“And me.” Professor Tuttle yawned. “And I’ll make some inquiries as well. I may not know as many people as Conrad these days, but I’ll see what I can turn up.”
“Thank you, sir.” Milo nodded at him.
“And on that note, I think it’s getting late.” Professor Herrera started clearing plates from the table. “The professor needs his beauty rest.”
“Oh, hush. Once upon a time, I could greet dawn after a night of cards.” Professor Tuttle smiled fondly.
“We’ll help clean.” The six of us managed to get dishes done and camera equipment stored in short order. As soon as we were outside on the sidewalk, Milo pulled out his phone.
“Sorry. My phone was blowing up in there. Wouldn’t stop vibrating. I better make sure it’s not my mom.” He clicked it on and then groaned, breath hanging in the chilly evening air. “Oh, F my life.”
“What?” I touched his arm, finally getting the contact I’d been craving for hours, but his thundercloud expression had my back tightening.
“James and Luther are having a party. Again. Damn it. I don’t want to go home and deal with that crap. And there goes any chance of sleep before our early start tomorrow.”
Finally, an easy problem I could solve. “So don’t.”
“Don’t what? Get an early start? I’ll be fine. Extra coffee or whatever. Just wish my stupid door locked.”
“You don’t need to deal with all that. Come back with me.” My heart battered against my rib cage, like hurricane-strength winds sweeping through me, equal parts terror and anticipation as I waited for his answer.
Chapter Twenty
Milo
Jasper wanted me to come back with him, and I had to pause so that I didn’t echo the solid “Hell yes” my body was giving to that idea. Too eager wouldn’t be cool, so I took a breath.
But before I could speak, Jasper added, “Not for that. I wouldn’t want you to feel pressured…”
“I don’t,” I said a little too quickly. If anything, I was now worried about being the one doing the pressuring. “And I don’t want to put you out. I can deal with my stupid roommates.”
“You’re not putting me out. I have one of those chairs that unfolds into a spare bed. I slept there last time Kellan and Jasmine had a fight. It’s not bad.” Jasper’s voice was as quick as his strides on the way back to the car.
“Okay.” So much for my idea of going somewhere and parking. Screw James and Luther. There was now a very weird vibe between Jasper and me after such a nice, cozy evening where it had felt like we were dancing toward…something, and I had no idea how to fix things.
Jasper drove the short distance back to the university, parking in the same lot where I’d dropped him off last time. The campus was cold and quiet, Saturday night fun all probably happening off campus. Like at James and Luther’s place. I barely avoided growling out loud at the thought.
“Am I going to get you in trouble with dorm rules?” I asked as he found a parking spot.
“No. This is the oldest of the upper-class dorms. I think sometimes the college forgets that they haven’t demolished the building yet. And there’s an RA, but he’s cool. No sign-in sheets or anything like how the freshman dorms have.”
“Cool.” Needing to feel useful, I grabbed one of Jasper’s deck bags once we were out of the car. “Lead the way.”
“Heck. I forgot to tell you.” Stopping short of the door, he glanced down at my leg. “No elevator. This building is old.”
“I’ll be fine.” Four flights of stairs later, I was less sure, but no way was I going to complain about pain now.
Jasper’s room was on the top floor, at the end of a narrow hallway that snaked its way around, vintage wall sconces and dark colors making me feel like we were in some old and musty castle. The lock, however, was the newer kind and Jasper used his key card to let us in to a little room. It wasn’t that much bigger than mine, but size was the only similarity. Color was everywhere—bedding advertising a popular movie franchise, a mountain of pillows, an overflowing bookcase, and tons of posters for Odyssey and other games and movies.
“No comments on my superhero bedding.” His laugh lacked some of his usual certainty.
“Nah. I dig it. I was going to say that your room is way neater than I expected.” I toed my shoes off, leaving them next to his by the door. I liked how they looked lined up together.
“Tell that to my mom.” A pink stain spread up his neck. “And…uh…I might have cleaned up some this morning.”
“You were planning?” Maybe there was hope for more kissing after all.
“Not planning. But I figured I’d show you the place at some point.” Jasper shrugged, his deliberately casual tone as hard to read as his flushed face. Giving up on trying to figure him out, I returned to studying the space, gaze landing on one of the many pieces of paper on the giant corkboard over his desk.