Chapter 2
Dax
G rumpy-Ass Miles is an artist?
Maybe this is something everyone knows about him, but it hasn’t been on my radar.
Aren’t artists supposed to be chill? Though I guess a lot of them are brooding, and he definitely has that down to an art form, but…
I don’t know. Thinking about him being in a class like this just doesn’t make sense to me, like the wires are getting crossed and I can’t untangle them.
Seems his dislike for me has no self-preservation mode if he walks out of the classroom rather than what? See me naked? I look fucking great naked. Lots of men would tell him so, but clearly he has no taste.
“Um…” I look at the door as it slams closed, then at the professor.
I could go after him, but it’s not as if he wants anything to do with me.
He ignored me all summer as we worked on the builds with Troy and Atlas, this silent agreement between us to stay away from each other.
Every time I so much as looked his way, I was greeted with a scowl and anger, which I’m sure is exactly what he’ll do if I try to talk to him now.
Plus, I agreed to do this, and I can’t spend half the lesson chasing after him while he’s being a whiny fucking baby. If he wants to be a dick and bail, that’s on him.
What is his deal with me?
Until Miles, there’s been exactly one person in my life who dislikes me for no reason—my father. Miles hates me for no reason too, but the difference with Miles is I’m fairly certain he hates everyone, maybe even himself.
“Please continue, Mr. Armstrong,” Professor Reger says, and I have no choice but to strip out of the robe I’m in, which feels like a bad B movie, and climb onto the platform where I’m supposed to model naked for the class.
I do as the professor says, lying in various positions while they start with what she calls warm-up sessions focusing on body parts.
I’ve been naked around a lot of people in my life, but this feels different.
I don’t mind being exposed, but it’s interesting being studied this way, knowing that people are focusing on random parts of my body to sketch.
Once they’re done warming up, I get into position, lying on my back, one hand on my hip, my soft cock lying in a trimmed nest of dark hair.
Poor Miles. He doesn’t know what he’s missing.
Professor Reger rambles to the class, about lighting and detail, yada, yada.
I don’t know. I’m not an artist, so my brain doesn’t really work that way.
I’m only here because I saw a flyer in the student center about the art class looking for a model.
I’ve never done any modeling, but you only live once, so I signed up and here I am, lying naked in front of ten people—nine now, since Angry-Ass Miles left.
Is he seriously going to ditch or swap classes just so he doesn’t have to look at me in my birthday suit?
This is the same guy who tried to start a fight with me last spring, then helped me get home safely a week later. Was he mad at me that he’d gone out of his way to be a normal fucking guy when he’d helped me home?
Huh. And I’m still thinking about him, which is a disturbing development. I do my best to put Miles out of my head, though I’m not sure how successful I am.
While I like the idea of having a lot of eyes on me, nothing about the process is sexual, and honestly, it’s boring. Eventually, Professor Reger calls class, and I pull on my robe before heading into the bathroom off the art room to get dressed.
Afterward I go straight to my Community Health Nursing class, which is one of my favorites.
I’ve always wanted to be an RN, though I’ve also tossed around the idea of getting my NP.
As a kid, I was obsessed with pretending to bandage injuries, check Mom’s temperature, and listen to her heartbeat.
She must’ve assumed I’d want to be a doctor, if she even thought about things like that before she passed, but I was never drawn in that direction.
There is something special about nurses. That’s the care I want to give.
When class is over, I return to my apartment.
Last year I stayed at the Alpha Theta Mu house, but I got an apartment for the summer.
My place is mostly packed up because I’ll be moving back next week when my lease is over.
It’s going to be different being there. Most of the guys I got closest with all graduated last year.
Technically, I should have too, but when I transferred to Peach State, several of my credits didn’t transfer over, so I’m here for another year, taking a couple of classes.
Still, though, Leo’s always a good time.
He’s infamous for an Alpha Theta Mu prank involving his family hog, lavender-scented togas, and a bunch of naked Sigma Alphas running around their house.
My kind of prank, really. This legendary prank, along with being a pretty cool guy, is what I’m sure helped him win his bid for president this year.
And I’ve also been spending quite a bit of time with Andy, who lives at Alpha Theta Mu house.
I’m opening the door when my cell rings.
Tugging it out of my pocket, I see it’s Cedric, and I immediately smile that my brother is calling.
I moved to Peach State to be closer to him, but he graduated two years ago.
He spent the summer working with our father, preparing to take his place as prince of the commercial real estate empire our father built, which is partly why I stayed here with the guys.
Spending time with my father makes me feel like shit, and I do everything in my power not to feel that way. It’s kinda my thing.
“What’s up?” I plop onto the couch, kicking my feet up. “Dad letting you breathe?”
Cedric chuckles. “Probably for about five minutes, and then we’ll be at it again.”
Cedric has always been the son my father wanted, and for a reason I don’t understand, I never have been. No matter what I do, it’s always been wrong, so I stopped trying to win him over a long time ago. “Sucks to be you. I’m probably going to go out and get laid.”
Cedric laughs. “Oh, to be so lucky and get to do what you want.”
“Sorry. I bet it blows to be Dad’s favorite,” I reply, kinda meaning it but also kinda feeling shitty about it.
