Her eyes widened, and she shook her head hastily. “For him! Embarrassing forhim. We’re not in kindergarten anymore.”
Relief washed over me, but it tangled with the familiar knot of doubt I carried around like a shadow. Technically, I’d given Dom a piece of my trust — a small one — but it felt safe because it was temporary. A controlled risk I thought I could pull back whenever I wanted.
Lately, my radar had been off more than I cared to admit, and every misstep chipped away at the fragile trust I still held on to. This one though, would’ve really made me question myself.
Beneath that relief, stubborn suspicion lingered, ready to snap back if I wasn’t careful.
“Take it from someone who deals with frat boys a lot — itisjust like kindergarten. With the addition of dick-driven decisions.” I sighed and rubbed my thumb over the spot between my eyebrows.
“Not gonna lie, didn’t think frat boys were your type.” She played with a long strand of hair, twirling it between her fingers.
“That can cause hair breakage, you know.” I turned my eyes back to the screen, unable to concentrate on the words in front of me.
“Ah, deflection to change the subject.” Ella nodded briefly. “Does that usually work for you?” She eyed me with mild interest.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said pointedly.
She raised her eyebrows and smirked. The silence between us lingered as I continued to pretend that I comprehended anything on my screen, her eyes unwaveringly trained on me.
“Yeah,” I finally admitted reluctantly.
“Thought so.” Ella shrugged and leaned back in her chair. I appreciated that she didn’t gloat. “People don’t often question you, do they?”
All she got was a look. She nodded. “You kind of have that aloof, no-nonsense vibe.”
Silence. I typed a few words, pretty sure they were completely incoherent. Her direct nature was somehow throwing me off my game, and I had no idea why. I usually had no problem with things like that.
“Sooo…how did you come by your intimate knowledge of frat boys?”
I sighed.Knew she wasn’t going to let it go.
“I’m in a sorority and the social chair for my chapter. My job is to organize mixers, formals, and other events. Unfortunately, in that role, you occasionally come into contact with this type of man.”And ended up dating them, but she didn’t need to know that.
She tapped her chin. “Huh. Sounds fancy. I could never be in a sorority, but I can imagine it might be fun.”
My curiosity was piqued. “Why is that?”
She looked up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath. “Let’s just say I had enough drama in high school to last a lifetime, and I like my privacy. I couldn’t imagine living with so many people under one roof. Growing up with my brother was enough for me.”
“So, how are you dealing with the living situation in the dorms?” I lowered the screen a little, giving up any pretense of concentrating on my work.
”Pretty good. My roommate is fucking awesome. She’s not around much anymore, though, so I’m more or less living on my own.”
“How come?” I cocked my head curiously.
“She stays with her boyfriend most of the time, he lives off campus. I can’t wait to get my own place. Although I’ll probably still need at least one roommate to be able to afford it.”
She started to play with a strand of her hair again. The striking color was like a reminder of that night, which always caused something deep inside me to involuntarily contract.
I hadn’t thought about him in days. Not on purpose. It was just … life had picked up again. Practice, class, pretending I wasn’t still haunted by a pair of gold and green eyes and calloused hands that didn’t belong here.
But every now and then, something would catch me off guard — a certain kind of laugh, the slope of someone’s nose, the glimpse of a tattoo disappearing beneath a shirt sleeve — and for a split second, my breath would hitch.
Stupid. He wasn’t from here. He was probably back at whatever campus he came from, already forgetting I ever existed. Still, my gaze snagged on a flash of rust-colored hair across the quad the other day, and I’d turned before I could stop myself.
Of course, it wasn’t him. It never was.
That night wasn’t meant to lead anywhere. But weeks later, it still lingered.
