Chapter Text
“No, no, no,” Nick Burkhardt groaned under his breath as he felt his car’s engine catch, then suddenly die. He managed to coast to the side of the road and onto the shoulder before it actually stopped. He sat there for a moment, in his ’72 Ford Mustang, thoroughly disgusted with himself. He’d bought the car as a fixer upper and had gotten it to the point where the car was now drivable. He needed to replace the fuel gauge and had a post-it attached to his dashboard where he recorded his mileage; it helped him guesstimate when he needed to fill up the tank. Peering at the small paper using the car’s flickering dome light (he made a mental note to add that to his list of things to replace), he realized that he’d forgotten to log at least two trips to campus earlier that week, which would explain why he now found himself stranded on the side of a dirt road, his gas tank completely empty. What made matters worse was that he’d deliberately chosen a side road, away from the interstate to return home from the salvage yard a few hours away. He’d always been drawn to the roads less traveled, he thought, smiling to himself at his nod to a poem he’d been forced to dissect in high school. Maybe Mrs. Kendrick’s class’d had more influence with him than he'd thought. His smile faded as he realized that he might be stranded for quite a while. He flicked on his hazards, getting out to make sure that they were actually working, and that’s when he heard the rumbling. A flash of light shot across the sky, and he managed to dive back into his car before a sheet of rain hit him.
Nick sighed. Of course it would rain. Knowing his luck, a car might actually drive down the road, but it wouldn’t see his car and would hit it, forcing Nick to repair what he’d already fixed.
He pulled out his cell phone, more encouraged by the signal than he probably should’ve been. But he was ready for some good news, choosing to think of it as a harbinger for his luck finally changing.
After a few rings, the voice mail activated. “Hank here. I’m not available, but leave a message, and maybe I’ll get back to you.” Nick hung up and looked at the time, realizing that Hank was probably still in class.
He hit number two on his speed dial, getting another voice mail. “Hey, it’s Drew. You know what to do.” Wu shouted his message over the loud noise in the background, reminding Nick of the night Wu’d joined them at the Rat, his new cell phone clutched in the hand he had raised in victory after scrimping and saving for the newest model. He’d waited to record his outgoing message until after finishing the first congratulatory drink he’d made Nick buy for him.
Nick knew for a fact that Wu didn’t have a class, but he was fairly certain Wu was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be, getting into all kinds of trouble.
Sighing, Nick disconnected and tossed his phone into the passenger seat. He had class the next day at 8am; hopefully, he’d get back to his apartment long before then, although he wasn’t feeling very hopeful at the moment.
He was so focused on moping that he almost missed the headlights flickering from the road behind him. He automatically reached for the door handle but hesitated, looking down at his black t-shirt and dark blue jeans. At it was, with the darkness and the rain, visibility was poor. The last thing he needed was to get hit trying to flag down some help.
The car wasn’t driving very fast, probably a nod to the poor driving conditions, and Nick held his breath, hoping it would stop. It passed by him, then slowed. Nick reached for his door handle but stopped and groaned when it moved forward. Then it stopped.
Nick didn’t spare a moment, worried that the driver would change his mind again, and sprinted to the passenger side, knocking on the window. He only took a moment to appreciate the bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle as he smiled hopefully, trying to look as friendly and non-threatening as possible. The smile faltered a bit until Nick heard the distinctive click of the door unlocking, and he slipped in quickly, shutting the door.
“Thanks so much for stopping,” he said, turning to the driver as he shoved his wet hair away from his face.
He paused for a minute, taking in the scruffy beard and flannel shirt. The man looked like he’d climbed off a mountain or maybe just felled a forest full of trees. Nick maintained his focus on his rescuer, forcibly stopping himself from taking a look to make sure there wasn’t an axe in the backseat.
“What’s wrong with your car?” The man asked gruffly, his hands tight on the steering wheel, eyes on the road in front of him.
Nick realized that the scruffy man actually seemed nervous, like he was scared of Nick, which Nick found slightly amusing. “I ran out of gas,” he confessed.
The man’s eyebrows raised, and he finally looked at Nick. “Seriously?”
“I’m fixing up the car, but I haven’t gotten to the fuel gauge yet. I’m normally really good about keeping track, but I, uh, fell a little short this time,” he confessed, feeling pretty stupid.
The man just shrugged, though. “It happens, I suppose. Where’re you headed?”
“I live on Rampart, just off of – what?” Nick saw the man’s expression and looked down at himself, wondering if he’d gotten some sort of unsightly stain on his shirt or something.
“Let me guess. You go to JT.”
“Yeah, I’m a junior.” Nick took another moment to assess the other man. “Let me guess. You go to GN?”
