The Sweetest Scent Part 21

"Yes, I am. You too?"

"Oh, been there, done that." Parker sighed dramatically, with a bored expression. Then he smirked. "But I can keep you two company on the tour, and give you all the dirt and innuendo while our guide gives us only the tedious bits."

Lacey chuckled. "I'm looking forward to that show, good sir."

"I'm not that good." Parker winked. He was sort of an oddball, but Lacey found she liked it a lot.

"Neither am I," she teased right back, and Parker feigned puritan shock. "Well, since you know where orientation is, lead on."

"As thy heart desires, dear lady." Parker bowed theatrically again.

As Lacey hid her giggle behind her hand, planning on enjoying the day for all it was worth. A new friend definitely improved the day, and she was eager to learn more about Parker, the apparent life's drama major.

At the same moment, the door to the admissions office opened, and a young man came out, studying a stack of papers he was holding. He was handsome in a natural, no-nonsense kind of way, with translucent green eyes, dark golden hair gelled into trendy spikes above his head, and a man's square jaw with a tiny indentation on it. He had huge shoulders, a barrel chest, and arms and thighs like tree trunks, and the rest of his muscular body was equally riveting.

Too bad Lacey knew the real guy beneath the hot veneer. "Deacon...?"

Chapter 18.

ABOUT the same time, Bro was hanging out with his best friend, Bradley Carlisle, and Bradley's girlfriend, Audrey Thorne. They were all going to attend Howard University in DC, and they'd had their orientation two weeks ago. Now they were all simply strolling around the college grounds, searching for the best places to have a bite to eat, hang around and chat, and study in relative peace and quiet. the same time, Bro was hanging out with his best friend, Bradley Carlisle, and Bradley's girlfriend, Audrey Thorne. They were all going to attend Howard University in DC, and they'd had their orientation two weeks ago. Now they were all simply strolling around the college grounds, searching for the best places to have a bite to eat, hang around and chat, and study in relative peace and quiet.

"I'm hungry," Bradley complained for like the thousandth time in thirty minutes.

Bro rolled his eyes. "We just had lunch at the cafeteria."

"That was hours ago!"

"A little over one hour, actually," Audrey teased, making an exaggerated gesture of checking the time from her iPhone.

Bradley glowered down at his girlfriend, who smirked shamelessly. Where Bradley was the embodiment of an all-American jock, tall, broad-shouldered, and imposing with his short dark hair, light-brown eyes, and rugged features, Audrey was a total babe, though a head shorter than her boyfriend. Her long black hair was free today, cascading down her back, and this illusion of height was only accentuated by her long jeans-covered legs and the skimpiest shirt that could still be called a shirt, definitely exposing the shape of her perky b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

The two of them were young and beautiful, and as high school sweethearts, they seemed to live and breathe for each other. They were a picture-perfect couple.

Even their constant bickering was sort of endearing, Bro mused.

"Just because you eat like a mouse doesn't mean the rest of us should go without," Bradley countered from on high. He was only an inch taller than Bro, though.

"I thought she ate like a rabbit, only salads and stuff. You know, rabbit food?" Bro cut in, knowingly aggravating Audrey.

"Men!" Audrey huffed. "Silly carnivores. When you all die out when there's no more meat left, we vegetarians will rule the world."

"No meat left?" both Bradley and Bro exclaimed loudly, shocked.

Audrey laughed her wicked, taunting laugh. "Guess you two will have to resort to cannibalism to survive."

Bro and Bradley stopped midstep, stared at each other warily, and in unison shouted, "I call dibs on white meat!" Then they started chortling, and Audrey shook her head with a playful scolding.

"I'm gonna head out to the undergraduate library, guys," Audrey hollered at them, and was off before either man even got his s.h.i.t together.

Bro stared at her receding back. HU Law School was, unfortunately, not close to the rest of the campus, about half an hour away on bike. As a pre-law undergrad, Audrey had some cla.s.ses there, so she got herself a bike to facilitate moving between the two areas, and she lived with Bradley about halfway between, at a small but convenient double overlooking Piney Branch Park. "Dude, I can't believe you're dating a law student."

Bradley growled. "Why's that funny?"

Bro snorted. "'Cause you're not exactly the most law-abiding-"

"She'll protect me when she becomes a defense attorney."

"What if she decides on being a prosecutor instead?"

"No money in that."

"Since when has Audrey been interested in making a profit? She's got ideals and values and stuff."

Bradley sighed, but with a happy, lopsided grin. "Yeah.... She's great."

"Not my cup of tea." Bro shuddered at the mere thought, but unsure if the reaction was because Audrey was a girl or because she was like his sister, being his best friend's girl and all.

"You don't know what you're missing, brother." Bradley smiled at Bro with a dare.

Bro sneered with amus.e.m.e.nt. "Right back at you, man."

Bradley frowned with a contemplative look. "Lacey, huh? Hmm. I wonder if-"

"Don't even think it, dude!"

Bro's fierce countenance seemed to only egg Bradley on. "But you just said-"

"f.u.c.k that! You touch Lacey, and I'll rip your arm out of its socket and beat you to death with it."

