“So, where do you want to go?” I ease the car into drive and pull onto the main road, headed toward campus. I know Rocco lives in one of the residence halls, and my apartment is only a few blocks from the college.
“Uh...it’s kinda late, I guess.” Rocco reaches up and scratches the back of his head.
“It is, and I’m wiped out. We need sleep.”
“Probably.” Rocco stares at the floor of the car, obviously distressed.
“What is it?”
I watch him out of the corner of my eye, and he only shrugs.
“Ugh.” I abruptly pull the car into a gas station and stop. I reach over and grab Rocco’s face in both hands. “What’s wrong?”
He glances out the window, but I hold his head firmly in my hands. Eventually, he has to look back at me.
“I guess...I’m sorry it’s over,” he says.
“Over?” I narrow my eyes. “What’s over?”
“Tonight.”
“Who said anything about it being over?” I grin at him, releasing his face from my hands. “I said we need sleep. I mean together. We just need to decide if we’re going to your place or mine. I’m thinking yours.”
“M-m-my place?”
“Is that okay? It’s, like, four in the morning. My roommate will be getting up in two hours and starting aerobics in the living room. If I’m there, I might kill her. It’s in everyone’s best interest if I stay somewhere else tonight.”
“I...uh...”
“What?”
“I don’t think I’m supposed to have overnight visitors in the dorm room.”
“Well, thankfully it’s closer to morning than night.”
“I don’t have a parking space or anything like that.”
“There’s student parking all around the dorms, Roc. I have a parking pass.” I raise an eyebrow, waiting to see how many excuses he’s going to come up with before he says what’s really bothering him.
“Oh.” He continues to fidget, and it’s driving me crazy.
“Out with it!” I glare at him until he finally gives me a reasonable answer—well, Rocco’s version of reasonable, anyway.
“No one ever comes to my room,” he says quietly. “Cree has a key, but that’s only in case I stop showing up to classes. I’ve never had a...a...”
“A girl in your room?”
“Yeah. That.”
“Do you want me to be in your room?”
“I...I...” Rocco shakes his head a little, but I don’t get the impression that’s he saying no.
“You don’t want to decide?”
“It’s...very different,” he says quietly.
“Because you’ve never done it before or because you’re not sure if you want me there?”