“Sarah kicked me out.”
He pauses in the act of pulling out the blender from under the bar. “The fuck?”
I recap my conversation with Sarah. And August makes us blueberry yogurt smoothies that are thick and delicious. He serves them in tall glasses with aluminum straws.
“You’re an artist with this,” I tell him after taking a long taste. “What makes it so thick?”
“Chia seeds. They have a variety of health benefits.” He gives me a knowing look. “Smashburgers and diners aside, I actually follow a pretty strict diet our team nutritionist set up. Now, back to your roommate situation. This Daniel and Priti lived there before?”
He leads me to a long U-shaped lounge couch, and I take a seat on one of the chaise sections. “Daniel and Priti were a couple and they lived there with Sarah. But then Sarah slept with Daniel—”
“Awkward.”
“Not yet.” I take another pull from my smoothie then set theglass aside. “Priti didn’t mind. The trouble started when she slept with Sarah too.”
“And that Daniel minded?”
“He minded that he wasn’t included. That pissed him off. Then Priti called him a hypocrite.”
“Where’s the lie?”
I grin. “Exactly. They fought a lot and eventually, Priti moved out. Daniel stayed. In came Becca.”
August’s eyes are alight with interest. “Don’t tell me. Becca and Sarah?”
“Yes, but then Daniel wanted in on the action. He figured Becca would be into it. But she only liked women. She left, and apparently said the atmosphere was unhealthily predatory.” I stop and raise a shoulder. “I learned this from Daniel, so the source is spotty at best.”
August stretches his long legs before him at an angle to avoid the coffee table. “I’ve got to say, this makes my college years look boring. And I was a star athlete.”
“No instances of ‘ring around the frat house’ sex for you?”
“My roommates were football players, so no. Even if I’d been so inclined, sleeping around isn’t my thing.”
“No?” I strive for nonchalance. I don’t really want to picture him with flocks of bed partners. But his comment has me wondering.
The corners of his mouth curl up slightly as though he sees right through me. “No. Mom taught us that both the act and our partners deserve respect. I never felt comfortable going all out like that. Besides, when it’s offered from every corner at every turn, it kind of takes the thrill out of things.”
If he says so.
“Don’t look so surprised,” he says. “I thought you knew March was the biggest player in the family. Not me.”
Part of me wants to say that’s like comparing red apples to green apples. Despite his words, I’d never seen August Luck without a companion hanging on his arm. Until now. But Iguess now he has me. Which is a ruse. Ugh. I don’t want to think about it anymore.
Resting my head on the back of the sofa, I blink up at the sky just beyond the roofline. “Where was I?”
“Sarah and Daniel had either banged or run off every other roommate with offers to bang?”
“Right. By this point, Sarah was tired of Daniel and didn’t want to hook up with him anymore. Apparently, this was fine by him, as he had an entire city of hot chicks to choose from. His words.”
August’s brow clouds. “He didn’t try anything with you, did he?”
A stray leaf drifts onto the cream fabric of the lounger. I flick it off. “He asked if I swung his way, and I said only with my fist if he tried anything. That was that. Anyway, he moved out a month after I got there, and I was glad for it.”
“And Sarah?”
“And Sarah what?”
He gives me a speaking look and patiently waits for my answer.
