Текст книги "Games Frat Boys Play "

Автор книги: Todd Gregory

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Chapter 10

Ihesitated for a moment, my hand poised to knock on the president’s office door. I wasn’t sure why I was there—but I doubted it was something good. I’d gotten the e-mail that morning, asking if I could stop by at three. No explanation, no hint as to what the meeting was about, so I’d wondered about it all day. Now it was three on the dot. Don’t be a pussy, Jordy, I chided myself, and knocked.

The door opened almost immediately, and I wondered if Chris Moore had been standing there waiting for my knock. He smiled, which relaxed me a little. “Thanks for stopping by.” He stuck out his hand and gave me the fraternity handshake. “Come on in and have a seat.”

“I haven’t been in here since I accepted my bid,” I said. Chris’s room was just on the other side of the office. His door was open, and I could see how messy his room was. I sat down in the very same chair I’d sat in to get my bid. Then I was too nervous to pay any attention to the room. It was really small, and there was another door behind the desk. A group photo of the brothers in tuxes was the only decoration on the white walls, and it was captioned SPRING BETA KAPPA FORMAL. I crossed my legs and waited.

Chris closed the office door. “We’re getting a little concerned about you, Jordy,” he said, walking around and sitting down behind his desk.

“Who’s we?” I asked, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. “I can ask, right?”

“Of course you can ask, Jordy.” He gave me a smile. He made a steeple with his fingers on the desktop. “This isn’t an interrogation. You don’t need a lawyer or anything.”

“Good to know,” I replied, forcing a smile on my face. “So, who’s getting concerned about me, Chris? And what about?”

“The Executive Council.” He put his elbows on the desk and leaned forward a bit. He gave me a reassuring smile. “And don’t feel singled out. You’re not the only brother I’m having a chat with this week.” He shrugged. “We’ve noticed that you’ve missed a couple of Monday night meetings, and you weren’t around at all last week for Little Sister Rush.” He waved a hand. “I know, you’re gay and you don’t care about women, I get that, but Little Sister Rush is important, even if it’s not mandatory.”

“But if it isn’t mandatory—” I shrugged. “It shouldn’t be held against me if I didn’t come.” I thought about making an excuse—a term paper or something—but kept silent. I’d gone to Fusions on Wednesday night with Chad and the guys, and Chris probably knew. It wasn’t easy keeping secrets at Beta Kappa.

He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I know, I know, but Monday night meetings are mandatory. And when you miss a few of them, and then skip Little Sister Rush . . .” He spread his hands helplessly. “If you miss another meeting you’re going to be placed on social probation. You know what that means, right? You can’t come to parties, you can’t come to the formal. And you don’t want that, do you?”

I bit my lip and shook my head no.

“Which leads to another problem,” Chris went on. “As you know, Big Brother Night is this Saturday. Attendance is mandatory. And you’ve been chosen.”

I gulped. “Seriously?” I hadn’t been expecting that. Since Rush Week, I’d had little interaction with any of the pledges I’d helped recruit. I hadn’t even given them a second thought. I’d been so wrapped up in my revenge fantasies—and I could hardly explain that to Chris.

“Seriously,” Chris replied. “And I don’t know if you should be allowed the privilege of having a little brother. You’ve really been shirking your responsibilities to the house, Jordy.” He shook his head. “What’s going on with you? You were such a great pledge.”

“I’ve been dealing with some personal shit, Chris.” I looked down at my hands. I just couldn’t look him in the eyes. I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t let my own bullshit interfere with my commitments to the brotherhood.”

“I’m probably going to cross a line here.” He narrowed his eyes. “But I’m sorry, I feel like I have to, Jordy. Believe it or not, I am really worried about you.” He wiped his eyes. “As president, I feel like I have a responsibility—not just to the brotherhood as a whole, but to every brother here in the house.” He began drumming his fingers on the desk, and I realized he was actually rather nervous. He barked out a mirthless laugh. “I haven’t gotten to know you well, but I like what I do know. You know we don’t have a problem with your sexuality, right?”

I bit my lip and nodded. “Diversity is our strength.”

