Chapter 22 – Jaxon
TWENTY-TWO
JAXON
“Chop, chop,” Xanie directs when Jordan and I don’t move.
Reluctantly I guide Jordan’s very naked body back down to the floor. And someone better give me a gold star because I am a gentleman which means I refrain from gaping at her nakedness despite every nerve in my body provoking me to.
She slides out from behind me, bottom lip caught between her teeth. Eyes float from me to Xanie. There’s a wicked, mischievous glint to them that draws a matching expression from me.
Getting caught, all I can think is: oops.
And thankfully it was Xanie. Not that there’s anything to share, but I’m glad it was her. She’s trustworthy, and if she’s friends with Jordan then I know she cares about her unconditionally.
“I’m gonna”—Jordan thumbs in the direction of her bedroom, collecting her clothes—“go put some dry clothes on.”
“May I suggest some cover-up also?” Xanie taps the base of her neck with two fingers. Sure enough, a light bruise is already forming.
Jordan blows out a breath and glares at me. “Really, Greene?”
“I didn’t mean to.” I totally meant to.
“Yeah, right.”
“There’s another one behind your right ear,” Xan calls as Jordan saunters into her room, my eyes in sync with the sway of her hips, shutting the door hard enough that it rattles the random artwork on the walls.
I smirk over at Xanie. “You’re very observant.”
“Thank you,” she responds.
Jordan reemerges in a pair of biker shorts and a mockneck sweatshirt. It’s very Princess Diana-esque with the bunched ankle socks. Her hair is messily pulled back, and she’s rubbing lotion into her face, giving me ideas I shouldn’t be having.
Footsteps echo from the hall; Cooper’s walk is distinct.
I look at Jordan, letting her take lead.
“Sit. Biology homework.” She snap-points and my spine goes straight. The hint of bossiness in her tone is…hot. “Textbook and laptop are in my backpack.”
Jordan grabs two hydration drinks from the fridge. Spotting the black meal prep containers on the top shelf makes me happy. She’s also making a snack plate. Xanie washes and dices an apple and an orange, slices arranged along the circumference of the plate.
They’re whispering to each other, quite enough that the only thing I can discern is Xanie’s teasing, “Look at him being a good boy.” Which then earned her a swat in the shoulder from a flushed Jordan.
Cooper knocks at the door.
“I’ve got it.” Xanie’s smug walking to the door, gently shoving her roommate toward me. Jordan sets the plate down between us, slipping into the seat next to me as the door is peeled open.
“And that’s why the mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell,” I repeat the only tidbit I remember from high school biology.
Jordan plays along, spitting out another fact, but she’s tuned out by Cooper. The corners of her mouth tick up and I catalog the moment. I wonder if she knows how beautiful she is, how beautiful her smile is.
“Working tonight, Xan?”
“Picked up a day shift, I just got home.” I hadn’t noticed her scrubs. “But I’m wor—”
“Jaxon? What are you doing here?”
I pull my nose from Jordan’s textbook, where she’s pointing at a diagram. The chapter having nothing to do about cells. “Biology homework. I told you Jordan’s in my class, right?”
“No.” It comes off annoyed. “But I should’ve put it together. You both said you’re taking Dr. Hart’s morning lecture, and Jordan complains about the person sitting next to her.”
“I didn’t complain,” Jordan scolds her brother. “What are you doing here?”
“I called you five times and you didn’t answer.”
“So you show up at my dorm.”
“Can a brother not check up on his little sister? Make sure she’s safe and okay?
What if you had slipped and hit your head in the shower?
Passed out on the floor?” Cooper keeps listing off ridiculous but plausible things that could’ve happened.
Weirdly, dry humping your brother’s best friend’s thigh till you come wasn’t one of the options. Strange he didn’t think of that.
“None of those things happened,” Jordan deadpans.
“Thank goodness.” He twists a chair around, dropping into it and draping his arms over the edge. “At least I’m here if—”
“You’re being annoying.”
“Told you.” Sutton sighs, head swaying left and right, from the kitchen, indulging on blueberries with Xanie who is plopping them into her mouth like they’re popcorn.
“Are you busy?” Cooper asks.
“We’re studying.”
“Mendelian Genetics? It’s been a few years, but I don’t think that’s cell structure.” He tilts his head, reading upside down. “I’m hungry and it’s fifty cent wing night.”
Two words college students love: free and beer. Put together? That’s the holy grail.
