Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50681 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50681 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
I fell for him a little more every day. He was so easy to be with, and he laughed at all my dumb jokes. Within a few short weeks, I went from feeling like an explorer in new territory to being part of something much bigger than me. I wasn’t alone here. I could tell by the way Mitch looked at me sometimes with pink cheeks and a dreamy expression that he felt it too. Butterflies and all.
We didn’t waste time wondering if this was smart. We enjoyed it, so we went for it. All the damn time. At first, I was careful not to spend the night too often. I didn’t want to crowd him or ask for more than either of us was ready for, but I couldn’t stay away either. When I wasn’t with him, I was thinking about what we’d do later. I texted silly questions to be in contact during the day. What was for dinner? How’d you do on your test? What position do you want to try tonight? You know, the usual.
What do you know about modern art? I typed before making my way across the grass toward the Humanities building in late October.
The sun filtered through the orange leaves of the amber trees outside in the quad. I loved autumn. Falling leaves, holidays, football season. And Southern California was particularly beautiful this time of year. The days might be shorter, but the mild weather made up for it. My mind wandered to the upcoming weekend just as my phone buzzed in my hand a few seconds later.
A lot. What do you need to know?
I grinned at the screen. Everything important between 1900 and 1960.
Mitch responded with a slew of laughing emojis. That could take all night.
I guess I better sleep over.
Pjs optional. See you later.
I stuffed my phone into my back pocket and raced up the stairs, pulling the glass door open just as someone called my name. Nicole waved her hands above her head. “Hey, Evan! Just the guy I was hoping to see!”
“Hi, there.” I pasted a smile on my face and hooked my thumb behind me. “I gotta run. I’m late to class and—”
“Me too. And mine is two buildings over,” she said with a half laugh. She combed a manicured finger through her hair and bit her bottom lip in a move I should have thought was sexy. “I’ll be quick. I’m not sure if you know this, but my parents are alumni and they’ve offered to host a fundraiser after the qualifier game. The invitation is open to everyone on the team, but my dad specifically asked if you could be there.”
“Why?”
“He played quarterback and his best friend played your position. His buddy is going to be there too and…it would just be a cool legacy story. I’ve already asked Christian. He said yes. Think about it and let me know.”
Fuck me. I couldn’t think of an excuse to miss both without sounding like a dick. I stared at her for a moment then nodded. “Sure. I can stop by.”
“Awesome!” She threw her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek before turning for the door.
I stared after her for a second and wondered if I’d been set up. Nah. An alumni event was perfectly harmless. I’d been honest a month ago when I told her I wasn’t available. And she probably wasn’t interested now anyway. It was a school function. Nothing to worry about.
When I mentioned Nicole’s invitation to Mitch later that night, he gave me a long, hard stare that clearly said, “Boy, someone must have dropped you on your head.” Then he went quiet. He propped his book on his knees, turned the page, and resumed studying.
“So you think she’s got an ulterior motive?” I asked, plucking his book away and tossing it on the nightstand.
Mitch scowled. “I have no idea, Evan. That’s up to you to figure out. Can I have my book, please?”
“No. This is important. Are you mad at me?”
“Of course not. But I’m not going to discuss how you should deal with your admirers. That’s up to you.”
I sat next to him on the bed and pushed my leg between his open thighs. “She’s not a present tense admirer. I told her I’m with you and—”
“No, you told her you were seeing someone. Not the same.”
I set my hand on his chin and lightly brushed my thumb across his stubbled jaw. “Baby, look at me. I’m trying to be honest. I don’t want to have any secrets.”
“But you are a secret. You can never really be honest if you have secrets.”
“I don’t like secrets,” I said.
Yeah, it was lame, but I couldn’t give him an ETA on coming out. I knew it would happen, but I wanted to do it the right way this time. I couldn’t fuck it up and risk losing what I had now.