Page 2 of The Bro Date
With a resigned sigh, I drag my feet to the shared bathroom down the hall. I desperately need a shower. Can’t show up smelling like deep-fried grease.
Loud, thumping bass fills my ears as I pull up to the frat party. Big Greek letters I can’t read are spotlighted on the front of the baby-blue house with white trim. The front door is ajar, with people overflowing into the yard. I have no idea how campus security hasn’t busted this yet, but I don’t really care either. I just want to find Toby.
When I push through the crowd of drunk college kids on the front porch, I peer around the messy frat house, scanning the space for one of my roommates.
“Shane! Hey, bro! Want a drink?” some guy with a man bun shouts way too loudly before dapping me up.
I’m shit at remembering names.
“Nah. You seen Toby?” I ask.
“Oh, uh. Not recently. I heard he’s back, though.”
I grunt, not wanting to make small talk.
Before I can slip away, someone jumps on my back, wrapping their arms tightly around my neck and squeezing.
Fucking Jake.
I take two giant steps toward the sofa and in one lightning-fast move, I pry his arms loose, bend forward, and flip the asshat over my head. Jake lands on his back, laughing loudly like he just went on the tallest ride at the county fair.
Jake Tucker is that one high-energy, obnoxious, d-bag of a friend that you just can’t seem to ever get rid of.Andone of my roommates.
“Where’s Toby?” I ask, not bothering to say hello to the drunk idiot who just tried to choke me out.
Jake sits up, brushing his dirty blond hair out of his eyes. “Just saw him go upstairs. He wastrashed, dude. Did you know he’s absolute shit at beer pong?” Jake chuckles as if he knows something I don’t. His blue eyes sparkle with mischief like he’s baiting me somehow.
I clench my jaw so hard, I swear I hear a crack. Without another word, I turn around and head for the stairs, taking them two at a time while I dodge the drunk couples making out.
“Uh ohhh.Someone’s introuuuble,” Jake singsongs behind me, but I just ignore his usual shit.
I check the first bedroom I find, and my gaze immediately zeroes in on Toby talking to a group of random guys I’ve never seen before. Something sharp pricks my heart, but I ignore it, rubbing my chest and watching my best friend laugh and smile at them when I haven’t seen him in over a week.
Some guy with neatly styled blond hair reaches out and tugs on one of Toby’s curls, causing a blush to spread over his cheeks and an awkward giggle to escape his lips. A rogue wave of possessiveness washes over me. My nostrils flare like a bull seeing red, and I have to clench my hands to stop from charging. I glance down at the dull pain, releasing my fists and finding crescent-shaped indents in my palms.
Before I have a chance to make my way over there and do something I might regret, Toby turns around and finally sees mestanding in the doorway. A huge, dimpled smile spreads from ear to ear like he hasn’t completely blown me off tonight.
“You made it!” he shouts, ignoring Blondie and tripping over the corner of the rug on his way over to me. I reach out on instinct, gently grasping his slim biceps and steadying him. His skin is soft under my fingertips with a sun-kissed glow from his week in Florida.
I swallow hard, unsure why I’m even noticing.
When Toby peers up at me through a mop of golden-brown curls, I’m met with a pair of glassy, half-lidded eyes I barely recognize. “Hello, Schwayne,” he slurs, laughing loudly and gaining even more attention than he already had.
“You wasted?” I grunt.
“Just a little tipsy,” he says with a hiccup.
I raise an eyebrow in question, and Toby rolls his lips inward like he’s fighting a laugh.
“Toby . . .” I say sternly, glancing at the audience of fuckboys behind him and narrowing my eyes at them.
“So grumpy,” Toby murmurs, reaching up to smooth the crease between my brows.
I guess I am because I’m tired, hungry, and I really don’t want to be here, but I came for Toby, and after seeing the state he’s in, I’m not leaving without him.
“Tobes! We’re about to start another round of beer pong!” the blond douchebag hollers across the room, exponentially adding to the irritation brewing inside me when he uses Toby’s nickname like they’re already best friends.
He’smybest friend.