“Beta Kappa used to be just as homophobic as every other house on the mall,” he went on. “Sure, there were brothers in the house who were gay, but as long as they kept it quiet there wasn’t a problem.” He shrugged. “I consider myself to be straight, but I’ve been with guys before. I just prefer women. So, I guess you could say I’m bi or whatever. It’s only been a couple of years since we made the house more open to people with alternative sexualities, and I still believe that’s a good thing. But there’s still an undercurrent of homophobia here in the house. It’s closeted, if you’ll forgive the expression, but there are brothers here who don’t like gays. But they deal with it, and at least on the surface don’t act on it. Overt homophobia, just like overt racism, is grounds for being expelled from the house.”

“I know.” This had all been part of our pledge training, and I wasn’t sure why he was going over all of this with me again.

“I don’t know if you were out before you pledged, but one of the things we all take pride in—as a whole, and me certainly as an individual—is the fact Beta Kappa is here for all of our brothers whenever things get tough for them. Some brothers have issues with their coming out process.” He sighed. “How has it been for you?”

I blinked at him a few times. I opened my mouth to say, Everything’s been just fine, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. He sat there patiently watching me, waiting for me to say something. A flood of emotions rushed through my mind. But the one thought I kept coming back to was, He’s talking to me because he cares.

I felt like crying.

“It’s been hard,” I replied finally, trying to keep my voice steady. “I had no idea it would be this hard.” Tears started filling my eyes. “I mean, Blair and Jeff have been great . . . but . . .”

Chris sighed. “It’s Chad York, isn’t it?” He got up out of his chair and walked around behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders. “I know you two have gotten close.”

“I don’t know that I would call it close.” I wiped at my eyes. “I care about him, but sometimes . . .”

He started rubbing my shoulders. “Let it all out, Jordy. You can trust me.”

“I just don’t know.” I hated myself for being so close to tears. “I love him and I hate him at the same time.” It felt good to say it aloud. “And I don’t have anyone to talk to about it. I mean, what am I supposed to do?” A tear slipped out of my right eye. “I mean, sometimes he’s so sweet and nice—and then two minutes later he’s just so fucking mean.” I wiped at my eyes. “He’s been so nice—I mean, he helped me figure out how to dress, and . . .” I let my voice trail off. I waved my hand and struggled to get ahold of myself. “And then other times he just makes me feel like I’m worthless.”

“You aren’t worthless, Jordy.” Chris patted me on the shoulders and sat back down again. “You have to know that, believe it. You’re a great guy. You have a kind heart—I mean, how many brothers have you helped with papers? All someone has to do is ask you for help, and you never say no.” He folded his hands. “You’re an asset to the house. You’ve got a great sense of humor—everyone likes you.” He gestured at me. “And you’ve changed so much physically. You don’t even look like the same person who pledged last semester.”

“Chad told me he—” My eyes welled up again. “He told me he could never be interested in someone who didn’t—”

A muscle worked in Chris’s jaw. “So you started working out.” He sighed. “Look, Jordy, I don’t have all the answers. But it seems to me you’d be better off with someone who appreciates you for who you are.”

“I’m in love with him.” It felt good to say it out loud. “Chris, please don’t tell anyone.”

“What we talk about in here is no one’s business,” Chris replied. “Your secret is safe with me. Besides, I kind of suspected.” He sighed. “I’ve been watching you, Jordy—and the way you look at Chad—”

I closed my eyes. “Believe me, Chris, I don’t want to be. I love him, but I don’t like him very much. Does that make sense? Can you love someone without liking them?”

“Apparently you can.” He gently smiled. “That’s got to be hard, Jordy. Chad’s a hard person to get to know. I should know—he’s my little brother. Sometimes I wonder if I failed him somehow, you know? He was different when he was a pledge. So eager to please, so committed. . . . I don’t know if something happened to him between his initiation and the next semester, but he was different when he came back.” He sighed. “Maybe when he was a pledge he was acting, and he didn’t need to act anymore when he was initiated . . . but I thought we were close. I was wrong, I guess. Maybe that’s who he was all along.” He peered at me. “You’ve changed, too, Jordy—and I’m not talking about just physically, either. What’s with you and Roger?”

“Roger?” I wiped my eyes and got control of myself. “What’s Roger got to do with any of this?”

“You two started out really strong, and now it seems like you barely speak.” He nodded. “Did Chad have something to do with that?”

