Page 73 of Off Sides

“Yeah, I’m heading to the bus station right now, can you pick me up?”

We nail down details as I wait for the elevator. The doors open and Bryce stops, looking at my bag then at me with a raised eyebrow.

“Where ya going, man?”

“Home for the break.” I step past him and hit the ground floor button. My phone buzzes with an alert from Uber, letting me know they’ve arrived. Perfect. I text the driver to let him know I’ll be out in a second.

With a deep breath, I put my game face on and ready myself for a week under my mother’s roof.

30

Nick

NICK:

Heading into my last final, dinner after?

The test is a lot fucking harder than I expected but when I exit the lecture hall an hour later, I’m almost confident I passed. Mostly. Kind of. Maybe.

I check my phone, expecting an answer from Joey, but it hasn’t been opened. What the hell? He told me he had one final this morning and he was done. Didn’t he?

Confused, I head toward the dorms and hope to find him asleep. I kept him up half the night, getting four orgasms out of him. His personal best. I smirk at the memory of his sweaty, exhausted, peaceful face. He didn’t think he would get number two but with some encouragement, and a lot of dirty talking, he got there.

Joey is like a personal challenge. I know he hates when he struggles to stay hard or to get off, but I like finding new ways that get him turned on. And sometimes, that slowdown to touch and taste and explore is exactly what I needed anyway. After he’s had a hard time, getting him to come is so fucking rewarding.

I stop at my room just in case he passed out in my bed waiting for me. Since Neal found out about us, he’s gotten a lot more comfortable in his own skin. I love seeing him blossom. The confidence he’s gained to tell me what he wants, what he needs, is sexy as fuck. Not only in bed but out of it too.

My bed is empty. Disappointing.

On the fifth floor, I knock on his door and Bryce yells to come in. I freeze in the door way when I see the mess that is Joey’s bed and dresser. The drawers are all half open, there’s clothes and a bottle of body wash on his bed. His backpack is on the floor and there’s just stuff…everywhere.

“What the hell happened in here?” I close the door and head toward the dresser.

“I don’t know, he said he was heading home for break.” Bryce shrugs when I look at him. Heading home? What the fuck? Since when?

“What? When did you see him?” Yanking open the drawers, my heart sinks when they’re mostly empty. What the fuck has happened? Is he running from me again? Has his family gotten their claws into him and forced him home? Why didn’t he call me?

“Like three hours ago?” Bryce comes to stand next to me. “Why? What’s up?”

“Does this look like normal Joey shit to you?” I wave my arm around and want to snap. It’s not Bryce’s fault.

“Now that you mention it, no, it doesn’t. Pretty sure he took my shampoo too, actually.” He scratches his jaw. “He didn’t say anything, just that he was going home.”

I pull up his name and hit call, but it goes unanswered. Fuck.

NICK:

Hey baby, Bryce just told me you’re going home for break? What happened? Are you okay?

“Where is home? Is it close?” I’m going to lose my mind if I don’t find him. I can’t lose another person like this. No reasoning, just taken from me. I can’t do it.

“Pretty sure he’s from Colorado somewhere, but I don’t know where.”

There’s a rushing in my ears, making it hard to hear, and panic is threatening to choke me. Fuck! I can’t do this. Not again.

With trembling fingers, I call Joey again.

I need to hear his voice.

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