Tonight is also The Tipsy Bear’s monthly trivia night, which means the building is bursting at its seams with eager college students to win free beer for a year. There are smaller prizes for each round, but that’s the behemoth grand prize for whatever team scores the most points.
We’ve been runner up fifteen times.
“I forgot about trivia.” Cooper has to yell over the music and thrumming crowd. We’re weaving around people in search of a table. “We might need to get takeout.”
“Wings are dine-in only.”
It takes us ten minutes and hovering near a high-top cashing out to secure a table. Coop and I stack cups and gather beer bottles at the end of the table while the girls dust off crumbs. A waiter hurries by carrying two pitchers and lets us know they’ll be back to clean the table.
Jordan’s in the chair to my right. I spread my knees till my thigh presses into hers. Her body jerks at the initial connection before relaxing, her thigh pressing back into mine.
The waiter comes back around, taking our drink orders and clearing the table. We order enough wings to feed a small army. The girls add on a loaded tatchos and pretzel bites. Which I end up housing over half of—with zero regrets and a promise to order another round—before trivia starts up.
By round three, this might be our night. Tied for the lead, our competitors aren’t going to know what hit them now that we have Dawson and Beck.
Now that I don’t have to carry the team, I sneak my phone out from my back pocket. Turn down the brightness just in case someone decides to peek at my screen.
Me
talking about me in your free time? Didn’t realize i was taking up so much mental real estate
Jordan’s phone, screen down, vibrates on the table. She slides it toward her, privately looking at it. Expression neutral, her eyes flick to me and back to her phone.
Blue
cooper doesn’t know what he’s talking about
Me
it’s okay, little carmichael
you can be obsessed with me
A strange, gargled noise comes from my left. Sutton pats Jordan’s back when the sound happens again.
“Here.” She passes her a water. “Try drinking something.”
Jordan takes a sip. “Choking on a laugh, sorry.”
Blue
obsessed?
Me
like the mariah carey song to be exact
greene is six letters by the way. Make sure you have the correct spelling when ur crosswords asks for the center of your world
Blue
i actually needed an answer for bane of my existence
jaxon is five letters, right? want to make sure i’m spelling it correctly for the other clue that was stumping me
Me
sure it wasn’t: name of the person you want to kiss (make you come) again?
I’m too engrossed in our back-and-forth to notice the round has ended and they’ve collected our answer sheet. I couldn’t tell you a single question asked.
The waitress drops off another round of drinks. I take a Corona and bring it to my lips, highly anticipating Jordan’s response.
Maybe something sharp and witty.
Maybe a yes.
Maybe she’ll slip out of her seat to the bathroom and tell me to meet her there.
“As a reminder, phone usage during trivia is prohibited and will result in team disqualification. Where is Team Smart Hockey Hotties?” Copper waves at the trivia coordinator.
He returns the mic to its stand and heads to our table.
“Did we get every question right?” Dawson rests his elbows on the table, an eagerness to his tone. Cooper leans in matching Dawson’s anticipation. “The last question was a trick question, wasn’t it?”
“I didn’t want to announce this over the mic.” As if that matters, all eyes are on our table. “You are disqualified.”
“What?” Cooper’s confused.
Dawson tosses his arm out wide, forcing Beck to lean back in his seat. “Why? We didn’t use phones?”
“There was an accusation of cheating during the round and was confirmed while collecting answer sheets. Two people at your table were on their phones.”
“Bullshit.” Dawson’s upset because I’m pretty sure we would’ve finally won, and Cooper’s competitiveness is showing when he demands proof. The coordinator points at Jordan and then me.
Five sets of eyes swing to us.
“Seriously? You looked up answers?” Cooper grimaces.
“No,” Jordan bites back at her brother. “I haven’t participated once, so why would I look up an answer?”
“Prove it.” Palm up, he requests Jordan’s phone.
“Seriously?”
“Uh-huh.”
She mutters under her breath, opening her phone. From my seat, I watch her close out the Messages app, spin the phone around, and show the shoe shopping site pulled up. “Unless someone asked about New Balances, then I wasn’t doing anything.”
Cooper returns her phone, one dark brow raised, tone unconvincing. “You’re cleared.”
“Sorry, y’all. I forgot about the rules,” I blurt as the attention shifts to me. If they saw my recent search history…well, I’d be friendless and homeless.
My best friend huffs out a breath. “Drinks are on you tonight, then.”
“And for the next month,” Dawson adds.