Jase wanted to gather her into his arms and never let her go, but instead he moved his hand off her shoulder and leaned back on his heels.
“It hasn’t happened yet, Tal. We’re still at school, and Scout is still God knows where with Liam. No battle, no stabbing, and no dying.” She blinked a couple of times, and he knew she was finally coming out of the vision. “See, you’re in a different kind of hell. This one is known as a guy’s college dorm room where unknown funguses and germs abound. At least, that’s what my best friend tells me.”
Talley sat up. “I’m the one who has told you that. Repeatedly.”
“Isn’t that what I just said?”
He watched as Talley ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to tuck the now-too-short pieces framing her face behind her ears. He had been counting in his head, so he knew it took her exactly seven seconds to realize their predicament.
“Oh my God, Jase. I slept in your room. I could get us both expelled!”
For a state university in the twenty-first century, the school had some old-fashioned rules regarding co-ed guests, especially in the same-sex only dorms, which both of their parents had insisted upon. Talley’s mother was afraid of those evil boys defiling her daughter, while Jase’s parents knew the only way he was getting a diploma was if he had as few distractions as possible. Jase knew the rules were of the only-on-paper, not-actually-followed-in-real-life variety, but he also knew Talley would never see it that way.
“Deep breaths, Tal. It’s no big deal. Joshua is still at the front desk—” But since fate had a sick sense of humor and hated Jase with a passion, his words were cut off by the sound of the lock turning.
“Good God, man. Did you make her sleep on the floor?” Joshua said, as he took in the scene before him. “Miss Matthews, my sincerest apologies for my roommate’s complete ignorance on how to properly treat and respect a woman. Should you ever find yourself inclined to spend the night with him again, you are more than welcome to use my bed.”
Talley rubbed at the pattern the hoodie had left on her cheek. “We were just watching TV and fell asleep. I didn’t mean to spend the night with Jase. Not that we spent-the-night-together spent the night together. Nothing happened. Nothing. He won’t even touch me.” Jase winced at the way the words sounded, and knew he deserved the look of absolute disdain Joshua was shooting him. “It was an accident. I promise. Please don’t turn us in.”
“Turn you in?”
“I don’t want to get kicked out of school. Please, Joshua. I’ll be your eternal slave.”
“Eternal slave, you say?” Joshua rubbed his chin. “Would you clean up this room?”
Talley looked at the clutter which probably did hide a few funguses and germs. “Would I get to wear gloves?”
“Sorry, but no. In fact, I’m going insist you clean it with your teeth.”
“Dude, you’re even grossing me out now,” Jase said, bouncing up and moving over to the window. He looked down at the tiny parking lot tucked in the alley behind the dorm. As he suspected, the spot marked “Hall Director” was empty. He was pretty sure the guy only came to crash once a week or so. “If you go out the back stairwell, you should make it out without being seen,” he told Talley. “Not that I think anyone actually cares, but if an RA sees you and says anything, just tell them that you left your notes for your nine o’clock class here and the guy at the front desk let you come up and grab them. Joshua will confirm your story.”
She looked at his roommate for reassurance.
“Buzzed you in and even walked up the stairs with you,” Joshua confirmed.
“I hate to make you lie for me.” Lying was akin to murder in Talley’s mind, and Jase worried more about what would happen if anyone actually did pay attention to her absconding from his dorm in the early morning light than Joshua’s morals. He knew all it would take was someone asking what she was doing for her to break down into confession mode. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I’m the one who messed up. I’ll take full responsibility for my actions.”
Or maybe she would go into full confession mode without getting caught. “Talley Anne Matthews, you will not go downstairs and turn yourself in. Do you understand me?”
“I wasn’t—”
“You were thinking about it.” She didn’t even try to deny it. That would be too much like lying. “You’re going to walk out this door, down the hall, down the back stairs, out the door, and go directly to your dorm. You will not mention to anyone that you spent the night here. Got it?”
He could tell that she wanted to remind him he wasn’t really her Pack Leader, but she couldn’t really say anything with Joshua around, which was exactly why he did it. Talley was a traditionalist when it came to Shifter and Seer hierarchy. Since he was a Dominant, she felt obligated to accept his commands when an outsider was present, which meant she would do exactly what he said, even if it conflicted with her own personal beliefs.
“I really appreciate you doing this for me,” she told Joshua as she gathered up her stuff.
“And I really appreciate you,” Joshua said, giving Jase a look that said he thought he was the only one. “You’re worth appreciation. Don’t accept anything less from anyone, okay?”
Talley froze mid-way to the door, turned back, and wrapped her arms around Joshua’s waist. “Thank you,” she said as Joshua returned her embrace. They stayed in that position for what felt like forever before Talley stepped back and finally left. Jase waited until the door clicked shut before facing his roommate.
“Was that really necessary?”
Joshua picked up one of the full-sized iPads off his desk and started pushing buttons. “Hey, she hugged me first. I can’t help it if you’re so terrified by your feelings for that girl that she has to seek comfort somewhere else.”
“I don’t—”
“You know, she’s really pretty. Like a natural kind of pretty. Most of those girls who parade themselves around here spend a ton of time and money to look good, but Talley can wake up from sleeping on the floor and still look edible.” He stopped fiddling with the iPad and sat it back in the stand on his desk where, as far as Jase could tell, it constantly resided. He wondered if the purpose of that one was just to be a bit of decoration. “Do you think she would go out with me? I mean if you’re not interested in her that way…”