Thursday, January 30th

Twelve dollars and a note.

'Always a great fuck. Get some breakfast. Call me later.'

With a long groan, Eden collapsed onto the stiff mattress and stared blankly at the dingy, white ceiling. Cigarette smoke and the smell of sex still swirled in the air and he scrunched his nose.

What the hell. Great fuck for who?

Well, at least it was easy. Quick and loud, but easy. Another groan and he pulled himself up off his back, then onto his feet. He shuffled the five steps into the bathroom, turning the water on scalding hot, and stepped under the spray. As his pale skin turned red, he squinted light blue eyes through wet, dusty-blond hair, thinking maybe he should try broadening his horizons. Maybe he needed a change. Not that he had the time to find someone else.

Oh, shit! What time is it?

Kicking the handle to shut off the faucet, he rushed dripping back into the bedroom and snatched his phone from the end table.

Eleven-thirty-seven.

So much for his morning class, but if he hurried, he could still make the afternoon one. After toweling dry and throwing on yesterday’s clothes, he eyed the cash and huffed. It would be a waste to leave it, but taking it basically meant he was selling himself. With a shrug, coupled with a small smirk, he grabbed the money and left.

“Don’t you have class right now?”

Eden glared at his roommate, tossing his keys and phone onto the kitchen counter. “Shut up. I’m not in the mood.”

She only giggled, then coughed as a long arm wrapped around her neck, bringing her into a gentle choke hold. “Come on, babe. Leave the poor guy alone.”

Flashing a sweet grin, Justin moved his hand over his girlfriend’s mouth, muffling any response. Alex’s brow shifted low, obviously frowning under her prison, and Eden couldn’t help smiling. He drew the cash out of his pocket and set it next to his phone. With her expression changing to curiosity, Alex pulled the hand away.

“What’s that for?”

“Apparently I’m being paid for my services now.” Eden smirked again, finding it amusing in a bitterly disappointing kind of way. “And apparently, a night with me is worth a twelve-dollar breakfast.”

He poured himself a tall travel mug of coffee and wondered why it bothered him at all. Normally, he wouldn’t have thought twice about it. Alex pushed herself free and stomped over, taking the crisp bills and throwing them into the trash.

“What the hell, babe,” Justin said with a light sigh, following her and plucking them back out. “It’s still money. What are you tossing it for?”

“He’s treating your friend like a whore and you don’t care?” She was fuming now, her face red and fists clenched at her sides. “Makes me so mad.”

Eden snorted a laugh at her and gave her shoulder a pat. With her short stature, it seemed like he was soothing a tantrum-throwing child, which only made him laugh again.

“Calm down. We’re having sex anyway, right? Now I’m getting something out of it.”

He didn’t wait for her reply, heading into his bedroom to change clothes and grab his bag. Since he refused to stay and listen to reason, Alex followed and put her mouth to the closed door.

“If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it. I don’t understand why you’re still with that guy.”

Rolling his eyes, he ran the Thursday class schedule through his mind and glanced around to be sure he wasn’t missing anything. There was only Biology, but he had an independent lab to work on, so he would have to stay late on campus. At least now he had some cash to get lunch with. This late into January, his dining card was already spent.

“Are you ignoring me?” Alex asked, still standing outside frowning when he opened the door.

“Yes.”

She huffed and followed him back into the kitchen. “I’m just worried about you.”

“Worry about someone else.” He took his keys and phone, then stuffed the cash into his wallet. “I never said I didn’t enjoy it. It’s fine, and easy. And mutual. So let it go.”

Another huff and Justin chuckled, putting his arm around her again. “Babe. Just because you want him to be in a relationship doesn’t mean he wants that.”

“Yeah,” she sighed out, resigned to the situation for now, and her head leaned against her boyfriend’s shoulder.

She wasn’t necessarily wrong. After moving to start college, Eden spent the first few months pent up and lonely but too busy to do anything about it. As a twenty-four-year-old freshman, he was five or six years older than most of the students around him. Finding a gay fuckbuddy among classmates seemed awkward at best. Then he met Dean at the local, hole-in-the-wall gay bar and they had fit together well. There were a few other one-night stands since, but some of them were creepy or strange or interested in things he wasn’t, and the rest were just bad or boring.

Out of his limited selection, Dean was the best, lived alone, and their arrangement became comfortable. He wasn’t looking for someone to sweep him off his feet or blow his mind. All he really needed was a warm body and something better than his own hand.

“Did you think about that class?” Justin’s voice cut through his daze. “It’s a twelve-week, so you have until tomorrow to register.”

Throwing on a coat and pulling the strap of his bag over his head, Eden grabbed the coffee mug. “I’m not interested in art.”

“It’s not really art,” his friend argued with a toothy grin. “It’s photography. And Miss Alexandra here is taking it too. You need the gen-eds, and it’ll be fun if we all take it together.”

“Yeah, alright. Maybe.”

He wasn’t too excited about that kind of class, but Justin was correct. He did need the credits. At least this way he wouldn’t be completely surrounded by strangers.

“Sounds like a yes to me.”

Alex copied her boyfriend’s grin and he sighed, not needing to respond. They had only lived together six months, but the couple already knew him so well. He turned and quickly raised his hand as a goodbye. If he didn’t leave now, he would miss the bus and yet another class.