Page 55 of Campus Crush
Throughout it all, I was hyperaware of Foster beside me. Our arms would occasionally brush, or our knees would touch under the table, and each time it happened, my heart would skip a beat. It reminded me of the times during tutoring when he’d moved closer to me.
It had wreaked havoc on my emotions then just like it did now.
And as the night stretched on, I just wanted to be alone with him—to have the talk I knew we needed to have so we could clear the air and move forward.
Hopefully together if I wasn’t too late.
“So, Abby,” Drew said, pulling me from my thoughts, “are you going to grace us with a song tonight? It is karaoke night, after all.”
I shook my head quickly. “Oh, no. I’m just here to watch. I don’t sing.”
“Everyone sings,” Liam argued. “Some just better than others.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to hear me sing,” I insisted. “I’m tone-deaf. Like, clinically.”
“I’ll go up if Sam goes with me,” Drew offered, turning to my roommate with a charming smile.
Sam, never one to back down from a challenge, grinned. “You’re on. But I get to pick the song.”
“Deal,” Drew said, extending his hand for her to shake.
As they debated song choices, Foster leaned in close to me, his breath warm against my ear.
“For what it’s worth, I bet you’d be great up there.”
I turned my head slightly to look at him, suddenly aware of how close our faces were. “Trust me, I wouldn’t be. But thanks for the vote of confidence.”
He smiled, and my eyes dropped to his lips for just a moment before I caught myself and looked away. From the corner of my eye, I saw his smile widen, and I knew he’d caught me looking.
Sam and Drew eventually decided on “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras and put their names in with the emcee. When their turn came, they took to the small stage with surprising confidence. Sam had a great voice, and Drew wasn’t half bad either. The crowd went wild when he rolled his hips while he pulled his shirt off, showing off his abs.
Gordy shook his head. “He will use literally any excuse to take his clothes off.”
“They’re good together,” I remarked to Foster as we watched.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I haven’t seen Drew have this much fun in a while.”
When they finished their performance to enthusiastic applause, they returned to our table, flushed and laughing.
“Your turn, Foster,” Drew said, clapping him on the back.
“Not a chance,” Foster replied, shaking his head. “I’ve heard dying cats that sound better than me.”
“Aw, come on,” Liam goaded. “Show your girl what you’ve got.”
“What I’ve got is a healthy respect for everyone’s eardrums,” Foster shot back.
Liam raised his hands like he was backing off, but after a few minutes, both he and Drew stood up.
“We’ll be right back,” Drew said, a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Where are you going?” Foster asked suspiciously.
“Bathroom,” Liam replied innocently—too innocently.
“Together?” Foster raised an eyebrow.
“What? You’ve never heard of the buddy system?” Drew quipped before they both headed off.
