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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

GARY

My alarm went off like it normally did, but when I rolled to reach for it on the shelf in the corner above my bed, I rolled into a warm body. I jumped, surprised, and sat up quickly, only to remember at the last minute who was lying next to me. Holy crap, that hadn’t been a dream.

Easton spent the night. We had sex. Lots of sex. I wasn’t a virgin anymore.

It all hit me at once, and I sat frozen for a minute, just trying to take it all in.

Who would have thought that I, sad little bookworm Gary, would have spent the night having sex with my crush, who was also my fake boyfriend.

I almost wanted to throw it in my sister’s face.

She thought she’d beaten me down, but here I was, naked in bed with a sexy man covered in tattoos and piercings.

A man who groaned and scowled because I still hadn’t turned off my alarm.

Whoops.

Snatching it off the shelf, I silenced the alarm. I had a shift in half an hour, I couldn’t dawdle, even though I really, really wanted to. It would be wrong to call in sick because you had a hot naked man in your bed, right?

I debated it for maybe half a minute before giving in to my sense of responsibility.

I needed the money. I couldn’t afford to skip work.

Especially when Brienna could call any minute demanding more of my paycheck.

I slipped out of bed, hastily getting dressed in the dark.

I stumbled a few times, my muscles and… other places… so sore they were screaming.

Carter came back at one point last night, though thankfully after the third time Easton dragged me to bed. I had been asleep when he came back, and I was so grateful for that. The embarrassment from the night before still hadn’t faded.

He said I sounded like I was being tortured… Ugh.

Pushing that out of my mind, I tiptoed out of the room with my morning toiletries. I hated that I had to go back and forth and potentially wake Carter and Easton up so early, but I wasn’t going to work with fuzzy teeth. Gross.

Thankfully, I’d showered the night before, so I didn’t have to worry about that. My face flushed as I remembered that particular shower. Who knew showering with someone else would be so much fun?

Because I kept getting sidetracked with memories of the night before, I ended up running a little late.

I left a note on my pillow for Easton, letting him know where I was, and then snuck out of the room.

I had to run to get to work on time, so when I showed up, I was panting and gasping.

I really hoped Easton was kidding about me exercising with him.

Exercise and me were not friends. Especially after last night.

Could I use that as an excuse? Or maybe it counted as exercise. I was sore, wasn’t I?

One reason I snagged this job was because I was fine opening so early by myself.

Students didn’t normally show up for another hour, but there were some professors who got here early who needed their coffee fix.

I stuffed my new favorite hoodie and my backpack under the counter and grabbed my apron, hurrying through the opening tasks like wiping down the counters and turning on all the machines.

I was still scrambling when the first customer showed up, but it was slow enough in the morning that I caught up eventually.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I pulled out my notes for my test this afternoon.

As long as my work was done and I didn’t ignore customers, my boss didn’t care if I used my free time to study.

And professors never seemed bothered that I was using my time that way.

I got a couple complimenting me on my diligence, complaining about how most students would be on their phones playing around.

I wished I had the time for that, it wasn’t like I loved studying, but I had to focus to get good grades.

Hopefully, my detour last night wouldn’t cause any issues. I’d hate having to choose between Easton and my school work.

“A large coffee, please.”

I jumped, whipping my head up. “Professor Steele. Good morning.”

Setting my notebook down, I hurried to grab him a coffee. He didn’t normally come here, I usually saw him with a travel mug that he brought from home, but that didn’t mean much. Maybe he was just running late.

“Morning,” he murmured in reply. Not chatty in the morning. Same, honestly. Thankfully, I was allowed free coffee working here. It was one of the perks of the job.

While I got his drink ready, he spun my notebook around, reading over my notes. “Feeling prepared for the test?”

It was his class that I had a test in this afternoon. I felt okay about the test, but I never really felt confident. I lifted a shoulder, handing him his coffee.

“Hopefully. I studied for it. Unless you’re willing to give me any hints?”

He straightened, a smirk on his face. I thought for a second he’d give in, which would have been amazing, but his gaze drifted and landed on my neck, and his expression darkened.

“No. I don’t allow cheating. Make sure you show up on time.” He dropped a few crumpled bills on the counter, enough to cover the cost of his drink, and muttered, “Keep the change,” before storming off. I frowned at his receding back.

That was weird…

I didn’t bother separating out the change. Fifteen cents wasn’t worth the effort.

The rush of college students picked up as people started heading for their first classes.

Mine didn't start until nine, and my shift didn’t end until fifteen minutes before that.

Just enough time for me to scurry to my first class of the day.

I was getting comfortable in the back of the room when my phone went off.

Phantom: Workout before lunch or after your last class. Take your pick.

