Page 63 of Freshman

“That’s my third favourite guy’s name. And what base did you and Liam get to?”

Alfie sighed. “Good night, Tia.”

“It’s eleven in the morning.”

He hung up and ignored her when she called him again. Alfie silenced his phone and flung his head back down on the pillow with an oomph.

Alfie tried to slow his breathing as he approached Nate’s cell. The night had been uneventful and building to the moment Alfie knocked on Nate’s door.

He tapped his knuckles against cell 149. “Queenie?”

“Oh, thank God,” Queenie said, rushing over to the door. “Nate has been insufferable since Friday. Have you got your baton on you?”

Alfie glanced down at his belt even though he knew he didn’t have it. They were only authorised to use force in extreme cases when an officer or another prisoner’s life was at risk.

“Erm, no.”

“Well, you’d better go back downstairs and grab it so you can knock some sense into him.”

“That’s enough, Queenie,” Nate growled by his door.

Alfie’s head swam at his voice, and he shivered as he reached a hand out to steady himself on the wall. He ticked off Queenie’s box and approached Nate’s cell.

“Freshman,” Nate said in greeting, but it lacked all its usual teasing and warmth.

Alfie swallowed hard and ticked Nate’s box.

“Did you have a good weekend?” Nate asked.

He thought about lying. He thought about turning on his heels and strolling away like he should’ve done, but instead, he spoke the truth.

“Not really.”

“Did you not find some stranger to tie you down, fuck you raw, and call you Freshman?”

Alfie winced at his own words thrown back at him.

“I found him,” he whispered.

Nate pounded the door.

“But I didn’t want him,” Alfie admitted. His eyes stung, and he blamed his lack of sleep, but the stinging spread to his nose and warmed his cheeks. He sniffed and wiped furiously at his eyes.

“What happened?” Nate demanded.

His voice was no longer coming from by the top hinge; it was low, by the hatch. Alfie crouched down to hear him better as he held his emotions in check.

“Fuck, Freshman. Did he hurt you? Did somebody hurt you?”

“No,” Alfie insisted. “I’m fine. Nothing happened.”

“You wouldn’t be upset if nothing happened.”

“There was a guy at the club, and he looked at me like you do.”

Nate was silent, so Alfie continued, “He asked me if I had ever been tied up, and I said I hadn’t. Then he asked me if I wanted to be.” He rubbed his wrist where Liam had grabbed him. “I didn’t say it, but the answer is yes. Then he leaned in to kiss me, and I turned away. I couldn’t. I didn’t want to kiss him. I didn’t want him to take me home and tie me up, but that’s not because I find the idea of it terrifying, it’s because…”

“Because?”

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