I wanted to say yes, but it would have been a lie—and I didn’t want to lie to Chris. “No, it’s my fault. I chose Chad over Roger.”

“I see.” He looked at me. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you’re not the same guy who pledged the house. I know you’re going through some stuff, but you’re a good person, Jordy—don’t ever lose sight of that. I know you’ll get through this and you’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

“Thank you.”

“But you can’t allow yourself to lose sight of the brotherhood and your commitment to it.” Chris shook his head. “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t allow you to take a little brother, given your sporadic attendance this semester, but I also think the responsibility is something you need right now, and it might help you to realize how important the house really is to you. Are you willing to take on that responsibility?”

I thought for a moment. “I think so.”

He smiled. “The pledge who’s chosen you is Galen Donovan.”

I gulped. “Galen? Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Chris leaned back in his chair. “I don’t want to sound condescending, but I know Galen is a good-looking kid. I don’t know if he’s gay or straight—you know we don’t ask—but it’s your responsibility to see him through this semester, to teach him about brotherhood and to watch out for him. That means—”

“I can’t sleep with him.”

“At least not until after initiation.” Chris went on. “Sex complicates things—as I’m sure you’ve already found out. I would advise against it.”

I nodded. “I understand.” I stood up and reached across the desk to shake his hand. “Thanks, Chris. I’ll be a better brother, and you won’t be sorry you let me take Galen.”

“If you need to talk, my door’s always open.” He sat back down. “The brotherhood is always here for you, Jordy. Never forget that. Beta Kappa for life.”

“Beta Kappa for life,” I replied, shutting the door behind me.

I stood in the hallway for a moment, a little shaken.

I’ve been a shitty brother this semester, I thought, and I’m lucky Chris’s decided to give me another chance. I’ve let all this idiocy with Chad change me for the worse, and it’s consumed me. It’s not healthy. I’ve been obsessed.

I looked at myself in the mirror across from the office door.

I didn’t like what I saw—and for once, it wasn’t the way I looked.

You’ve been so consumed with trying to get even with Chad you’ve let everything else slide. You’ve let it affect your relationship with Roger, with Blair, with Jeff, with everyone else in the house for that matter. And for what? Because Chad didn’t want you? So what? There are plenty of other guys out there who do want you, who do see what you have to offer, and Brandon and Rees were right. You’ve been acting like a whore, and that doesn’t reflect well on you. Let it go, Jordy. Let it all go. You can still be friends with Chad. You know he’s not evil, he’s a good person—you’ve let everything you feel for him be colored by the fact he wasn’t attracted to you and just wanted to be friends.

I smiled at myself.

Let this be the start of a new Jordy. Recommit to the brotherhood, recommit to the house, patch things up with Roger, and start fresh with Chad, too. Let go of the negativity and focus only on the positive.

I heard someone coming down the stairs at a gallop and turned to see who it was. “Hi, Brandon!” I grinned. “How’s it going?”

“Jordy!” He enveloped me in a hug. “Dude, about yesterday—”

“It’s okay, bud.” I smiled at him. “Really, I appreciated it.”

He sighed in relief and flashed his gap-toothed grin at me. “I’m so glad. Rees and I were both worried—especially after last night at Fusions—we thought you might be mad—”

“No, it wasn’t that.” We started walking down the hall. “I was just caught up in some Chad drama.”

Brandon rolled his eyes. “There’s always Chad drama, isn’t there?” He grinned again. “Well, let’s do something soon.” His face darkened. “After I finish this damned Modern European History paper, anyway.” He sighed. “Man, this is a bitch.”

“What are you writing about?”

“He assigned me the Thirty Years’ War. I’m on my way to the library now to get some books.” He sighed. “If I don’t get started now, there’s no way I’ll ever finish.”

“Tell you what—why don’t you come over to my place tomorrow night and I’ll help you with it?” I smiled at him. “I did a paper on it in high school—I may even still have it on my computer. I mean, I won’t let you plagiarize it, but you can look it over and maybe it’ll give you some ideas on how to do yours.”

“Seriously?” He stared at me. “You’d do that?”

“Of course I would.”

He grabbed me in a bear hug, lifted me, and spun me around. “Dude, you’re the best!” He kissed me on the cheek and set me down. “Okay, I’ll come by tomorrow night around six, is that cool?”

I nodded, and grinned as he ran down the hallway and out into the parking lot.