The man looked down at himself and smiled wryly. “What gave it away?” He eyeballed Nick, and Nick had to fight to keep himself from fidgeting. He liked the warmth he felt as the man inspected him, though. “You’re definitely JT.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “Is that a bad thing?
The man shrugged a shoulder. “It just is what it is.”
The small town of Ellensburg, Virginia, pretty much consisted of two colleges, the people living there either working at or attending one or the other. Gaylord Nelson College, formerly known as Ellensburg College but now just called GN, had been established in the late 1800’s. Nick didn’t know much else about the school besides the fact that the students seemed to enjoy farming, vegetarian food, tie-dye, and playing hacky sack – and they seemed to have a rivalry against Nick’s college, Jonathan Thomas University, which had been established in the 1900’s. From what Nick could gather, his school had been the result of a few wealthy families in the surrounding areas worried about the morals from the nearby hippy college. So they’d created their own, using the name of a local magistrate, beginning what could sometimes become an intense rivalry between the two schools.
Nick considered himself the kind of guy who judged each person on his or her personality, not off of what school they attended. He’d actually dated a couple of girls from GN and in fact was still really good friends with one of them, Juliette.
“Are you going to throw me out of your car now that you know I go to JT?”
“What? No!” The man looked horrified.
Nick shrugged. He’d heard of students doing worse to each other all in the name of school loyalty.
“I couldn’t help but notice how you didn’t particularly want to pick me up in the first place…”
The man looked a little embarrassed. “It is nothing personal. I’m just… not much of a people person.”
Nick smiled. “I just appreciate your giving me a lift.”
The guy backed up beside Nick’s car, and after a quick dash to turn off the headlights and to grab his stuff, Nick clamored back inside the car. He noticed immediately that it felt much warmer, easing the goosebumps he’d gotten from being wet. “Thanks,” he said, raising his hands to the warm air emanating from the passenger vent.
The man shrugged and pulled back onto the road.
They sat in silence until Nick realized that he was going to have to start any and all conversation. It didn’t really bother him since he’d never been shy, and he found himself wanting know more about this solid mountain man sitting beside him. He had a natural curiosity about people, wanting to know how they came to be the way they were. In fact, he’d initially intended to major in psychology when he started college, but he’d ended up with criminal studies. He still got to investigate the mind but also liked the idea of providing justice for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves.
“I’m Nick,” he said, turning to face the man.
“Monroe,” the man said after a few seconds.
“Thanks again, Monroe,” Nick said, happy when a small smile curved on the man’s face.
Nick found that he liked the look of Monroe. And he liked the way he smelled, kind of woodsy but still clean. And while he wasn’t particularly fond of hairy people – hence his only dating a few GN women – he thought that Monroe’s beard suited him. Nick found himself having to make a fist in order to stop himself from reaching out to feel if Monroe’s beard were as soft as it looked.
“What’s your major?” Nick winced inwardly at the obvious line but found that he really wanted to know. “Have you declared yet?” Monroe looked old enough to be a junior or a senior, but GN was known for accepting non-traditional students. Nick had seen quite a few grey heads the few times he had been over to their campus.
Monroe nodded. “Environmental Studies.”
Nick nodded as if he knew what that meant, but after a few seconds, his curiosity outweighed the worry that Monroe might find him stupid. “What does one do with an environmental studies degree?”
Monroe huffed out a laugh. “If one went to a school that was more… traditional, I guess one might use it to help with environmental law reform or maybe find a corporate job with a company to ensure that they remain in compliance with current legislation.”
“Okay, let me rephrase the question. What are you going to do with an environmental studies degree?”
“That’s a really good question,” Monroe muttered.
“Still trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up?”
Monroe huffed, stealing a sidelong glance at Nick. “Something like that.” After a moment’s pause, he added, “What about you?”
“Criminal Justice,” Nick said promptly.
“So, like a lawyer?”
“More like a cop, actually.”
The silence in the car suddenly seemed so much more awkward than earlier.
“But I’m just a junior, so I have quite a few more years before I actually become one. I’m minoring in psychology, because I want to be able to understand why people do what they do.”
“Good luck with that,” Monroe muttered.
“Not a fan of psychology?”
“I just think that there are some dark people out there." Monroe gave Nick a sidelong glance, eyes showing some untold emotion. "It's a little safer not to try to get into their heads.”
Although part of him wanted to pursue the conversation a little further, Nick decided that it might be a little heavy for a first date – no, a first conversation, he corrected himself. Because this was nothing like a date.
The conversation flowed a little freer after that, and Nick found himself charmed. He hadn’t dated anyone over the summer, and now a month into the school year, he hadn’t really found anyone who’d merited a second look.
Until now.
G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M
Monroe tried not to like this kid with the messy dark hair that tended to fall over large, earnest eyes, but he found himself smiling way more often than usual. He was charmed by Nick’s grin, his gentle teases, his passion for knowledge. He also knew exactly what he wanted, something that Monroe found refreshing.
