“Of course,” I said. “Dana, this is Daniel. He’s the captain of our water polo team. Daniel, this is my roommate, Dana.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Daniel said. “It would be an even greater pleasure if you would join the team.”
Dana laughed. “Sports and I do not get along.”
“Inner tube water polo is not a sport, it is a calling.” He aimed his crinkle-eyed smile at Dana, and I thought I saw her flush. Dana had a thing for British accents. “We have nice parties afterwards.” Then he turned to me. “You disappeared last night, Corey.”
“I did?” It was funny to think that he hadn’t noticed my departure. I always assume that my awkward comings and goings were as vivid as neon.
“Did you leave before or after the fireworks?” Daniel asked.
“What fireworks?”
“Ah…” His expression took on the flavor of conspiracy. He swiveled around to look over both shoulders before continuing. “Your friend Hartley and his ice queen had a spat in the hallway. It was quite the blow out, really. Very theatrical.”
Dana leaned forward in her chair. “What happened?”
“Well…”
Just then, Allison set her tray down across from Daniel. “Good morning!”
“Indeed,” he agreed. “I was just telling Corey about the neighborhood brawl. She missed it.” He leaned in. “It began with Stacia shrieking ‘Nobody dumps me, Hartley!’ for all the world to hear.”
I felt my heart skip a beat, and Dana gasped. “He dumped her?”
Allison clapped her hands with glee. “He did. But not before she whipped out the L word. But then he said that if she loved him she wouldn’t be fucking her…” Allison broke off to laugh. “…Her ‘Italian Stallion’ all over Europe.”
I just sat there, dumbfounded, while my hope fairy flew in through the open door, wrestling with the duct tape across her mouth.
“Wow,” Dana breathed. “Stacia must be pissed."
“Oh, she is,” Allison nodded. “She went right from ‘I love you’ to ‘you were a big mistake.’ And he said ‘my work here is done,’ and then he left.”
“And then we all started placing bets,” Daniel said, folding a slice of bacon into his mouth.
“Bets on what?” I asked.
“On which of them will pair up first,” Allison said. “My money is on Stacia, because she’s all about her image. She has to have man candy on her arm. Now, the line of women waiting for Hartley to be single is pretty long. But he won’t replace her right away. At least I hope he doesn’t. I need time to line up my shot.” She mimed throwing a ball into a polo net. “A girl can dream, anyway.”
That was the moment Hartley walked into the dining hall, and the four of us looked up just quickly enough to make it clear that we’d been talking about him. My stomach did a little flip flop as I looked up at the newly single Hartley.
Easy, I cautioned myself. There’s no reason to get your hopes up.
But my hope fairy ripped the tape off her mouth and yelled, YES THERE IS!
Daniel wiped his mouth. “You look a little banged up, mate.” And it was true. Hartley’s eyes were red and tired.
“I may have done a little drinking late last night.” He limped around the table, circling behind Daniel and Dana to stand beside me. He dug a little pill bottle out of his pocket and tapped a couple of tablets into his palm. Tossing them in his mouth, he picked up my juice glass and drained it.
“Hey!” I protested, out of habit.
“Bad night?” Daniel asked.
Hartley shook his head. “Pretty good one, actually. But everyone I wanted to talk to was asleep, except for Bridger and his bottle of Bourbon. Hang on.” He walked my glass over to the juice dispenser and refilled it. When he came back, I could see that he was limping badly. And that would be my fault, of course.
“Your knee,” I said when he got back.
Hartley shrugged. “It’s just stiff. I woke up face down on Bridger’s floor this morning. Good times.” Then he put his fingertips under my chin, tipping my face up, and frowned. He took the bottle back out of his pocket and tapped two more tablets onto my tray. “Shake off that hangover, Callahan. We have plans tonight.”
My pulse leaped. “Since when?”
Hartley put two hands on the table and bent down, his eyes level with mine. “Since now.” Before I could register my surprise, his lips were on mine. The kiss was gentle, and over much too quickly. He straightened up, leaving me reeling. “Don’t make me beg, Callahan. It’s hard on the knee.” And then he walked away, into the kitchen.
There was a deep silence at our table for a moment, punctuated by a squeal from Dana. I felt myself turning a dark shade of red.
“Already?” Allison gaped.
Daniel snickered. “Looks like Corey lined up her shot before the whistle blew.”
It was just like Hartley to plant a kiss on me without filling in the details. I wanted to yell, “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?” at the top of my lungs. But I’m a coward. So the question I texted him was a small one.
Hartley?
Yes, beautiful?