CHAPTER 6

JAYDEN’S POV

Needing a distraction from the absolute mess my life had become, I pulled out my phone and texted Marcus.

Me: Party. Tonight. Dorm lounge.

Marcus: That's all the convincing I needed.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket. One thing about this school? The staff didn't give a damn what happened behind closed doors.

As long as your parents kept donating money, paying ridiculously expensive tuition, they would actually turn a blind eye to whatever mischievous shit you do.

People like Marcus and me? We use this as an advantage.

Besides, after everything that had happened this week, I needed loud music, flashing lights, bad decisions, a makeout session with a random to completely drown out my thoughts.

Because if I stayed alone for one more minute...

I'd start thinking.

And thinking was the last thing I wanted to do.

Checking the time, it was already 4:00 P.M and I could see Zander nagging about the project. I ignored it and decided to go for the party because someone like Zander didn’t deserve any help from me.

Arriving there, the room was packed.

Music blasted through the speakers, empty bottles littered every surface, and the air smelled like cheap alcohol, expensive perfume, and poor decisions.

Literally everyone were already making out against walls, on couches, and in corners like they had something to prove.

A smile tugged at my lips.

Now THIS was more my scene.

Knowing who I was I'd leave tonight with a pounding headache, zero regrets, and someone whose name I'd never bother asking.

“Dude, what are you doing here?” Marcus came up to meet me. “Aren’t you meant to be brainstorming with ZAAAANNDERRR.” I scoffed. If he expected me to spend my Friday afternoon in a library, he clearly didn't know me

“Zander can survive one evening without me.” Marcus smirked.

Ignoring his teasing and blabbering, A blonde caught my eye as it wandered through the crowd. He wasn’t trying too hard to get attention, yet somehow he had it anyway.

He looked over.

Our eyes met.

He smiled.

Marcus caught where I was looking.

“Oh…” His grin widened.

“So that’s the plan tonight?”

I shrugged.

“Maybe.”

“I don’t think you’ve ever actually ever attended any party without leaving with someone hot.’

“Why wouldn’t I?” Marcus snorted.

“At least buy him a drink before you ruin his life.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You’re dramatic.”

“I learned from you.” He said

The blond excused himself from his group and started walking toward me as though he was waiting for me to prey on him.

Well…That solved that.

We spoke and had little talks about him that I was definitely not interested in knowing about. He asked for my number.

“I’m not that generous.” He rolled his eyes before unlocking his phone and handing it to me instead.

“Then put yours in.”

“Nah.” I was beginning to feel irritated.

I deleted the blank contact page he’d opened and typed his number into my phone instead. “If I feel like calling, I will.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I hear that a lot.”

My head was spinning, a heavy, warm buzz vibrating right behind my eyes. The liquor from the club was still hitting hard. Blondy was a great kisser. Just too clingy for a hookup partner.

I reached into my pocket, looking for a distraction, and realized my phone wasn't there.

Great. I must have left the damn thing on the counter at the last lounge bar, or maybe on the couch at that afterparty. I couldn't remember. And honestly, right then, I didn't care enough to turn back around.

When I shoved the dorm door open, it hit the wall louder than I intended. The bright light of the room cut into my eyes, and there he was. Zander. Sitting at his desk like a permanent fixture, staring at his laptop with that intense, straight-laced focus he always had.

He turned to me as he stared with an expressionless but burning gaze already asking and nagging about my whereabouts.

“Great…”

Then came the knock on the open door.

I turned around, and there was the blond guy from the party. I didn't even remember his name, but I remembered letting him type his number into my phone few hours ago.

He was holding up my phone, leaning against the frame with a confident smirk. "You left your phone."

"Knew I forgot something," I muttered, taking a step toward him. He stepped inside, tossing the device onto my bed. But he didn't leave. He stood his ground, stepping right into my space, his eyes heavy with an invitation he wasn't even trying to hide.

"So..." he smirked, waiting for me to play along, waiting for the chase.

But the alcohol was making me irritable, and I definitely didn’t have the patience for this back and forth this night.

"Oh my God, you’re clingy," I said, my voice dropping its playful tone.

Before he could open his mouth to try some witty comeback, I reached out, fist twisting into the fabric of his shirt, and yanked him into me. I pressed my mouth hard against his. It wasn't a romantic gesture…..it was a sudden, aggressive release of the restless energy burning in my veins. He let out a low, muffled moan against my lips, his hands instantly coming up to grip my arms as he leaned into it.

My eyes narrowed as I looked down at him.

"Top or bottom?" I demanded, my voice a flat, low growl.

He blinked, stunned for a split second before that smirk tried to find its way back to his face. He wanted to banter. "That depends on how well you treat me tonight, baby"

"Don't fucking get me bored," I cut him off, the ice in my tone snapping his attitude right in half. I leaned down, my voice dropping to a harsh, absolute command. "Suck me off. Now."

The smirk vanished completely. His breathing turned heavy, shallow, his chest rising and falling against mine. The submission from him was instant. The command had hit him exactly how I knew it would. It immediately pleased me.

Without a single word of argument, he dropped straight to his knees right there by the door.

I stood over him, one hand resting casually on his head, looking down with total detachment. The heat in the room was purely physical.

Through it all, I didn't look at Zander once. I knew he was there, frozen at his desk, probably staring with his jaw on the floor. I didn't care. Zander's judgments, his rigid rules, his little world of textbooks and deadlines, none of it mattered to me. If he wanted to watch, he could watch. If he wanted to look away, he could look away.

When I had enough, I pulled back with a low grunt, casually shoving my clothes back into place.

The blond guy stood up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, a breathless, satisfied look returning to his eyes. He tried to save face, murmuring something about texting him when I was sober, before he finally turned and walked out.

I shut the door.

Turning around, I saw Zander still paralyzed, gripping his desk like he'd just seen a ghost.

“What?” I asked, throwing a careless look over my shoulder as I walked toward my bed. “You’ve never seen two guys make out before?”

“I’ve seen it,” he choked out. His voice was incredibly tight, strained in a way I hadn't heard before.

“Then why are you looking at me like that?”

"Because..." He hesitated, the words dying in his throat before he scrambled to find his usual defensive walls. "I'm wondering how someone as annoying and narcissistic as you managed to pull someone.”

I barked out a dark,"Ouch."

I threw myself onto my mattress, pulling the blanket up over my shoulders. I didn't even bother taking off my jeans or turning off the lights. The alcohol was pulling me under fast.

"Goodnight, Zander," I muttered into the pillow.

Within seconds, the room, the blond guy, and Zander’s staring eyes completely faded into the dark. I didn't give any of it a second thought as I drifted