecessary,” Chase complained. He heaved and made retching noises. “I swear, Zach, if you do do that, I’m going to have Jay kick your butt.”

  “Ha! You just said doo doo.” I pulled Chase in for a quick hug and gave him a noogie. “The two of you are a bad influence on me. I just wanted to not feel like everyone wanted to kick my ass all the time, and now you have me making poop jokes.”

  “You love us, and you know it.” Matt threw his arm over my shoulder and planted a sloppy, wet kiss on my cheek.

  I couldn't remember the last time things felt so peaceful with my roommates. I had never had this easy camaraderie with Chase, and I was determined to make up for lost time. I couldn't fix the rocky start we’d gotten off to when he moved in, but I could make sure that the rest of our final year together went smoothly.

  And, who knew, if I managed to not completely blow things with Colin and Daniel, Chase might wind up being in my life a hell of a lot longer than just the end of this school year.

  The attendant working the ticket booth at the bounce bag, gave the three of us a dirty look as we approached. I pulled a twenty out of my wallet, handing it to her with a saccharine sweet smile. If Matt and Chase wanted to bounce, that was what we were going to do, and I wasn't about to let this grumpy old lady make them feel bad about it. “Three tickets, please.”

  She glanced behind us then back to the bag. “No horsing around in there. We don't want anyone getting hurt. If you break the rules, you’ll be kicked out, and there are no refunds.”

  “We'll be on our best behavior,” I promised. Chase snickered behind me, and I glared at them. “Right, you two?”

  “Cross my heart.” Chase made an X over his chest. “We won't do anything dangerous.”

  The woman let out an unconvinced harrumph before starting in on her rehearsed speech. “The closest bag is for families only. You'll have to go to the bag down there in order to bounce,” she instructed us as she handed me the three tickets.

  “Thank you.” I smiled even more brightly this time. “I hope you have a great night.”

  Matt started giggling behind me before whispering to Chase, “Man, I didn’t realize Zach could be fake sweet. He’s usually just a grumpy Gus when people are rude to him.”

  “Maybe he really is trying to do better,” Chase suggested.

  I walked away without a second glance at either of them. They were acting like—

  Something clicked, and it dawned on me that this was what I was supposed to pay attention to. Matt and Chase weren’t acting like they did at home. They were like little kids, and it didn’t seem to bother either of them. At some point, maybe they’d sit down and tell me about themselves.

  That wasn’t something I wanted, and I didn’t think it was what Colin or Daniel were into either, but knowing they weren’t so vanilla, would make it easier for me to be myself from now on.

  I didn't fully understand why I had felt the urge to take them by the hand and guide them to the adults-only bounce bag. Even though all of us were the same age, I felt like their babysitter or something, now that I was starting to understand what I was seeing. And that was more than just a little fucked up.

  “Are you ready to get your ass kicked?” Chase asked as he kicked off his shoes.

  I quirked an eyebrow, doing my best to give Chase a stern glare. “Are you supposed to use language like that?”

  Chase sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and shook his head.

  “I didn't think so. Do you want me to tell Jayden?” I threatened. Chase’s eyes grew wide, and it might have been a trick of the light, but I thought I noticed tears welling along his lashes. If I made him cry, Jayden was going to kick my ass. And probably Colin, too. “I bet you'd get in trouble if I said something, huh?”

  “You wouldn't.” He gasped.

  I hadn’t meant it to be a threat, I was more curious about what would happen. Testing the waters, sort of. I wanted to see if he’d open up to me, so I didn’t have to make assumptions, which got me in trouble more often than not.

  “Wouldn't I? You might want to think about that,” I warned him, chuckling so he’d hopefully understand I wasn’t being serious.

  “You’re a big meanie,” Chase protested, shoving me backwards. The little shit caught me off guard and I actually stumbled. “I don't know if I like this new side of you.”

  My heart sank, even though I was mostly certain he was joking.

  He stepped up in front of me, placing a hand on my arm. “I'm sorry, Zach. That was mean. But what happens between us, stays between us. Right, Matty?”

  Matty? That was new. Or maybe not. As I thought about the past few months, I remembered hearing Brandon call him that, but I’d assumed it was just a pet nickname.

  “I’m sorry,” I apologized before Matt could respond. “I don’t know the rules yet, so you might have to teach me. I don’t want to mess up and not be allowed to play—”

  “Wait a minute,” Matt interrupted. “Are you…you know…too?”

  To my credit, I managed to not laugh out loud. I shook my head. “Oh, no, I'm not. Not if you’re what I think you are.” This was the worst possible place to be talking about this. A few other groups joined us, all of them laughing and talking animatedly. I heard some of them making wagers, similar to the one I had with Chase. They didn’t need to hear this. “But it's okay if the two of you are. I'm sorry if you felt like you had to hide things from me before. I really was an asshole, wasn't I?”

