Page 30 of Frat Around and Find Out (Peach State Fratbros #1)

Lance

“Y ou’ve barely touched your lunch,” Mom says, which must be a surprise since I usually would have devoured all my chicken teriyaki and Thai popcorn chicken by now.

“And you keep checking your phone,” Dad notes in a way that’s more accusatory than observational.

“You’ve been doing stuff like this for the past few weeks every time you’ve come to visit.”

Ty and I agreed to have our date this afternoon, which has me excited and nervous. I figured I could swing by for lunch with Mom and Dad, but now I’m realizing I’m too distracted for them not to notice. It doesn’t help that they know me better than most people.

“Okay, okay,” I say. “Maybe enough of the third degree.”

“This is first degree, at most,” Mom insists with a loving smile.

“Well, the last text I got was from Ash. He’s staying with his boyfriend for the weekend, and he thinks Frat Cat’s been acting off, so he asked me to check on him when I get back. Happy?” At least it’s the truth, even if I would have rather it’d been from Ty.

“I hope everything’s okay with Frat Cat,” Dad says. “But you can pretend all you want. We know how you get. I’m just gonna say it. You’re crushing on a girl.”

I chuckle nervously. “Well…not a girl, Dad, but nice try.”

I’m surprised at how effortlessly that came out… I came out.

Mom’s jaw drops, and Dad’s mouth makes an O shape.

He takes a moment before he says, “There it is, I guess.”

“When were you going to tell us?” Mom asks. “No, I’m sorry, that’s not what I should have said. Scratch that. We love you. We care about you. Thank you for telling us. And when in the world were you gonna tell us?”

“Today…?”

I certainly didn’t plan it, but I didn’t have any intention of lying to them when they brought it up.

“It’s been a couple of months of trying to figure things out with this guy, and he’s really cool. We’ve been hanging out, but we just decided to go on a date today, and I’m nervous.”

“You always get nervous before a date,” Dad says. “I remember the first girl you went out with in eighth grade. You threw up three times, then started panicking about her wanting to kiss you.”

I cringe. “Can we not go down memory lane?”

“It’s nice seeing you like this again,” Mom says. “You always seem so happy when you’re hopeful about someone, and your father and I have been hoping she was really special.”

“But now we’re remembering what happens when one assumes,” Dad adds.

So clearly I’ve been very bad at hiding my feelings for Ty from them, which doesn’t surprise me. If anything, they’ve been great at masking being aware of it.

“I mean, you couldn’t have known,” I say.

Dad shifts his head either way. “I think if we’d been better parents and tapped your phone, we would’ve. ”

“We could have probably taken some days off to stalk you around campus to show we cared,” Mom follows.

“You guys are weird.”

“Aw, come here, my big man,” Dad says. He and Mom push to their feet and swarm me for hugs.

This is one of the reasons it was so easy to tell them. One of the reasons they knew I was interested in someone even before I told them. We’re just close like that. And it’s nice being open with them about what’s going on in my life.

Although, there’s a sting too. Because there’s one person missing, whom I can’t share this incredible news with. Who would have been just as happy for me.

“You know Kacey would have been happy for you too,” Mom whispers, intuiting where my mind had gone.

“I know,” I say, fighting back tears.

As they pull away and return to their seats, Dad says, “So tell us about him. We want to know everything. Talk to us until your mom gets her phone out because she’s bored.”

“’Scuse you,” she says, shooting him a look.

I decide I might as well tell them everything. “You know that Sigma Alpha frat president I sometimes mention?”

“Ty Lancaster?” Dad asks.

“Yes…”

“A Sigma Alpha?” Dad pushes to his feet and points toward the front hall. “Get out.”

He does his best to keep a stoic expression, but he finally gives, and then we’re all laughing.

I tell them a PG-version of how Ty and I got together, and then we move on to more mundane topics before finishing our meal. They wish me luck on my date, and after I return to Alpha Theta Mu, I shower and get ready.

As I get dressed, I keep thinking how nice it was sharing that with my parents.

But mostly, I’m thinking: Am I really about to go on a date with Ty?

The player who could have any girl he wanted?

The guy I had fun giving hell to for the past few years?

The guy who pranked the hell out of me at the start of the year?

I stand before my floor-length mirror, checking my hoodie sweater and jeans to make sure they fit well, show off everything they need to so he’ll struggle to keep his hands off me.

For whatever reason, I can’t shake the nerves in my belly, the sort I always get before a first date.

