“If you give me a chance, I think you’ll realize you and I aren’t all that different. We simply went about hiding our true selves in different ways. And if you need time to wrap your head around the fact that your secret isn’t a burden you need to carry alone anymore, I’ll understand.” His cheeks turned red as he reached back, scrubbing the base of his neck the way he did when he was nervous. “Honestly, if you want to find a vacant parking lot where you can beat the shit out of me for basically outing you without your permission, I have it coming.”
“No, you don’t,” I argued.
“I actually do,” he insisted. “What I did to you wasn’t right, even if I had good intentions. I decided to let my dick do the thinking and you got caught in the middle.”
“Beating you up isn’t going to change the fact that the truth is out there,” I responded somberly. For the first time in probably ever, the thought of physically harming someone who’d upset me didn’t cross my mind. Sure, it was pretty fucked up, but Colin was a nineteen-year-old college kid whose hormones were in control. Couldn’t exactly say that wasn’t typical shit for someone his age.
Daniel gaped at me as if he couldn’t believe I wasn’t lashing out. It was rare for me to get into any sort of physical altercation but talking smack about how I would beat the shit out of people had become yet another toxic personality trait of mine as I progressed through puberty. It was also a habit I needed to drop. I was too old for that sort of posturing as I tried to fit into the ideals my father had taught me.
The waitress approached our table carrying a tray filled with eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. It was enough food to feed the average middle-class family, or a group of college guys getting ready to work out in the sun all day. Colin and Daniel dug in as though they’d been starving for days, just waiting for this greasy feast. I picked at my plate for a while, not sure if my nerves would allow me to actually eat.
The silence at our table, as always, wasn’t uncomfortable. Every once in a while, I caught a quick jerking motion, and the table would shake. When I’d look up, Colin and Daniel were stifling their laughter.
“Next time, I’m going to have to separate the two of you, aren’t I?” I teased. And hell yes, I was going to make one of them sit next to me if we went out again. I wasn’t cool with them playing footsy and me being the odd man out. I still wasn’t sure if or how this whole three dudes fucking around together was supposed to work, but I did know it wouldn’t if somebody was constantly sitting on the sidelines.
My entire body tensed as I considered what I was about to do. I caught Daniel’s gaze, refusing to look away as I slipped out of my shoe. His eyes widened as I pushed my socked foot into the leg of his jeans. He sucked in a deep breath as I slid my foot higher.
Colin cocked his head to the side, lifting one eyebrow. I smirked, winking at him. He peeked under the table, then pursed his lips to keep from laughing. These guys thought they were going to shock the hell out of me, but I’d be damned if I was going to play the role of the blushing virgin.
I had game. Even if I had no fucking clue what I was doing, I needed to prove they weren’t pushing me to do anything I didn’t want to. And that I wasn’t going to be their little puppy dog following along with whatever they planned.
“Careful,” Colin warned. “Don't start anything you’re not willing to finish.”
He didn't look at me the entire time he spoke. His face was buried in his phone and he was tapping away at the screen as if whoever he was talking to was more important than what was happening between the three of us.
“You think you're so damn smart,” I shot back. “You're going to learn that I don't do anything I don't want to do. No one canmake medo anything.”
“At least you understand that much,” he quipped. I stared at him, trying to figure out what the hell he meant by that. Colin practically ignored me as he went back to eating his breakfast.
When I slipped my foot out from inside Daniel's pant leg, his foot nudged mine beneath the table. I looked up and he smiled at me, completely melting my insides. My heart raced, but I was determined to play it cool. While Daniel and I finish our breakfast, Colin was engrossed in a conversation with someone. Every time I looked up, he was texting again.
“You're a lousy date,” I teased him.
He blushed, setting down his phone. “I didn’t realize this was a date. I thought it was grabbing breakfast before heading out to work up a sweat.”
I choked on a huge bite of scrambled eggs, narrowly avoiding spraying them across the table. Daniel handed me his glass of water.
“You have a dirty mind, Zach,” Colin teased. “I just meant that working on the house build is going to be hard work. What did you think I was talking about?”
“Nothing.” I curled an arm around the front of my plate and kept my head down as I continued eating. “What’s so important you can’t set your phone down for even a minute?”
Colin took the hint and stuffed his phone in his pocket. “Sorry, just trying to see when the coast would be clear.”
“Clear for what?” I asked him.
He shot me a cocky grin and I couldn't help but squirm under his intense gaze. “Pretty sure you don't want anyone hearing what's going to go down once we get back to the suite.”
Valid point.
“What time are the guys heading out?” Daniel asked. Obviously, the two of them knew more about our roommates’ plans than I did.
“They're spending the day at Jayden's mom's place,” Colin responded, then turned toward Daniel. “He asked if I wanted to come over for dinner, but I'm pretty sure everyone would be more comfortable if I didn't bust in on Chase’s time. He needs his weekends to relax, especially with the small year’s course load. Matty is probably the same way.”
“What the hell’s up with that? Jayden’s practically family. If anyone should be there, it should be you, not them.” Colin didn’t seem upset, but I was, dammit. Jayden’s mom kicked ass. She would love getting to know Chase’s brother.
It made sense when Chase started going home with Jayden. It gave them a bit of privacy, and I was pretty sure Jayden didn’t want to run the risk of me being an asshole when he wasn’t around to protect his boyfriend. But now, all four of them disappeared every Saturday morning and were gone until late Sunday night, leaving the rest of us on our own. Seemed like a dick move to me that Chase would invite his buddies to go with him but not his brother.
Colin kneaded the back of his neck. Every time I glanced his way, he quickly averted his eyes. That wasn’t a big surprise but when I looked at Daniel for an answer, he did the same fucking thing.
