Chapter 6
The group chat Cal started at the end of our senior year was what got me through each day without being homesick too much.
Of course, I talked to Momma often, and my hometown of Hickory Bend was only a few hours away, but there was something about these guys that made the distance between us nonexistent.
However, being in a different city than Jamie—and he and Michael still sharing a phone—I didn’t get my one-on-one time with my bestie as much. As consolation, I’d gotten closer with the other guys, becoming lifelong friends overnight.
No matter how tight we were, or maybe because of it, I was in for a shitload of grief when I told them what I’d done.
Percy
We should invite Dorian to the chat!
Michael/Jamie
Oh, speaking of adding to the group… Nick had to change his number because of some drama. I’ve got it if you still wanted to add him to this, Cal.
Ty
Not my call, but how many sausage links do we need in this soup? Let’s invite some girls.
Jack
No.
Michael/Jamie
No.
Wren
No.
Cal
No to the girls, but hell yeah to Nick. Text me the contact.
Ty
Fuck you all then.
Wren
I don’t know Nick that well. He’s cool?
Cal
Hella cool. Nothing to worry about.
Percy
Dorian’s cool.
Jack
We decided as a group. Only us and significant others with at least a year to get to know them first.
Ty has left the conversation.
Percy
And y’all thought I was dramatic.
Jack
Eh, don’t be too hard on him. Ty’s a bit frustrated right now.
Wren
Why? What’s going on?
Cal
Lol. We make him leave their dorm room each time we fuck.
Jack
Yeah, so basically Ty doesn’t live here.
Tate
Lol. Wow. Okay.
Percy
You two are my idol.
With you, Percy. I’d hoped to fulfill my virgin dreams at college. So far, nothing.
Jack invited Ty to the conversation.
Ty
Any talk about dicks, and I’m out.
Cal
But you’re a dick, so …
Actually, I want to tell y’all about this guy I met.
Ty has left the conversation.
Cal
Lol.
Wren
Lol.
Michael/Jamie
What guy?
Percy
Looks like Jamie has the phone.
Michael/Jamie
Michael’s on his way home from a job.
Percy
Hi Jamie! So this guy, Asher?
Hot AF. Older. Wears a suit like James Bond.
Jack
Don’t see a downside.
Straight. Momma from hell.
Cal
Lead with that.
Percy
You already met his family?
Long story, but only his momma.
Michael/Jamie
What’s there to talk about then?
Well, we met at this thing, and he asked me out to eat afterward.
Jack
Hold up.
Cal
You said he was straight.
Tate
I don’t think we’re getting all of this story.
He thought I was a girl.
Jack invited Ty to the conversation.
Wren
The fuck?
Percy
How? Why? Huh?
Ty
What did I miss?
Cal
Asher got asked out by a guy who thinks he’s a girl.
Ty has left the conversation.
Jack
Lol.
Tate
Lol. Poor Ty.
My phone rang before I could respond.
Jamie. Of course he’d call.
“Miss me?” I said when I answered.
“Not one bit,” he lied. “What the fuck is this shit about?”
Luckily, my roommate was out. The guy was chill as fuck and had a ton of friends he was always with instead of here, so I didn’t have to worry about what I said out loud and splayed across my bed with a sigh.
“Savannah and Morgan.”
Jamie chuckled. “Got it. What sort of mess did they get you into this time?”
He got a quick summary from the initial experiment through the costume event and meeting Luke.
“Fuck you for only tellin’ me now, but please, God, tell me you’ve got pictures,” he begged, then paused while something rustled in the background. “Michael says hey.”
“The fuck I did,” Michael grumbled in the background.
“Okay, he told me to get off the phone with my girlfriend.”
I snorted. “Speaking of him calling me your girlfriend—”
“We’re not datin’, Ash.”
“What’d he say?” Michael said a little louder and closer to the phone this time.
Jamie must’ve moved the phone to his shoulder. He softly said, “I was kiddin’. Calm down.” Then, after a pause, “Do you need the phone?”
“You gotta go?” I asked.
Michael took being a few months older to new levels, and Jamie gave in to his bossy brother way more than I thought he should. But Michael was a scary fucker, and I’d never say no to his face either.
“Not yet. What were you gonna say?”
“Oh, uh. Talkin’ to him at the charity thing went well. Like, too well, and he asked me to go get food with him.”
“Asher.”
“I know.”
Over the summer, we’d had many conversations about how dating worked in college. More like how hooking up worked. Hickory Bend was too small for such fantasies, but not Cressmann. I’d wanted to take full advantage as if fucking were my major.
This with Luke, though, was not at all how I imagined dating. Technically, he wasn’t a student here— Okay, fine, I couldn’t use technicality to get out of this. Luke thought I was a girl. The date didn’t count.
“And he doesn’t know you’ve got a dick?”
“Don’t be talkin’ gay shit, Jamie,” Michael said, still from way too close, as if he had Jamie in his lap so he could listen to every word. “Daddy’ll be home any minute.”
“I ain’t, so hush.”
“No, he didn’t,” I rushed out before they escalated into an argument. “Not until he kissed me.”
