Page 12 of Overeager (Extra Credit #1)

“And I’ve noticed you haven’t been checking your phone for texts like a fucking maniac. Not since Monday.”

“Yep.” Noah kept staring at his laptop. He wasn’t reading a word—the screen starting to blur as he lost focus—but who the fuck needed to know that? “I gave up. He’s not gonna text.”

There was a long silence, then Chase spoke, so softly Noah almost missed it. “I’m not going to tell.”

Noah finally took his eyes off his laptop. Chase was looking back at him, calm and not at all expectant. Like Noah could tell him it was none of his business and he wouldn’t be offended.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Noah told him, and when Chase gave him a wounded look at the blatant lie, he added, “Because if there was something to tell, it wouldn’t be my secret. Or, you know, I wouldn’t be the one hurt by it in the end. You get it?”

Chase’s expression cleared, and Noah grinned. He wasn’t freaked out Chase had figured it out, not exactly. Chase wasn’t a blab or anything. Noah just didn’t want to say it out loud. Not when Eli was the one whose job could be in jeopardy if word got around.

Still, it was a relief to have a friend who might be in his corner, even if he didn’t know any of the details.

Noah’s grin turned mischievous as he leaned into Chase’s space. “Hey, did you know our university doesn’t have an official fraternization policy between students and professors?”

Chase’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Like, I’m sure it’s still frowned upon majorly, but it’s not in writing. Some universities have it in writing.”

Noah knew because he’d checked. And double-checked. And triple-checked. He was going to be engaging in a battle for Eli’s affection, and the battle was going to be between Noah’s charm and Eli’s common sense. No way was Noah walking into a thing like that unprepared.

Chase nodded slowly, his lips twitching at the corners. “Interesting, man.”

“Yeah.” Noah grinned so wide it made his face hurt. “Interesting.”

And then he let out a loud “oomph!” as he was hit with a twenty-ton weight.

A.k.a. Spencer, who’d dive-bombed on top of him on the bed and was now rubbing his nose into Noah’s hair, obnoxiously scenting him as Noah fought for his life.

“What’s so interesting? And don’t say homework. You two are nerdy enough as it is.”

It was a ridiculous thing to say, considering Spencer had perfect grades. He was anal as fuck about his academic scholarship, and he didn’t take any chances with it.

“We’re discussing babes,” Noah told him dryly, giving up the fight and letting himself be flattened into the mattress. It was the only way with Spencer. If Noah tried too hard to buck him off, he’d just turn it into some all-out wrestling match.

“No, you’re not,” Spencer said. “Without me?”

He let out an oomph of his own as Chase decked him with one of Noah’s pillows.

Noah prepared himself for that to turn into the exact kind of wrestling match he’d been trying to avoid, but Spencer let the pillow bounce off him, tucking his head into Noah’s shoulder instead. “Hey,” he said, uncharacteristically subdued.

Shit. Had someone died?

“You know I’m sorry about Sedona, right? I didn’t know.”

“I know you didn’t.” Noah reached a hand behind his back to blindly pat somewhere in the direction of Spencer’s shoulder. “We’re good, man.” He wasn’t going to hold a grudge over something like that, especially not after he’d found Eli again.

“You’re not avoiding me?”

Noah rolled his eyes, even though the gesture was lost on Spencer considering their position. “I made you breakfast just this morning.”

“Right, right.” Spencer only sounded half convinced, but that was his nature. For all that he could be careless, he also needed a good amount of reassurance from his friends. And sometimes extra reassurance about how much reassurance he needed.

It could be a lot for some people, but Noah didn’t mind. Neither did Chase. Everyone had their hang-ups; Spencer’s were just a little more out in the open than some. “I’m not avoiding you, Spence. I swear.”

He could feel Spencer’s grin against his shoulder. “So we’re going out Friday, then?”

“Can’t. I’m working.” Noah had taken on a job as a barback at a spot Spencer had set him up at. It wasn’t as close to campus as he would have liked, but he supposed that was one of the perks of having a car. “Why aren’t you?” he asked. Spencer usually bartended weekends.

“Deb doesn’t give me the good shifts anymore.”

“That’s because you let her blow you and never called her back outside of work,” Chase pointed out wisely.

“Doesn’t sound like me.” Spencer rolled off Noah and started burrowing under his covers. “So no go for Friday. That’s chill. We’ll get Ash to be your replacement.”

Ash was Noah’s next youngest brother, and he was attending the same college as them. Noah liked to tell people Ash had followed him here, but really he’d come to stay glued to his childhood bestie.

“You know that would mean Ryder coming with,” Noah warned, flipping onto his back and grabbing his laptop again.

Spencer gave an exaggerated shudder. He’d always been intimidated by Ash’s unapproachable shadow. Noah got it, but he couldn’t quite relate. The guy was practically family at this point, after so many years of following Ash around, and vice versa.

“All right, never mind. We’ll do without the Teller family representation for one night.” Spencer wrestled Noah’s laptop out of his hands, setting it on top of the covers in front of them. “Movie?”

“Sure. Not like I was doing my homework or anything.”

Spencer waved a hand. “Good, good. Chase, you gonna make popcorn?”

Noah considered giving Spencer another decking with a pillow, but really, he was done studying anyway. He wriggled down next to Spencer instead, grinning at their beta roommate. “Yeah, Chase. You gonna make popcorn?”

“I hate you both.” But Chase stood anyway, making his way to the kitchen.

Noah laughed, settling in for a night of stupid movies and snacks.

Tomorrow he’d start plotting again, trying to figure out how to get Eli alone.

Noah had already discounted office hours—he had a feeling campus wasn’t the place to thaw Eli’s defenses.

Noah just had to figure out where to make his move. And he would make his move.

He wasn’t letting his omega get away again.