Page 52 of Chasing Xander
The thought of not seeing her tomorrow night made his heart sink, especially if he wouldn’t see her all weekend, either. “Maybe we can grab some food after?”
“Yeah, definitely.”
They looped around campus and stopped in front of her residence hall. Xander took her other hand and tugged her closer until he was able to wrap his arms around her in a hug that lingered until he reluctantly released her. “See you tomorrow?”
“If you’re lucky.” She laughed.
He waited until she was safely inside and then headed toward the frat house. He called his brother Tanner on the way.
“Hey, Xander, what’s up?”
His steps faltered. “Jules?” Since when did she answer Tanner’s phone? “Is Tanner around?”
“He’s in the shower. Do you want me to have him call you back when he’s done?”
“Please.” He arrived at the frat house, but instead of going inside, he sat on the curb. “You’ll be at Mom’s birthday party this weekend, right?”
“Of course. I’m looking forward to it. And I’m pretty sure your mom would be really disappointed if I didn’t go.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that. You don’t want to be responsible for ruining her birthday.”
“Oh stop.” She laughed. Jules had charmed his parents from the moment she’d met them, and he understood why. She was a great girl. Sweet. Smart. And she made Tanner an even better man than he already was. “Hang on, here’s Tanner.”
After a moment, Tanner got on the phone. “Aw, did you miss me?”
He grinned. “In your dreams. What’re we doing for Mom’s gift this year?”
“I honestly have no idea. I’ve been so busy with classes I haven’t been able to find the time to sleep, let alone do anything else. I’m sure Ryder is on top of it. Have you called him?”
“Not yet, but I will.”
“Well, let me know when you do.”
Xander rubbed the tension from his forehead, nerves twisting his stomach. He knew asking his brother for advice about Kylie would result in some good-natured teasing—it would be fair considering the shit he’d said when Tanner first mentioned Jules—but he was at a loss about what to do, and he needed his big brother. “So, there’s this girl…”
“There’s always a girl, isn’t there?” Tanner chuckled.
Scowling, he grumbled under his breath. Not because he was upset with Tanner for saying that, but because it was the truth. There was always a girl, someone to occupy him, satisfy his desires. “It’s different this time. I haven’t had sex with this girl. Shit, I’ve only kissed her twice.”
Tanner whistled. “Damn. Is there something wrong with her?”
“No. She’s perfect.” He smiled at the thought of her. “I want to do things right this time, but I’ve already fucked up a few times.”
“What did you do?”
Xander hesitated. He didn’t really want to get into all the details about Kylie’s virginity—it wasn’t his secret to tell. “I promised we’d hang out one weekend, and I blew her off because I had to study. I didn’t even call or text to let her know.”
“And she’s still talking to you?”
Frowning, he said, “I feel bad enough about it. I don’t need you piling on the guilt.”
“All right, all right. Take it easy. Seriously, is she even talking to you?”
“Yes. I asked her to hang out this weekend.”
“This weekend is Mom’s birthday.”
“Exactly.”
