"Just finding common ground in our mutual frustration."Thinking the same things now, apparently. Like boyfriends or something equally ridiculous. Bloody hell, where did that come from?
Caleb's startled blink is almost worth the weird brain tangent. Almost.
"Well, whatever it is, keep it up," Drew says approvingly. "And don't forget about ice skating tomorrow night. 6 PM at the arena, everyone's expected to attend."
"We remember."
Perfect unison. My glance darts sideways, meeting Caleb's eyes, and we share matching "oh bloody hell" expressions.
Gavin laughs, breaking the moment. "Jinx! You guys owe each other a beer."
Drew's confusion is visible but brief, a head shake dismissing whatever just happened. "Great. Then we'll let you get back to your... network security discussion."
He turns to leave, then pauses. "And maybe keep the laughter down? Some of us are trying to sleep."
"Sorry," Caleb mumbles, looking embarrassed.
Once they're gone, the kitchen goes quiet again. Different than before, though. Less "we hate each other" and more "we just ran out of conversation."
Weird.
"So…. Network restrictions."
Caleb nods, setting his empty plate in the sink. "I've done some work with content filtering before. We could set up a tiered system, basic protection for everyone, stricter controls for the repeat offenders."
"That could work." My interest in the tech stuff outweighs my usual tendency to keep quiet. "I've got some programs we could change around."
"Now?"
I check the time, 3:24 AM. "Why not? Unless you need to get back to your project."
He shrugs. "It can wait. This is more interesting."
We head to the computer room and work together on the network security upgrades for the next two hours. I'm surprised that Caleb knows his stuff; he's pre-law, not in the computer science program.
He makes smart suggestions, and his coding works well even if he does things a bit differently than I would. We find a good flow: I handle the backend while he focuses on the notification system.
By 5:30 AM, we have a working model ready to use. The new system will block the worst offenders immediately and give warnings for iffy sites. For brothers who keep breaking the rules, like Rex, it'll impose stricter limits that need my approval to access anything beyond simple websites.
"This should work," I twist to crack my back after reviewing the final code. "At least until someone figures out how to use a VPN."
"Which most of these guys won't," Caleb points out. "If they're falling for obvious scams, they're not exactly tech-savvy enough to bypass our system."
"True, we should turn it on now, before everyone wakes up."
With a few keystrokes, the new security protocols go live across the fraternity's network. It's a simple fix that should save me tons of time cleaning up viruses and fixing broken systems.
"Testing time," Caleb says, opening a browser window. He types in a notorious porn site address, and our custom block page immediately appears. "Success."
"Nice work." It's weird how satisfying it is to work with someone who doesn't need hand-holding through every technical concept. Most of the brothers treat technology as magical black boxes that occasionally need to be hit to function correctly.
Caleb looks equally pleased, though he tries to hide it. "Not bad for a middle-of-the-night project."
We sit in surprisingly comfortable silence for a moment, and the early morning light is beginning to filter through the blinds.
"I should probably get some sleep before classes," Caleb says finally, standing and stretching. His shirt rides up slightly, revealing a strip of pale skin that I definitely don't notice.
"Same." Sleep sounds impossible, though. My brain's still buzzing with code and... other things. The unexpected discoverythat Caleb Huntington might not be the entitled rich kid I assumed he was, and I like it, has shaken me a little.