“D…”
“Eh, I don’t want to talk about it. I was just giving you shit.”
Despite all the crap with my dad, Cedric and I are close. He’s my best friend, the person who sees more of me than anyone else. He hates how our dad is with me, the way he’s always ignored me, especially after our mom died, but there’s not a whole lot Cedric can do about it.
“How’s work going?” I ask.
He gives me a rundown on all things Armstrong Enterprises, while I pretend to be interested but am really trying to figure out if I want to call a regular fuck buddy or take the time to find someone new on an app.
It won’t take much to find someone. With school just starting, everyone is down to fuck.
“D, are you listening to me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Liar,” he replies, with laughter in his voice.
“I can’t help it. I’m really, really horny. I did this nude modeling earlier, and though there was nothing sexy about it then, now I just want to be naked with someone who’s in the same mood as me.”
Cedric gives me another chuckle.
We’re so fucking different, he and I. Random hookups have never been my brother’s thing, and they’ve always been mine, but he doesn’t judge me for it.
“I have to go meet Dad anyway. I just wanted to check in with you. I missed you this summer.”
My chest warms. “I missed you too.”
“We’ll talk soon, okay?”
“Talk soon.”
I end the call, scroll over to a hookup app, and for the second fucking time, my phone rings. What the hell is up with all the cockblocks today?
This time it’s Lance, Alpha Theta Mu’s former president.
“This better be good,” I tease.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Nah. What’s up?” Now that he’s called, I realize I’m glad he did. I click well with the Alpha Theta Mu guys, and though I transferred here mostly for Cedric, I’ve met some good friends at Peach State.
“Some of us were talking about getting together and going out for pizza tonight. Are you free?”
Excitement flutters in my gut. Unlike Miles, I like being around people, being social, and…why the fuck am I thinking about him again?
“Yeah, for sure. What time?”
“How about six? At Junkies?”
Junkies is our pizza place of choice. “I’ll be there.”
“Great. We’ll see you then.”
I would still have some time to host for a quick hookup if a guy was close, but I decide to skip it. I can always figure something out later tonight. Instead, I do some homework, then shower and get ready to go meet the guys.
I take my car to Junkies because it’s not close enough to walk.
When I arrive, Lance and Payton are just pulling up, so I wait for them by the front of the building.
They’ve both graduated, so it’ll be good to catch up.
“Hey, guys. Managed to sneak away from Ty?” I tease, since really, it’s hard to pry Lance away from his guy.
Lance chuckles. “He’s with some friends tonight.”
“Is it me,” Payton asks, “or does it feel like everyone is coupling up around us?”
“For real.” I pull the door open. “I can’t imagine only having one person for the rest of my life.”
“Maybe you’ll end up in an open relationship,” Payton replies.
I’ve known plenty of people in them, but I answer honestly, “I can’t imagine being in a relationship at all.
” Sometimes I wonder why my parents stayed married.
They didn’t fight a lot, but they didn’t talk much either.
They didn’t seem to have much in common, and Dad didn’t seem to have much time for Mom.
Most of the time, he was either working or with Cedric, and I was always with her…
and then she was gone. Dead. I’ll never forget how lonely I was in the beginning.
“You never know,” Lance says as we go inside. “Maybe you simply haven’t found the right person yet.” He points to the table where Marty and the other guys are already sitting. I know some of them better than others, but I recognize all of them.
“What’s up?” Jesse, another former ATM, says as we approach.
“You’re late,” Marty complains. He’s always on edge, though I must admit, he’s been better since he got with Ryan.
“It’s literally six oh four,” Lance says.
“Exactly.” Marty’s brows rise as if he made a good point, but, come on, it’s four minutes.
“Mart, we’re good. I promise.” I put my hands on his shoulders and massage lightly.
“I’m just saying,” he argues as I take the chair beside him.
We order pitchers of soda and a few pizzas, everyone around the table talking about being back and school and upcoming parties.
Halfway through my second slice of Canadian bacon and pineapple—yes, I’m one of those—I hear Damien say, “I have a class with Miles—the guy who got kicked out of Omega Psi last year.”
“God, I hate that guy,” Marty says.
“I thought your boyfriend was going to kill him that day he tried to murder Dax, then turned his attention on you,” Jesse says.
“Something’s seriously wrong with him,” Marty adds.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” I interject. Is Miles angry? Yes. But for some reason, I find him super fucking intriguing—and way too hot for his own good. If he wasn’t such an asshole, I’d want to fuck him.
“You’re nicer than most of us,” Teddy says. Though he’s been in ATM longer than me, he didn’t move into the frat house until this year.
“I’m like sunshine after the rain. What can I say?” I tease, and everyone laughs.
“He’s definitely the rain—more like a hurricane,” Marty says.
“Okay, that’s enough. We don’t need to sit around and talk shit about him all night,” Leo reels everyone in, and when I catch his gaze, he’s watching me. He turns away, and I think maybe I imagined it.
The subject changes to a welcome-back party next weekend, but I can’t stop thinking about Miles. There’s not one person from Alpha Theta Mu or Sigma Alpha who doesn’t hate him, and while he doesn’t do anything to change that, I can’t help wondering how lonely that must be for him.