"I was doing laundry anyway. I washed yours too."

Behind me, Chase sounded as if something inside him had shattered.

"You washed his underwear?"

Noah blinked innocently.

"We're both guys. What's the big deal?"

Chase glared at me.

"Have you got no fucking shame?"

Me? How was this my fault?

Noah hung up the last item and stepped between us.

"Chase, stop picking on Owen."

There went that warm feeling again.

"See?" I said. "Sweet and reasonable. Some people could learn a thing or two instead of barking at everyone."

Chase looked from me to Noah.

Then he left without another word.

Chapter 7

After drying my hair, I climbed into bed and noticed that the empty bed opposite mine was piled with bags.

Chase was back.

With a suitcase.

He gave me a smile that belonged on a wanted poster.

"I'm moving into this room. Starting today."

I could feel the murderous intent through my curtain.

Seriously? He was acting like Noah was already his husband.

And he thought moving out of the neighboring room in our dorm suite would keep me away?

Suddenly, I wanted to win.

Fine. I'd steal his man right in front of him.

In my imagination, I was already driving a convertible while Noah leaned adoringly on my shoulder. Chase was running behind us, sobbing.

Noah, don't leave me! How am I supposed to live without you?

I nearly laughed out loud.

Then a crash rang through the room.

A glass had fallen from Noah's bed, scattering pieces across the floor.

Chase rushed over first.

"Noah, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just water."

Noah started to climb down.

"Wait," Chase said, grabbing the broom. "Let me clean up the glass."

"Okay."

Noah lifted his privacy curtain, stepped across the narrow space between our beds, and climbed directly into mine.

He looked faintly apologetic.

"Owen, my mattress is wet. You don't mind sharing, do you?"

Silence dropped over the room.

I almost laughed again.

Chase stopped sweeping. Even Tyler glanced over at him with something approaching pity.

Honestly, he looked like he might break.

He flung the broom aside.

"If you didn't want me moving in, Noah, you could've just said so."

I looked between them.

Oh. A lovers' quarrel. And I'd been recruited as a prop.

Chase stormed out, slamming the door.

Noah watched him go.

Then he smiled.

There was something almost pleased about it.

"Finally."

He turned those pretty eyes on me, lifted my chin with one hand, and brushed my earlobe with the other.

"So. You like watching dirty things?"

His fingers moved slowly, leaving me entirely too aware of where they were.

"I'm right here. Want a closer look?"

My brain appeared to have been evicted.

Every nerve in my body lit up.

Noah leaned closer.

"And you were going to walk around half-naked where just anyone could see?"

He lowered his head.

My thoughts dissolved completely.

Chapter 8

When my alarm went off, I stared at the world in a daze.

Last night had been a dream.

Surely.

Noah couldn't possibly be that much of a menace.

Then I looked up and found his innocent face inches from mine.

His eyes were full of laughter.

"Morning."

Oh, God.

An actual menace.

I pushed him away with the exhaustion of a man who'd learned too much and climbed out of bed.

While brushing my teeth, I noticed my lips were swollen.

So were a few marks hidden beneath my shirt. The fabric rubbing against them made me wince.

I glared at Noah in the mirror.

Out of bed, he'd somehow put his sweet, harmless personality back on.

The second I finished rinsing, he took my wrist and led me into the bathroom. He was holding two small adhesive bandages.

He lifted the edge of my shirt. I flinched away.

"What are you doing? I have class."

A teasing smile curved his mouth.

"What do you think? I'm putting these on."

He unwrapped the bandages and covered the tender marks.

"Otherwise, when you go to class, everyone's going to know you got—"

His face was the picture of innocence.

"Carried away with another guy."

I had no response worth saying out loud.

Chapter 9

I hurried to class.

The moment I walked in, I noticed people looking at me strangely.

Right. Chase's announcement at the boba shop.

Word had probably spread that I was gay.

