Page 39 of Tongue-Tied

He waves that away. “So don’t participate.”

“That’s what Dex said.”

“See? He has your best interests at heart.”

“Yeah, I know.” I have no doubt about that. But I’m still not sure why I’m so nervous.

“That theater major guy from Mundell—Chase, I think—is showing a movie on the lawn in Liberty Court tonight.”

“Is it like the one they had on the beach last month?”

“God no,” Kael says. “That one was fun, though. They showed Jaws, but Angelica was freaked out by the end of it, and we had to move farther away from the water.”

I laugh because it’s cute. And it reminds me of an anecdote my stepdad shared about scaring his younger siblings about sharks showing up in toilets.

“Wanna go?” he asks. “Angelica didn’t mention it, probably because she’s in the library, finishing a huge assignment. So I thought it would be fun for us to head out with a blanket and find a spot on the lawn.”

“Sure. Which movie are they showing?”

“Love in the City.” He grins. “Figured it would be right up your alley.”

I read the romance a couple of years ago. “I hear it’s a decent adaptation.”

As we dig out a blanket and snacks, I vaguely wonder what Dex is up to, but Kael isn’t meeting Angelica, so I don’t want him to think he and I can’t just hang out alone.

We head out the door and toward Liberty Court. It’s a quad with plenty of grass for outdoor activities and one of the shared housing locations students seem drawn to on weekends. Each building is named after a former dean, and they’ve all taken on a life of their own.

I can see the projector set up and a guy with blond hair fiddling with it. Must be Chase, who did the beach movie and the livestreams in the dining hall. I also recognize the guy standing near him because he works at Bean Necessities, though he’s always at the shop location. Amos, I think his name is, and the way they’re making eyes at each other, I’m guessing they’re together. Sweet.

Chase’s movie events are obviously popular because it’s hard to find an empty place on the crowded lawn. We’re just about to lay our blanket down in a free spot when I hear Dex calling my name. He and Milo already have a blanket set up beside his other housemates, and I feel a stab of disappointment that he didn’t include me.

But I also didn’t include him. We’re allowed to have other friends, I remind myself.

“Get your butts over here with that blanket,” he calls out.

I look at Kael. “We don’t have to.”

“Why not? It’s all cool.”

“Okay, sure.” As we head over, they shuffle to make room for our blanket. I hunker down beside Dex, and Kael sits on the other side of me. One of Angelica’s friends, who’s sitting with a guy behind us, motions to Kael, and they strike up a conversation.

I study Dex for the first time and notice his worn, holey jeans along with something familiar. “Nice hoodie.”

“Thanks.” He smirks. “It belongs to a guy who uses some sort of apricot shampoo.”

My eyes spring to his because he’s never mentioned my toiletry scents before.

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

He gives the lapel a quick sniff. “Obviously good because I haven’t washed this thing yet.”

“Ew,” I reply and move away an inch.

He laughs as he scoots close enough that our thighs touch.

“I didn’t know you were coming to the movie,” I say because I can’t help myself.

“Neither did I until the last minute.” Dex hitches a shoulder. “Ian mentioned how fun last month’s movie event was on the beach, so I tagged along to see what all the fuss is about.”

---