Chapter 23
Ryan
I enjoy my time with Marty.
This isn’t like when I was first staying with him.
The fights.
The walking on eggshells.
The steadily intensifying resentment…between both of us, really.
I’ve successfully passed my probation period, and now Marty and I are playful, jokey even.
Like when I first called him honey the other day.
I went in for a peck, like someone who would say that to a boyfriend.
I figured it’d be funny, but turns out, I liked it enough that now I keep doing it as a joke whenever one of us is about to head out, even demanding that he make sure to kiss me before he leaves, which we did this morning before heading over to the build Lance asked us about.
A lot of the frats and sororities help out, especially when the housing project is running low on volunteers, so we recognize plenty of the people here, waiting in the front yard of what’s mostly a frame of two-by-fours and plywood.
In a few minutes, the project coordinator will assign our responsibilities for the day.
In the meantime, I hang with my crew—Ty, Keegan, and Jaxon—but I keep glancing over at Marty, who’s with his buddies.
Since Lance reminded us of how little time we have left of the semester, with finals looming in only two weeks, we have to take advantage of these final days with our buddies. Which means less fucking.
Not that either of us has gone without sex for very long. Hell, I’m pretty sure I’m drained from what we got up to last night.
Marty chats up Angie, and I must admit I have a bit of a jealous streak.
Although, he doesn’t look at her the way he used to—all doe-eyed, mouth hanging open.
I try to keep from looking too much, but I can’t help myself, and when he catches my gaze, a visceral relief moves through me.
It really shouldn’t feel as good as it does.
Like, him winking at me shouldn’t make me smile, but there I go.
It’s the sort of moment that reminds me Ang ain’t got nothing on me.
“Keeg, what do you think of her?” Jaxon asks, displaying his phone to Keeg. He’s always showing us some guy or girl he’s checking out on the apps.
“I think you’re surrounded by plenty of options,” Keegan says, “and maybe that’s where you should focus your attention.”
“Okay, so that’s a no? Swiping left.”
“That is not what I said.”
“Too late.”
“You seem even more anxious than usual,” I tell Jaxon. “Someone not been laid for a while?”
Jaxon chuckles uncomfortably. “I’ve had a lot to do at work and school. And this one keeps me up all night.” He indicates Keeg.
“Oh, really?” I ask.
I never would have imagined the two of them fucking around, but if Mart and I are, I guess you can never tell…
Keegan quickly says, “Playing video games.”
“Oh…” I’m kind of disappointed. Would have been cool as fuck if we had all been hooking up all night, but if all they’re doing is playing video games, sucks for them.
“You’re one to talk,” Ty says, which catches my attention.
Why would he say that? Does he know something about Marty and me? Did I say something obvious? Am I the bastard who accidentally outed Mart because of my idiot mouth?
“Yeah, telling Jaxon he needs to get laid,” Ty explains. “When was the last time you got laid?”
Last night, thank you very much. Of course, I can’t tell him that without him being suspicious about who it was with, but I’m relieved he’s not onto me and Mart.
“I’m just giving you a hard time, man,” Ty says, patting my arm. “We all know what’s going on.”
A rush of panic rises up my spine. “You do?”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Keegan says. “You think you could keep this from your best friends?”
Sweat beads across my forehead.
It’s not that I think my friends would give two shits about what we’ve been doing, but no one should know what’s up unless Marty wants them to.
“Listen, you guys, you need to keep this—”
“Relax,” Jaxon chimes in. “We’re not gonna run around telling everyone you’re crushing on some girl you’ve been sneaking around with.”
Girl? I’m so stunned, it takes me a few seconds to get anything other than that word out of my head.
“You think your best friend isn’t gonna recognize that you’re catching feels?” Ty asks.
“I’m not catching feels,” I spit out, earning glares from my whole crew. Suddenly, I realize what’s up. “You all talking about me behind my back?”
“Only stating the obvious,” Ty says. “You’re terrible at keeping a secret. And you can’t wipe that big-ass smile off your face every time I see you, the way you usually look after someone’s given you the best night of your life.”
I’ve been grinning more—Marty seems to have that effect on me—to the point that some days I’ll even notice my cheeks starting to hurt, especially if he got me laughing a lot that morning.
Marty McGovern making me grin and laugh… Who would’ve guessed?
“Also, when you survived probation and didn’t collect from us,” Keegan points out.
