Chapter 8
Marty
I thoroughly enjoyed the break, spending the time in my old room at my parents’, not having to deal with that frathole being right on top of me. And despite being disappointed with Aiden going to Tybee Island, I still got to spend a couple of days with him when he got back.
Now everything’s back to normal.
Only not.
The past few days, Ryan hasn’t been as bad…
really, since we played pickleball with the crew.
Not that he’s been great, but feels like he’s been laying off, not trying to make a production of annoying the crap out of me.
I want to believe he’s finally taking the consequences of his actions seriously, but I’m worried it’s something else.
That he’s trying to get me to let my guard down before he surprises me with something that’ll really throw me.
Any minute now, I’m sure the floor will fall right out from under me.
Sunday night, I go out with the guys to the new rock-climbing wall at the rec center.
We climb for a bit before grabbing smoothies.
Ash and Colin went to a queer nudist camp in South Georgia for the break, and right after, Ash went to some nerd conference, so we’re only now catching up with him about the topic Lance and I are most interested in, for all the obvious reasons.
“I still can’t get over your being totally fine having your junk out,” I say.
Ash shrugs, and Lance pulls a face.
“We’ve walked in on him having sex with his boyfriend,” Lance says. “How would that be the weirdest thing he’s done?”
“It’s different when it’s just wagging around like that. You’re not doing anything with it at a nudist camp.”
“Uh…yeah, sure, definitely not having sex the entire time,” Ash says, glancing around overdramatically.
I can’t disguise my envy. “Oh, shut up. You were not having sex that entire time. Were you?” I notice how high my voice gets on the question.
Ash bursts into a laugh. “Of course not.”
I don’t know why that makes me feel relief, maybe because if it hadn’t been that way, it’d be like I was getting even less sex than I already am.
“We had to eat,” Ash adds with a wink, but I’m not laughing ’cause now I’m thinking maybe that’s closer to the truth than I figured.
“I know the feeling,” Lance adds. “Ty and I had fun at Universal, but we were eager to get back to the hotel so we could have a different kind of fun.”
“To think it used to be two straight guys and our bi bro Ash, and now I’m the odd man out.”
“That’s not true,” Ash insists, sidling up close and hooking his arm around mine.
“You were always the odd man out. But it is funny how many Alpha Theta Mus identified as straight freshman year, and now they’re falling out of the closet left and right.
Maybe keeping a whiteboard to track how many of the guys in the house come out wouldn’t be so bad. ”
That’s an idea I had when it felt like all my buddies at Alpha Theta Mu wound up with guys.
We share a laugh. Obviously, we’d never do that, but it’s funny imagining scratching off the names of our bros as they discover this new side of themselves.
“But enough about the Alpha Theta Mu queers,” Lance says, then to me, “How are things with you? I saw you chatting up Angie after TaskFrat on Friday. Any news there?”
“News? There’s not gonna be any news. There’s nothing there.”
Ash angles his head, glaring at me.
“No, like, she’s hot and fun and cool, but that’s where it ends.”
Do I wish she would go out with me? Absolutely.
Am I deluding myself, thinking that would ever happen? Absolutely not.
“Even worse, now she’s ogling Ryan every time he comes around. Him and his beefy, Hulk-man body. If that’s what she’s into, I can’t compete.”
“That’s true,” Ash says, and Lance and I both glare at him.
“I meant, if that’s what she was into, but you don’t know that.
And speaking of the frathole, we’ve enjoyed an entire afternoon and you haven’t brought him up, so I take it things aren’t as bad?
” The way he inflects that last part, it’s clear he’s hopeful things have improved.
“It’s better,” I confess, though I wish I didn’t have to.
“Oh, really?” Lance says, sounding shocked, but like fake shocked, which makes me suspicious.
“Why?” I ask. “You didn’t tell him I was keeping tabs on all that shit he was doing, did you?”
Ash purses his lips, like he’s keeping a secret for Lance.
“Hey!” I snap.
“I did not tell Ryan anything,” is as much as Lance reveals, which tells me all I need to know—he must’ve blabbed to Ty. Of course he did.
“So this is why he’s better? Well, I guess I don’t have to worry because I’m sure he’ll be back to violating rules by Friday. Probably all sexed up from the girls he had lined up in Orlando.”
“Um…you know we just went to Universal Studios,” Lance says. “We weren’t, like, having orgies at the hotel. Not all of us got Ash and Colin’s vacation.”
“I’m surprised he managed to go a whole week without.”
Lance and Ash exchange looks.
“What? You guys think I’m being overdramatic? After all the stunts he’s pulled?”
“I didn’t say that,” Lance says. “But you said he’s acting better, and you’re still bothered, so…”
“Yeah,” Ash says. “Maybe…keep an open mind and give him a chance.”
I huff. “He’s had more than enough chances.”
We head out to dinner, and when we’re back at the house, I go to my room, where I discover Ryan sitting at my desk. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him there before, especially not in joggers and a tee. Is the asshole trying to hog the desk?
