Cory
“TIME for yer chocolate fix, kids.” After seating me and removing two bottles of water from my backpack, and then actually opening them for us, Brett slipped a small brown bag from out of his denim jacket’s pocket.
“You sure know the way to my heart.” Ally looked up at him and batted her long dark lashes a few times before reaching into the bag. “Yummm—I love malted milk balls!”
“Chocolate knows the path directly to my heart too.” I held my hand out for a few.
Brett elbowed me lightly in the shoulder. “That there’s pretty much what I’m countin’ on.” Those words were followed by a sexy wink, and I felt my heart melt—no malted milk balls required to get the job done. “You two runnin’ today after class?”
“It’s Thursday, so, yeah.” Ally answered, crunching down hard on a candy and then nodding to acknowledge Brett’s meaningful “take care of Cory” look. Brett ruffled my hair a bit and headed for the door.
I watched as Brett sort of swaggered away, clad in denim and a black T-shirt and rugged biker boots. To a casual observer he’d appear aloof, even dangerous. Yes, Brett certainly had mastered the bad-boy persona. But I knew that wasn’t the real Brett at all.
“That man is smitten. I don’t care if you think he’s not gay.” Ally glanced at me cautiously. “But Ben said that his friends all think he dominates you.”
I shook my head. “I’m not even slightly dominated, Ally. Protected is a better word… and I agreed to this arrangement before we ever moved here. In fact, I asked for it.”
“I know he’s one of the good guys, Cory. You don’t have to convince me.”
“Does Ben know it?”
Ally shrugged, clearly unsure. “You know, boyfriend, I think it’s time we showed him how great Brett is, don’t you?” She allowed a crooked smile.
“What are you up to, Al?” The professor and his assistant entered the room, so I opened my computer and switched the power on. “I can always tell when you’re being devious.”
She followed suit with her own laptop, and then she flashed her eyes at me and said, “I’m developing a brilliant plan….” When the power came on she typed a few words quickly and then asked me, “What do you think of this?”
At first, the homepage of Leighton University flashed on her screen, soon to be replaced by the Undergraduate French Club’s page. “The L.U. Annual French Club Fashion Show?” I didn’t see how this had anything at all to do with Brett and Ben.
“Yeah, it’s Saturday night, a fund-raiser for the French Club’s annual Paris trip. I went last year; it was a blast. Can Brett get the night off work? Because I think we should dress up the boys, have them treat us to a nice dinner at the Tavern on the Green, and then hit the fashion show!”
“Um, Ally, do you want them to have fun, or do you want to torture them?” Dropping another malted milk ball into my mouth, I suggested, “Because if you want them to have fun, you should think more in terms of sporting events. Too bad the World Series is over already. They definitely would have had fun watching the Red Sox wallop the Rockies.”
Ally was enjoying my confusion. “No sporting events—this is one of Ben’s only Saturdays off from football this fall. I’m not about to find myself sitting in another sweaty stadium, and besides, this is going to work like a charm.” There was a twinkle in her eyes.
“How so? Sorry, but I just can’t see it.”
“You need to be more devious, Cory, really you do.” After one quick spurt of laughter, she said brightly, “Ben and Brett will be forced to bond over their mutual misery!”