This Is Falling(8)

“Oh, no. We’re not related. Cass and I are roommates. I’m from Arizona,” I say, turning to Cass, now wondering whom the hell she’s talking about.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, my sister’s our other roommate. You met her last night, too. Paige?”

I’m so stunned by this revelation I’m unable to keep my thoughts inside my head. “What?” I literally stop walking when I speak, and Cass can’t help but laugh at my response.

“I know, we couldn’t be any more different, huh?” she says, shrugging and smiling back at both of us. “We’re twins. Nobody ever believes it.”

“And why would they! You’re polite and smart and Paige…seems to have other qualities,” I try to change the course of my words midstream, realizing a little too late that I’m calling her sister rude and stupid. Probably a little soon for me to assume that’s okay to do, and I inwardly curse my lack of social skills. Thankfully, my rant has Cass laughing even harder now.

“I know, right? My sister’s a real bitch!”

My eyes almost pop out of my head, and I look at Ty for assurance that I heard her right, but he’s just staring at her and smiling even harder than he was before. I wonder if she knows he likes her? And I wonder how much they got to know each other at the party last night?

“So where are you from, Ty?” Cass asks, biting her bottom lip a little. She notices his stare, and I think she likes it.

“I’m from Louisiana originally, though I just transferred here from Florida. I’m in grad school, but my brother’s a freshman. We thought it’d be cool to live together, so we both settled on the same school. They have a great business program here, and a hell of a baseball team, so it worked out.”

“Nate’s your brother,” I nod and mutter quietly to myself. I feel like I’m trapped in an episode of 90210, and I’m just grateful that I’m getting all of these revelations out of the way early rather than having to wait for the season to end to put the puzzle together.

“Oh yeah. I think I saw him last night, too. My sister was all over him,” Cass says, and I’m suddenly overcome with a rush of jealousy. I’m embarrassed by it, and I’m sure they both can tell, so I turn my gaze to my feet and start to look for cracks in the sidewalk.

“Oh I remember her. She’s cute,” he says, and I tilt my head up just in time to see the same emotion I was just feeling wash over Cass. “Not my brother’s type, though.”

Ty’s gaze switches to me when he speaks, and he holds his stare long enough to make me feel uncomfortable and look back down. Was he trying to tell me I’m not his brother’s type? Was that a warning to get out before I’m disappointed? Or just confirming my assumption last night, that Nate’s just looking for friends. Nothing more. I hope that’s it, because the more I get to know people, the less sure I am that I’m even ready for friends.

We walk along the main path up the middle of the campus, and I’m able to spot every single one of my buildings along the way. I have mostly general-studies classes. I still haven’t declared a major, and the advisor said I could wait a semester or two before I figured it out. I’m not sure that’s enough time, though—I have no idea what I want to do with my life. Before everything changed, I used to think I wanted to be a designer. No real reason why, and I’ve never been great at computer programs, so that dream sort of dissipated the less attention I paid to it. Unfortunately, nothing stepped up to take its place.

“Nate’s in there. I know the coaches, so I can go in with you if you want. He’d like to know you’re here,” Ty says, and I can’t help but notice the look Cass is making behind him. She wants to know more, and I know I’m going to have to tell her about my run-in with Nate.

“Oh, okay. I guess so, if you think it’s okay that I go in? I can wait out here, too. I don’t want to interrupt something.” I start fidgeting and I can feel my skin tingling with discomfort. Ty smiles and winks while he passes me, urging me to follow.

“You’re fine. Come on,” he says, so I look to Cass, who’s still waggling her eyebrows my way.

Deep breaths. Take deep breaths.

We head through a long hallway to a separate area of the gym, and I can tell this is where the school’s athletes train. It’s football season right now, so almost everyone in the room is four times my size.

“Oh my god, Rowe. Paige is going to be so pissed when she finds out we were in here without her. This is like her own personal supermarket full of jocks.” We both stay back near the door, but let our eyes wander the expanse of the room. There’s a slight tinge of sweat-smell in the air, but it’s not gross at all, and I can’t help the way my body is reacting to it. I blush when one of the large, shirtless men walks by me and says, “Excuse me,” brushing his arm against the front of my body slightly while he passes. Suddenly, I’m standing straighter, and sucking in my stomach, pushing out what exists of my chest.

“There he is. Hang on, I’ll let him know you’re here,” Ty says, moving toward the back of the room. I see Nate’s profile in the far distance, but my eyes zero in on his features immediately. He was not a dream. Everything I thought I saw and remembered is exactly as it should be, and when his gaze flicks up to mine, I’m catapulted back to the hallway and the way he looked in the dark, holding my underwear.