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Once we’ve had the light snack, we eat some breakfast, then get ready and head off to class. Our little routine has quickly become the only way I’m interested in spending my mornings.
When I finish my last class for the day, I meet Ryan and Keegan for a gym session. Jaxon’s tagged along too—against his will, I’ve learned, since Keegan is trying to whip him into shape.
“So you must really like Lance,” Ryan says as he spots me on the bench press.
I’m really feeling the burn today, alive with eagerness. I finish my set and rest the bar on the rack.
“You’re real perceptive these days,” I tease Ryan as I sit up.
“Shut the fuck up. I know you better than anyone, even that Alpha Theta Mu you’re messing with, and if you’ve messed around with him more than a handful of times, you’ve done more with him than you’ve ever done with any girl.”
“You must not know me very well, then, because I had girlfriends in high school.”
“I’m not talking about back when handholding and making out were the big intrigues.”
“You think any girl who saw me only wanted to hold my hand?”
“Now I feel like you’re avoiding what I’m trying to say.”
“Maybe you should just say it, then.”
“You’re into this guy. Beyond a regular hookup.”
I shrug. “Obviously.”
“You guys go on dates yet?”
“What?” I ask, wincing.
“Get back to pumping. You’re taking too much time between sets. Come on. We gotta get those muscles to fail.”
I lie back down and get back to my presses.
But Ryan’s not done prodding. “You done more than hook up with this guy? Like take him out to eat? Watch a movie?”
We definitely don’t go on dates. Occasionally we watch TV when he’s over, sometimes between breaks before goingagain, but nothing like the kind of date Ryan means.
Although, now that everyone knows about us, wecouldgo on a date.
And why does that sound so nice?
I finish my set, and as I set the bar on the rack, I take a breath. “No dates. But I could see taking him out.”
Ryan’s face lights up, and I grind my teeth.
“Okay, okay, I do like him. I’m not hiding that, Ry.”
“Just funny seeing my boy getting all wide-eyed for some Alpha Theta Mu. But if this makes you go easy on him in the TaskFrat games…”
“Whoa. That’s an accusation. We did fine.”
There’ve been two challenges since we came out to our frats, neither of which Sigma Alpha or Alpha Theta Mu won, though it has evened our overall scores, meaning we’re still vying for victory.
“No one’s going easy on anyone,” I insist. “Neither of us would want that.”
“Then we’re all good. So where you think you’re gonna take him? You know the fall festival is going on. That’s a fun, datey thing.”
“I’ll think of my own dates, thank you very much.”