CHAPTER 2

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but bunk beds were not it. The brochures and the tour showed rooms where there were two beds, one on either side of the room… not bunks like we’re kids at summer camp. Hell, I don’t even know if these beds are rated for my weight, let alone if I can fit on them with the height I gained.

“They’re technically extra long, but I think that they’re just too cheap to splurge for a regular double bed.”

I startle and spin around so fast that I trip over my own feet to fall on my ass in front of a very attractive half naked guy. I’m not sure what my face looks like, but the sparkle of mischief in his gorgeous emerald eyes makes me pretty sure I look like a damn fool.

I was hoping to be able to start fresh, but here I am looking like a fucking goldfish in front of a guy who could easily be the spawn of Destiel. I mean, I watched Supernatural for the plot, but come on… there are universes of fan fic devoted to Destiel and this guy is like the physical manifestation of those millions of fantasies.

“Name’s Jesse,” my nephilim hunter hybrid announces as he grips the towel around his waist with one hand and reaches out to me with the other. “I’m guessing you’re Sidney?”

Nodding like a freaking bobblehead, it takes me entirely too long to figure out that the guy is offering me a hand up.

“Yeah, apparently the dorm assignment people were afraid to misgender people, so anyone with a gender neutral name seems to have ended up in this particular building with the fun summer camp vibes, furry creatures included.”

Before I can question what he means by that, a shriek echoes down the hallway followed by another and another until a half naked girl runs into our room and climbs me like I’m a tree.

“Kill it! Kill it!” she’s screaming while pointing at the open doorway where I see a tiny mouse scurry along without a care in the world.

I look over to Jesse only to see his ass as he dives over the rail on the top bunk. His towel is on the floor with the little mouse nosing it.

Oh Lord, I did not need that visual in my head with me living in the same room as that man for the next eight months.

The girl scrambles off of me and onto the ladder for the beds when I take a step toward the towel to pick it up. I guess I should be nice and remove the mouse as well, at least if I want to be able to unpack without being surrounded by half naked people.

I easily manage to wrap the mouse in the towel enough to where I’m confident it wont be able to bite me as I take it outside. Rolling my eyes at the hero worship on my dorm mates faces as I walk past everyone, I take our furry friend and place the towel on the ground next to the dumpster outside.

“Looks like I owe Jesse a new towel, huh little guy,” I murmur as the mouse noses his way free but refuses to give up his new snuggly home. “Yeah, I wanna bask in his scent myself.”

I sit with the mouse for a few minutes before my stomach reminds me that it’s almost six oclock and I haven’t eaten anything since home this morning. I need to grab my wallet and stuff out of my backpack so that I can figure out where to grab something healthy and filling that isn’t going to throw me back into bad habits.

Coming back into the room, I’m a bit disappointed that Jesse is not only fully dressed now, but he is sitting on the bottom bunk bed with the girl, laughing at something.

“Sidney, this is Taylor. She is in the room two doors down,” he says with an appreciative look at her cleavage. “Taylor is a dance major from Chicago.”

Just my luck. I get the straight fuckboi for a roommate.

My mood takes a nosedive at the revelation, but I think I do a decent enough job of hiding my disappointment from them. After all, they’re too hung up on checking each other out to pay attention to my mood. I just need to grab my wallet and they can do whatever they want with each other…

“If you’re gonna fuck, just don’t do it on my bed,” I say as I pocket my key to get back in. “And hang a sock so I don’t walk in on something.”

I wander campus for a bit, hating the fact that the dining halls don’t let you eat without a campus ID card and I won’t have mine until after orientation tomorrow. I don’t have money for anything more than fast food, but I don’t want to fall down that slippery slope again… especially considering how I’m feeling.

“Tobias Grady! I thought I told you to close up an hour ago!”

Voices across the quad pull my attention. I see two men standing and arguing in front of what looks to be a café of some sort. I don’t remember a café being there during my tour. I thought it was a coffee shop?

Who cares… I’m fucking starving.

“Hey!” I shout as I run over to them. “Please say you’re still open and you have something relatively healthy to eat.”

The larger man stands protectively in front of the smaller one in a protective stance, so I raise my hands to show I mean no harm.

“Don’t mean to scare you or anything, but I haven’t eaten since this morning and don’t have my ID card for the dining hall yet and really need to find something for dinner that isn’t ninety percent grease.”

The smaller man starts tugging on the other one’s arm and I’m suddenly struck by the image of a kid or dog begging to be allowed to go play.

“Please Owner, let me cook one last thing tonight? We can even lock the door so no one else can come in. Pretty please?”

I’m not sure what the whole “Owner” thing is about, but the bigger guy appears to give in with a sigh. He holds the door open and waves me inside followed by the smaller guy who I’m assuming is the cook for the café.

“One hour, Pup,” the guy at the door says before locking the door and moving toward the back hallway. “Shy will be back from his studio time in an hour and we are not making our friends wait at the club tonight.”

“Yes, Owner,” the guy responds with a cheeky grin before heading for the small kitchen area behind the counter. Turning his attention to me, he smiles.

“Sandwich, wrap, or surprise you?”

I think my brain shut down.

“Hello? Earth to giant hottie?”

The guy snaps his fingers in front of my face and I flinch. I notice he was up on his toes to snap and my brain finds it hilarious. After all of the things that I’ve seen and experienced in the last four hours, this is what breaks me.

I don’t even know why this is happening to me now, but the guy just steers me over to sit in a booth as my laughter turns to something a bit more hysterical. Time passes and eventually I come back to my senses to see a chicken wrap in front of me with some sort of an iced tea looking drink, but no one else is in sight.

Figuring he’s in the back cleaning up, I rush through eating so that he can finish closing up. When I pick up the plate to carry it to the counter, I notice a note underneath of it.

Don’t worry about cleaning up or hurrying off. I talked to Donnie. Stay as long as you need to get yourself together. Send me a txt and I can lock up using my phone. – Toby PS Whoever made you cry deserves to have their balls ripped off… or boobs if it’s a woman PPS forgot to give you my number. 412-555-9635

Pulling out my phone, I add his contact information and send him a message.

Me:

Thanks for being understanding with a stranger Toby

It’s been a long time since someone who isn’t related to me has been nice to me

Toby Café Guy:

WTF

UR officially adopted as my giant hottie friend

Owner says it’s fine if you want to stop by tomorrow but we have plans with our kitten tonight

Me:

I have questions

But I’ll swing by after freshman orientation

Toby Café Guy:

YOURE A FRESHMAN?!