I only brought it up once I succeeded in passing the probationary period without incident. I deserved to rub it in, but I wasn’t gonna take their money, especially when it feels like I got a lot more out of the deal than some cash.
“Hey, I was doing you a favor,” I tell Keeg. “Didn’t you tell me you were trying to save money while we’re at Alpha Theta Mu?”
“Does that sound anything like the Ryan we know?” Keeg asks Ty.
“Hey!”
“It’s not just that,” Keegan goes on. “We never see you flirting with anyone at parties or formals anymore.”
“Yeah, a lot of red flags,” Ty affirms.
“Didn’t realize how obsessed my friends were with—”
“Your love life,” Jaxon teases, barely glancing up from his phone.
First feels, now love?
“Stop it, or I’m gonna go through that app and swipe left on the hottest people I can find.”
Jaxon tugs his phone close to his chest, and Keegan rolls his eyes.
“Okay, dorks,” Ty says. “All this talk about feels and love makes me miss my man, so I’m gonna get over to him before we start.”
“Love?” Jaxon says, simulating vomiting.
Ty runs his hand through Jaxon’s hair, playfully messing it up before heading over to his man.
When he reaches Lance, he hooks his arms around him.
Lance turns for a kiss, which starts off sweet before Ty takes a little more, and I see the way Lance’s lips curl into a smirk.
It’s nice seeing my friend happy with his guy.
Although, I must admit I sense something that surprises me—a tinge of jealousy. Not that what’s going on between Marty and me is anything so serious, but I enjoy how when we’re alone in his room, I can put my hands all over him. Kiss him however many times I want.
However I want.
Wherever I want.
Out here, we’re keeping this distance, when I’d love to go over and steal a quick kiss—hell, even a peck—before we get started.
It’s a weird thought that I don’t have much time to sit with before something else catches my attention—or I should say, someone else.
I doubt I would have even recognized the guy if he hadn’t become infamous after the fire at Sigma Alpha.
“What the fuck is this?” I ask the guys, indicating Miles Tanner, who heads down the drive, in sunglasses and a tank, his hands shoved into his jeans pockets.
I’m not the only one who’s taken notice. There are a lot of looks shifting his way—and whispers, surely about the incident earlier in the year—but he doesn’t seem affected as he beelines to an empty spot near the porta potty, pulling out his phone and giving it his undivided attention.
The guy’s done what he’s supposed to. He turned himself in for the incident, he’s doing his time. But that doesn’t change that his careless prank destroyed our home; injured Lance; and could have killed Lance, Ty, or Jaxon, who were all at Sigma Alpha when the glitter bomb malfunctioned.
Jaxon follows my gaze to Miles. “Oh, hell. You think this is the community service he was sentenced with?”
“Don’t they have to wear something that indicates that?” Keegan asks.
“Don’t ask me. I’ve never had court-ordered community service.”
Before we can get into it, Troy and Atlas show up with the project coordinator, who divides us into groups.
We grab our gear, safety glasses, gloves, and hard hats before getting to work.
I manage some framing with Ty, Lance, and Jaxon while Marty’s on laying plywood with Keegan and some other volunteers.
Dax and Miles work together to move extra two-by-fours into the kitchen area. I don’t know why I’m keeping an eye on the guy. Maybe because I have a bad feeling about him and Dax is one of our own. As they finish up, Dax stumbles, throwing Miles off-balance, and the boards go crashing to the floor.
“The fuck, man?” Miles says, sounding downright hostile.
“Sorry,” Dax rushes out. “I lost my footing. You okay?”
“You should watch where you’re going.”
Miles is in his face in no time, in a way I can’t understand—did Dax say something else to get him so riled up?
Marty’s only a few yards away, and he steps in. “Hey, I saw it, and it was an accident.”
“Accident, my ass,” Miles says. “You’ve been waiting to get me since we started.”
Dax looks thrown, and somehow now Marty and Miles are getting into it. I’m shocked anyone would suspect Dax of doing something like that; hell, I’m much more likely to exact that kind of vengeance in the name of our house than he is.
Miles balls his fist and takes a step toward Marty.
The fuck? I know you did not just threaten my man.
I barely have time to acknowledge that I considered Marty my man before I see red, abandoning my post and hurrying over.
“What is your problem?” Marty asks as Miles takes another step toward him, as though to intimidate him.
“Why don’t you mind your own damn business, prude?” Miles says.
“He’s my friend, so it kind of is my business.”