Page 15 of Elusion

I move my arm to see Benji staring down at me.

“Callie.” I sit up, yawning. “I’m leaning in, asshole.”

Propped against the side of the house, Benji shakes his head. “Explain.”

“He’s playing the long game.” Gavin lights another cigarette. “It’s like what I’m doing with Tara. Or what I was doing. She put out last night, and I got out this morning. Thirteen days from start to finish.”

I get to my feet and pick up my bag. “Callie only has until next Friday.”

“No other girls in the meantime?” Johnny stares at me like he’s witnessing a car wreck in slow motion. Shocked and not sure what the hell he can do to stop it.

By committing time to pursue a single female, I apparently shatter his perception of reality.

“It’ll be okay, little guy.” I tap on his cheek on my way past. “In nine days, the world will return to normal, and we’ll go bag us some sorority girls. My treat.”

Benji follows me in and up to my room. He hovers in the doorway while I unload my bag and has yet to move when I head for a shower. I turn around in my bathroom to find him still there, deep in thought.

The guy has two modes: candid and cryptic. At the moment, he’s choosing to exercise the latter.

“Benj, say what you want to say.”

He leans against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. “Not yet, man.”

“Why not?”

“You’re not ready to hear it yet.”

I rub the back of my neck. “Is this a red or blue pill thing where you either point out a harsh truth or let me continue on in blissful ignorance?”

He shrugs. “Which one would you choose?”

“The blue,” I say. Then I shut the door before he tries to force feed me the red.

I wake up late.

I skip half the stairs, running down, yank on my hoodie, and drag an ice-scraper over my windshield. The engine finally warms after I arrive at the coffee shop, providing heat by the time I return with Callie’s coffee. At the dorms, I hurry into the building, up the stairs, around the corner, and down the hall.

Felicia answers with a grin. “You came back.”

“Was I not supposed to?”

“Of course you were.” She moves aside to let me in. “Callie bet you wouldn’t. So, thanks for winning me ten bucks.”

“You’re welcome,” I say.

She pushes the door to Callie’s room open. “Jordan’s here.” She scrunches her nose at me and crosses the suite to the other bedroom. “Good luck, my friend.”

I knock and wait in the doorway. Callie comes over, her mood not yet established.

“Back for more ego-shrinking?”

Banter—I can work with that.

I hand her the cup. “Hopefully you do a better job today. Yesterday wasn’t that impressive.”

A smile appears for a second before she neutralizes the expression. Her finger taps the side of the cup as she studies me, sizing me up. “You owe Felicia ten dollars,” she says.

“Youowe Felicia ten dollars. You should never bet against me.”

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