“Whatdya say,hon?” he asks.
“Riley Walker. Can you please direct me to his dorm room?” I repeat.
He lets out an inconvenienced sigh, putting his cell phone down and reaching for his keyboard.
“Walker …” he murmurs, and then his eyes light up with recognition. “Right. Walker. I think…” he trails off as he proceeds to type the name into his computer. His mouth moves silently as he reads the information on the screen. After a short pause and another sigh, he meets my gaze with tired eyes. “Thought so. Walker doesn’t live here anymore, honey.”
“He doesn’t?” I rear back in surprise. “Did he—” I stumble on the words as my mind spins with the reasons why that might be. “Is it— is it because it’s summer? Did he … get assigned to another dorm for sophomore year?”
The man presses his lips together, studying me for a long moment. I watch as his expression morphs from mildly annoyed to sympathetic.
“I’m sorry, hon,” he says to me gently. “Far as I know, he got kicked out.”
Kicked …out? That can’t be right.
I know he hasn’t been acting like himself lately, or … all year, really. But … kicked out?
“A-are you sure?”
He nods.
“Do you know why?”
He shrugs. “Above my paygrade.”
“Well … do you know where he might have gone?”
“Nope,” the man says, turning back to his phone, his capacity for empathy clearly having reached its limit.
“Oh,” I murmur, unsure what to do now or where to go. “Uhh … okay. Thanks anyway,” I mutter, but he just nods, already having effectively dismissed me.
I move through the lobby, keeping my eyes trained on the floor, and have almost reached the exit when a thought occurs to me. Spinning back on my heel, I make my way towards the security guard once again.
“Um, excuse me,” I say, swallowing thickly. Then add, “Again.”
I’m met with another world-weary sigh followed by a grunt, which I take as an indication that I should continue.
“His roommate … uh, former roommate. Jeff. I don’t know his last name, but … his name is Jeff. Could I— can I please havehisroom number?”
“Three fourteen,” the man answers, glancing back at his computer screen. “But a lot of the guys aren’t back yet from summer vacation.”
“I understand. I just … can I just check if he’s in, please?” I ask, to which the man gestures vaguely in the direction of the stairwell. “Elevator’s on service,” he says, attention already back to his phone.
The door to three fourteen swings open on the third knock, and I freeze with my hand still raised for a fourth. A tall shirtless man with pillow creases on the side of his face stares down atme through bleary eyes. His mouth opens in a deep yawn, and he scratches at the small patch of pale hair between his nicely defined pecks. And yeah, I may be heartbroken, angry, and slightly distressed by the news that Riley got kicked out of his dorm, but I still noticed. I’m an eighteen-year-old girl after all.
“Do you know what time it is?” The man—Jeff, I assume—asks, rubbing a hand down his face. He’s wearing faded navy blue cotton pajama bottoms that leave little to the imagination, showcasing a decidedly pronounced bulge, and his blonde hair is sticking up in every direction.
“Um … it’s four-thirty,” I respond, and my voice rises at the end, making it sound like a question.
“Oh shit, for real?” he asks, blinking repeatedly. I nod, and I can tell the moment he finally manages to focus on me because a smile spreads across his face, and he leans an arm against the doorframe.
“Is that right? Well, then, thank you for the wake-up call,” he says, eyes roving slowly over my body, and I swear to God he turns up the wattage on his grin.
“Are you Jeff?” I ask.
“The one and only. What can I do for you, sweetness?”
“I’m, uh … I’m looking for Riley Walker,” I say, and the smile drops instantly from his face.
