Page 134 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 3

“Spent the whole summer there,” Seth said. “I didn’t see you.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t want to be seen.” The silence followed, and the weight of it was heavier than it should have been. “The show earned me a lot of attention. It was nice to be in the house and not have anyone bring it up.”

“See, I thought you’d thrive on the attention,” Seth said. “Like the other night.”

“Don’t judge me based on the other night,” I said. “That was an annual outlier.”

Seth finished his can of Coke and put it back inside the paper bag, then turned to face me a little better. His leg rubbed against mine in the movement, knees touching freely. “Got you something. I know it was your birthday.” He pulled out an envelope from the inside pocket. It was small and aged.

“My birthday is in November,” I said.

“Yeah,” he agreed innocently. “Last November. I never got you anything, and you were so sweet to buy me a malfunctioning device.”

I took the envelope, my fingers brushing against his. That touch would have been gift enough. But he pulled his hand away, and I was left holding the small envelope. It wasn’t sealed. Carefully, I opened it and pulled out a yellowed piece of paper with a faded print and an ink signature done in a fountain pen.

“Figured you could stop at a pharmacy on your way to the house.” Seth lit the flashlight on his phone to shed light on the paper, and I discovered that it was an old pharmacy prescription, dated 1856.

Tinctura Belladonnae. Dose: 5 to 10 minims. Caution: Poison

I barked a laugh so loud I almost fell off the brick edge of the vent. “Nightshade. This is just delightful.” I tucked the paper back inside the envelope. “How did you know?”

Seth laughed, watching me slip the envelope inside my jacket. “I read about it. It was used as a sedative.”

“Fair enough.”

“It was also used as an eye drop to make pupils more dilated as a beauty treatment,” Seth said.

I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry with horror. The things people did when they didn’t know any better. “Well. It’ll go well with the horse tranquilizer I take for my beauty sleep.”

“Try a double dose,” Seth said. “You’ll be twice as pretty.”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” I said, putting a hand on his knee without thinking.

He went still.

I pulled my hand back and laughed it off. “How do you like our campus?”

“It’s good. Plenty to do around here,” Seth said.

We chatted inconsequentially for a while longer, steering clear of any subject that could have sparked another awkward moment of stillness. Yet I couldn’t keep it all down. “It’s good to see you,” I said the next time there was a silence.

“Are we getting sentimental?” Seth asked.

“If you want to,” I said. “Won’t kill us.”

“It just might, Damon,” he said.

“We’re made of stronger stuff than that.” I tipped the can and drained the last of my Coke, letting the silence go on a bit longer.

Seth nodded, looking at something interesting in his hands. I couldn’t see what it was, but it occupied Seth’s attention entirely for a few heartbeats. “It’s good to see you, too,” he said. “Really.”

“There. You survived.” I tossed the can inside the paper bag and got up. My muscles were sore from the killer combo of gym and drills on the same day. Things that crossed my mind had no place being said now. I didn’t want to resurrect the ghosts of old lovers and boyfriends and dating. And I sure as hell didn’t want to sit here determining who didn’t want to text first and why. I knew who I was without seeing the judgment in Seth’s eyes. I didn’t need to hear the justifications. I already knew that I was nobody’s ideal boyfriend.

I hadn’t heard him stand up. Only when his hand touched the back of my arm did I realize he’d approached me. “All good?”

I cracked a grin and turned to him. “Better than good. Very good, I dare say.”

That made him laugh. I knew it would. “One thing I never understood,” Seth said, his hand still on my arm, though I wasn’t going to point that out. “They made you look like such a broody mystery on the show. And you played along.”