I felt better already.

I walked down the hallway and paused in front of Roger’s door. Why the hell not? I said to myself. Might as well get started making amends—there’s no time like the present. I started knocking.

There was no answer. I tried again, and then shrugged. I can catch up to him later.

I walked out the back door. Some of the brothers were playing basketball at the far end of the parking lot. I walked over to my car, and was about to unlock it when one of them yelled, “Hey, Jordy!”

I stopped and saw Chad walking toward me. He was drenched in sweat and wasn’t wearing a shirt. The sunlight gleamed on his wet torso. He was wearing a pair of long gray fleece shorts that almost reached his knees. In spite of myself, I felt a stirring in my groin.

Down, boy, I said to myself. Out with the negative, in with the positive. A fresh start with everyone, right?

“Hi, Chad.” I grinned at him. “What’s up?”

“I’m so glad to see you,” he said, slightly out of breath. “I wanted to call you later. I owe you an apology.”

“Really? For what?” I replied, thinking, See? When you start thinking positive and get rid of the negative energy, everything starts getting better.

“I was kind of bitchy to you last night,” he said, running a hand through his hair. Drops of sweat flew as he shook his head from side to side. “About Dante, I mean.”

I waved my hand. “You don’t need to apologize.”

“No, I do,” he went on. “I mean, obviously Dante was using you to try to make me jealous, and I took it all out on you. I mean, it wasn’t your fault he was acting so junior high.”

“It’s okay, really, Chad—”

He laughed. “I can’t believe I let him get to me that way.” He rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what I ever saw in him. I mean, really.” He tossed his head. “And it was so obvious—I mean, like he would ever be interested in someone like you.”

It was like being slapped across the face. I froze but somehow managed to keep my face neutral. I didn’t say a word.

He looked at me. “You know what I meant,” he said, nonchalantly dismissing his hateful words.

“Yes.” I smiled. “I know exactly what you meant. Thanks for the apology.” I turned and clicked my key fob to unlock the car. “I’ve got to run. I’m going to be late for my trainer.”

“I’ll call you later!”

I started the car, then backed out of the spot. I shifted the car into drive. He was still standing where I’d left him. He shrugged and started walking back to the basketball game. I sat there, my car idling, and watched him walking. But rather than admiring the muscles in his back, or fantasizing about his ass, I thought, I could run him down right now.

It would be so enormously satisfying.

I imagined pushing my right foot down on the gas pedal.

I heard the thump as the front of the car hit him.

I could hear his startled cry as he rolled up onto the hood, the shocked look on his face as it hit my windshield.

I put my foot on the gas pedal.

I shook my head and drove out of the parking lot.

But as I turned out of the lot, I reached for my cell phone. I clicked through the address book until I reached DANTE, and hit the send button.

It rang twice. “Dante Bertucci.”

“Hey, Dante, this is Jordy Valentine.”

“Hi, Jordy.”

“I just wanted to call and apologize for last night,” I said smoothly. “I was wondering if I could make it up to you somehow?”

“There’s no need to make up anything.” He laughed into the phone. “I was a little surprised that you disappeared, but I figured Chad had something to do with it.”

“Yeah, well.” I laughed. “I still feel kind of bad about it.”

“Tell you what—why don’t you come over to my place tonight around seven? I’ll make you dinner,” he purred into the phone.

“If you’re just trying to get back at Chad—”

“Chad has nothing to do with this,” Dante replied. “That’s over. Come on over tonight and I’ll show you what I mean.” He gave me the address.

“See you tonight,” I replied.

I closed my phone and smiled. Dante would never be interested in someone like me, right, Chad? Obviously he would only use me to try to make you jealous—as if someone as beautiful and perfect as you could ever be jealous of a loser like me, right?

So much for getting rid of the negativity and starting over.

Dante’s house was in Avignon, a separate township just over the city line. I plugged his address into my car’s GPS and headed out at a quarter till seven. I chewed on my lip as I drove. My workout with Jay that afternoon had been strange—he’d acted weird through the whole two hours—distant and unfriendly. This was a change. This was our first workout since our steam room adventure, and several times I’d wanted to ask him if something was wrong. When the session was over, I’d grabbed my bag and left the gym, not showering there like I usually did.