“Asher, what the fuck?” Jamie snapped. “Is he a big dude? Did he kick your ass? Do I need to kick his ass?”
“He’s bigger than me, but not scary like Michael.”
“No one’s scary like Michael.” Jamie said under his breath, then started laughing. “Stop it,” he hissed.
“God, you two, get a room.”
“We share a room, dumbass,” Michael said.
“Just put me on speaker, Jesus, fuck.”
“No,” they snapped together, and then Jamie said, “Can’t. Daddy might hear somethin’.”
Right. I was also the only one outside of his immediate family who knew their daddy used to kick the shit out of him on the regular. Supposedly, Michael put a stop to that once he was big enough, but the pair still tiptoed around their house.
“Hurry. Tell me what happened.”
“I got the feeling he only asked me out to make his momma mad. And she sure was.” I laughed, thinking about it.
“Sounds like a loser,” Michael said.
Loser, he was not. Luke had been much more interesting than I assumed at first. Reserved and snooty, but then he teased like someone with a bit of wicked underneath all that polish.
That posh style doing it for me was a right change of pace. I’d assumed his kind looked down on us uneducated, low-middle class, but he hadn’t given that vibe. His mother sure had though, and I’d loved putting that appalled look on her face a little too much.
“He wasn’t. Everything was fine until the end. I’d kinda hoped he’d just been using me to pass the time. I mean, he’s older, and we’re in two different places. My college ass to his grown-up, business-suit-wearin’ ass. Then he got all nervous and kissed me—”
“Really?” Jamie gasped as Michael snapped, “The fuck?”
“Yeah, so I had to tell him the truth.”
“And then?” Jamie asked.
“What do you think?” Michael added. “Dude was pissed.”
“Actually, he looked like he was gonna puke.”
Jamie snickered. “Who knew you’d be such a bad kisser.”
“Hang up, Jamie. Daddy just got home,” Michael grumbled.
“I gotta—”
“Heard. Later.” I dropped my phone and covered my face with both hands, groaning aloud.
I could joke about it with them, but the fact was Luke would be so my type if he were into guys.
Not that I’d had any experience in the matter, but when some guys got my dick twitching and others didn’t, I caught on rather quickly.
On the ole twitch meter, Luke had been a ten-hut!
His clean-cut appearance pushing my buttons wasn’t exactly surprising since I’d crushed a bit on Tate. I liked them handsome, apparently, even a little pretty. Not rugged like Wren or Michael or cute like Jamie or Percy.
And speaking of bratty twinks … A hurried knock sounded on the door.
“It’s open,” I yelled as the thing slammed against the stopper and Percy rushed in.
“You’re too polite, Dorian, and this doesn’t call for polite.” Percy had a bag of what looked like burritos dangling from one wrist, with his friend Dorian trailing behind him with a bag of bottles.
“Spill,” Percy said, coming to stop in front of me. “I need all the details.”
I didn’t know Dorian well, but Percy trusted him, so that was good enough for me. With a heavy sigh, I recounted all of it, again, ending with the punch in the face I deserved but never came since Luke had turned a greenish white before speeding off in his fancy Range Rover.
“Whoa, this is so fucked-up,” Dorian laughed.
“Thanks for that.” I faced Percy. “What do you have for me?”
“No judgment here. I like dressin’ in girlie shit sometimes. I’m not one to criticize.”
Dorian stared at him, but I only nodded.
Percy turned his nose up and away from Dorian. “Don’t look at me like that. Who says pink is only for girls? And have you felt silk on your balls? All I’m sayin’ is don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it, and even then, don’t shame on someone else’s parade.”
“I think it’s rain on their parade, and I wasn’t doing that.” Dorian backtracked. “I’m just trying to picture it.”
Percy gasped and crossed his legs. “Take that picture of my balls out of your head, Dorian Romeo Booker.”
“That’s not my middle name.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Anyway. There’s the whole story. Probably the best and worst night of my life so far, all on the same day.”
Percy cocked his head, brows scrunching as if he thought really hard on how to respond, or maybe fought really hard not to.
“That’s, uh … I’m sure in a few days, it’ll just be a funny thing you get to laugh about for years,” Dorian said, patting my shoulder.
“Yeah, maybe.” Nothing I could do with it for now. That ship had sailed, then sank to the ocean floor. “So what’s up with y’all? Distract me.”
“Nursing clinicals start soon,” Dorian said.
“I’ve signed up for tutoring this year. Actually, the university-sponsored program begged me to do it again. I guess I’m pretty good at it,” Percy said.
“The best. So why can’t you use that to be more outgoing?”
“Teaching is easy. I know what to say.”
“You always know what to say to us.” Dorian waved between him and me. “It’s the same thing.”
“Not. At. All.”
I chuckled as they bickered, but their teasing each other only reminded me how easy it was with Luke.
In a way, it was already funny. Not for Luke, of course, but leave it to me to pull a ridiculously hot guy while dressed as a girl when my real love life was a no-show.
Well, whatever. I had plenty to keep me occupied: family, school, friends and their drama.
Pfft, who needed lick-worthy men and hot sex anyway?