  “Gee, you think?” Matt scoffed. Unlike Chase, he plopped his ass in the wet grass and started tugging at his shoelaces. The tip of his tongue peaked out from the corner of his mouth, and he scowled as he muttered something about stupid double knots.

  “It's okay though,” Chase assured me. “The important thing is, you know now, and you can fix it. You don't think it's weird? You said some pretty mean things to me when I was looking for that Pikachu Pop last year. Told me to act my age.”

  “That’s because I didn’t understand,” I explained. “And I’m really sorry. That was a dick move, and Jayden had every right to want to kick my ass for it. I mean, he did even before now, but man, if I was him, I don’t think I could have held back.”

  “You’re being seriously cool about this.” Matt looked up at me, taking a break from wrestling with his shoelace. I was about to suggest h
e not worry about it, and kick his shoes off like Chase had, when he cried out in victory, tossing his shoe in the air. He was crazy, but cute, too. “Are you sure you’re not even a little curious about it? I was at first, and I even said I didn’t want it because I didn’t think Bran would be into it, but he is. And he’s the best, except when he tells me I can only have one treat.”

  “See, even if I thought I might be…you know,” I said, parsing my words because the crowd was growing, “I couldn’t do it. No way am I letting someone tell me I’m eating too much junk food.”

  “But we get to play, too,” Chase protested. “It’s not all rules and punishments. And even those are fun sometimes.”

  “Dude, nothing personal, but I don’t want to hear about what you guys do behind closed doors,” I complained. And I knew just how to shut them down before we reached the TMI zone. “I mean, you can if you want, but then I get to talk about my sex life, and that means you’re going to hear what your brother likes doing to me.”

  “That’s gross!” Chase squealed. “No way. Nope. Never mind. I don’t need to know. It’s bad enough I saw his search history.”

  “From what I heard, that’s payback for giving him a computer that you hadn’t wiped the evidence from,” I pointed out. “But thank you for that, because it helped Colin learn all sorts of—”

  Chase clamped a hand over my mouth. “No! Do not finish that sentence, otherwise I’m going to tell Colin that you were mean to me, and you know he’ll find a way to punish you.”

  “Lucky for me, I’ve learned to like punishments,” I quipped. “And you were the one who said what happens between us stays between us.”

  “Yeah, well, new rule,” Chase said with a very serious expression. “That doesn’t include if you start telling me about my brother’s sex life. There has to be a limit.”

  “Deal.” I held out my hands and we all shook on the amendment.

  I wished Colin or Daniel were there with us. Even though I didn't need their approval, I wanted it. Even being able to look up and see Colin smiling and giving me that nod he did when I did something right would have been nice.

  I carefully took off my boots and lined them up along the edge of the fence. “The sooner you guys get your shoes over here, the sooner we can bounce, and I can prove that I’m the best bouncer in the suite.”

  “If you win, I am calling you Tigger from now on,” Matt warned me.

  “Do it and die,” I threatened, waving a fist at him. I was joking. Mostly. But someone would have to get hurt if the rest of the guys started calling me Tigger.

  As Chase climbed to the top of the ladder, ready to dive into the inflatable bag, I stared into the distance, wondering what the rest of the guys were up to. They were all watching us. I tried waving them over, but I wasn't sure Colin could see me from so far away.

  When we got home, I was going to have to thank him for making me come tonight. I thought it was a stupid idea, but I was finally learning to let go and have a good time, and I felt closer to Matt and Chase than I ever had.

  19

  Colin

  “Well, well, what we have here?” I mused as Zach and the littles raced back to the picnic table where we’d all been watching them playing on the bounce bags. We’d all been nervous at first, knowing play time would send Chase and Matty into their little headspace, but without any clue how Zach would react to them. It turned out we had nothing to worry about. It was sweet watching him helping them, like he would a younger sibling or cousin.

  The difference in Zach between when Chase and Matt dragged him away from our group and now, was like night and day. His cheeks were flushed bright and his face was going to hurt if he smiled any broader. He bounded past the other two boys, practically toppling me to the ground when he failed to stop before hitting me.

  “Did you have fun?” I asked as I draped an arm over his shoulders.

  He nodded furiously, not even trying to hide his amusement.

  “I bounced higher than anyone else,” Zach proclaimed. “That means Chase is on bathroom duty the week after Thanksgiving break.”

  Matt began snickering. Zach glared at him. I wasn’t sure I even wanted to know what their inside joke was about. “I am glad you had fun. Your cider is probably cold by now. We can get you another if you’d like to warm up.”

  “That's okay. I'll get more later. We need to go if we're going to do the hayride.” Daniel patted his legs and Zach sat in his lap without hesitation. The two of them looked ridiculous with Zach towering over Daniel, but he quickly settled, his eyes drifting closed as Daniel’s hand slid under the hem of Zach’s sweater.