I shouldn’t have done anything with him. That was a mistake. Obviously, it changed things, even though he said it wouldn’t.

I shook my head as I turned into Dante’s subdivision. Maybe I should just find a new trainer. I’m not paying him to be rude to me.

The GPS directed me into the driveway of a beautiful, two-story brick house. I turned the car off and sat for a moment. I was a few minutes early. I looked at the lawn, which was perfectly manicured. Rows of rose bushes lined the front porch. A fountain bubbled in the center of the lawn. Behind the house, palm trees towered over the roof. I got out of the car and started up the walk, thinking, This is crazy, I shouldn’t be doing this. Remember positivity, no more negativity. Look at how fucked up things are with Jay now. Do I really want to go down this path? I climbed the steps to the porch. I’m not really interested in Dante, I’m only interested in getting even with Chad, and that’s really unfair to Dante.

I started to turn to go, but then I heard Chad’s voice in my head.

“He wouldn’t be interested in someone like you.”

“We’ll just see about that, Chad,” I muttered, and knocked on the door.

The door opened, and Dante stood there in a yellow Speedo, wiping water from his chest. “Sorry.” He smiled. “I was taking a swim and lost track of time. Come on in.”

I walked into the house and gasped. The entryway went all the way to the roof, and there was a skylight. The entryway opened into a huge sunken living room, and as I walked down the steps I couldn’t get over how beautifully decorated it was. The floor was covered in a deep plush carpet my feet sank into. The walls were painted a soft coral, and the entire back wall was glass, with a stunning view of a swimming pool landscaped to look like a grotto. I walked over to the wall of glass. “Wow.” The entire backyard was lush with vegetation. “It looks like a jungle out there.”

“That was the idea,” Dante said from behind me. “Why don’t you go on out and have a seat? I’ll put some clothes on and meet you out there.”

I started to say not to bother but bit my tongue. “Okay.”

“There’s an open bottle of red wine on the table out there,” he said, turning to walk down the hallway. “Help yourself.”

The yellow bikini barely covered his backside, and I watched him go. Get a grip, Jordy—don’t even go there. I opened the sliding glass door and stepped into the backyard, then closed the door behind me. There was a picnic table just outside the door, and the patio was covered. I poured myself a glass of wine and sat at the table.

A cool evening breeze stirred the wind chimes, and the waterfall at the near end of the pool splashed soothingly. It was very quiet back there, and all the stars were out in a dark purple sky overhead. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was out in the country somewhere, I thought, taking a sip of the wine. It was a Chilean pinot noir, and was quite good. Excellent taste in wine, a gorgeous home—Chad was crazy to walk away from this. I turned to the sound of the glass door sliding open again. Dante smiled at me. He’d put on a white cotton guayabera shirt and loose-fitting surgical scrub pants. He gestured at his clothes. “I hope you don’t mind, but when I’m home I like to be comfortable.”

I refilled my glass. “I don’t mind at all. This is really good wine.”

“Glad you like it.” He filled a glass for himself and we clinked glasses. “And I’m glad you’re here.”

“Why am I here, anyway?” I asked, setting my glass down on the picnic table.

Dante flashed me his perfect white teeth. “I like you. I want to get to know you better.” He shrugged his powerful shoulders. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“Chad thinks you’re trying to make him jealous.”

“Chad thinks everything’s about Chad,” he countered evenly. “Do we need to talk about him? It’s a beautiful night, don’t you think, and I would rather talk about you.”

“Me?” I was flattered, in spite of myself. “What do you want to know, Dante?”

“Do you really speak three languages?” He got up and walked over to the house, and flipped a switch. Pachelbel’s Canon began playing softly through concealed speakers. He sat back down, raising his eyebrows.

“Four, actually.” I took another sip of the wine. “If you count English.”

He laughed. He had a nice laugh, and I smiled back at him. I turned and looked back at the jungle. “It’s very peaceful back here.”

“That was the idea,” he replied. “I work really hard, and my job can be pretty stressful, so I wanted a tranquil space where I could come relax when I got home.” He shrugged. “The whole house is designed to be relaxing, so every place you go is comfortable. Every room, every chair, every couch, everything is in harmony and balance. Would you like a tour?”

“Maybe later.” I laughed. “I’m just so relaxed back here I don’t want it to ever end.”

