Chapter 5

HARRISON

Is risotto the greatest food ever? Or the greatest food ever?

First, they're cheap. Second, they're easy to cook. And third, they're versatile, so I can make them as fancy or plain as I like.

Felix stumbles inside from a long day at the veterinary clinic and collapses into the chair next to Marshall. His head drops onto my best friend's shoulder, and Marshall immediately wraps his arm around him.

I love how happy they are together. I'd been worried when they first showed interest because they're both friends of mine and total opposites, but I've never been so happy to have been proven wrong.

"Hard day?" I ask.

Fe peeks up at me. "Pup we couldn't do anything for. It sucks."

"Damn, I'm sorry."

"I'll desensitize to it. Eventually."

"And until then, you have us."

"Thank goodness." He sniffs. "Is that dinner?"

"Nearly done."

Marshall gives Fe another squeeze before releasing him. "Go shower and get changed."

Felix leaves us, and Marshall turns back to his books.

"Whatcha reading?"

"Literacy through the ages and how it helped shape civilization."

I pretend to snore, and Marshall flips me off.

"It's really fascinating."

"I bet."

He smirks my way. "And how is your flower shop?"

"Incredible, thanks for asking!" I've long since stopped biting whenever he calls my plants that. What are friends for if not to give each other shit? And Marshall and Felix are more than just friends to me. They're my family away from home.

He closes his book and looks over at me. "Figured out what your major project is yet?"

"Nope. I know it's about making plants fun, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet."

"Maybe it's because plants aren't fun?"

Marshall and I both love studying the world, but where his interests lie in people and how the world has changed, mine lies in making people not change so damn much. We've been given a fucking gift with this world, and we're ruining it.

Felix … he's an animal person. I try not to hold it against him.

As a future ecologist, I understand the need for animals in the ecosystem, but it doesn't mean I have to like them. My bias mostly comes from resentment at the fact they get all the attention when the very thing that sustains all human life is forgotten about.

"I'm going to do it," I say. "You'll see."

"Hey, if anyone can, it's you."

"See? That's real support. You don't think it'll happen, but you encourage my delusions anyway. You get extras for dinner."

Marshall pats his jiggly stomach. "Like I need extras."

"Excuse me?" Felix walks in with his hands on his hips, and I choke back a laugh at how fierce the little dude can be.

Marshall throws his hands up. "I was joking."

"You better have been."

"I know you love my fat belly."

Felix rolls his eyes. "Duh. It gives the best cuddles."

Before Fe can perch himself on Marshall's lap, I interrupt them.

"Wanna grab plates and cups? It's ready."

He switches course for the kitchen instead, and I breathe a sigh of relief that I escaped that grope fest. I love that they're happy, I love that they're comfortable in their home, but I do not love the constant wandering hands reminding me that it's been a while for me.

All through college, I've been a hookup guy. I tried a relationship once with a chick I really liked, but things just fizzled out. It's not that I don't want to find someone, and it's not that I'm actively looking either, but at the moment, school has to come first.

Scratching an itch is second, and finding someone to settle down with can wait. I figure I'll either end up with some corporate type, saving the world one rainforest at a time, or some hippy chick who chains herself to trees.

All I know is that we're bound to have shared interests because I can't not talk about what I'm passionate about, and what I'm passionate about is usually boring to most people.

It's why my one and only college relationship fizzled out, and it's why, whenever I see someone a couple of times and think there could be something there, it never comes to anything.

If we have nothing to talk about, what's the point? I don't want a partner just so I can do the marriage and kids thing. I want someone I'm friends with. Who makes life better.

I know I'll find her one day, but the two women in my course haven't spared me a second glance, and in a school this big, it's hard to cross paths with someone who shares my interests.

Until then, I'll keep focusing on my goals and try to keep my roommates from humping each other around me as often as I can.

"So, family," I say once we're all seated and eating. "Guess what we're doing this weekend?"

"Studying?" Marshall immediately answers.

"Hard no. Frat party. The three of us. And do not exchange that look that I know you're about to exchange because you've both been behaving like an old married couple since we got back."

"I've never been that into parties," Marshall reminds me.

"No, but Fe's always been a party animal."

"That was because I was looking for people to sleep with. The only person I'm sleeping with is right next to me in bed, and I don't have to get out there shaking my ass for it to happen."

"I dunno, I'd like a bit of ass shaking," Marshall teases.

Felix narrows his eyes at me. "A frat party? Really? When was the last time you went to one of those things?"

He's right. Now that I'm doing my master's, I feel like the old guy trying to hang out with the kids when I go to an undergrad party. It's mostly why I've stayed away. Benny is a junior, so there's really only two years between us, but between him being an undergrad and one of those frat bros, we couldn't be more different.

"I lost a bet," I tell them. "To a junior in my statistics class."

"Isn't that the one you audit?" Marshall asks. "I didn't realize you were friends with anyone there."

