Living at the Frat House - A College Romance

Taylor’s face is a furious red as she’s abandoned in the middle of the cafeteria. Everyone that was watching is smirking as the Tri Deltas retreat and Taylor gets what she deserves. But I need to leave.

Malcolm may have defended me, but that doesn’t mean much. He would do anything to protect the legacy of Granite House, and having them be known as a house that shared one woman like that went against everything that he told me he stands for.

I head for the entrance behind me—where I had been heading when they stopped me—before Malcolm turns around. If I have to look into his face and see that anger and hatred for me, I’ll break, and I can’t afford that.

The air outside is warm and breezy, and I breathe it in. It feels good. I’ve been spending more time outside lately. Fresh air has been good for my brain.

There’s a lot to process here. From the fact that John—the boy I called the ambulance for—is Mal’s brother, to the fact that he knows everything and I had no idea how. Had he known all that about me the whole time?

If not, he must have done some serious fucking research. Hopefully that makes him hate me less, at the very least.

“Juno.”

His voice is behind me again, but I don’t stop walking.

“Juno, wait. Please.”

“What do you want, Malcolm?” I turn to face him, but I don’t have the strength to meet his eyes.

“I want you.”

I do look at him then, and I don’t see anger in his gaze. It’s something else entirely. “That’s quite the turnaround.”

He steps to me, and in a moment his mouth is covering mine. The kiss is so welcome that I can’t breathe. My whole body lights up with pleasure and magic and the feeling of relief, even though it’s not real. “Don’t do this,” I beg him. “Don’t torture me if you’re just going to walk away.”

Malcolm weaves his hand into my hair and he presses his lips to my forehead. “Will you listen to everything?” he asks. “I need to tell you some things. And after that, if you never want to see me again, I understand.”

He feels so good that I don’t want to move. It will backfire, being this close to him and not being able to have him. But I can’t say no. “Okay.”

We walk together over to one of the benches in the quad. There are a few trees around it, and it’s more secluded than some other places. At the very least, this won’t be as public as the cafeteria if it turns ugly. “Thank you,” I say. “For what you did.”

He looks like he wants to touch me, but thinks better of it. “It was the least that I could do. After everything.”

“How did you know that about me? What I did?”

“First,” Malcolm says, “I need to tell you that I’m sorry, Juno. I assumed the worst about you. I let my anger blind me. And after I accused you of assuming the worst about me, I never should have done that. I should have talked to you first before saying what I did. And if I’d listened to John, I would have.”

“Okay,” I say. That was an apology, but I’m not ready to accept it yet. Not until I hear more.

He lays everything out for me then. That he saw me at the hospital with the flowers and what he thought. What Taylor told him and how she twisted the truth to make it seem real. How he couldn’t believe the betrayal that he had felt, and finally, how Bailey had cleared everything up today when she had gone to retrieve my clothes.

“She is the best,” I say. “A really good friend.”

“Yeah,” he agrees. “And I will owe her a lot, I hope.”

I pull my legs up onto the bench and cross them. “Why?”

Malcolm moves, kneeling in front of me on the ground. He’s so much taller than me that we’re the same height right now. “Because I’m about to ask for your forgiveness again, and I’m hoping that you’ll accept it.”

“Ask,” I tell him.

He takes my hands where they’re resting in my lap. “I fucked up. Massively. Colossally. And I know that I hurt you.”

“You did,” I say.

He looks like he’s in as much pain thinking about it as I was. “I don’t ever want to see that look on your face again,” he says. “And if you’ll let me, I’m going to try to make sure that you only ever smile. I know that you’re into data, and that it’s unlikely that college relationships will last. But some do, and I know that we’re one of those couples. You fit me, Juno.”

I close my eyes, fighting the tears of relief and happiness. His fingers move, and suddenly there’s cool metal in my hands. A small silver chain. “What’s this?”