Page 12 of Frat House Fling

So what are they like?she asked.I’ve heard all kinds of rumors.

So had I, but the reality wasn’t quite what I was expecting.They’re okay. They went out last night, but I have to cook for them tonight.

Gulp, she replied.

Yeah, that was my reaction, too.

Are any of them cute?

I had to think that one over for a moment. They were all good-looking guys, at least the ones I’d met so far, but cute didn’t seem the right term. So I gave a related answer.I saw two of them in suits last night. They looked good.

It had been when I’d finally gotten up to my room. All I wanted to do was to close the door behind me and study—well, okay, what I really wanted after carrying all that beer up the stairs was a nap. But then I spotted Ian, the guy I’d met when I arrived earlier, and another guy walking down the hall. Both were wearing formal black suits with black ties. Up until that moment, I’d never realized how good a man could look in a fitted—and no doubt very expensive—suit. But Ian sure did. His hair was slicked back, and he’d shaved the scruff along his jawline.

He'd introduced me to the other man. I had to think for a moment before I recalled that his name was Matt, and he also lived on the second floor. He’d looked good in his suit, too, but my attention kept diverting to Ian and those green eyes of his.

Where were they going? A double date?

I shrugged, forgetting that Tori couldn’t see. That had been the first thing I’d thought of, too, but they couldn’t all have been on dates, could they?I don’t know, but I heard them come back about 2 in the morning. They sounded drunk.

And that fit more of my understanding of frat boys. On TV, they were more likely to be drunk than wearing bespoke suits.

Their loud voices had woken me up, but that was probably a good thing because my sheet, which was twin-sized, had slid almost all the way off the mattress. At some point, I’d need toget bedding for the full-sized mattress, but it definitely wasn’t a priority at the moment. Saving up for the fall was.

It sure had been cold in the room, though. Those guys cranked the air conditioning high in the summer. I couldn’t even imagine what their electricity bill was like.

I refocused on my text exchange with Tori. So far, it had been all about me.How are things going for you?I texted.

That guy in my night class, Todd, asked me out again.

Again?? He really doesn’t seem to be getting the message.

Yeah. He’s nice, but just kind of awkward. Oh, and Jenny’s driving me nuts.Jenny was one of her roommates.She went to the landlord and got you kicked out, and now her boyfriend is sleeping over every night. Such a hypocrite!!

Privately, I felt the same way, but I couldn’t complain. Though they hadn’t been exactly friendly, Tori’s roommates had put up with me sleeping on their couch for weeks. I’d tried to be a good guest, but still, five girls in a two-bedroom apartment was a bit much. And those kinds of apartments, with room shares like that, were really hard to find in a town like Haverford. Most landlords knew they could charge more rent—and have fewer problems—with the rich students who didn’t need to share a place.

Tori asked me to meet with her for lunch, but I had to decline. I’d already had a busy morning. I’d walked two dogs and checked in on a cat and a parrot. It involved a lot of walking back and forth, but I enjoyed my time with the animals. And I’d been here studying for two hours. Soon I’d have to go back to the frat house—where the real work would begin.

I tried to get in another twenty minutes of study, but my mind kept returning to the conversation with Tori. She’d jokingly asked if I needed rescuing. And I’d said no, of course, but there was something about last night that bothered me.

When the guys returned, obviously drunk and loud, I’d given them a few minutes to get into their rooms and then I’d headed to the bathroom. While I was in there, someone tried the door handle. It was locked, of course, but that didn’t stop them from yanking on the doorknob, trying to get in.

Five people and two bathrooms on the second floor meant that sometimes there’d be a wait, but nothing makes you feel more vulnerable than someone trying the door when you’re on the toilet. In some ways, it was easily understandable. After a long night of drinking, it was understandable that they might need the bathroom urgently.

Still, it had scared me a little. After washing my hands, I waited a long time before venturing out into the hallway and back to my room.

And, as I rearranged the sheet and blankets, I was grateful that my door had a lock, too.

When I got back to the frat house, Grant, Theo and Ian were in the common room, sprawled in front of a huge television playing some kind of violent video game. All three glanced over when I walked in, but the game, which seemed to involve a lot of guns and explosions, captured their attention.

Grant was on the couch, his long legs spread part as he leaned forward, staring intently at the screen. Theo was next to him on the couch and Ian was in an armchair. Bennett was nowhere to be seen. This was the first time I’d seen Grant without him.

“Hi.”

I got two nods and a grunt in return. It was kind of funny. I didn’t have any brothers or cousins, but I’d seen guys in movies and tv shows look this engrossed in a game. Apparently, it happened in real life.

I walked over, peering at the screen, but I couldn’t really make out what was happening. Maybe it was set in some kind of post-apocalyptic world? All I knew was that things seemed to blow up a lot.

Ian was the nearest one. He was focused on the screen, and the tip of his tongue was out as he concentrated. Okay, that was cute, to use Tori’s term. “Did you have a nice time last night?” I asked him, not the others, because I’d seen him before he left.

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