The Perfect First (Fulton U, #1)(55)

“We met like two minutes ago. How can you tell?”

“I just can. I’m Marisa, LJ’s best friend, whether he likes it or not.”

“Seph, Reece’s…girlfriend?” My voice went up at the end like it was a question.

I glanced up and watched him helping LJ build a wall of snow around the keg. That was one way to handle it. We’d spent every night together since that night in the pool house. Usually we stayed at his place. It was a chance for me to get out of my apartment, and his house was closer to campus anyway. We’d watched movies with the guys, made dinner together, and fallen asleep in each other’s arms. That was kind of like a girlfriend, right? Or maybe I was getting ahead of myself. I nibbled my bottom lip, thinking I shouldn’t have said it until I’d asked him.

“Are you heading home for Thanksgiving?” She brushed her hair back from her face. Sticking her hands into her pockets, she glanced up at me, waiting for my response.

The break was something most people looked forward to, but not me. The coil of dread at the thought of heading back up to Boston sat deep in my stomach.

“Yeah, I leave tomorrow.”

Marisa cupped her hands around her mouth. “L!” She pointed to her head, gathering up her hair in her hand. Her glossy curls tumbled everywhere.

His head snapped up and he rolled his eyes before tugging something off his wrist and shooting it at her slingshot style. Her hand shot out and she snagged the light blue circle from the air.

“Thank you,” she shouted over the din of the party chatter and music, putting her hair up in a bun. “It’s getting hot, right? Or is he slipping extra shots into my drink again?”

“No, it’s definitely hot.” I tugged my shirt away from my chest as sweat trickled down my back, even standing in freezing temperatures. Body heat from the people pouring out of the house and into the backyard melted the snow around us.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. After taking it out and glancing at the screen, I shoved it back into my pocket. Could he read my thoughts now? The crush of bodies spilling out into the small space made the freezing temperatures tolerable.

“Where’s the hot tub? I can’t believe they got rid of the Brothel fan favorite.” A girl behind us walked down the steps, her nasal voice reminding me of Alexa. I was sure they’d be best bitch friends. She laughed with a girl in a bright pink sweater, weaving their way through the party.

“The Brothel?” I mouthed to Marisa.

“This place used to belong to a frat, as LJ explains it. The nickname for it was the Brothel.” She rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately, the name stuck when the frat got kicked off campus for hazing and the Trojans took over. It’s probably the first time actual Trojans have outnumbered the used rubber kind hidden around the place. You wouldn’t believe the disinfecting they had to do when they moved in.” She waved her arms up at the house and over the crowd of people milling around below. The bright pink sweater and friend made a beeline straight for Reece and LJ.

“Does it get weird being friends with him when he gets so much…attention?” There had to be a better word for it, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

Her lips slammed together and she took another gulp from her cup, finishing it off. “He’s a big boy. He can do what he wants.” There was an edge to her voice, equal parts disinterest, anger, and sadness. “Let’s get another drink. I know where LJ keeps the good stuff.” She grabbed my hand and tugged me along with her through the ever-growing party. People streamed in through the doors like ants over a lollipop.

She slipped the key to LJ’s room out of her pocket and dragged me inside. His room was neater than Reece’s—well, neater than it used to be. The pile of clothes that migrated around his room had been successfully banished into his drawers, neatly folded. There were framed pictures on LJ’s desk, one of him with his arm around Marisa and another where they looked like they were in elementary school.

I picked it up. “Is this you two?”

Bottles clinked against one another as she rifled through the booze stash in his closet.

“That’s us. I still can’t believe we’ve known each other since we were that little.” She stared thoughtfully at the frame. “He’s my oldest friend.” She said it more to herself than to me. There was a thump out in the hallway. “Anyway, let me have your cup.”

With our cups filled to the brim with “the good stuff,” as she called it, we headed back downstairs. There were even more people, and the volume and heat levels had increased exponentially.

The glowing screen of her phone lit up her face as we battled with the crowd. “LJ said they saved us some burgers, but he won’t be able to beat off the marauding horde for much longer.”

We pushed our way through the sea of people. A pair of arms wrapped around me and I jumped, my head whipping around.

Reece smiled back at me. My heart raced even faster and I held on to his arms as everyone gave him a wide berth to make our way to the back of the house. “You almost missed the food. I thought you’d left.” He tightened his arms around me.

“Marisa took me upstairs to get some of ‘the good stuff.’” I did air quotes. The wintry air from the open kitchen door was a welcome reprieve from the packed house.

“You keep stealing his booze during parties and he’ll open a tab,” Reece called back to Marisa.