Page 9 of Shut Up and Score
I pause.
It’s not the hottest profile I’ve seen. It’s not even the most detailed. It’s vague as hell, but not in the usual douchey way. No emoji lists. No fake deep quotes. Just...blunt. Like the person couldn’t say more without giving too much away. Bi-curious.
I roll my eyes and scroll past.
Too cryptic.
Too try-hard.
Too something.
And yet—my thumb stops. Scrolls back. I stare at it longer than I should.
It stands out. Quiet. Different. And bi-curious guys are sometimes easier to ghost, at least in my experience. They want a one-and-done, a guy to satisfy that curiosity before they go back to girls.
Whatever. Probably a catfish. Still, I hit match. Just in case. Then I drop the phone beside me on the bed and scrub a hand down my face.
The phone buzzes again.
I sigh, already expecting it to be the rando from earlier—trying to salvage a conversation I’d already left behind.
But it’s not.
GAVIN: No way. You back on campus?
A smirk pulls at my lips. There it is.
Gavin.A hookup from my pre-exile days. All sharp edges and overconfident hands. We fooled around a few times freshman year, but never anything deep. He didn’t ask for more, and I didn’t pretend I had it to give.
GAVIN: Saw you on campus today. Thought you vanished into the gay witness protection program or something.
I snort and type back:
ME: Missed me that bad?
Three dots appear.
GAVIN: Only when I’m bored. Come out tonight. Riot’s got two-for-one drinks and a DJ who doesn’t suck.
I hesitate for all of two seconds. I should stay in. Should sleep. Should not fall back into old habits.
But my chest is still tight from earlier. My skin’s too hot. And I’m not looking to be a model of good decisions tonight.
ME: Pick me up at 10. Portman dorms.
GAVIN: Knew you couldn’t resist me.
I toss the phone onto the bed. I can. But that’s not the point. Tonight isn’t about resisting. It’s about forgetting.
THREE
COLTON
That night
The dorm is too quiet. My roommates are out somewhere.
Even with the fan on full blast and my laptop playing some mindless show in the background, I can still hear the hum under my skin. The one that started the second I saw him walk away.
