Page 2 of After Hours Lectures
“Right before I boarded my flight to San Diego.”
Fallon was the only person who knew Ford and I had been dating. In fact, he was the only one who knew Ford was bi because he walked in on us once. Ford freaked out, despite Fallon promising he wouldn’t say anything. That should have been my first clue that things probably wouldn’t work out between us, considering I wasn’t in the closet like Ford.
“Was it because he was scared people would find out?”
“Probably, but all he told me was we wanted different things.”
“Sorry, man. I’m guessing things are going to be awkward for a bit. Did you two talk at all while you were in San Diego?”
I shook my head. “Didn’t see the point. I’m not going to beg someone to talk things over if they’re already checked out. It seems I don’t have much luck in the relationship department,” I joked, even though it was mostly true. Besides Ford, I’d dated Quinn, my high school boyfriend, for three years, and Jordan for a bit during my sophomore year of college. Everyone else had been a brief fling at most.
“Not sure I believe that, but maybe you’re on to something. College isn’t the time to get tied down.”
“You’re right.”
He smirked. “I usually am.”
My phone dinged with a text notification, and Fallon pushed himself off my bed. “I’ll let you get settled in. Let me know if you decide to go out with us tonight.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, pulling my phone from my pocket. I smiled as I read the message sent to our family chat.
Dad #2: We just boarded our flight. Love you, guys
Chase, my stepdad (although I didn’t usually refer to him as my stepdad), and my father were headed to Turks and Caicos for their anniversary. Their travel plans were the reason I hadn’t waited until Sunday to come back to school.
Me: Love you guys too. Have fun!
I shoved my phone back into my pocket and continued to unpack.
* * *
Despite the five-and-a-half-hourflight from San Diego to Boston and the thirty-minute-long car ride home, I lay in my bed, wide awake and bored out of my mind. Fallon had texted me on his way out an hour ago to say Ford was joining them. Even with that knowledge, I regretted not going. It was stupid for me to let any potential issues with an ex keep me from hanging out with my fraternity brothers.
Fallon’s words from before filtered through my mind.“College isn’t the time to get tied down.”
I only had a semester left before graduation. No reason to get attached to someone when I didn’t plan to stick around. And what better way to move past a breakup than to hook up with someone else?
With my decision made, I looked up the address for Chrome, a gay nightclub I’d heard about but hadn’t visited since it was thirty minutes away in the city.
After I took a quick shower, I pulled on a black T-shirt and black jeans, and grabbed my gray bomber jacket to wear over the top. I’d debated shaving, but with a glance in the mirror, I was happy with my heavy stubble and decided to leave it. Pleased with my look for the night, I ordered a car and headed out.
* * *
Once the bouncerchecked my ID, I entered the nightclub. The thumping music and bright lights filled the room with a vibrant energy. I weaved through the throng of people on my way to the bar and thought to myself that it was too bad Fallon wasn’t with me because this place was totally his scene.
Since leaving for college over four years ago, I’d had gone through quite the transformation from a quiet, moody teenager to an outgoing and carefree adult who enjoyed searching for the occasional hook up. However, I didn’t usually go out somewhere by myself to do it. During my first year at Hawkins U, I’d been surprised by how easy it was to find guys at parties looking to have a good time or to experiment. So being alone caused an equal mix of excitement and nervousness to course through me as I scanned the crowd, looking for someone who caught my eye. It was more packed than I expected for a Thursday night, which, lucky for me, meant more options.
One of the bartenders approached, and he took a moment to check me out before giving me a coy smile and asking, “What can I get you tonight?”
“Whiskey sour.” I usually drank beer, since that was what we had at the frat house, but considering I was in a swanky nightclub, I felt the need to order something a little more sophisticated.
“You got it,” he said with a wink.
It took less than a minute for him to place my drink in front of me. “If you need anything, my name’s Perry,” he stated, before moving to take another order. He was cute with his blond hair and tall, lean build, and appeared to have a relaxed vibe. If he’d been my type, I would have tried to flirt with him and maybe ask when he got off. Since he wasn’t, I turned my attention back to the crowd.
As I took a sip of my drink, my gaze stopped on a guy walking toward the bar. This guy? Definitely hot. He wore a cream-colored cable-knit sweater with blue jeans, and both fit him perfectly, highlighting his muscular form. He appeared to have a couple of inches on my six-foot frame, which was always a plus in my mind.
He found an open spot to slip into a few seats down from me, and Perry appeared in front of him a couple of seconds later. I couldn’t blame him. If I were working at the bar, I would have fought off my coworkers to be the one to take his order.
