“Not to change the topic, but I do have an idea how we can end this prank war,” he said to get them back to why they were up on the roof.
He had their full attention.
David was just full of surprises. He had invited them to dinner nearby. But it turned out that dinner was actually going to be at a townhouse he owned on the edge of campus, where three of his high school friends were living. Another shocker was that David was on the USC baseball team, and he’d confessed that he planned to walk on to the football team. He had invited two of his baseball teammates to join everyone for dinner, which ... wait for it ... he was cooking.
Lindsey realized he was probably right to conceal his identity for now, based on her own reactions. Jamie had even had to remind Lindsey that she couldn’t post anything on social media. That would have probably sent Finn into a jealous rage because while David was drop-dead gorgeous, his teammates, Allard and Seamus, were hot as well.
David’s description of Allard, which he gave on the way over, was pretty accurate, Lindsey thought. He’d described Allard as a backwoods good ol’ boy from Arkansas, with a wild mop of golden hair that made him look like he belonged in a heavy-metal rock band. Seamus had this panty-dropping Irish brogue that caught her interest. The rest of the package only enhanced the overall attraction.
David made a quick stop at the grocery store before they got to the townhouse. When they all walked in, he’d introduced Tracy, Pam, and Cassidy to his new friends. He put the grocery bags on the counter.
“I’m going to go change. Can you get everything out?” David asked Cassidy.
He winked at everyone when Cassidy opened the first bag. She zeroed in on a chocolate cupcake, grinning like a mischievous pixie. Her smile was infectious.
“Mine,” she announced.
He chuckled as he disappeared.
’Holy fucking hotness!’ Lindsey thought.
When David came back, his jeans were worn and scuffed with age, but they fit him like a second skin. She’d become used to the idea of him being pudgy. Maybe her boyfriend wasn’t all that great after all.
“We were just getting ready to tell them about why Andres wants to kick your butt,” Allard shared.
David got a disgusted look on his face.
“Everyone says they want you to be honest with them, but apparently that’s not the case. What are the odds he’ll forget about it and leave me alone on Monday?”
“About the same as a bull not charging at the flapping red cape,” Allard answered. “Olé, my candid matador.”
“One of our teammates finally got a shot at a girl he’s been lusting after since last year,” David said to tell the story.
Lindsey watched as he leaned over, his well-defined biceps propped on the countertop, and looked right into her eyes. She had no doubt he had no idea what his good looks did to women.
“Crystal...”
“Don’t tell me she’s a stripper?” Tracy asked.
The baseball players laughed.
“That puts some impure thoughts into me wee mind,” Seamus said.
“God knows what a bad idea that is,” Allard quipped.
“Crystal,” David repeated, “broke up with him because she found someone better.”
“Who?” Seamus asked.
“I heard she was seen out with Matt Long, the quarterback who’s set to take over from Ridge Townsend,” David explained.
“Do it with the voices,” Allard encouraged David.
It was apparent David had told this story more than once. He got this sad, weepy look on his face.
“I don’t understand why she broke up with me,” he mimicked and then fell back into his own voice. “Obviously, she thought she could do better.”
Then David put his weepy face back on.
“I just need to find someone better,” he mimicked. “I had to set him straight. I mean, think about it. If I can kick your butt at Xbox, do you need to find someone better to play against? Maybe you should lower your expectations. Play on easy mode for a while until you get your confidence back. Maybe date someone like Lindsey.”
“Three ... two ... one...” Kirk counted down.
“David!” every girl in the room complained.
“See, he’s funnier than you thought,” Jamie said to Lindsey.
David made a variety of tacos for everyone. Lindsey had to admit that she might have eaten more than her diet allowed for, but damn, they were good.
His friends from back home all seemed to love him, and they weren’t afraid to tell stories about him. It was interesting to see David as he really was. By the end of the night, Lindsey was surprised to realize she had all but forgotten how his looks affected her.
She could tell that he was a leader, but he didn’t dominate the conversation like the jocks back home had tended to do.
On the ride home, she claimed the front seat.
“When I first learned who you really were, I couldn’t decide if I should be mad or not. Then I found myself being a fangirl,” Lindsey admitted.
“What about now?”
“I’ll keep your secret, but there’s a price. You have to be nice to me.”
“Linds, what would be the fun in that?” Kirk chimed in from the back seat.
“You make it so easy to punk you sometimes,” David said with a twinkle in his eye. “But I’ll try.”
“Thanks.”
Chapter 17
David
David had survived another week of school. He’d made the executive decision to quit going to the coffee shop after his runs. Not because he was embarrassed to have hooked up with Kat’s roommate, Yong. Rather, because when that happened, David realized he’d already decided on some level that he and Kat wouldn’t work.
On reflection, he’d initially pursued Kat because all the other guys wanted her, and for good reason. The Goth Barbie look was different enough that it caught attention. Doreen admitted that Kat made triple the tips any of the other girls working there did.
Frankly, David wasn’t looking for a girlfriend right now; he would just as soon hook up with someone like Yong—at least until he got a handle on college. He didn’t have the time to wine and dine someone, let alone work toward a deeper relationship.
On the other hand, he didn’t want to turn into the typical Hollywood type who randomly hooked up with girls. That had been the main reason he’d avoided the Baseball House.
For Kat, he’d been willing to make an exception. Unfortunately, the more David got to know her, the more he realized they weren’t right for each other. Her binge-drinking aside, they just didn’t have that much in common.
He’d stuck it out in the hope of finally getting her into his bed. In the end, he was happy he hadn’t. It would have complicated his life, and right now, he wasn’t looking for complications.
This was a big weekend: the baseball team would be playing their first game on Sunday, which wouldn’t really count because it was against their alumni. Next week, the team would travel to North Carolina to play Wake Forest for a Friday-Saturday-Sunday series. David was set to fly out Thursday afternoon, so he would have to avail himself of the athletic department’s nifty get-out-of-jail letters they sent to professors. Margaret, his tutor, had given him the information on how to go about it.
Tonight was their floor’s turn to host the weekly dorm party. Alex was excited and wanted the floor residents to put their best foot forward.
“Squeak will be here in a minute,” Alex said, referring to his sister, Natalia, who lived in the mirror image of their suite but at the other end of the hall. “She wants to know if you’ll take her to the store to get party supplies.”
David hadn’t seen much of Nat. She’d formed her own group of friends over the previous semester. Her absence, in general, was similar to Alex’s, except Alex spent the majority of his time with his buddies on the USC soccer team.