  Jayden eyed me curiously, as if he was trying to see a hint of jealousy that didn’t exist. He was protective of me, and I understood that, but he’d need to accept that this was what I wanted. They were the piece I didn’t know was missing in my life.

  “I thought you said you didn't want to do any of the stupid, kiddie stuff.” I cringed as I said the words, quickly glancing at Chase and Matt to make sure they weren't offended. They were too busy whispering amongst themselves to even realize what I'd said.

  “It might not be so bad,” Zach hedged. He pinched his bottom lip, twisting it to one side and then the other. “You were right. I shouldn’t have said the stuff I did before. This place isn’t so bad. And I had a lot of fun with Chase and Matt. I’m glad they still want to be my friend after what an asshole I was to them.”

  “They’re good guys,” Daniel reminded him, pulling Zach into a tight hug. “But I’m proud of you for being man enough to apologize for the way you behaved. And I hope you know there will be consequences if either of us feel like your head is stuck up your ass again.”

  “Did you know about them? Zach asked as we waited for everyone else to throw away their garbage. “I mean, that they’re…you know…or maybe you don’t. Shit. I don’t know what the protocol is for things like this.”

  “Relax, babe,” I said, moving in behind him. Zach immediately calmed being sandwiched between the two of us. “Yes, I already knew. Partly because Chase is my brother, but also because I knew what to look out for.”

  “And you?” Zach asked Daniel. “Did you know, too?”

  “Yeah, I did,” Daniel confirmed. “It’s one of those thing you have to see to even begin to understand. You’ll find there are a lot more people than you would think, who are kinky in one way or another, but it’s not the type of thing you can bring up around just anybody.”

  “I get it, I think.” I could tell Zach was still upset that he was the last to know by the way his body slumped against Daniel. I wished I could take him home and reassure him it had nothing to do with us not trusting him. “And you didn't tell me because you didn't want them to be upset, right?”

  “That’s the only reason, Zach,” I promised him. “Would you want anybody talking about the things we do without your permission?”

  “No, I don't think I'd like that very much,” Zach admitted. “But you could have told me sooner. If I knew, I never would have said half the shit I did.”

  “Would you have listened?” I challenged him.

  Zach's shoulders slumped forward. “Probably not. But you could have threatened to punish me if I didn’t quit. It got me hard when Daniel said I’d be in trouble if I do it again.”

  “And that’s why we’ll need to be very careful about how we discipline you,” I teased, rubbing my half-hard erection against his crease. “It doesn’t do any good if you start going out of your way, trying to earn a punishment.”

  Zach tensed, and I worried I’d crossed a line. He turned to face me. “You know I'll never be like them, right? I like when you do things to me, and seeing them act like little boys was fun, but I don’t want to be like that. Does that make sense?”

  “Sweetheart, I don't need a little to take care of,” I reassured him. “You are perfect just the way you are.”

  Daniel scoffed. “Perfect might be a bit of a stretch.”

  “I'm not tha
t bad,” Zach protested.

  Daniel quirked an eyebrow.

  “Okay, so maybe I was, but I won't be anymore,” he promised. “But I figured if you wanted that type of relationship, it was better to say it now than when there’s no chance of walking away without massive issues.”

  I wrapped my arms around Zack's waist, tugging him into the darkness. “Babe, I don't want to have what they have. There are all sorts of different dynamics on the kinky spectrum, and just because we respect their relationship, doesn't mean we need to try it out.”

  “But I still think we should at least give the puppy play a try,” Daniel interrupted. He scratched behind Zach's ear, chuckling when Zach leaned into the touch. There might be something there, but it would be a hell of a long time before he was willing to admit to his curiosity. Luckily, time was something we had plenty of. “Matty and Chase might like having a play pal.”

  “Are you guys coming or not?” Jayden bellowed.

  “I didn’t realize we had to get over there at a certain time,” I replied. I smoothed a hand down Zach's chest, noting the way he shivered when my thumb flicked over his nipple.

  “Tonight,” I promised him. “You've been a very good boy. I think you've earned your reward.”

  “Thank you, Sir.” Zach blew out a deep breath.

  “Were you worried about telling them?” I asked as we headed back to the rest of our suitemates. I knew his past behavior had been taking a toll on him, but until tonight, I hadn’t realized how much.

  “Maybe a little,” he lied, still trying to downplay how he felt so he couldn’t be seen as weak. “I want to get things back the way they used to be. And I think this was exactly what we needed.”

  “You may be right,” I agreed. Daniel took Zach’s other hand. I braced myself for Zach pulling away, worried about what others might think of three guys holding hands, but our guy made me proud. He smiled at me and gave my hand a squeeze before pulling me closer.