Aaron has an innate obsession with being theonlyone to do something—to say or see. Specifically when it comes to me. So the wide grin that spreads across his face doesn’t surprise me, and neither does when he says,
“That’s cool.” Casually, happily. I roll my eyes, heading once again to the cafeteria. He trails behind me.
The tour is pretty lengthy—UA really is a big campus, and Felix likes to stop and explore everywhere we go. We see all the dorm buildings, the restaurants by the cafeteria. The cafés littered around for the students to spend more of their money—and hopefully also study. Greek Row, where all the sorority and frat houses are, is pretty but not very interesting. And the only other buildings I bother paying attention to are the main library and the ones dedicated to our majors. That—and the pool. It’shuge. Olympic-size almost. As long as you have an ID card, it’s within operating hours, and it’s not rented out, you can swim there.
There are palm trees everywhere on campus—fake grass in big patches with benches and water fountains. It really is quite beautiful. If you walk about five minutes north of campus, Aaron tells us, there are a couple of streets that the students affectionately call Campus Corner. It’s full of bars, clubs, restaurants—and even a strip club. Felix and I immediately look at each other upon hearing that, trying our hardest not to laugh.
“What?” Aaron asks. “Plan on going?” He sounds like an angry father. We bust up laughing.
Aaron continues his tour, showing us a neighborhood across the street from the library. Apparently, a lot of the athletes live here and if there’s a party that’s not Greek-related, it’s probably on this street.
“But promise me—all of you. No parties your first year unless you’re with me or Amber. Or actually, we’ll introduce you to our friends. So literally any of us.” We nod—reasonable enough.
As we’re walking back to the dorm, I see Drew heading that way—most likely to find me. Aaron looks down at me, as if to say,you’re still dating that guy? To which I say nothing.
“Drew!” Kayla yells, stopping him from walking to an empty dorm. He spins around; his black chino shorts match well with the blush-pink short-sleeved turtleneck he’s wearing. His brown hair is pushed back from his face with a hint of gel, giving him a Hollywood look. If there’s one good thing about Drew, healwayslooks good. Right down to his black Sperry’s.
As we approach him, his eyes look me up and down—his lips pursing, eyes narrowing.
“Hey.” I greet him, giving him a soft smile. “How did moving in go? Did your mom leave? I wanted to say hi.” He looks at me for a moment, and I can feel myself fidget under his gaze.
“Yeah. She did. Ben, what are you wearing?” My cheeks flush for the hundredth time today. All of our friends are looking around awkwardly, and my hand lays over my exposed stomach almost protectively.
“It was hot moving all our stuff, so I just wore gym clothes.” Even I can hear how nervous I sound—how I sound guilty, like I’ve committed a crime.Have I?I can never tell if I’m fucking up or if Drew is being weird about random things. It’s confusing.
“Those shorts are pretty short.”
My eyes fall to his shoes—face on fire. God, this is so embarrassing. Pissing off your boyfriend in front of all of your friends is something only I could pull off. I know I’m in the wrong. I know he might be able to see the scar Aaron left—that he doesn’t like that Aaron can see so muchof my skin. But it was so hot. And the scar… I don’t know. No excuses there, I guess. I want the ground to swallow me whole.
“Sorry,” My voice is quiet; I don’t want anyone else to hear how pitiful I sound. “I can change—we’re going up right now.” Drew nods, finally showing me his soft smile as I surrender.
“Okay, good.” He kisses my head and starts toward the dorm. I follow him—too embarrassed to turn around and see if our friends come along, to see if they’re staring at me. But I feel Felix grab my hand and squeeze as I stare at Drew’s feet in front of me.
When we get up to mine and Felix’s room, Drew takes a look at our combined beds and raises a brow.
“Aren’t you guys eighteen now?” He laughs. It’s not a cruel or judgmental laugh, but it does tell us he thinks we’re ridiculous. “Ten years later and you’re still sleeping in the same bed.”
Felix looks at me and I shrug—turning to grab a big shirt out of my wardrobe. It will cover my stomach and most of my thighs. Two-in-one fix. I turn away from everyone and change my shirt as Felix says,
“Bear’s like a teddy bear I got as a toddler. If I’m home, I just can’t sleep without him.” Kayla and Aaron laugh.
Felix and Kayla are sitting on the makeshift queen-size bed and Aaron’s standing in front of the door like he might need to make a clean escape at any second. Drew smiles at my best friend—a goofy smile. He really does like Felix.
“What will you do when I steal him and he moves in with me next year?” It’s a joke—playful and meant to tease him. But all the color drains from Felix’s face; his smile dropping away.
Kayla wraps an arm around his waist, knowing what he’s feeling without needing to see his face. Before she can speak, someone else does.
“You said it yourself,” Aaron says, eyes glaring into Drew as if he’s a mosquito that just won’t get the fuck out of his ear. “It’s been ten years. You think you’re the only guy who thought they were able to steal Benjamin away?”
Aaron doesn’t add the much neededfromFelixto the end of his sentence, and the two hold each other’s stare from across the room. Drew is standing next to me—practically vibrating. I kind of feel bad for him. He didn’t mean it like that. But he also makes his own possessive jabs when he can, and I’m not my boyfriend’s keeper. He’s grown.
“Hah,” Drew sounds, a cruel smile on his lips. “I don’t know, man. I think my odds are pretty good. I’ve managed to bea lotof Ben’s firsts.” Aaron stands up straight in a flash.
“Hey!” Felix says, holding a hand out to Aaron and finally noticing the tension between the two of them. “He’s just joking, Bub. Don’t take him too seriously. Right, Drew? You’re not really taking Bear away.” Felix laughs awkwardly. Drew reaches out and grabs my hand.
“Yeah, man. Just a joke. We do have to get going, though—big plans and all that. Ready,baby?” My eyes nearly pop out of my head as I stare up at him—mouth falling open.
What the fuck did he just call me? Not once since we’ve been together—not once in a little over a year—has he used that word. He knows not to. Understands what it means.