"Wow. That's... graphic." Then Bradley chuckled and slapped Bro mildly on the back in comradely fashion. "Come on, pal. You know I've got no interest in sucking d.i.c.k, only eating p.u.s.s.y."

"Eww!" Bro's stomach flipped unpleasantly, but at least he tried not to grimace as hard as he wanted to.

Bradley laughed with a deep rumbling sound. "My thoughts exactly. Okay, now that we've established our respective girlfriends are safe from any flirtations by us, what do you wanna do?" He nodded toward the blue waters of the reservoir. "Wanna sit down?"

"I thought you were starving."

"Well, we can get something from the closest cafeteria, and then sit down."

Bro chuckled, and that was exactly what they did.

Ten minutes later they sat on one of the benches overlooking the McMillan Reservoir on the east side of the campus. Bradley was munching on a roast beef sandwich while Bro stuck to cheese and turkey. They watched the still-leafy trees, decked out in fall colors, swaying in the wind, and the few ducks that still swam and paddled away in the pool.

"Now that we're on the team, we're gonna be okay, right? I mean, we're not gonna f.u.c.k up or anything?" Bro asked after the silence had gone on too long for him.

Bradley snorted after he gulped down a bite with a swig of his c.o.ke. "Of course. You worry too much, dude. We probably won't even get off the bench for the first year, so don't go getting your boxers in a twist. Time will tell."

At times Bro envied Bradley's confidence. Bradley had been the quarterback and team captain in high school, and he was d.a.m.n good at it. Sure, the college would be full of guys equally good, or even better, but Bro doubted they had Bradley's drive or charm. He could've sold igloos to Eskimos with a single smile and a wink. Bro a.s.sumed that was why Bradley planned on a marketing major in the long run, once all the core curriculum studies were behind them.

Bro himself was still at a loss as to what he wanted. Of all the available options, he was leaning toward media studies, his focus on TV and film. He didn't know what the h.e.l.l he would do with a BA in communications, but it was the only field of study that had even remotely felt like something he could get excited about amidst all the core cla.s.ses he still had to muddle through.

Of course, football would take up a lot of their time. In high school, Bradley had been the quarterback, while Bro had been a tailback due to his running skills, sprinting speed, and agility to dodge opposite team members gunning for him. But they had been recruited for running back positions on the grounds of the Howard scout's judgment that they would work well together and would be most useful to the team in those roles. Howard had hotter prospects for the coveted quarterback position. Bro and Bradley would likely end up in the reserves as freshmen, but Bro figured they had a good chance to show what they could do over the next couple of years. That would be critical if Bro even wanted to get a shot at a pro football career.

Although they had a few cla.s.ses in common in their schedules, Bro and Bradley, and Audrey for that matter, had not managed to coordinate them so they would all be in the same sections. It was going to be difficult to get together on campus even half as much as they all would have liked. Or at least as much as Bro would have liked, and hoped Bradley and Audrey would too.

"What's got you all down?" Bradley asked, always attuned to Bro's mood swings, since he controlled himself so d.a.m.ned annoyingly well.

Bro shrugged, faking nonchalance. "Nothing."

Bradley nudged him with his shoulder. "Don't make me woo it out of you. That'll just embarra.s.s us both. And you'll end up all teary-eyed, I guarantee it."

"You jerk." Bro chuckled, returning the gesture with his own shove. "It's stupid. I kind of imagined we'd all be together in college, you know, sharing the same cla.s.ses, talking about the same professors and a.s.signments, and stuff. But now.... The three of us are going to the same school, but we'll barely be able see each other once cla.s.ses start. I mean Audrey alone is gonna be half an hour away from us! Well, part of the time anyway."

At this point Bradley could have made fun of Bro's sentimentality, but all he said was, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I always thought I'd be more enthusiastic about going to college. In a way I am, but.... Of the four of us, I think Lacey and Audrey are the ones who've got it all figured out with their music and law. You and me? We're still sort of in the wind."

"Yeah." It was exactly what Bro had been reflecting on. "I know I wanna play ball, but I just wish I could be with my friends more."

"We'll see each other every day, I promise."

Bro nodded but felt less confident about their prospects. In his head, he'd imagined things would continue along the same vein as they did in high school. Now his girlfriend went to school in another town, and his two best friends would not be attending the same cla.s.ses as he did at the same time. That sucked. Bro felt like things were changing too fast around him, and he wasn't being given adequate time to adjust.

Feeling blue, Bro decided to change the subject. "Where's Ricky?"

Bradley huffed out a breath, shaking his head. "He's gone completely loco. He's taking extra cla.s.ses for that home ec degree he wants already, on top of his core curriculum stuff. Nutritional sciences, economics, social anthropology, cooking. He's gonna buckle under all that workload, but he's so excited I don't have the heart to tell him to take a deep breath and really think about how hard it's gonna be to juggle all those courses."

Ricky, Frederick by birth, was Bradley's twin brother. He didn't share his brother's enthusiasm for sports, as he was more home and kitchen oriented. Cooking was his favorite pastime, and it seemed he wanted to become a chef. Ricky was one of those people born cheerful, and Bro required at least three cups of coffee to catch up with Ricky's natural vivaciousness.

