Page 13 of Yours, Unexpectedly

I wince as Brady reroutes the hand that was going to shake Gabe’s, instead moving it up in surrender.

“Hey, man, no harm no foul, right?” To give him credit, Brady looks slightly taken aback. Gabe doesn’t look it, but he’s the softest teddy bear of a man. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone this grown ass man, but his gym-toned muscles tell a different story. Kill me now.

Gabe looks him up and down. “Right…” His arm slings around my shoulders. “Let’s go, Bexy. Nice to meet you, man.” That last part was directed at Brady.

I give him a small wave, shot in hand, as my brother and I head over to the table where my so-called friends are giggling at the show Gabe just put on.

“I was hoping to get laid tonight,” I bite out as we weave through the tables.

Gabe visibly recoils, like I knew he would. “Ew. I do not need to hear that.”

“Hear what?” Luci asks as Gabe slides into the booth next to her and I sit next to Riz.

“That Bex wanted to get laid tonight,” he repeats, making a gagging motion.

If Riz had anything in her mouth, it would have been the perfect spit take. Gabe might not know this, but Luci and Riz are fully aware that I don’t sleep with someone casually. I have nothing against it, per se, but you know, things have been ten times better when I’m in a relationship. Or when I just take care of it myself. Definitely not to the thought of red hair sliding through my fingers.

Luci, God bless her, has zero filter and I stare in horror as she says, “But Bex, what about your crush…”—she catches my death glare a second too late—“…ing headache?” she tries to amend, blue eyes wide with apology.

But Gabe has already perked up. “Bexy has a crush? Do tell!” He places his elbows on the table and rests his face in his hands like this is the best news he’s heard all week.

“How about our shots?!” Riz jumps in. She hands one to Luci and we cheers before hitting the bottom of the glass on the table and throwing it back. Riz arches her eyebrow and turns toward Gabe. “Another round! On you, right, Gabriel?”

He looks skeptical before Luci touches his forearm. “Please?” she asks, and I want to be drunk enough not to think about how her plea is what convinces him to go get more shots for us.

As soon as he’s out of earshot, Riz turns to me. “What the fuck is going on?”

Fuck.

“Nothing.”

“Try again.”

“Fine. Coffee this morning with Anders was a lot and I’m hoping if I drink enough tonight, I’ll wake up and it’ll be graduation already.” Bleak, but true. “Happy?”

Luci is obviously not thrilled with that answer. She pouts and asks, “Why did he want to get coffee?”

“He offered to TA a different section.”

“Holy shit,” Riz whispers. “Why?”

“He said something about making me more comfortable because he knows I make it my life’s mission to avoid him, which is ridiculous.”

Silence.

“I know! And I thought I was being more subtle than that.”

Apparently, I mistook their silence as astonishment on my behalf, because Riz and Luci both outright laugh. “There’s nothing subtle about you when it comes to that man. But we’ll talk more about it later.” Luci nods toward Gabe, who is making his way back to our table with four shots this time.

“Bottoms up, ladies!” He passes out a shot to each of us.

“Bex sure would like her bottom up…” Luci comments, cutting her eyes sideways to gauge Gabe’s reaction. It registers a split second later and we actually do get a spit take this time as he spews his vodka shot across the table.

“Awww. Can’t hold your alcohol, Gabey?” I mock.

His head hits the table. “Remind me again why I came out tonight.”

That’s a good point. “Why did you come out tonight? It’s a Tuesday, as everyone keeps reminding me.”

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