Page 18 of Beautifully Devoted

“You uh, ever try to create a video game, or do you stick to whatever else it is you do?” I ask as the rest of the guys get sidetracked rehashing how faulty inflatable equipment may or may not have interfered with the outcome of our game.

The corner of his lip ticks up in a wry smirk. Yeah, most of what he said went over my head the first time around. “Mostly, it’s the whatever else I do.” He winks and I have to fight back the heat that rushes for my cheeks. “Which is making sure hardware and software work together seamlessly.”

“Yeah, that.” Dropping my gaze, I scavenge my brain for something else to say but come up empty-handed. Lucky for me, Aiden seems to know where to take the conversation, or at least how to keep this mundane, small talk rolling.

“You know, I could build robots with what I’m learning.”

I pause with my beer halfway to my mouth. “Shit, seriously? Is that what you want to do?”

Aiden lifts a shoulder. “Maybe. To start, I’d rather do something more practical, like making sure the software and hardware for prosthetic limbs functions correctly.”

“Why didn’t you lead with that when you were trying to explain computer engineering?”

“It makes me feel smart when people’s eyes glaze over.”

I bite back a chuckle. “You need to validate that? Cause I’m pretty sure using the terms computer and engineering in the same sentence are a dead giveaway.”

“It’s more like recalling images of confused people motivates me to keep pushing when I’m having trouble solving a problem.” Aiden smiles around a sip of his beer.

“Like a spank bank except for academic inspiration.” I beam at the analogy Jagger would love right as Aiden spews beer everywhere, coughing to the point I have to smack him on the back a few times to help clear his throat enough to breathe.

Yeah, that was funny enough to warrant a coughing fit. I wish Jagger had been here to see it.

“He okay over there?” Aiden’s frat brother Jeff asks.

“Think so,” I reply, rubbing circles on his back as he seems to catch his breath.

“I will never not associate porn with schoolwork now. Thanks for that,” Aiden rasps, the wry smile he tries to give me loses some of its impact considering his face is red and tear streaked. It’s not exactly a good look, but surprisingly it doesn’t turn me off either.

He’s not bad. He has a sense of humor and knows how to carry conversation. Maybe a friends with benefits situation isn’t out of the question. Maybe I’ll finally give in to my curiosity.

***

“You never came back outside.” I flop onto the bed next to where Jagger’s reclined, watching YouTube videos.

Even though he keeps a bean bag chair in here for me—like the kind in my room as a kid—I never use it. I think when we got them for our dorm last year, we were subconsciously recreating our hang out space in my childhood bedroom. But the dorm was tiny compared to my old room, so the chairs got shoved under our beds. Since we have actual furniture in the living room and we’re in the habit of lounging on each other’s beds, they mostly just take up space. Still, neither of us seems ready to part with them completely.

“I had an idea for a video, and I wanted to write it down,” Jagger says as he scrolls to another clip.

“Speaking of inspiration, Aiden was telling me what he pictures to motivate himself to study hard, and I said it sounds like he has a spank bank for academic purposes. It shocked him so much, I basically had to give him the Heimlich.” The words are muddled since I’m laughing so hard, but Jagger will understand them. Or maybe not, seeing as he’s not cracking up with me. Instead, he’s staring at me like he’s never seen me before. “Oh, God. I uh…” My laughter trails off as I clear my throat and try to speak evenly. “I guess you had to be there.”

“I guess so,” Jagger says absently.

His funk usually is contained to the anniversary of when his dad skipped out, but seeing as he just rolled his eyes at me and couldn’t look more unenthused to hear about Aiden spewing across the yard… I don’t know. Yesterday marked a decade since that asshat left his family, so maybe it’s hitting harder this year.

“What’s your idea for a video? A juicing recipe?”

“Ugh, I totally forgot about that.” He drops his phone to his chest.

Typical.

“We bought a juicer yesterday and you forgot about it?” I lick the tip of my finger and stick it in his ear.

“Gah! Stop.” He swats my hand away as he bolts upright. “I had other things on my mind.”

“I get it. I’m sure it was hard to concentrate.”

“Hey, I didn’t give you a ha…rough time about liking dicks when you discovered them.” He rubs his ear furiously, as if that will make it any less uncomfortable.

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