“Yeah, and then what? She won’t get a scholarship and she can’t afford to move out.”
“We’ll figure something out. If we all have to pile into an apartment together, we will.”
He stopped when we entered Marshall Hall. “I’d never ask you to do something like that. You don’t need the added stress.”
“Oh, shut the hell up, West.”
He huffed and started down the hall, but I grabbed his wrist and tugged him toward the stairs. I had a tub of ice cream that I knew he’d devour. The sugar would give him that little extra hit of dopamine he needed to feel better.
“You’re too good to me,” he said. His tone already sounded lighter.
“I am the perfect amount of good, actually.”
“Yeah, chaotic good.”
“I’d argue, but you’ve got a point.”
We stopped in front of my door just as Sen’s opened. He stepped out, then paused when he saw us.
“Hey, Sen,” West greeted. “Nice sweats.”
He looked down at himself and his cheeks pinked. My face felt a little warm too. Those weren’t any sweatpants. They were the infamousgraysweatpants and since the guy liked to play tongue-of-war with me, I allowed myself to look. When he noticed, he turned a deeper shade of red.
“I’m having a lazy day,” he replied, shifting a little. It didn’t help, but I decided to give him a break and kept my gaze on his face.
“There’s ice cream in my freezer.”
That was all West needed to hear. He left us alone, hopefully unaware of the silent exchange I’d shared with Sen. I closed the door and stepped closer to him. Grabbing the front of his t-shirt, I yanked him forward and dipped my head to capture his lips.
Every time we did this, it took less time for him to relax. I was only gonna kiss him briefly, but he sought my tongue and whimpered into my mouth. At that moment, he could’ve asked me to kill the pope and I might have considered it for a second.
Releasing his shirt, I dragged my palm up to his neck. The heel of my hand rested on his collarbone while I applied light pressure with my fingers around his throat. Using that grip, I pushed him into the wall. I bit down on his lip until he gasped, then I pulled back enough to trail my nose up his cheek.
“Were you looking for me?” I asked.
“Sort of.” He sucked in a breath when I kissed the curve of his jaw underneath his ear.
“Are you okay? You know that you can text me. No matter what I’m doing, I’ll stop to make sure you’re alright.”
His nostrils flared. Blinking rapidly, he shook his head. “I just wanted to see you.”
“Oh.” I broke into a grin and moved my hand up his neck. With my thumb, I pulled his lower lip down. It was full and red from the way we’d been kissing. “I won’t complain about that.”
“Maybe we can hang out later or tomorrow or something.”
“Whenever. All of the above. West needs me right now, but he won’t be here all night.”
“It’s cool, really. Just let me know.”
“You know I will. If it’s too late, I might just have to crawl in your bed.”
His eyes widened. I pinched his chin with a smile.
“Kidding, baby.”
His look of terror only intensified. I hadn’t even meant to say it, but oh well. It was out there now.
“If you stew in all that anxiety the whole time, I’ll be vexed.”