Whatever. I'd never planned to live in the closet.

I sat in an empty seat with my textbook. The girl next to me kept glancing over as if she wanted to say something.

Finally, she leaned closer.

"Owen, you should check the campus gossip page."

I pulled out my phone.

Someone had posted the night before.

SPOTTED ON AN EVENING WALK: A CAMPUS COUPLE!

I opened it.

My vision briefly went dark.

The photo showed Chase standing very close to me outside the boba shop, his hand somewhere it had absolutely no business being.

The blurry picture made it look far more intimate than it had been.

I scrolled down.

The comments were a mistake.

Class started, so I had to put my phone away before I could finish cursing Chase, his ancestors, and whoever had taken that picture.

When I checked again afterward, the post was gone.

The person who'd submitted it had even posted an apology, claiming the photo was an edited joke.

That was fast.

Maybe Chase had gotten it taken down.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and left the building.

A man stood beneath a tree outside, talking on his phone.

He was watching the entrance.

Watching me.

Every muscle in my back went tight.

I turned in the opposite direction.

Two steps later, someone caught the strap of my backpack.

The man gave me a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"Where do you think you're going, little troublemaker?"

I tried to look pleased.

"Ryan. What are you doing here?"

Chapter 10

The car was silent.

I sat very still and tried not to make any noise.

"Having an eventful time at college, Owen?"

I forced a laugh.

"You know. The usual."

I glanced at his profile.

"Were you the one who got that post taken down?"

Ryan gave a cold little hum.

We left campus and drove into a residential complex nearby.

I searched for something harmless to say.

"Did you buy a place here?"

He got out and tossed a key toward me.

"For you. Go see if you like it."

I looked down without taking it.

"I don't need an apartment. I'm fine on campus."

Irritation crossed his face.

"Fine? With the kind of people you're living with?"

That hurt more than I wanted it to.

"They're just people, Ryan."

"Well, you're not living with them."

I looked at my brother.

There was a faint disgust on his face.

Chase's family did business with Noah's. Both families had connections to my brother.

He wasn't disgusted by them.

Just people like us.

I took a breath and opened the car door.

Behind me, Ryan's voice softened slightly.

"Owen. Mom and Dad are gone. You're the only family I have left."

I looked up at the sky.

"I know."

Of course I knew.

He'd said the same thing on my eighteenth birthday.

Chapter 11

I walked back to campus.

It was summer, but I felt as if someone had dropped me into freezing water.

A corpse with unfinished business. That was me.

Stupid Ryan. Asshole Ryan.

He'd dragged me out and hadn't even bought me lunch.

My eyes kept stinging. I rubbed at them with the heel of my hand.

Then a voice interrupted.

"Chase, isn't that the guy you're hooking up with?"

I looked up.

Several guys stood in front of me.

One with bleached hair nudged Chase's shoulder.

"Wait. Are you two really a thing?"

Chase kicked him.

"Shut up."

Then he looked down at me, frowning.

"Seriously? You're crying over a stupid post? If you're scared of people talking, stay away from Noah. Otherwise, this is just the beginning."

I stared at him.

His eyelashes were annoyingly long.

"You're a fucking idiot."

His eyes narrowed. He grabbed the front of my shirt.

"Say that again."

Did he have a humiliation kink? Most people didn't ask for an encore.

I looked at the guys behind him.

Then I smiled at Chase.

"You know, you're pretty hot yourself."

He froze.

I hooked a hand behind his neck and kissed him.

There. Choke on that, asshole.

His friends erupted.

For good measure, I caught his lower lip lightly between my teeth, then let him go and wiped my mouth with my thumb.

"Sweet mouth, baby."

The shouting got louder. I was surprised the lecture hall was still standing.

While Chase remained frozen, I took my chance.

And ran.

Chapter 12

I didn't breathe properly until I reached our room.

What a day.

I dropped my bag, opened the water on my desk, and took a long drink.