Gravity (Greenford #2) - Romeo Alexander Page 0,13

and calmness about him. Other than the unfamiliar dark rings under his eyes and maybe the beginning of a wrinkle or two, he didn’t look any different.

And then Caleb looked up from his menu, and their eyes met.

It was almost comical, seeing the other man’s eyes widen as he realized who he was looking at. Humor was the last thing on Samuel’s mind as he stared into the man’s hazel eyes and felt his heart trip over itself.

Despite its reputation as a quiet town, Greenford still had plenty of life in it. Of course, that required its inhabitants to go to one of the few bars in town and the only club. There was talk of more businesses cropping up in the future, but that was too far in the future for Samuel. At nineteen, he needed a lot more activity and good times to keep him happy.

It was a good thing there were parties on the campus, though.

Though as he gazed around the packed floor of the frat house, filled to the brim with what felt like every student on campus, he wondered if maybe he should have stayed in his dorm for the night. Normally he was happy to go to any random party, drink himself silly, and enjoy the night. Yet, for some reason, he just wasn’t feeling it and was sorely tempted to go home early.

His friends had already dispersed for their own various reasons. He was pretty sure half of them were either getting laid or working on getting there. The rest had decided that some of the drinking games, dancing, or lively conversations in different pockets of the house were of interest.

And there he was, left to sit on a ragged couch and contemplate finishing his drink or setting it aside and leaving.

“You look like you’re having a great time over here.”

At the unfamiliar voice, Samuel looked up. Dark hazel eyes were looking down at him, thin lips curled into a playful smile. Samuel looked the stranger over, wondering how he’d never seen this man before. He was pretty sure he would have remembered him if he had.

“Just contemplating the contents of my drink,” Samuel told him.

The man motioned to the seat beside him. “You mind?”

Samuel laughed. “Manners, at a drunken frat party? What’s the world coming to?”

That made the stranger’s eyes crinkle at their corners. “I’m a trendsetter.”

“Well, random trendsetter, why don’t you make yourself comfortable? Maybe I’ll even have a reason to stick around for a little longer if you do.”

It wasn’t long before he found out the friendly stranger’s name was Caleb, and the reason Samuel hadn’t seen him before was he spent most of his time on the other side of the campus. Health sciences was his game, and from the sleekness of his arm muscles and the way his jeans hugged his thighs, Samuel thought it was doing good things for him.

He also learned that Caleb was a little more reserved than his bold greeting might have alluded to. Prone to letting Samuel prattle on, listening attentively as his eyes glittered with amusement and interest. He was fond of good food and lamented that the campus offered little of it. He wasn’t big on parties but needed to stretch his social legs every now and then.

And he also learned that Caleb was available that following Friday.

“So, does that mean I might be able to convince you to grab a couple of drinks and food with me?” Samuel asked.

“I think I can find the time,” Caleb told him, giving him a small, secret smile.

“Sam?” Caleb asked softly, his voice carrying over the quiet patio.

“Caleb,” Samuel said, cocking his head. “What are you doing here?”

Lucas shifted in the booth across from him, reminding him that his friend was there. Samuel glanced at him, finding Lucas watching him with a curious expression but otherwise keeping quiet.

Caleb looked around uneasily before setting his menu aside and walking over. When he grew closer, Samuel could see that the additional muscle mass hadn’t been an illusion. Caleb really had gotten bigger. It also threw the dark rings under his eyes into even greater focus, and Samuel had to bite back the worried question that probably would have sounded like a judgment.

Jesus Caleb, why aren’t you sleeping? I was always telling you to go to the doctor for that.

“Uh, sorry,” Samuel said to Lucas hastily. “Lucas, this is…”

His...what? Calling Caleb a friend would have been a stretch. They hadn’t spoken in over four years. But he