After pinning him with one of those let’s-be-real looks, I head for the door, way too excited to have a home-cooked meal waiting for me downstairs.
Logan follows, hot on my heels, muttering at my back, “You know, a real boyfriend would wait if his partner wasn’t ready to have sex.”
A smirk tugs at my lips, and I turn to wink at him.
“Guess it’s a good thing this relationship is fake.”
Eight
Camden
The next morning, I’m crossing the front yard, about to head off to hell on Earth—also known as this goddamn philosophy class—when I hear my name being called from somewhere behind me. Turning, I find Logan, Bailey, and Lexi on their way out the door, likely going off to class as well.
My gaze locks on my pseudo-boyfriend as he approaches, asking, “You got a sec?”
I glance between him and his friends, who are lingering near the front door—no doubt to give us a bit of privacy—before replying, “Yeah, a couple. What’s up?”
He shoves his hands in his jean pockets and rocks on his heels before shooting a quick glance over his shoulder at our other roommates. There’s something off about his body language; I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s almost like he’s nervous, which makes absolutely no sense, and yet all evidence suggests that’s the case.
“Are you heading to class?” he finally asks, breaking the awkward silence.
“Unfortunately,” I mutter before shooting him a wry smile. “Unlessyouwanna—”
“Not happening,” he interrupts before I can even finish therequest. Just as well, he’s already doing enough for me without actually attending the classes for me.
“Well, then I’m gonna be late for class, so…”
“Oh, yeah. Uh, in a similar vein, this is for you.”
Pulling his hand from his pocket, he opens it to reveal a small Converse keychain, matching the pair on his feet, before placing it in my palm. At first, I have no idea why he’s giving it to me, but upon further inspection, I realize it pulls apart at the toe of the shoe, revealing a USB drive.
“What’s on it?”
My attention lifts back to his face to find his lower lip caught between his teeth, watching as I fiddle with the drive.
“I took all of Holden’s and Theo’s notes and dictated them for you so you don’t have to worry about reading them. And I found the ebook versions of all your required texts and made them into PDFs with the Open Dyslexic font, so it should be a lot easier for you to read. Hopefully it’s enough to get you through some study sessions when you’re gone for away games.” He rushes through the explanation at hyperspeed, focused on the driveway rather than my face. “And, uh, if you send me the book titles for any of your other classes, I can do it with those too. I’ll just need the drive back to download them, obviously.”
Blinking down at the little plastic shoe in my hand, I’m floored that he thought to do something like this. I mean, when did he even find the time?
It takes me a few seconds to find my voice even after clearing my throat, still overwhelmed by emotions.
“I… You didn’t have to do that, Logan.”
His jaw has its own pulse as he adjusts the bag on his shoulder, clearly uncomfortable. “It’s nothing. I’m sorry if this is like…overstepping or whatever, but I figured with this and our study sessions, you should easily pass this class with at least a B.”
“We both know I’m more of a Cs-get-degrees kinda guy.”
“You don’t have to be.”
He says it so casually, I almost dismiss the comment entirely. But the truth is, he’s right. If someone had taken the time to help me earlier, or maybe if I’d gone and sought the help myself, there’s a good chance I could’ve been a completely different student through college.
Hindsight is a bitch, I guess.
“I guess I don’t see the point in changing this close to the end,” I say, pocketing the USB.
“Maybe to prove to yourself that you’re not stupid just because your brain processes things differently?” As soon as the words leave his mouth, he looks away. “I don’t know. Just an idea. But, uh, have a good class, and I’ll see you at the library after practice?”
Warmth radiates up from my chest, causing my throat to close up a bit, and I do my best to swallow down my gratitude before I choke on it.
