Epilogue
TWO MONTHS LATER
“Gavin, hey!”
I look up from the avocados. Staci McPherson is standing at the end of the produce aisle, a basket hooked over one arm, her blonde hair pulled back in a high ponytail.
She’s wearing a sorority sweatshirt and leggings.
She’s just as pretty as I remember. An All-American beauty. And I feel absolutely nothing.
“Hey, Staci.” I put the avocado down. “How’s it going?”
“Good! Just grabbing stuff for the house. We’re doing a girls’ night.” She holds up her basket. Wine, chips, a pint of ice cream. “You? I feel like I never see you around campus anymore.”
“Yeah, I’ve been pretty busy.”
She gives me a little smile and takes a few steps closer. “Hey, I never heard back from you. On Bangr. I was kinda bummed.”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I, uh, I deactivated my profile. Pretty much as soon as I set it up.”
“Seriously? Why?”
“Just not my thing, I guess.”
Her eyes flick to my crotch and back up again. She grabs a cantaloupe, hefting it in her palm. “Shame. From what I saw, you had a lot to offer.”
A warmth spreads across my cheeks. “Thanks.”
“Well, the offer still stands,” she says, inspecting the cantaloupe, running her thumb over the webbing. “Y’know, if you ever want to get coffee, or… whatever. I guess we don’t really need an app for that. I’m at the Theta house.”
“Hey, babe,” says a deep voice from behind me. Strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me back against a solid chest. A chin rests on my shoulder. I can smell sandalwood soap. “You find any good ones?”
“Not yet,” I say, leaning my head back against him. “They’re all rock-hard.”
Staci’s smile falters for a half-second before she recovers. She blinks, looking from me to the man standing behind me. To the six-foot-five star quarterback currently nuzzling my neck. She sets the cantaloupe down.
“North,” she says, her voice a little tight. “Hey.”
“Staci,” he says, not letting go of me. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Yeah. Small world.” She glances down at North’s arms, still locked around my waist, then back up at my face. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you two were…”
“Together?” North finishes for her, pressing a quick kiss to my temple. “Yeah. We are.”
My ears glow hot. It’s the first time he’s said it so plainly. To Staci McPherson, of all people.
“Oh. Wow. Okay.” Staci’s grip tightens on her basket. Her smile is a little strained now. “That’s… great. Good for you guys.”
“Thanks,” North says. “He’s a great catch. This one.”
“I bet,” she says, her eyes lingering on my crotch one last time. “Well, I gotta run. The girls are waiting.” She gives a little wave, already backing away. “It was good to see you, Gavin. You too, North.”
“Yeah, you too, Staci,” I say.
She turns and walks away quickly, her ponytail swinging.
“I think I just ruined a girl’s fantasy,” North whispers in my ear.
“You do realize she’s gonna tell the whole campus, right?” I murmur back.
“Good.” He lets go of me and grabs a few avocados, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Let ‘em talk.” He tosses them into the cart. “These are ripe.”
I look at him. At this big, beautiful, reckless man.
He has a hickey peeking out from the collar of his forest-green hoodie.
Right on the corded muscle of his neck. His gray sweatpants hang low on his hips, showing a strip of skin and the dark trail of hair that disappears beneath the waistband. He’s so comfortable in his own skin.
My quarterback. My best friend. My roommate. And now... my boyfriend.
These last two months have been a crash course in discovery.
We fuck before class. We fuck after. In the shower, on the floor, against the wall.
My bed, North’s bed, our desks, the cheap rug from Target that we can’t get the smell of cum out of, no matter how many times we steam clean it.
Me on top of him, him on top of me. My face buried in the pillow, my ass in the air. Him whimpering, begging for more.
North is insatiable. And I’m right there with him, every step of the way, my newly discovered libido roaring to life.
“You’re not worried?” I ask. “About what your team will say?”
“They know better than to fuck with me.” He winks. “But if anyone gives you any shit, you tell me. I’ll deal with it.”
“I can handle myself.”
“I know you can, Gav. But you don’t have to. We’re a team.” He steers the cart toward the dairy section, one hand resting on the small of my back. “Now, what’s next on the list? I wanna get out of here so I can get you out of those jeans.”
“Eggs,” I say. “And Greek yogurt.”
He leans in, his lips brushing my ear. “You know what else is high in protein?”
I swat him away, laughing. “Behave yourself. We’re in public.”
But I’m already walking faster toward the dairy case, my jeans a little tighter than they were a minute ago. Because I can’t wait to get back to the room either.
Our room.
The End