"The guy's a math whiz, and I get help from him sometimes. I needed the refresher, but there are still things I don't fully understand, and Professor Brooks just flies through the material. Some days, I wonder if he realizes he's talking to a full classroom at all or if he's just that nervous he's trying to get the words out as quickly as possible."

"He's young for a teacher, so he probably is nervous," Felix says. "It's cool you have a friend. Outside of us."

"Fuck off, I have plenty of friends outside of you two."

Well, I did last year. Most of those friends have moved away or gone back home after graduation. Those who stuck around, I don't see as much because I'm busy with school, and they're busy with life.

As though proving my point, my phone lights up with a message from Benny.

Saturday at nine. Don't bring anything. When the pledges at the door hit you up for money, just let them know Ben Dalton says you're on the list. They'll know what that means.

"Why the frat party?" Marshall asks.

"He's a DIK, and they're having one."

Felix laughs. "A math genius DIK, who would have thought?"

"No offense," Marshall continues, "but why the hell would a DIK care about you going to his party? Why was that the prize for the bet?"

I blink at Marshall because I hadn't thought of that. "Umm … good question. To hang out, I guess."

"Have you hung out before?"

"Well, other than today, no."

Felix and Marshall exchange a look.

"What was that?"

Felix is struggling to hold back his smile. "Can we be absolutely sure that he's not into you?"

"Into me? Like … gay?"

"Or any other flavor of queer, but yeah."

I don't immediately deny it because I don't want to assume anything about anyone, but as I think back over today, I'm not getting the vibe. "I don't think so."

"Why?"

"Well, if he wanted that, he'd be … flirty, right?"

"Probably."

"Then, nah. It didn't feel like he was trying to pull me. Frat boys just always want their parties to be big."

"True."

"Besides, it's not like I'm not open to it, but I'm straight. I've never had the urge to go there with a guy, and Fe, you're one hell of a cute guy." I hold my hands out to the side. "Still nothing."

"Aw, well, I guess frat boy is shit out of luck."

"If he even wants that, which I don't think he does."

Thankfully, they let it drop, and Marshall takes over the conversation, filling us in on the drama at Shenanigans. The college bar is a great place to hang out, but when you hire a bunch of college students, they bring the drama, and Marshall always ends up with the best stories from work. Ever since his colleague Brax hooked up with a lacrosse player at work and Marshall almost walked in on them, I've been invested. And now, with the lacrosse player's illegitimate baby brother working there too, I'm just waiting for the next scandal.

Since I cooked, they clean up after dinner, and I finally grab my phone to text Benny back.

Me:

Sounds mint. We'll be there. Can I tell the pledges my friends are on your list too? We're all kinda poor college kids.

I add a begging emoji.Felix and Marshall both get regular work, but between vet school and Marshall doing his masters, it cuts into what hours they can take. I'm living off scholarships and a stipend my parents send me, plus the occasional hours I pick up mowing people's lawns and tending to their gardens.

Benny:

Sure. But please take a photo of their expressions when you do.

Me:

I get the feeling this is a joke I'm not in on.

Benny:

Stupid frat boy stuff.

Me:

Isn't ALL frat boy stuff stupid?

Benny:

Well, now I'm super offended. SO offended. You'll have to make it up to me.

Me:

I'd offer you dinner, but my roommates just ate it all. And you call me an animal.

Benny:

Well, did they wipe their faces on you when they were done? No? Then you still win. Also, good point. You owe me a meal.

Me:

Fair, but I'm poor, remember? So, it'll either be something I cook or the school dining hall. Your call.

Benny:

Well, most of the home-cooked meals I've had over the years have been burned, so I'm interested in seeing what you can do.

Me:

Deal, I love cooking.

Benny:

What a coincidence: I love eating.

Me:

Match made in heaven.

I readover my words for a second before I think through what Marshall and Felix said. This doesn't feel flirty to me. We're just talking, and he's an easy guy to talk to, but I guess there's more than one way that could be taken.

Me:

Having friends you click with is the bomb.

I'm happy with that.It doesn't sound too "sorry about the last message, I'm definitely straight" type of correction, but it lets him know he's in the friendship category. That's the main thing.

Benny:

So, what are you going to cook for me?

I let outthe bated breath I'd caught when his reply dots had started on the screen. See? Zero weirdness. Thank fuck for that.

Me:

Risotto is my favorite, but I can do casseroles, fried chicken, anything with seafood …

Benny:

Considering I live off pasta all of those sound fantastic. Surprise me. Make my mouth water, big guy.

I snorta laugh because that's maybe the flirtiest thing he's said all day, and I wonder if he knows it can be taken more ways than one. I might have questioned shit if he'd sent a message like that before we'd established the friends thing. Instead, I just get to be buzzed that I've made a new friend.

Even if he is a DIK.