It shouldn’t matter. Ty sees me all the time.

The guy was up my ass last night, and he’s definitely seen me at my worst when I first wake up in the morning, so there’s nothing to be nervous about.

But seems like knowing him better has made me even more anxious than I was back when I was dating girls.

I check the time on my phone, and it’s only five minutes until we said we’d meet at his room, so I run my fingers through my hair a couple of times, messing it in the front to give it that I-couldn’t-care-less look, which is amusing considering how much I care right now.

I swing by Ash’s room to check on Frat Cat, who’s just sleeping.

He seems fine, so I text Ash to let him know before leaving for Sigma Alpha.

Once there, I head to Ty’s room, approach his door, and knock.

He opens it so fast, I would’ve thought he was waiting for me on the other side.

And as soon as I see him in his cardigan and slacks, his hair done just right, I’m taken aback, reminded why this guy could easily get the attention of any girl he wanted.

And also wondering why the hell he’s doing anything with me.

But when his lips curl into a smirk, I suddenly forget about all that.

He steps out of his room and closes the door behind him. “You look really nice,” he says.

“You’ve seen me in all this.”

“Shut your mouth and let me compliment you on our date.”

Fuck, this is so silly.

But I’m eager to share my news. “I told my Mom and Dad I’m going on a date.”

“With me?”

I nod. “Yup. Dad almost kicked me out of the house for dating a rival frat.”

“I’m not just a rival frat,” he says. “I’m the rival frat. But it sounds like they took the whole me-dicking-you-down thing well.”

“Shut the hell up. You know I didn’t mention that.”

He beams. “I’m glad it went well, Lance.” He hooks an arm around me and tugs me close, offering a firm kiss. When he pulls back, he says, “Reminds me that I need to tell my mom about this cool guy I’m going on a date with.”

“Do I know him?”

“Maybe. You familiar with Alpha Theta Mu?”

“Isn’t everyone?”

“You cocky little fuck. Have me hooked on you, and now you act like you run the world.”

“I mean, I do have Ty Lancaster going on a date with me, so it’s earned.”

He squints. “Fair.”

Despite the nerves, being able to play around with him like usual emphasizes what’s important—it’s just Ty. I don’t need to stress or worry about impressing him. Evidently, he’s already into me.

While Ty and I wait for an Uber to take us to the festival, I catch him up about some of the other stuff Mom and Dad talked about—work and their social lives—and when we arrive, we grab wristbands and head in.

As we enter the festival, I notice Ty keeping some distance between us, glancing around uneasily. I must admit, it’s making me insecure. “You sure about this?”

“Huh?” he says, as if pulling himself out of a daze.

“You know, it’s okay not to be a date-y guy.”

“Sorry, I’m overthinking it. I really don’t know what to do right now. And this is not me at all.”

“Let’s put on the training wheels. How about we hit some rides, and you can stand closer than a foot away from me, to start.”

He snickers, though I can tell by his expression he’s still uncomfortable. And I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge I’m worried that maybe he’s realizing this whole dating thing isn’t for him. Maybe we should have stuck to fucking around.

But then he takes my hand, playing with it, interlocking our fingers, and I see him visibly relax.

“There,” he says. “Feel better already.”

There go my cheeks again.

We start through the festival, and I feel a jolt of pride in being the guy he’s holding hands with. As much as I enjoy our nightly fun, it’s nice being out with him in daylight, knowing that everyone’s seeing my hot Ty holding my hand.

“Maybe we hit the bumper cars first,” he says.

“How about we do that after the jumbotron?”

“The bumper cars are right there.” He indicates the line with his free hand.

“Exactly. And the jumbotron is on the other side of the festival, so unless you wanted to get rid of my hand right away, maybe just trust me on this one. I know how to date.”

“Yes, sir. You know I love it when you’re bossy.”

I take the lead, and we enjoy some rides before he says, “You wanna go ice-skating? They already got up the indoor rink for when it transitions to the winter festival. ”

Tension twists up in me, but when I see how excited Ty is, I can’t say no.

It should be a fun thing, but when I get to the rink and start putting on my skates, uneasiness rises within me.

I try to push it aside. I want to enjoy my day with Ty, but when I look out at the rink, I could swear I see a familiar face among the others, and I search desperately, not because I think he’s really out there, but because I just want to see that face again, even if it’s an illusion.

“Lance? You good?”

I notice his skates are already laced up.

“Uh…yeah. Fine.”

He glares at me.

“Just had a moment.”

“About Kacey?”