The dying orange-pink light of sunset floods the room and dust motes float in the air. I grab the bottom edge of the window and shove it upward, letting crisp air in.
“Cold,” Sevan protests. “And bright.”
“Refreshing, and necessary. It’s sunset, and it’s cloudy. How is that too bright?”
He shades his eyes with one hand and gives me the middle finger with the other. “The sun is coming in under those clouds like a spotlight. I like my cave. You used to keep your room dark all the time, too.”
I grab one of his pillows, which are haphazardly placed all over his bed, and I move it up toward the top.
“We need fresh air before snow starts coming down. And I never lived in vampire mode like this, Sevan. This room looks like another person hasn’t been in here in weeks.”
There are empty bottles of protein shakes on every surface.
I instantly launch intofixermode.
I strip the bedsheets and put them into a pile to take them down to the laundry. After a good amount of cold, fresh air has come into the room, I shove the window closed and gather empty water glasses on his nightstand and put them into neat stacks.
“Didn’t know I was going to get the Mom version of youtonight,” Sevan mutters, running a hand through his hair. “My room’s not that bad.”
“This isn’tyou. I think you’re well aware of that.”
The final glow of sunset casts shadows over his face, and I see him try to smile.
There’s so much sadness behind that smile.
So much disappointment.
The cousin I used to do everything with, looking broken for the first time in his life. He used to be a force of nature, playing hockey all the time, getting into trouble and somehow always getting out of it, unwilling to slow down.
He lets out a long sigh.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he finally says.
“God, Sevan.”
I walk over to his chair and lean down, wrapping my arms around him in a tight hug.
This semester, he was supposed to be MVP on the Crimson hockey team, and take his spot as one of the leaders of Double Daggers. Even though I’ve always made fun of him for joining a secret society, Iknowit means a lot to him.
I squeeze him again before I pull back. “You know, the Onyx guys say their house is better than the Daggers house, but you’ve got it pretty good here.”
“The Onyx guys are full of themselves.”
“Aren’t you Daggers guys, too?”
He gives me a look. “Weston Knox is a pain in my fucking ass. Last year he broke up a fistfight I got in at a party. Said it was abad lookfor society guys to fight. Fuck that.”
“You’d fight a goddamn cardboard box, though. MaybeWeston was right.”
Sev gives me a bitter glare, and I know he wishes he could fight me right now, too.
Sevan uses his arms to shift on his seat. “Anyway. I have my own room, even if it’s small.”
“What have you been doing in here?”
“Jerking off.”
“Nice, Sev.”
