I ignore him as I extract his badge and scan us into room seventeen. William turns the knob as it beeps, swinging the door open and tripping through the entryway. Sumner startles at the sudden pandemonium.
My throat works around a swallow as he lunges to pause his live stream on his phone, which is balanced against a stack of textbooks. He’s in gray athletic sweats and a plain black tee that hugs him nicely, but something’s different. It’s not the hair. Or the glasses. The last time I saw him in a T-shirt had to be the rescue mission at the lake. He’s still tall, lanky, though no longer built like a lamppost. There’s a bit of definition in his forearms. A new broadness to his chest. I’m positive crew has something to do with it.
He uses the controller in his hand to pause the video game on his flatscreen, then looks me up and down. “What’s up, Galileo.”
A tiny flutter stirs in my belly.
William shoves out of my grip and begins shrugging off his coat, tossing it haphazardly onto his desk chair. He yanks his cravat away from his neck and undoes the first few buttons on his shirt.
Sumner examines this display. “What’s going on?”
“A few different types of alcohol, it would seem.”
William kicks off his boots and flops back on his bed.
My eyes scan the room. It’s the first time I’ve set foot in here and, for some reason, it feels like unraveling a secret. A not-so-grand reveal. Two twin beds are pushed against opposing walls with a built-in desk running between them, which overlooks a window displaying a direct view of the administration building and, beyond that, a picturesque view of the Adirondacks.
Sumner’s side is amess, like gazing at a particularly complex equation. My eyes aren’t sure where to land first. Textbooks, notebooks, and loose sheets of graph paper spill over his desk. The squat trash can beside his bed is overflowing with snack wrappers and water bottles, and his TV and Xbox are propped on cardboard boxes, wires everywhere. Sweatshirts, ties, and uniform shirts are draped in random places. The back of his chair. The foot of his bed. Strewn across the floor. There are even a few half-folded shirts next to the laptop on his desk. And the most Sumner thing of all? A large whiteboard over his bed frame, equations inked in black dry-erase marker.
I scrunch my nose. When my eyes jump back to his, I find he’s already studying me.
“Why aren’t you at the party?” Sabine asks.
Sumner crosses his arms self-consciously. “Wanted to stream.”
Her eyes widen when she notices the paused game. “Do you playLegends?” She’s not poking fun. Her tone is excited. Sincere.
“Yeah.” He perks up at this. “The second one just released.”
“I’mobsessedwith the first,” Sabine gushes. “The graphics are stunning.”
“Yeah.” The tension unwinds from his shoulders. He bends down and grabs a water bottle from the mini fridge under his desk. “They stepped it up.”
He chucks the bottle across the room, where it hits William square in the abdomen. A stiff groan releases from his lips as he rolls onto his side.
“Can you act civilized,” I press, “just this once?”
“Me?” Sumner rasps. “What have I done?”
“You mean other thanjusttrying to take him out like a bowling pin?”
“I’m not the half-wasted idiot in the room.” He takes a step closer, eyes narrowing. “That honor goes to your boyfriend.”
“He’s not—” I shake my head. That is beyond the point. “I didn’t ask him to do—that.”
William rolls onto his stomach and begins twisting the cap to the water bottle. Plastic crinkles beneath his grip. “Not to worry,” he announces to no one in particular. “I’ve got it.”
“You’ll want to drink the whole thing,” Sabine suggests. “And then probably one more.”
Sumner’s gaze stays pinned on me. I’m stressed and taking it out on the wrong person, but I’m too stubborn to admit it. And now I suddenly feel ridiculous. It’s the beard. I yank it away from my face and tuck it in my pocket.
He runs a hand through his hair. My eyes track the movement, his T-shirt rising to expose a thin slice of skin and lean muscle.
He catches me, a look of satisfaction spreading across his face, but his next words take me by surprise. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave, but you both gotta go.” He takes two steps toward the door and opens it, leaning against the frame as he gestures to the hall. “Before we all get in trouble.”
My face is on fire. I don’t look at him as I leave. Sabine’s telling him they should play together sometime, and a moment later, the door closes behind her.
We move quickly down the stairs. Neither one of us dares to speak until we’re outside. All I want to do is get back to Inessa and make sure she’s enjoying her birthday, maybe put away some of those cupcakes with the fake plastic spider rings and execute a few bad dance moves to upbeat pop songs.
