“Nope. I get the attraction, but bears aren't my thing.”
“You are a tough woman to please! Alright, how about Norris? The man’s good with his hands. He had more saves than any other college goalie last season.”
“Norris is a good guy, and he’s easy on the eyes. But he’s not my type. Besides, I told you. I’m done with dating.”
Cammie totally ignores me. “Oooh, what about Mikalski? No one’s been able to lock him down, though many have tried.”
“Are you listening to a word I say?”
I get my answer when Cammie starts clapping her hands together. “Oh my God, Mel. Who’s the tall guy?”
I don't bother looking up from the counter I'm wiping down. "What do you mean, who's the tall guy? They're all tall. But the tallest one is Santos."
"This guy's almost as tall. And he's new. I'd definitely remember seeing him around. Holy crap, he's beautiful."
I look up to see who the hell has Cammie so smitten, and I spot our topic of conversation right away. Holy. Shit. She wasn't kidding. This guy's like a walking advertisement for sex. Yeah, Van's known around campus as the hot one, and Ollie's never short on admirers, but this guy's on a whole different level. His broad shoulders taper to a narrow waist. His butt is a work of art. Soft, faded jeans hug his ass and thighs, and dear god, I want to take a bite. What the hell is wrong with me? New Hot Guy looks up, and I get a glimpse of his face. It does not disappoint. He's got a strong jaw covered in a day’s worth of stubble. His nose is crooked—the sign of a good hockey player—and his eyes are a piercing blue, so dark they're almost navy. His hair is cut short, but the top's a little overgrown, the dark chocolate strands falling into his line of vision. It's the lips for me, though. God, they're unreal. Pouty and perfect and totally kissable.
Theo calls my name, shaking me from my hottie-induced stupor. And it's a good thing too. I don't have time to ogle college guys. Or any guys. I’m fine on my own. I don't need men.
“All true,” Theo agrees as I realize I must have said all that aloud. “But you do need to rotate. You’re on mobile orders.”
I nod and switch stations, taking tickets from the printer and filling orders. It’s a busy afternoon, but I can’t complain. When there’s work to do, my mind isn’t preoccupied with hot guys or douchey professors. And in a few months, all of this will be just a memory. Graduation isn’t so far away, which is hard to believe. For now, though, I enjoy the steady rhythm of making drinks and laughing with my coworkers. Yes, I’m ready to leave Bainbridge and move on to what’s next, but I’ll definitely miss this place.
7
Will
Ileave my Econ lecture and grab my phone from my bag before starting my walk back to the hockey house. There are seven texts from my mom. And class was only an hour. She wants to know if I’m eating well and if I’m getting enough sleep. She’s concerned that she can’t find my grades on the parent portal, and she wants to make sure I’m keeping up with everything.
It’s literally the second day of classes…
And there is no parent portal… But I’m not telling my mom that. My hope is that my brother will do something dumb and take all her attention. Fingers crossed. I mean, I’m twenty years old—I should be trusted to look after myself.
Although aftermy disastrous attempt at romance at the party the other night, I’m not so sure… I mean, I keep replaying Chelsie’s words in my head.You should take lessons or something. God, was I that bad? I mean, I guess it wasn’t a good kiss, but dying jellyfish? Jesus. That’s hard to come back from.
It’s been on my mind all week. And the internet is no help. Don’t googleHow to kiss like you’re not a fucking sea creature.Trust me on that one.
But I can’t focus on any of that now. Booker’s called a quick team meeting, so I take the front steps two at a time and walk in the door, glad that the house isn’t full yet. I add my backpack to the growing pile in the doorway and head for the kitchen to grab a drink.
After I fill my water bottle, a couple more guys pile into the room, and Booker calls for everyone’s attention. “Hey, thanks for agreeing to meet on such short notice. Santos and a couple other guys have class, so can somebody send out a text and keep them in the loop?”
“Sure thing, Cap,” Ollie says, palming his phone with the hand that isn’t buried in the chip bag. “But what should I text them? What’s the emergency meeting all about?”
“Oh, shit, please tell me the dean didn’t condemn this place,” Van says, scrubbing a hand down his face. Looking around the room, I can see why he’s concerned. I was right the first day I arrived; this place is a shithole.
“No, it hasn’t been condemned,” Booker assures us. “At least, not yet. I’m here about the charity auction. For you new guys, Bainbridge does a year-long fundraising challenge for charity and all the student organizations participate. Well, it’s hockey’s turn this year, and we’ve been asked to do a bachelor auction.”
Booker’s announcement is met with groans.
“Do we have to wear tuxes?” Van asks.
“We’d probably make more money if we didn’t,” Mikalski reasons.
“I don’t know about the dress code, guys, but I’ll find out more at a meeting this week and let you know. For now, I need fourteen other guys to commit. We’re pairing up with the baseball team, and they’re committing fifteen guys, as well.And look, you all know I’m happily taken, so if I’m putting myself up for auction for the sake of charity, I expect the same of you.”
A couple hands go up, and Norris must have appointed himself secretary because he starts taking names down. I put my hand in the air because after my disastrous encounter with Chelsie last week, the bachelor auction may be my only shot at a date. Plus, it’s a team thing. That’s reason enough.
My mind wanders back to Chelsie’s parting words once again.You should take lessons or something.Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s not a thing. Or if it is, it’s called prostitution. But I need to do something. I’m a twenty-year-old virgin determined to shake that title. Maybe this bachelor auction is a good place to start. Maybe I’ll meet the girl of my dreams. I laugh to myself. Yeah, right. I highly doubt I’ll find true love waiting for me on the auction block, but I’ll go and wear a tux or a Speedo or whatever and do what they tell me to do.
