“Why did you? Did you just want a connection for some fancy internship?”
“No!” Ethan shouted. He went to make sure his door was closed.
“Because you wouldn’t be the first one.”
“I wanted to meet your dad, okay? I wanted to know something about you. Just one of your little secrets that you keep locked away behind your Greg Sanderson facade.”
“You want all of me? Well, you just saw it!” Greg faced the window. His shoulders slumped. “I’m a fucking disappointment.”
That sucked the air out of the room. Ethan had never known a not-cocksure Greg. He was right. This was all of him.
“I don’t want to go to fucking Harvard Law.”
Ethan took a tentative step forward. “You want to teach, don’t you? That education class isn’t some distribution requirement.”
Greg sat on the foot of the bed. “I’m doing a double-major in special education.”
“That’s great!”
Greg seesawed his hand. “Teachers make pennies compared to lawyers. Trust me, I know.” He took a pause, and he squinted his eyes. Ethan could tell this wasn’t something he talked about, not with anyone. “My cousin has autism. People write off kids like him, but he’s a cool guy. Special ed kids just have an extra layer you have to get past. Most people don’t want to do the work. But my cousin rocks, and I want to help kids like him.” Greg shook his head. “I know, it’s corny.”
“I love your corny.”
Ethan noticed just how cute Greg looked in his outfit. The button-down hugged his firm frame and arm muscles, and the khakis made his legs thick and trunklike. Ethan knew not to get used to this clean-cut Greg, but he would enjoy it for now.
“Most guys in my frat are planning to be lawyers or stockbrokers. No teachers.”
“You can be a trailblazer then. Your dad will come around.”
“Come on, Folly. You’re not stupid. My dad is not the type who comes around. Not unless I go to Harvard Law and become an attorney. Then I’ll stop being an embarrassment to him.” Greg heaved out a sigh. “That’s me. The real me. I can have fun, but I can’t do much else.”
“That’s not true,” Ethan eked out.
“Well, tell that to my dad. Actually, don’t. You two are already way too chummy.” Greg smirked at him, and Ethan’s heart melted like a stick of butter in a frying pan. He patted the bed next to him. “What are you doing all the way over there?”
Ethan wanted to race over to him, but his memories held him back. “You made it clear what you thought of me at your frat’s party.”
“I’m sorry, Folly.”
“Please stop calling me that.”
“What was I supposed to do? I find you in my room posing like a second-rate porn star in front of my friends.”
Greg’s puppy dog eyes began their work on Ethan—until the party flashed back to him, through the boozy haze. Greg had stood there while his frat brothers laughed at him. Ethan knew how he was supposed to feel.
“You didn’t stick up for me. You let me leave.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’ve already said that. Twice.” Ethan stood by the door. Just like Greg had done.
“Can’t I explain?”
“I already know what you’re going to say. ‘You almost exposed me to my frat brothers. We’re just having fun, Folly. Blah blah blah.’”
“I wasn’t going to say that.”
“Then what were you going to say, huh?”