“I don’t have any homework tonight,” I tell him, and he glances over from his laptop and shrugs.
“Well, I do.”
“Oh, just to keep me up late?” I ask, searching for the ulterior motive.
He shakes his head. “Nope. Just to get it done before class tomorrow.” He turns back to his screen and keys away.
I search around my room uneasily. Things have been too calm recently. And tonight things are eerily calm, in a way that only concerns me that much more.
I approach my bed cautiously, pulling back the sheets to see if he has some horrible prank waiting for me—like he’s slipped Payton’s python under the sheets. It hasn’t happened to me, but it’s an easy enough prank to pull off, and I fucking hate snakes.
“If you want,” he says, “I can finish in, like, five and do the rest tomorrow morning.”
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He spins the swivel chair toward me. “I told you: my homework.”
Finally something clicks into place. I know what’s up!
“Do you have someone in here?” I check under the bed, then the closet.
His forehead creases as his brows knit together. “Do you think I would hide them in the closet?”
“You didn’t put the door hanger out, so you’d be violating one of the rules Sigma Alpha agreed to. Maybe you forgot since you never honored them anyway.”
“And I just jumped into these clothes when I realized you were coming up here?”
“I don’t know. Maybe one of the guys texted you. Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I see there’s no one else in here. And no snake…that I’ve seen.”
“Why would there be a snake?”
“As if you don’t know.”
He looks at me like I’ve lost it. Maybe I have.
“I’m trying to work out why you’ve been acting weird lately,” I explain.
“You’re searching the closet for girls and I’m the one acting weird?” he says as though he’s the shining example of a roommate.
“Okay, this is entering full-on gaslighting territory.”
He grins. “How is that gaslighting?”
“Gaslighting means trying to make a person question their reality, which you are doing by acting like it’s this far-fetched idea that you’d do these things that you are entirely capable of doing, especially with how pissed you’ve been at me.”
Ryan’s gaze wanders as he considers this. “Is that what gaslighting is? Huh, who knew?”
“Is that a confession?”
“Nah, man. I’ve had a change of heart recently. And I actually kind of need your help.”
“My help?”
I know this is somehow gonna end in a prank where he fools my ass, and tonight is not the night, motherfucker.
But I go along with it to see where this leads. “Okay, what is it? Give it to me. But if you think anything you say is gonna get me to ask Lance to take you off probation, you’ve got another thing coming.”
He chuckles. “It’s not that. You know those tango classes you’re taking?”
Why the fuck is he bringing those up?
“That I just started taking?” I ask.
“I was thinking you could show me some moves.”
I study his expression, trying to work out how serious he is, checking to see if he’s moments away from busting out laughing or mocking me for them. There must be a reason he’s saying this…other than wanting me to show him some moves.
“You want me to show you how to tango?”
“It’s spring—formals season. Keegan knows how to ballroom dance, and it’d be nice to show him up for a change. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m still trying to figure out what the angle is.”
He pushes to his feet and approaches. Kind of strange seeing him in my room without his cock out or without it bulging in his pants.
“Look, I know I was a dick about you getting me put on probation, but I was thinking it over, and maybe I could be a better roommate.”
“Whatever you’re doing isn’t gonna work, Ryan. I know Ty must’ve said something to you, but you can’t pull a one-eighty and think we’re gonna be buddies and I’m gonna show you how to tango so that I’ll go easy on you. I know all this charm and sexiness works on the girls you’re used to.”
“You think I’m sexy?” he asks, quirking a brow.
I sigh, fucking exasperated. “I think that’s how people perceive you. I also have eyes, so I know that you objectively meet the criteria for what people consider to be a hot guy.”
“Can I ask what those objective criteria are?”
“Six foot two…”
“Three.”
“Blue eyes, blond hair—”
“Like, dirty blond.”
“Body that looks like…” I’m struggling with this one.
“A god, maybe?”
I cringe. “I was thinking a swollen Ken doll.”
“I’ll take that,” he says, standing a little taller.
“None of this is meant as a compliment. And we’re done talking about this.
I don’t know why you’re asking to learn tango, but we’re not magically gonna be friends now that you got in trouble and are finally thinking about getting kicked out of the frat.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna take a shower while you’re in this friendly spirit and not terrorizing me by staying in the bathroom for five hours. ”
I start for the bathroom when he says, “I could make it worth your while.”
I stop in the doorway, turning back to him.
He folds his arms, sporting a particularly cocky expression that really sets off this fire in my chest. Because I know he wants me to push to know what he’s offering, but another part of me doesn’t want to engage.
“I don’t want to hear it,” I say, though I’m curious as hell.
I head into the bathroom and close the door.
“Okay, if you’re not into Angie anymore, then ignore me.”
Angie?
Fuck, this asshole really knows how to get to me.
I should ignore him.
I shouldn’t press because that’s exactly what he wants, but I can’t help myself. I crack the door open. “What about Angie?”