“Life getting you down?” he asked, an eyebrow arching as he reached for the bottle to refill his glass.

“A little.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “But sitting back here, I feel like I can take care of everything. Nothing seems important back here.” I smiled at him. “Thanks for inviting me over.”

“My pleasure.” He glanced at his watch. “Dinner won’t be ready for about another hour. You want to get in the hot tub?”

“I didn’t bring a suit.”

“I can loan you one.”

“You just dried off.” I shrugged. “Maybe later?”

“You spoil all my fun,” he teased. “Now I’ll have to come up with another way to get you out of your clothes.”

I stood up and pulled my shirt up over my head. “All you have to do is ask,” I replied, tossing my shirt to him. He caught it, folded it, and placed it on the table. I kicked off my shoes and started to undo my pants.

“Wait a minute.” He got up and walked around to me. He put his big arms around me and pulled me in close. I could feel his heart pounding as he pressed his thick chest against me. “I like you, Jordy. I like you a lot.” He looked me deep in the eyes. “And yes, I want to take you to bed. But I don’t want a one-night stand with you.”

“What do you want?” I replied, leaning my face toward his until we were bare inches apart.

“I want to get to know you. I want to date you.” His hands slid down my back and cupped my ass. “Is that something you want, too?”

I slid my hands inside his shirt until they rested on his big pecs. His skin felt hot to the touch. “I think I could want that, yes.”

He leaned in and kissed me. It was chaste, a sweet kiss, just our lips pressed against each other as we stood there. He tasted of the wine and mint. He slowly started moving me around in a slow dance, there under the stars, to Pachelbel’s Canon. And when he undid my pants, I didn’t resist as he slid them down. I stepped out of them and pulled his shirt up over his head, kissing him at the base of his throat. “You have such a beautiful body,” I breathed into his ear as he started kissing my neck.

“Not as beautiful as yours,” he whispered back, and he swung me up into his strong arms as effortlessly as if I weighed no more than a feather, and carried me back into the house, kissing me the entire time. He set me down on the couch and stepped out of the scrubs. He was naked underneath them, and he sat beside me on the couch. He lay back and pulled me down on top of him. I traced his lips with my right index finger, and we kissed again.

It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Usually sex was rushed, hurried, and frantic—an animalistic need to sate desire. But this—this was gentle, and slow, and loving. We explored each other’s bodies with hands, mouths, and tongues in a slow ritual of pleasure. And when I finally entered him, it was like we became one with each other. I didn’t want to slam into him, pound away at him until he gasped with pleasure and screamed when he came. Instead, I gently moved into him, not pressing, not forcing myself into him. Rather, I waited for him to slowly open to me, slowly sliding back and forth until his breathing came faster and I went deeper into him.

I couldn’t take my eyes off his incredible body as I made love to him, as I kissed his neck, as I stroked his magnificent chest.

And when he came, just before I did, tears slipped out of my eyes. And when I was finished, I collapsed on top of him, and he kissed the top of my head.

“That was beautiful,” he whispered. “I could lie here with you for the rest of my life and never get up.” He smiled. “Hey, you’re crying.” He kissed my wet cheeks. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” I snuggled against him. “I’ve just never felt so close to someone before.” I felt safe lying there, in his arms, like nothing in the world mattered.

He squeezed me a little tighter. “It’s been hard on you, hasn’t it.”

I nodded. “I’ve been so lonely.” I forced a laugh. “I had no idea just how lonely until now.”

“You don’t ever have to worry about that anymore.” He kissed my cheek again. “You’re a special guy, Jordy. I could see that the first time I met you.” He started stroking the back of my head. “Forget about Chad. Forget about everything in your past. Start over. You can’t do anything about the past, but you can do something about the future. Don’t let your history poison your future.”

Chad was an idiot to walk away from you, I thought.

“You’re a good person,” he continued. “That’s what matters. The outside is just wrapping paper. You can wrap a pile of shit in the most gorgeous paper, but it’s still a pile of shit.” He kissed me again. “Now wipe those tears away. No more crying, you got it?”

“I’m okay.” I smiled back at him. “Should we shower before dinner?”

He nodded, and I climbed off him. When he stood he wrapped his arms around me again. “Stay the night?”

I nodded. “I’d like that.”

And he led me to the shower.