Page 22 of The Bro-code

I clear my throat. “Your skirt. It’s hiked up. You’ve been flashing the whole airport.”

BAY

I see the roses the second Cole pulls in front of the Zeta house. Dozens of red roses everywhere, all over the porch, the front steps, the driveway. They look almost more dramatic under the street lamps than if it was daylight.

“Are they shooting an episode of The Bachelorette and forgot to tell us?” I joke after a silent ride to campus. I mean, thank goodness Cole and I are pretty comfortable with each other and he understood I needed time to recover from the panties incident.

I must have come out of the bathroom like that, after my encounter with Ryker.

I push the memory of my hot, infuriating, travel companion out of my mind and focus on the spectacle in front of me.

“Seriously, what’s going on?” I ask, climbing out of Cole’s truck.

I take a few steps toward the front door and realize what this is about one second too late.

“That motherfucker,” Cole seethes from right behind me.

The sentiment is spot on, because my ex comes out from behind one of the white pillars at the entrance, his face partially hidden by the most ridiculous, obnoxiously gigantic bouquet of roses on this side of the country.

“Topher,” I bark, walking faster in the hope to intimidate him. “Get lost.”

Of course I’m SOL, he doesn’t move out of my way.

I swear to God, I should have listened to the signs the universe has been throwing me left and right and stayed on Luca’s yacht.

“Bay, sexy girl,” he begs. “Please hear me out. We need to talk.”

Topher doesn’t have the slightest idea of what I need, or he wouldn’t be here. He would have moved to a different school. Possibly to a different planet.

“I’m not interested, Topher. What I need is for you to clean up this ridiculous mess before we get fined for it.”

My tough tone doesn’t have the intended effect.

Rather than cowering, intimidated by my scowl, Topher offers me his cockiest smile.

“Don’t worry about that, sexy. I have connections on campus and campus police will look the other way. I told the cops on duty that I needed to impress my girl.”

“You’re such a douche,” I snort. “Did you really think that covering the house with roses would be enough to impress me?”

He doesn’t miss a beat. “I sure hoped so,” his smile widens.

“Then you’re more delusional than I thought,” I glare, crossing my arms over my chest. “The roses would be an appropriate expression of regret if you had forgotten our anniversary. If you had ruined my favorite dress while doing laundry. Fucking a puck bunny in my bed is one of those things you can’t come back from.”

He acts as if he hadn’t heard a word of what I just said. “That meant nothing, Bay. It was just a slip up, I promise.”

“A slip up?” I glare at him. “What, did you trip on something and you ended up inside Bianca dick first?”

That seems to at least slow his roll.

“I know I fucked up, Bay. Please forgive me. I love you, I’ve been miserable without you.”

That’s comforting news. I’m glad he was miserable, he deserves it. “Get used to it, Toph. Because I promise you, we’re never getting back together.”

His determination was one of the things that made me fall for him. “I’m not giving up, Bay. Bianca meant nothing. I love you.”

I want to be done with this conversation once and for all, so I set the record straight. “I don’t think that’s possible. It wouldn’t be even if cheating was the only thing you did. I’m sorry, but I deserve better than someone who steps out on me. But you did way more than that. I know you were behind that disgusting dare to choose the team captain. I know you blackmailed my sister and your frat brothers to keep quiet. You’re a bully and an asshole and I’m done with you.”

Fury flashes in Topher’s brown eyes.

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