Page 9 of Anchored To You

I should one hundred percent look away, but I can't. Damn, they're hot as fuck. I look over at Talon, who rolls his eyes and takes a sip out of his red cup. I'm about to say something else to Talon when Tom walks up to the table. Tom is another player on the baseball team; he's a Sasquatch and is tall as hell. He's an outstanding baseball player; his ability to easily lift his arm into the air allows him to catch fly balls.

"What's up?" He asks, walking over to me and tapping my fist. "I see you all have the table all set up. Can I join? There's Brewery Beer, right? That's the only beer I drink."

I look over at Talon, who's staring at the two of us. I'm not sure whether he's wanting me to tell Tom yes or no. Talon interrupts me just as I'm about to speak.

"Oh, you can take my spot. I wasn't really feeling it anyway," he says, smiling sweetly at Tom.

Talon walks away, moving closer to his friend, and I don't say a word. I don't blame him for being so cold toward me. Hell, I'd probably act the same way if I were in his shoes. Tom and I move over to the table, setting up the cups and beer. The entire time I'm setting up the game, I'm watching Talon from my periphery. I see the exact moment he leaves, and my body deflates. I wasn't trying to make him leave the party early. Damn, maybe I should have left as soon as I realized I was hanging out with his friends. I didn't mean to make him uncomfortable.

Tom and I start playing the game, but my mind is solely focused on Talon. Seeing him again has so many emotions flooding through my body. Anger at myself for basically ghosting him. Sadness at seeing how hurt he was once he saw me tonight. But I'm also determined. Determined to find him and explain myself. And maybe we'll be able to be friends. Especially since I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of each other since we have friends in common. With ‌newfound determination, I spend the next few hours having fun and hanging out with friends.

Chapter

Five

TALON

Getting back to my dorm, I'm annoyed as hell. This was the first time I saw Beck since our night together, and rather than pretending nothing happened between us, I showed he affected me. So dumb. I gave myself away too easily. It was a shock to see him, especially after going a whole year without seeing him. I had no idea he was friends with Wyatt and Chris. Dumb on my part, because they're all on the same baseball team, so of course they know one another. He's just never hung out with them before, so I wasn't expecting to run into him tonight.

I always told myself that if I ever crossed paths with him again, ‌I would play it cool. I would act as if I barely remembered him or that night. Yes, I may have thought ‌way too much about someone who only had one evening with the man. But damn, what a night it was.

Whatever.

I'm not going to let him get to me again. Grabbing my shower caddy, I make sure I have all my stuff and my pajamas and head out of my room toward the community bathroom down the hall. The dorm is completely empty; all the students are down at the bonfire. It's eerily quiet; the only sounds coming from my feet padding against the floor. I probably spend way too long getting cleaned up, but since I'm the only one here, I'm taking my sweet time.

Blue eyes flash in my mind, and my dick plumps up.

"No," I tell myself, irritated that I'm thinking about him again.

Not wanting to jerk off to him—once again—I quickly turn off the hot water and dry off. I may or may not have used our one night together to fulfill many of my jerk off sessions. Sue me. It was a hot as hell night. But now that I've seen him again, it feels weird to use him as a prop in my fantasies.

There's a loud bang in one of the shower stalls, followed by giggling and snickering. Trying to sneak out of the room, I stifle a laugh when I see two zombies making out next to one of the shower curtains. I guess it's a good thing I didn't try to get off. That would have been awkward as hell.

Once I'm finally back in the safety of my room, I grab hold of the TV on my desk and turn it to face my bed. I have nothing else to do, so I might as well watch some documentaries. Maybe if I stay up late enough, I'll actually be able to meet my roommate. Using the remote, I navigate to Ghouloo, trying to find something that catches my attention. I love watching murder documentaries. My idea of relaxing is curling up in a huge, thick blanket, a mud mask on my face, and a documentary on the TV.

I'm deep into the show; the episode finally getting interesting when the doorknob jiggles. My heart races, realizing that I'm going to meet my roommate. The door squeaks open slowly, and I stare at the space, waiting to see who enters. My stomach drops when Beck walks through the doorway, his eyes widening when he sees me.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, way too aggressively. But come on, why is he standing here in my room?

"Uh, what are you doing here?" He looks around the room, just as confused as I am. His gaze pings to his bed, then he takes a step back and looks at the door he just entered.

"This is my room."

"This is my room."

"Are you just going to keep copying everything I say?" I ask, irritated. How did he find out which dorm room I'm staying in? Ugh, if Hannah told him where I live, I am going to be pissed.

"Sorry," he walks back into the space, shutting the door behind him. "Um, this is awkward," he scratches the back of his head, looking over at me again. "This is my room."

"No, this is my room."

I get what he's saying; I just don't want to believe it. There's no way my luck could be this bad. He moves over to the bed—his bed—and takes a seat, rubbing his hands together. He shakes his head before glancing up at me. "Well, shit. I'm not sure what to say."

"There's really nothing to say. Guess we're roommates now."

Ugh, could my life get any worse? I already have so much on my plate, and now I'm going to have to deal with the fact that I'll have to see Beck every day. Even to my own ears, I know I'm being petty. We're two men in college, hooking up and ghosting is a typically normal thing. But my ego has taken a hit. I know it has, and I know it's why seeing Beck affects me deeply. I thought we had a great night together, and it sucks knowing that he didn't feel the same way.

"It's good to see you. Honestly, seeing you earlier at the bonfire shocked me. And shit, now we're roommates. How crazy is that?"