Keeping Casey (Keeping Him #1) - Amy Aislin Page 0,66

late morning class on the way.

“We’ve got three spare bedrooms. Two of you will have to bunk up,” Cody said over his shoulder. “I’m assuming you’re okay to bunk with Ethan.”

“Yup!”

He showed Casey first to Theo’s room, then Brant’s, where Casey left their backpacks. Then he took him to a room at the front of the house with taupe walls, a narrow bookshelf holding various knickknacks—a glass bowl, framed photos, and a few Trailblazers-branded items—and a double bed topped with a blue-and-green plaid comforter. In the window hung a wooden sun catcher about the size of his hand, shaped like a sun. The center had been cut out and replaced with a crystal ball.

“This will be you and Ethan,” Cody said.

Casey dropped his and Ethan’s backpacks next to the door, smiling at the button he’d given Ethan at the start of the semester. I dig you. Smiling wider at the button on his own backpack. Forget hydrogen, you’re my number one element.

He hadn’t read too much into it when he’d first found it on his bag. In hindsight, he should have.

“Just do me a favor and keep the shenanigans down.”

Casey’s brow furrowed. “The . . . what?”

“Shenanigans,” Cody repeated. “The laundry room is downstairs next to the bathroom. You dirty the sheets, you wash ’em.”

Dirty the . . . Wait a minute. Cody had given them the farthest room from the master bedroom and the farthest from the other two spare rooms.

Jesus. Casey gulped, staring at the bed with renewed interest, body heating. They didn’t have roommates here, did they?

They’d be all alone in this room.

All night.

For hours.

Just him and Ethan.

Was it suddenly too hot in here?

“Come on,” Cody said, already making his way back to the stairs. “Let’s go back to the party and get something to eat.”

With the direction Casey’s thoughts were going, he might need a cold shower first.

Ethan stood in conversation with Harkrader and a couple members from the Traiblazers, Vause and Zanetti. Although in conversation was perhaps not technically accurate given that he was mostly standing within their little circle and letting the conversation happen around him, content to listen and nod along. He bumped his shoulder against Harkrader’s in silent thanks for sticking with him, his “backup” as Harkrader had jokingly called it. It was just that making small talk with people he didn’t know was basically Ethan’s least favorite thing in the world.

That being said, this kind of party was much more his style than the ones that had been thrown at the House. Parties at the House were all beer pong and thumping music and couples making out in the corner. Roman and Cody’s potluck consisted of multiple small groups of chatting people munching on homemade food, a handful of children aged eight and under playing with toy cars at the foot of the stairs, and drinks poured into actual glasses instead of red Solo cups.

It was all so civilized.

Except this was a hockey team, and so “civilized” was relative. Currently, Harkrader, Vause, and Zanetti were cracking up over a bad “that’s what she said” joke.

Off to his left, Theo was talking to a couple of the Trailblazers’ forwards; Honeybun, leanly muscled and dark-haired, and Ritz, bigger and wider and dark blond to Honeybun’s brown. Ritz said something that made Theo laugh, and Honeybun gazed at him adoringly and kissed the corner of his mouth.

Huh. So that was what Cody meant with the whole what you see and hear in this house stays in this house.

“Hey.” Casey appeared at his side, eyes a little wild, and pulled him aside. “Can I borrow your car? I have to run an errand.”

“Now?” The party was in full swing. Where could he possibly have to go?

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I need to get . . . things.”

Ethan squinted at him. “What things?”

“Just . . .” Casey’s gaze shifted away. “Things.”

“Are you embarrassed about the chips? You don’t need to get anything else. We’re already here. If you want, I can tell Roman and Cody that the potato salad was from both of us.”

“What? No. It’s too late for that anyway and—” Cutting himself off, he waved his hands. “No, I just need to go to the pharmacy. Or a grocery store. Whatever’s closest.”

“’Kay.” Ethan dug his car keys out of his pocket. “Then I’ll come with you. Let’s go.”

Casey sputtered at him as he led the way to the front door. Outside, it was cold, and the sun had set, stars sprinkling the darkened sky. The voices from inside