They got in the car. Matty took center seat and let Coop have the window. “Do you think he knows?” Matty asked.
“Nah,” Coop said. “Not until he counts his condoms.”
Matty sunk lower in the seat. But Coop was laughing, and Matty joined him.
Greg and Ethan enjoyed a quiet moment by Greg’s apartment. Laughing and giving quick kisses. Matty saw the love between them and hoped for a relationship as strong as that.
“I’m still wired from last night,” Coop said. He picked at a loose thread in his jeans. “Performing.”
Matty relaxed. “I’m glad you did it.”
“Me, too. I popped a lot of cherries last night.”
Matty looked away, grateful it was only them in the car. Coop enjoyed his final zinger before the other guys got in.
* * *
Wakingup in Coop’s arms was just as thrilling on Monday morning. He never wanted it to get old hat. They seemed to be developing a sleeping pattern and, despite sharing a twin bed, they hadn’t fought over bed space yet. Matty rested against Coop for a few extra minutes. A pair of birds chirped outside his window.
After they woke up, made out, blew each other, showered, and dressed, Coop returned to his dorm to put on fresh clothes, and Matty headed to class. He grabbed his usual table, and was soon joined by Linh. He wondered if she could see the lack of virginity emanating from him.
“I hope you all had a good weekend.” Professor Chertok shut the door and walked up to the podium. He held something behind him in his hands. Matty wondered if it was a helicopter robot like the one he’d seen at Dr. Kobayashi’s presentation. “I know you are all hard at work on your special projects, which isn’t mandatory, I’d like to remind you. Only if you want that research slot. And if you don’t, then I don’t know why you are in this class.”
Matty sat up straight. Yes, he was competing for that slot. Yes, he wanted it.
“But even though you’re working at the lab, you can’t neglect your regular studies for this class. That’s why…” Professor Chertok held up papers in his hand.
Not papers.
Pop quizzes.
Matty’s high vanished.
“I just want to make sure that you’re all keeping up with the material. And to answer your next question, yes. This will count toward your final grade.”
Chapter 27
Coop
“It was good? It wasgood? I’m gonna need more than that.” Rafe pushed him—literally—for information on his weekend in Philly. All Coop had to offer was a demure shrug.
“We saw the Liberty Bell.”
“And?” Rafe did the spinning hand thing to get him to sing like a canary.
“And did you know that robots can be microscopic and go inside your body to do surgery and stuff?” Coop sat on his bed flicking through pictures from the weekend on his phone, smiling like an idiot. “Science, man.”
Rafe’s eyes pleaded for more.
“We had a good weekend. A really good one. You can extrapolate from there.” Matty wouldn’t want his sex life to be gossiped about, and neither did Coop. It was a special, private moment, not a bullet point in a weekend trip recap.
“Coop has a boyfriend, and did stuff with said boyfriend that I’m extrapolating.” Rafe lay on his bed, looking at Coop, as if they were at a slumber party or something. Coop didn’t need this mushiness.
“Whatever.”
“It’s awesome.” Rafe had a wistful glint in his eye, and Coop wanted to assure him his time would come. “The player has settled down.”
“What makes you think I’m a player?”