"He'll be fine. He's the most energetic person I know. Besides, we'll keep an eye on him. And if it looks like he can't handle it, we'll help him get through, yeah?"

Bradley smiled and nodded, his gaze aimed across the waters but not really seeing the view. "Thanks, man."

"Anytime, buddy. Anytime."

Silently, both lost in thought, they waited. A few minutes, or as much as half an hour, could have pa.s.sed before Audrey found them again.

"Wow. You should see the library building. f.u.c.king amazing." She plopped down on the bench next to Bradley and leaned into him. She was never one to mince words, and she could curse like a sailor.

"My sweet, innocent little flower." Bradley's tease was met with Audrey's swift punch on his arm.

"Hey, guys. Glad I found you. You wouldn't believe everything I found." Ricky had been exploring like the others, and now, with a gratified sigh, he dropped heavily down on the bench next to Bro. "G.o.d, my feet are killing me." Bro could picture Ricky curling his toes in his tennis shoes in his mind's eye.

Ricky was as ripped as his twin brother, but not nearly as buff, more lean and lithe. They shared the same tones as far as hair and eyes were concerned, though only Ricky's curly hair flopped down to frame his face. With his tanned skin he had an almost Latino appearance even though that wasn't his heritage.

"Wanna get out of here?" Bro suggested. He was going to be spending a lot of time on campus for the next couple of years, so he was eager to head home.

"Ready to pack it in?" Bradley asked for confirmation, and three rapid nods followed his question.

"PLEASE, man," Bro begged once all four of them returned to the loft. "Come on, Ricky. Look at us. We're dying here." He gave Ricky his best puppy-dog eyes and even managed to quiver his jaw a bit.

Ricky snickered. "Jeez, man, cut that s.h.i.t out. Okay, okay, I'll make us something to eat. G.o.d, you're such kids sometimes." Huffing, he dashed to the kitchen to ransack the fridge and rummage through the cupboards in search of food items for preparation.

Bro gesticulated with silent whoops at his success while Bradley rolled his eyes at his antics. Bro jumped over the back of the couch and landed with a thump next to his best friend. The TV was on, but none of them were really watching. Bradley rested his head on the couch, yawning, while Audrey was reading a car magazine in one of the armchairs.

"Well, aren't we a lively bunch?" Bro remarked and then stifled his own jaw-breaking yawn. "Anything on TV?"

"Nah." Bradley didn't lift his head, let alone open his eyes. The TV was on mute, and it looked like another reality singing contest. Too boring to even look at.

Though tired after a busy day and yearning for a nap, Bro still needed to talk about the events of the day. "What did you guys think about Howard? You meet any new students?"

Audrey shrugged. "I met a couple of cheerleader types, but they scrammed the second they saw my tattoos. I think they were trying to break the track team's speed record." She gave an unrepentant grin. "No one to write home about, that's for sure."

"How are the old parental units taking things?" Bro was curious. He knew Audrey's parents were the squarest in the world, an accountant and a legal clerk who had never done anything to rock the boat. Audrey, the only child, was doing that for all of them. She was a rebel in her own right, who got herself into mischief more often than not.

Audrey chuckled wickedly. "You should've seen their faces when I told them I was gonna study law. I really thought they'd fall down on their hands and knees to thank the G.o.ds, atheists or not."

"You're bad, sweetie," Bradley commented with a smirk, his eyes still closed.

"A bad babe, just the way you like it."

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear you say that."

Bro let out an exasperated sigh at his friends. "Come on, guys. Take this seriously."

Bradley opened his eyes to look at Bro with sympathy in his eyes. "Buddy, she's gonna be home soon. Don't worry. You're not losing her, okay?"

Knowing full well they were talking about Lacey, Bro nodded, feeling miserable with longing. "Yeah."

Audrey came over to practically sit down on Bro's lap, bussing his cheek. Bro tried not to cringe or wipe the wet mark off. "We all miss her. She'll be home soon. Orientation's probably over by now, and they're on their way back."

That wasn't Bro's concern. What if she found a kind of acceptance and a new home there so she wouldn't want to come back? What if she decided to move to Baltimore to be closer to the conservatory? How would Bro survive?

Just then Bro's phone chimed, indicating a text. He shoved giggling Audrey off his lap and grabbed the cell. On it in clear black letters read "On our way home. Have I got a story to tell you. Love you." And it was followed by a heart emoticon.

Bro let out a breath, and his body released a tension he hadn't been consciously aware of. Lacey was coming home. Everything was going to be all right. A happy grin spread his lips.

"See? Nothing to worry about. Told ya," Audrey ribbed him and gave him another smooch on his temple.

"Hey!" Bradley was jealous, and that made Bro laugh. "f.u.c.k you." Bradley gave Bro a hard push, but it was playful, and soon they were both laughing and then wrestling on the couch. Wisely, Audrey jumped out of the way, but she began calling out illegal moves like a professional referee and egging them on.