Page 70 of Frat House Fling

We met at the coffee shop on campus, the very one Theo had been coming out of when he caught Sunny’s leash. I suggested it since I’d be able to walk the golden retriever right afterwards.

Naomi was at the counter. “Good timing,” she said. “What do you want to order?”

I ordered a latte, and she insisted on paying, which was nice of her. She also got us each a Danish. A few minutes later, we were settled at a table by the window.

Naomi looked cheerful and serene, the sun hitting her dark hair as I admired her fashion sense. She was dressed casually, but she looked like she’d just stepped out of a magazine. Maybe Bennett was right, and I did need to dress better.

My friend always had a smile for everyone, but she looked extra upbeat today. Or maybe it just seemed that way because I’d been thinking a lot about Ian, who was always down these days.

As we sipped our drinks, she asked me how I was doing, and I tried to think of how to answer. I could tell her about my class, but it still wasn’t going great. I could tell her about life in the frat house, but things were tense there because we were all worried about Ian. But I was also concerned about someone else, and it seemed like a safe topic. “I’m worried about my friend Tori.”

“What’s the problem?” Naomi had never met Tori, but I’d talked about her a time or two on the drives to and from the nursing home.

“It’s her roommates. They always let their boyfriends sleep over, and they keep her up late at night, they eat her food, and she really hates it there.”

“Sounds rough,” Naomi said. Then she grinned. “Good thing you don’t live in a house full of inconsiderate guys.” Her smile turned sly. “Me either.”

I had to laugh. “There are a few considerate ones there, too.”

“Want to tell me about them?”

“No. Yes,” I sighed. “Maybe. But let me tell you about Tori's big plan.”

Naomi listened attentively as I explained the situation. “She’s going to move in with one of her classmates, a guy she barely knows.”

Naomi raised her eyebrows. “Honestly, Hailey, her situation doesn’t sound a lot different than yours.”

“It is,” I insisted. “This guy, Todd, he’s got a crush on her. He’s always hitting on her and doing things to get her attention. But he’s got an extra room and she’s desperate to get out of her current place.”

Naomi gave me a sympathetic smile. “I don’t mean to sound callous, but it’s either going to work out or it won’t. If it doesn’t, she’ll need a friend like you to help her through it.”

“I guess so,” I said doubtfully. “But it kind of feels like I’m watching a friend walk toward an open manhole, and I can’t do anything to warn her about it.”

“Maybe it’ll work out. What about you? Where are you going to live in the fall?”

That was a subject I had hoped wouldn’t come up. I told her about the housing stipend offered by the school and made it sound like I was likely to get it, even though I had no idea how many other students had applied and whether they were strong candidates or not. But I didn’t want to concern Naomi with that. Plus, if I didn’t get it, I didn’t know what I’d do. I was barely halfway to the five thousand dollars I’d need to get a room in a shared apartment for the semester.

“How have you been?” I asked, because I genuinely wanted to know and, okay, also to change the subject.

“I’ve been under the weather,” she said. “Headaches. Fatigue. Upset stomach, and that kind of thing.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said automatically, but her demeanor was puzzling. She’d just rattled off a list of unpleasantsymptoms with a radiant smile on her face. And then it hit me. “You’re pregnant?”

Her smile widened, and I scooted my chair around to give her a hug. It was kind of a dicey situation. When people my age said they were pregnant, it was generally an accident, and not always a reason to celebrate. But Naomi was a little older, and she lived with her boyfriend. His two best friends lived with them as well, so they’d have built-in babysitters.

Naomi was still beaming as I released her. “I just crossed the twelve-week mark, so we can finally tell people.”

“That’s great. Is your boyfriend happy?”

“Very happy. What about you? Is there any guy at the frat who’s caught your eye?” She grinned. “Or vice versa.”

I didn’t even know how to answer that, either to myself or to her. It was a complicated situation, and I didn’t know Naomi all that well, but something told me I could trust her. “There is this one guy,” I said. “He’s studying architecture and he’s really talented and a truly nice guy. He was the first one in the whole house to be friendly to me.”

“What’s his name?” Naomi asked.

“Theo.”

“Has he asked you out?”

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