“I moved out because it’s cheaper to live here for me, plus I had three roommates with no bathroom. I’d say the situation is vastly different.”
“I’m more comfortable here.” He has his phone out and in his face. “Why are you awake?”
“I’m going over some shit. Why are you awake, and didn’t you have a team dinner? Don’t tell me you blew that off.”
“No, I went.” He huffs and flips onto his side so he can look at me. “I wish I could have skipped it. It was just a bunch of the same shit.”
“What’s with the attitude?” There must be something else going on. Oswald doesn’t usually rip on shit to do with his team, he takes that stuff seriously.
“I ran into that girl again, the one from class today.” He didn’t even need to elaborate. I knew exactly who he was talking about. “I gave her my number, but she didn’t text.” He still has his phone gripped in his palm, as if he’s waiting for the damn thing to ring.
Why does that make me want to smile? At least now I know why he’s pissy. Oswald isn’t used to having to work for female attention. “Did you get her number? Just call her.” I spin back around to my open laptop and close the tab with the class roster. I don’t know why I thought I would be able to figure out who she was from a list of names, or why I felt the need to.
“I didn’t. I was running late for the stupid banquet.” Ah, another reason for why he’s pissed. He props his head on his palm. “She said she lived near Hill.”
“In Oxford?” That’s not usually a freshman dorm. Maybe she’s a transfer.
“I asked the same thing, and she said no, she lived by the park, but I don’t even know of a park near Hill.” He sits up.
“That’s because you think all parks have swings and a slide,” I tease. “Did you at least get her name?”
“Waylynn Graff,” he says, and I look down at my notebook. That name is scribbled across the paper with only two others, Emily Kitch and Madison Green. I flip the cover closed on the notebook and spin back around.
“So why didn’t she call? And don’t tell me you’re going to stalk her.” This girl may have made herself damn near irresistible to my brother by not rushing to call him. Once he gets something in his head, he’s like a dog with a bone, and this girl seems to be in his head, which is a first. Football has ruled his life for years, but he wanted to blow it off for her, and more importantly, why was I thinking about her before he even showed up here?
“No fucking clue. I was sure she would. Maybe she forgot my number.” Oz bends down and unlaces his shoes.
I knew he was planning on staying the second he walked through the door, but this is confirmation. “What time are you getting up?” He usually hits the gym in the morning for lifting, but it’s late, so I doubt he’ll go.
“I don’t have class until ten.” He tucks his shoes under the futon and stands up.
“I’m not fighting you for my shower,” I warn. “I have to be at class every day by nine, so I’ll be up at eight. If you’re showering, it needs to be before then.”
“I’ll shower now and set my alarm for eight-thirty.” He walks past me to the bathroom. I glance into my tiny, darkened kitchen. Not much has changed now that he’s enrolled with me, but at least I don’t have to worry about feeding him all the time. He can eat on campus.
Waylynn
My stomach is churningwhen I approach Angell Hall. I know Gravlin will be there, but I don’t know if Oswald mentioned me to him or told him I was the one who bumped into him. I left my hair down today, even though it’s hot. I even took the time to curl the ends. Why did I do this when I want him to pretend like I don’t exist and I didn’t rub his butt? Because there’s a chance Oswald did tell him about me, and he’ll have something to say about it. I made it through the entire day yesterday without running into either of them. I hate to admit it, but I was kind of looking for them too.
I filter in the door with a group of other students, keeping my head down as I take an open seat on the opposite side of the room, even farther back from the stage. The girl next to me has cute bright pink hair.
I try to seem inconspicuous when I pull out my computer while looking around. I don’t know if Oswald has this class or if he was just stopping by to see his brother. I don’t see either right now, and that gives me a tiny bit of courage to relax.
Surely Gravlin isn’t going to call me out in the middle of class. I just need to escape as soon as Hilbrand dismisses us, that way I have less of a chance of running into either of them after.
“Hey, can I ask you a favor?” I snap my head up at the sound of his voice and see Oswald standing just to the left of the girl with pink hair. She doesn’t get a chance to respond before he continues. “Can I switch seats with you?” He motions to the empty seat he’s standing in front of.
She looks over at me as if this is somehow my fault. I work hard to hide the panic and edgy excitement that seems to have developed with his presence and keep my face smooth. I open my mouth to tell her she doesn’t have to move, that he can have my seat, but she slaps her laptop closed with a huff and slings her bag over her shoulder before scooting past me, even bumping my knees as she leaves the row completely. I jerk back my legs as far as I can to prevent my feet from getting stepped on.
“Thank you,” he calls after her cheerfully.
Oswald drops into the seat she vacated, and my heart is already beating way too fast. This is strange. “So…” He curls his hand around the tiny built-in desk and leans forward, trying to catch my gaze. I’m honestly a little afraid to look at him. When I did last time, I felt the entire world shift under my feet, and I’m worried it might happen again but also a little concerned it might not. At least his voice isn’t sending me into a panic. I recognize the richness of his tone, and I can differentiate it from the one I’ve always heard in my head that sounds hollower.
With my eyes locked on the front of the room, I notice when Gravlin stands and turns around. His eyes go right to mine as if he knew exactly where I was the entire time, and I’m locked in his stare.
I wiggle my toes to make sure I still have some control over my body, which I thankfully do, but I still can’t force myself to look away from him. My entire world shrinks down to just the three of us. I’m unbelievably aware of them and only them, even the sounds from the room are muffled.
The longer our eyes stay connected, the more I start to feel calmness settle over me, like I’m practicing deep breathing exercises, and then I feel a light touch on my arm and my heart evens out, so it doesn’t feel as if it’s beating to explode out of my chest.
