Page 81 of Freshman

“Karma,” Henry repeated.

Alfie spent most of the shift staring at the computer screen, open on Nate’s file. He thought of scenarios where the triple murder was justified. Maybe it was a tragic accident, or maybe he was drunk and didn’t know what he was doing. Not justifiable, but understandable. How could Nate be evil like Henry said, the man who demanded to know he was all right, who promised if Alfie was drunk, he wouldn’t take advantage of the situation?

They were words, though.

There was every chance he was being manipulated by Nate, and he was too weak to stop it.

When roll call arrived, Alfie grimaced as he tapped Nate’s door. He tensed, anticipating a smug laugh or a seductive purr.

“I’ve got something for you.”

Alfie rocked back on his heels. “What?”

A piece of paper poked through the edge of the hatch, and Alfie quickly grabbed it. It was another picture of himself, only his face, but the missing body part wasn’t his lips, but his nose.

He exhaled slowly and sagged his shoulders.

“How’s the nose looking?” Nate asked.

Alfie snorted, rested the piece of paper on his clipboard, and added a nose to the picture of himself. He smiled as he forced the piece of paper back through the hatch and listened for Nate’s reaction.

Nate’s laugh made him shiver, not in a horrible way but in a pleasant rush.

“You no longer have a nose then, but a scrotum hanging between your eyes.”

Alfie rolled his eyes. “We can’t all be gifted at art.”

“Aww, Freshman, you think I’m gifted.”

Alfie pursed his lips. “Did I say gifted? I meant…average.”

“Harsh. You know I’m good, though it’s not the only thing I’m good at. One day you’ll find out.”

A shiver of arousal snaked up Alfie’s spine, followed by a rush of bitter cold. He stepped closer to the gap in the door until his lips were only a millimetre away from resting on the metal.

“About…before.”

Nate chuckled darkly and used his seductive voice. “Do you want to know if I got myself off? The answer’s a yes, several times, and a few times earlier. Just knowing you’re down there in the office drives me crazy.”

“Drink lowers inhibitions.”

Nate tutted. “Oh please. You couldn’t have been that drunk if you were working your hand and your mouth at the same time.”

“It can’t happen again. Won’t happen—”

“Can’t, won’t, but we both know it will.”

“But it shouldn’t,” Alfie insisted.

Nate snorted. “Yeah, you got that right. I shouldn’t have fallen for you, and you shouldn’t have fallen for me, but here we are, Freshman, and now I’ve got you, I’m not letting you go.”

Alfie replayed Nate’s words in his head over and over as he lay in bed. He expected a horrible emotion to rise to the surface—disgust, repulsion, shame, but Nate’s promise to not let him go only made him feel good. Dare he even think it, but it made him feel special. His whole life, he had been lumped into the category of unwanted, but Nate wanted him.

The echo of Nate’s words warmed Alfie until his face blushed. It was embarrassment, but good embarrassment. Someone cared about him. When he thought about who that person was, he groaned and rubbed his palms harshly down his face.

Of course, the only man to want him was a triple murderer. Nate had told Alfie he wasn’t going to let him go, and it terrified Alfie when he realised he didn’t want him to.

19

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