Chapter 11 #2
"Yeah," he grins. "I'm studying the mating habits of the lovestruck fraternity VP. Very rare species."
Rolling my eyes as I feel a smile tugging at my lips. "Fine. But be quiet."
Pulling up Ethan's contact and hit call before I can overthink it. As the phone rings, my heart does this stupid little flutter thing that I'm going to pretend isn't happening.
"Put it on speaker," Gavin whispers loudly.
"Absolutely not," My voice hisses at him.
The phone connects, and Ethan's voice fills my ear. "Hello?"
"Hey," I say, warmth spreading through my chest. God, I'm so gone for this guy. Just hearing his voice makes me happy. "It's Tyler."
"I know," Ethan says, amusement clear in his tone. "I have caller ID."
Gavin is leaning in, trying to hear, and I swat him away.
"Right, of course," I turn my back on Gavin. "So, I was wondering if you're free this Saturday?"
"I think so. Why?"
Catching movement in my peripheral vision I turn to see Marcos poking his head into the kitchen, eyebrows raised in question. Gavin gives him an enthusiastic thumbs-up and waves him in. Great.
"We're doing our annual car wash fundraiser for the animal shelter," I explain, trying to ignore my growing audience. "It's pretty fun. We wash cars, get soaked, raise money for a good cause..."
"And you want me to... bring my car?" Ethan asks, sounding confused.
"No, I—" I turn around to find that Drew, our president, has now joined Gavin and Marcos. All three are watching me with undisguised interest. I wave them away frantically. They don't budge.
"I'm inviting you to come help out," I clarify. "As my, uh, guest."
"Your guest?" His voice sounds hesitant but happy.
"My date," My voice is firm as I try to ignore the silent cheering Gavin is now doing. "If you want to be."
There's a pause that makes my stomach do a little flip.
"I'd like that," Ethan says finally.
The relief that floods me is embarrassing. "Great! It starts at 10 AM in the parking lot by the student union. We usually go until about 3, but you don't have to stay the whole time if you don't want to."
"I'll be there," Ethan promises. "Should I bring anything?"
I'm about to answer when I realize the kitchen has gotten suspiciously quiet. I turn to find not just Gavin, Marcos, and Drew now, but also Ian, Rex, and Cameron, all pretending not to be listening while very obviously hanging on every word.
Putting my hand over the phone, I try to block their noise. "Don't you all have something better to do?" I whisper-shout.
Six heads shake in perfect unison.
Sighing, I uncover the phone. "Just yourself," I tell Ethan. "We have all the supplies."
"Are you okay?" Ethan asks. "You sound weird."
"I'm fine," I say, shooting daggers with my eyes at my so-called brothers. "Just, uh, multitasking."
"He's surrounded by nosy frat bros!" Gavin calls out loud enough for Ethan to hear.
My eyes squeeze shut, imagining a world where brothers respect privacy instead of turning phone calls into spectator sports. "Please ignore my idiotic ex-best friend. That was the sound of Gavin volunteering to clean the entire house bathroom with his toothbrush this weekend.""
Ethan laughs, and the sound sends a warm current through my chest. My stomach does that ridiculous flip it's been doing since Halloween night. I could get addicted to making him laugh like this.
"How many brothers are currently listening to our conversation?" he asks, his voice turning playfully suspicious.
Looking around doing a quick count. "Six. No, seven," I correct as Noah slips in, grinning.
"Hi Ethan!" several voices call out together.
"Oh my god," I groan.
But Ethan just laughs again. "Hi Delta Psi Omega," he calls back, loud enough for everyone to hear. Then, in a lower voice meant just for me, he adds, "So, a car wash, huh? Does this mean I get to see you in a wet T-shirt or without one?"
Heat rushes to my face as the guys hoot and holler, clearly able to guess what Ethan just said based on my reaction.
"If you're lucky." My pulse and something else begins to rise.
"I'll find something lucky to bring with me then," His reply has me picturing the smirk on his face. "See you Saturday. Try not to get your brothers too excited before then."
"Too late," I mutter, watching as Gavin does some kind of victory dance. "See you Saturday."
Hanging up, I immediately face a barrage of questions and teasing.
"Dude, you're so red!"
"What did he say about your shirt?"
"Is he bringing anything? We're short on sponges."
"Did you actually say 'date' or did I imagine that?"
Holding up my hands for silence. "Yes, it's a date. Yes, he's coming to help. No, I will not repeat what he said. And for the love of god, please behave on Saturday."
"Us?" Gavin places a hand on his chest in mock offence. "We're always perfectly behaved."
"Right," My voice drags that one word out. "Marcos, remember last year when you used the hose to spray Drew just because he was on the phone with his mom?"
Marcos grins unrepentantly. "It was hot. I was helping."
"And Rex," I continue, "you and Tahir had a soap fight that left the entire parking lot covered in bubbles."
"Good times," Rex sighs happily.
"My point exactly. Just... don't embarrass me, okay? This is important."
The teasing smiles soften into something more genuine.
"We got you, VP," Drew says, clapping me on the shoulder. "Operation Make Tyler Look Good is a go."
"That's not what I asked for."
"It's what you're getting," Gavin chirps. "Now, important question: are you going with the blue jeans or the black ones? Because the blue ones make your butt look better."
"I hate all of you." Elbows up, the brothers scatter as I muscle past them toward the door. "And for fuck's sake, no one wears jeans to a car wash."
"You love us!" Ian shouts.
"And jeans are totally waterproof!" adds Cam, earning eye-rolls from everyone.
And the annoying thing is, they're right. I don't. Even with all their teasing and prying, I wouldn't trade these idiots for anything.
Except maybe for just five minutes of privacy to process the fact that I just officially asked Ethan on a date, and he said yes.