Ignoring his sarcasm, I cheerfully said, “Thanks,” and headed back across the hallway to the shower.
After I returned home from a lifting session at the team facility, I settled back against the pillows on my bed and pulled up Piper’s number. I’d composed the text at least twenty times in my head, each iteration sounding cheesier than the last. Finally, I said, “Fuck it,” and typed,I’m back on campus. You?
Trying to keep a lid on my hopes, I tossed my phone aside and picked up my game controller, turned off the pause button, and restarted the six-person shooter game Dash had given me. After killing off two monsters and finding a place to hide, I heard my phone ping an incoming text. Hitting pause again, I picked up my phone and read,Spending the holiday corrupting Chessly in herhometown.
Well, fuck. There went my big plans to kiss Piper at midnight. Among other things.
I played through to a monster swatting my weapon from my hand, paused the game again, and typed,How are you corruptingher?
Admitting my disappointment at not spending New Year’s with the hottest girl in the world, I leaned back, stared at my phone, and waited for her to respond. Fortunately, she didn’t make me wait long.
Piper: Copious amounts of alcohol and coaxing her to dance on the tabletop in the local bar.A laughing emoji accompanied her words.
Me: I’d like to see that.After I hit send, I took a chance and added,I bet you’re fun to watch dance on atabletop.
Holding my breath, I waited for her response. When it came, I grinned.
Piper: I don’t dance on tabletops. But I might dance privately for you. A winky-face emoji followed.
Me: Now you’re being mean, what with you not being home and all. Guess you’ll have to make it up to me by accepting my invite todinner.
Piper: Or going down on you in the back seat of your truck when I comeback?
Banging my head back against the headboard, I groaned as my dick twitched to life behind the fly of my jeans. The woman was pure evil.
Me: I can almost hear your wicked laughter fromhere.
Piper: Happy New Year, Wyatt. See you in a fewdays.
Me: Happy New Year, Piper. After dinner, I plan to eat you for dessert. Fairwarning.
Several minutes later she hearted my last text, and I smiled. Nice to know I got to her as much as she got to me. I shut down the game and went in search of Finn. I doubted the two of us could find much trouble on New Year’s with most of our friends still out of town, but a bar somewhere would be playing the Football Bowl Division playoffs, which beat hanging out at the house drinking beer alone.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. When I opened the text, I cracked up. Piper’s friend Chessly was awkwardly dancing on a tabletop with a crowd of people cheering her on.
“Oh fuck, that’s funny.”
Glancing up from where he was lining up his next shot, Finn asked, “What’s so funny?”
Holding out my phone for him to watch, I said, “This.”
He grabbed my cell from my hand, spreading his thumb and index finger over the screen to pull the image closer. His eyes flicked up to mine with a troubled expression. “Where is this?”
“Chessly’s hometown, wherever that is. Piper didn’t say.” I snagged my phone back. “Piper told me she planned to fill her friend with enough alcohol to convince her to cut loose and do some tabletop dancing. Looks like she succeeded.”
“Harlo.”
“Come again?”
“Chessly’s from Harlo. It’s about forty miles north of here.” His glum tone threatened to steal what little party atmosphere the Molly had.
“Huh. Piper made it sound like it was hours from here.”
Finn went back to lining up his shot. “With the way the wind is flying the snow around tonight, it is hours from here.” He swung his attention back to me. “Only a moron would even think about hitting the road for a little trip.”
Yep, that nugget of information stole the party clean away.
I texted Piper back.Me: Wish I’d have known you were spending New Year’s so close tocampus.
