Page 8 of Chasing Xander
“You two got any big plans for tonight?” Xander took another drink and then leveled his dark eyes on her.
One look was all it took for her heart to beat against her chest like a caged animal. “No, not really. We were going to wander around campus, check it out, see if there’s anything happening.”
“There’s not.” Xander chewed another bite. “The fun won’t start until next weekend.”
“What’s next weekend?” Kylie asked.
“Rush parties. Activities at the Student Union. Clubs will start meeting.” Xander shrugged. “Typical college stuff.”
Celeste perked up, sitting straighter in her seat. “You mentioned you two are in a frat?”
Finn nodded.
“What’s it like?” Kylie asked, propping her elbow on the table and dropping her chin into her hand. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” Xander said. His face seemed to light up, his eyes dancing with joy. “It’s literally living in a house full of people you’ve handpicked. No matter what happens, you know they’ve got your back. You can’t really find that anywhere else.”
“That sounds great.” Kylie smiled.
“We’re thinking about pledging a sorority,” Celeste said.
“Oh yeah? Which one?” Finn asked.
Kylie noticed how close those two were sitting, and how when one of them would speak, they had the other’s undivided attention. She didn’t know Finn at all, but she knew Celeste, and she was crushing on him. Hard.
“Not sure, but we’re going to check out a few of them.” Celeste chewed another fry. “My mom was a Sigma gal, so I guess that makes me a legacy.”
Xander froze with his fork halfway to his mouth, and a look of concern passed between him and Finn. Kylie tilted her head.What’s that all about?“Is there something we should know about Sigma?”
Clearing his throat, he shook his head. “I knew a girl from Sigma. She was…trouble.”
The way he’d said that… It had the hairs on her arms standing on edge. She wanted to ask a dozen more questions, but doing so seemed inappropriate. She barely knew him, and she wasn’t about to pry into his past like that.
“How’s your leg?” Xander nudged her shoulder. “Still want that massage?”
She laughed. “I don’t recall ever saying I wanted one in the first place.”
“Oh, you want it. You know you do.” He winked. “It’s okay to say so. We’re all friends here.”
Finn laughed and shook his head. “Ignore him. He thinks he’s God’s gift to women.”
Xander flipped his middle finger in the air, but his gaze was still trained on her as if he were challenging her to deny what he’d said. She couldn’t.
“We could always go to the meet and greet our RA planned,” Celeste said, interrupting Kylie’s silent stare-off with Xander.
“I remember those.” Finn nodded. “They were always so lame.”
“You should hang out with us tonight,” Xander said.
“And do what?” Kylie asked.
A wicked grin lit up his face, and he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Laughing, she playfully shoved him. “I don’t think so.”
“I don’t know what you thought I was implying, but I’m not that kind of guy.” His face was serious, but his eyes were full of mischief. And then he winked again, his dimple flashing briefly.
She took a deep, calming breath and reminded herself it was bad manners to jump in his lap and demand he show her exactly what kind of guy he was. “So, what are you suggesting, then?”
He gave a lazy, one-shoulder shrug. “Whatever you want.”
