On His Face - Tabatha Kiss Page 0,23

Drew. He sits there, strong and casual as ever, almost as if the thought of spending another party with me doesn’t fill him with dread.

Maybe that kiss really did for him what he said it’d do.

We’re acquaintances and nothing more.

“Sure,” I answer. “Yeah, I’m in.”

Seth pounds the table with his fist. “Excellent!” He chugs the last of his coffee and nods at Drew. “We should head out.”

“Yup,” Drew says.

“We’ll pick you up at sundown on Friday,” Seth says as he stands. “Where are you staying these days?”

“Uh...” I hesitate. “218 Shanice Street.”

He tilts his head in surprise. “Well, look at you. Squatting on Shanty.”

“It’s nicer than it looks from the curb.” I roll my eyes. “That’s a lie. It’s awful, but… affordable.”

“Yeah, I bet.” He laughs. “See you then, Heidi.”

“See you then,” I repeat.

Drew stands and hovers for a second as he waits for Seth’s back to turn.

Then, he smiles.

“Bye, Heidi,” he says as he leaves.

I take a step back to give him room, keeping one eye on Seth to make sure he doesn’t pick up on anything he shouldn’t. Not that there is anything to pick up on, right?

Acquaintances.

“Bye, Drew,” I say.

A beach party?

I can hear Jenna shrieking in the distance already.

Auto-pilot engaged.

I clear their table, spotting delicious cash next to Drew’s mug. I reach for it, pausing as I count one too many zeroes on the bill.

1-0-0?

That can’t be right.

I pick it up. I blink twice.

Nope, I read it right.

Drew left me a one-hundred-dollar tip.

I search for him at the entrance, but he and Seth are long gone now.

Was it a mistake? Or did he do this on purpose?

If so, why?

I pocket the cash and get back to work.

Chapter 13

Heidi

I walk up the porch of the Delta Xi house. The door is wide open, but I pause in the doorway and knock first.

“Hello?” I ask, my voice echoing slightly.

The atmosphere is different than last night. The foyer is empty, not packed to the brim with party-goers with red cups in their hands.

“Yo!” someone greets me from the couch in the next room over. “Come on in.”

I stick my head in, spotting a guy with a math textbook balanced on his knee. “Hey,” I say, stepping inside.

He does a quick double-take, eying my uniform. “Oh, sweet!” he says. “Does Manny’s deliver now?”

I glance down at my uniform and shake my head. “No. I’m actually looking for Drew. Is he here by chance?”

He shrugs with disappointment. “Drew who?” he asks. “We’ve got two.”

“Uh...” I pause, realizing I don’t know his last name. “He rooms with Seth Newbury.”

“Oh, that’s Rose.” He points toward the stairwell. “Third floor. Last door on the right.”

“Thanks.”

I walk up the stairs, feeling a little self-conscious about the uniform. Should have changed, I guess.

I reach the third floor and turn right, following his instructions. The door sits slightly ajar. I pause, verifying the names on the tag first. Seth Newbury. Drew Rose.

Rose. I smile. That’s cute.

I knock twice.

“It’s open!”

My ears perk. It’s definitely Drew, but his voice is strained with quick, labored breaths.

I push the door open the rest of the way.

Drew dangles from a pull-up bar attached to the open closet doorway. His bare back glistens with sweat as he rises and lowers. Rises and lowers. Rises and...

Good lord, those lats.

Drew drops to his feet. He spins around to face me, pausing with interest when he sees it’s me standing in the doorway. “Hey, Heidi,” he says, out of breath.

“H-h-hey,” I stutter as I see his abs. There’s a tattoo along his right ribs. Greek letters. Alpha Delta Xi.

Gulp.

“Sorry to interrupt your workout,” I say.

“Oh, you didn’t,” he says, motioning at the bar. “Just finished my daily thousand,” he claims, flexing his core.

“You do a thousand pull-ups a day?” I ask, sensing bullshit.

“No.” He smirks. “I do a thousand pull-ups twice a day.”

I snort. “I’m sure you do.”

He grabs a towel off the back of a desk chair. “You looking for Seth?” he asks.

“Uh, no,” I say, stepping forward into the room. It’s a medium-sized room, large enough for two twin beds, two desks, and a TV stand in the corner. Not a terrible arrangement. “I came to see you, actually.”

“Little old me?” He dabs the sweat off his forehead and drapes the towel over the back of his neck. “Whatever did I do to deserve this honor?”

I reach into my pocket for the one-hundred-dollar bill.

He nods. “Oh. That.”

I step closer, but not too close. “I can’t accept this.”

“Why not?”

“You tipped a hundred on a thirteen-dollar