I dropped my chin to my chest in defeat. Not joking then. Damn.

Gary: After my last class, please. I have a test this afternoon. I’m going to use my free time to study for it.

Phantom: Don’t study too hard. You’ll forget things.

Frowning, I paused. Was that true? I always thought studying until the minute the paper was placed in front of me meant I might have the chance to remember something last minute I would’ve forgotten.

But Easton wouldn’t make stuff up, right?

He’d been honest with me so far. And he was obviously way better at studying than me, since he didn’t even have to try. My phone buzzed again.

Phantom: You’re overthinking.

I whipped my head up and looked around. How did he know that? He wasn’t in this class with me. My eyes scanned the room, looking for his tousled mess of black hair, but he wasn’t here.

Gary: How’d you know that?

Phantom: I can read your mind. Pay attention to the lecture, Gary.

My mouth fell open. Holy crap. Could he actually read my mind?

Phantom: Yes.

I sucked in a sharp breath and immediately started choking on my own spit. Great. Not only was I so pathetic that I needed a fake boyfriend, I also couldn’t manage simple things like breathing correctly.

“Are you okay?” a feminine voice asked from beside me. I nodded, but I doubt I was convincing since I couldn’t stop coughing. She reached over and patted my back, watching me with a concerned frown until I could finally draw in a breath.

“Here. I have an extra.” She handed me an unopened mini bottle of water.

It was warm, like she kept it in her backpack for a few days, but it was better than nothing.

I took it gratefully, sucking down half of it before I finally came up for air.

I turned to thank her and blushed hard when I noticed her eyes were dancing. She was trying not to laugh at me.

“Thank you,” I murmured, ducking my head.

“No problem. It’s happened to me before. I thought I was going to die just from breathing wrong. It’d be a really embarrassing way to go.” She offered me her hand with a smile. “I’m Frankie.”

“Gary,” I replied, taking her hand. I hadn’t spoken to any of my classmates except for Easton before now, and I was awkward enough that I didn’t know what to say after that, so I focused instead on checking my phone.

I had been too busy choking to reply to Easton, so I sent him a quick text before tucking my phone away.

Gary: That’s a little freaky

The morning lecture was kind of dull. I’d already read the assigned chapters and got ahead in a few classes, so I wasn’t surprised by any of the material.

I took diligent notes just to keep my mind focused and refused to let myself think about last night.

If I did, I’d start blushing in class, and I didn’t want to draw more attention to myself than I already had with my coughing attack.

Class let out, and when I stood to leave, Frankie bounced along beside me with a smile. “I hope you don’t mind, but I looked at your notes. They’re crazy detailed. And sort of pretty, with all the colors. Do you always take notes like that?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes. After I got accepted here, I took out a few books on how to study better. I need to get good grades for my scholarship. One book suggested color coding so I could read through them easier later.”

She scrunched her nose and sighed. “Yeah, I probably should’ve done that.

I swear, I write literally everything that comes out of the professor’s mouth, but when I look over them later, I can never figure out what matters and what’s unimportant.

I end up just ignoring them and rereading the chapter instead. ”

I used to do that. I was so determined to get good grades, but I had really bad study habits.

Mostly because Brienna would randomly tear up my notebooks for the fun of it.

But also because I didn’t know how to study right for me.

After I got my scholarship, I figured if I could research accounting, then I could research how to study.

Several books on how to be a better student later, I finally felt comfortable with the way I was taking in information.

I didn’t write down everything the professor said, just the important bits, and I was careful to separate it with the colors.

If I felt rushed, I’d color it in the library while reviewing my notes.

Frankie followed me after class, talking animatedly about everything from study habits to binge watching her favorite tv shows. When I mentioned that I’d never seen it, she looked at me like I’d grown two heads.

“Nope! Doesn’t compute!” she cried, waving her hands dramatically. “Give me your phone number. We’ll have a marathon sometime. Everyone has to have seen Brooklyn 99. It’s hilarious.”

It was a cop show, so I was doubtful, but I wasn’t going to say no to making a friend. I offered her my phone, watching as she typed in her number. A message popped up, and she must’ve seen it because she handed the phone back to me with a curious expression.

“Who’s Phantom?”

“My–” I was going to say friend automatically, but then I remembered the fake relationship. I appreciated him wanting to help me get rid of that stupid rumor, and I didn't want him to have to drag it out forever. Still, I felt a little giddy when I said, “My boyfriend.”

Frankie gasped, slapping my shoulder playfully. “You’ve got a boyfriend? Tell me everything!”

I felt a blush tinge my cheeks, but I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. A boyfriend, a friend, a nice roommate. The positives were just adding up. Even if Brienna seemed determined to ruin it.