Monroe liked GN; it’d given him so much. However, there were times that the whole go-with-the-flow atmosphere made him want to grab someone’s throat in his jaws and shake until they came up with an actual decision. So Nick’s decisiveness was a welcome change.
And Nick smelled really good. Underneath the damp, he bore the indefinable scent of honesty and integrity and strength.
But he also smelled human, which made him off limits, even if attending JT and his future aspirations of being a cop hadn’t already shown Monroe that. So Monroe reminded himself that as much as this human appealed to him, Nick was hands-off.
Monroe sighed to himself, wondering why after all these years he’d suddenly gotten tempted at the beginning of his senior year. Thankfully, Nick went to JT, so Monroe figured they’d never see each other again.
He blamed the slight pang in his chest on indigestion.
G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M
A little over an hour later, Nick found himself reluctantly getting out of Monroe’s car, desperately trying to come up with an excuse to see him again. The rain had stopped, leaving the car stuffy enough that they’d both ended up rolling down their windows, and he bent down, sticking his head through passenger side’s open window.
He suddenly realized probably should’ve used all of that travel time to come up with something, but he’d been completely focused on their conversation. During the drive, he’d turned so he could watch Monroe. He wondered if Monroe realized that his every thought and feeling seemed to pass over his face. And Monroe obviously felt and thought a lot, even though he didn’t say much. He seemed interested in Nick, though Nick wasn’t sure exactly where Monroe’s sexual inclinations leaned. Nick figured if nothing else, they could become friends.
“Thanks for the ride. I owe you,” Nick said, suddenly inspired.
“It wasn’t a problem,” Monroe insisted in a gruff voice that two hours earlier Nick might’ve mistaken for disinterest. But he knew a little better now.
“Dinner.” Nick said decisively. “I’ll take you to dinner.”
Monroe stilled, a multitude of expressions passing over his face. Nick caught hesitance and worry and – was that fear? “Really, you don’t owe me anything.”
“How about I call you? We can set up a time.” Nick pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“I, um… don’t have a cell phone,” Monroe muttered, looking back out the driver’s window, obviously uncomfortable.
“Oh.” Nick said, blinking. “Well, I can get your home number or maybe give you my –” he started patting his jacket, looking for a pen or a scratch of paper.
“Look,” Monroe said, sighing. “You’re a nice guy, and maybe under other circumstances, we’d be friends. But you’re a junior at JT studying to become a cop, and I’m a senior at a school where you could probably arrest every one of us for numerous offenses. The fact that we’ve managed never to meet in the two plus years you’ve been here should tell you that we really don’t have anything in common.”
Nick felt his resolve firm, and he put himself out there more than he normally would for someone he’d just met. For some reason, this was important. “But now we have met, and I want to see you again.” He leaned further into the window, noticing Monroe’s hands tightening on the steering wheel, his face flushing. It felt like attraction, but Nick wasn’t going to force it, at least not right now anyway, so he reluctantly pushed away from the car. “Thanks again. I’ll see you around,” he promised patting the roof once and stepping away before Monroe drove away.
Nick began to climb the stairs to where he and his roommates, Hank and Wu, lived on the third floor of a renovated house a few miles away from school, a true find in a small town with so many students. Moving his stuff up three flights had been so daunting his sophomore year that he’d decided that he was going to do his best to live there until he graduated.
“Hey!” Hank pushed through the entrance door and jogged up the few stairs to catch up with Nick. “I saw that you called me. You didn’t leave a message so I figured it wasn’t important, but I don’t see your car out there. Everything okay?”
“I ran out of gas,” Nick confessed, smiling shamefacedly as Hank snorted. “I didn’t leave a message, because I remembered that you had class tonight. You think you could help me out?”
“No problem. Let’s go now.” Hank did a graceful turn and headed back down the stairs. “If we wait, we’ll have a harder time getting ourselves off the sofa.”
Nick followed his buddy down the stairs to the black 1995 Ford Taurus that had been retired as a police vehicle and auctioned off. Even now, in the daylight, he could still make out the faint impressions from the official markings on the sides. As he always did, Nick grinned a little. Hank wasn’t even a cop yet, and he already had a cop car.
“You can wipe that smirk off your face,” Hank said, unlocking the door. “At least mine’s still running.” He started the car and headed the direction Nick indicated. “Did you call Wu?”
“It went straight to voicemail.”
Hank huffed a laugh. “Of course it did. So who dropped you off? Please tell me you weren’t out there hitchhiking. You know how dangerous that is?”
“I do, actually,” Nick said dryly. “You aren’t the only criminal justice major in the car.”
“Yeah, but you’re a lowly junior, Small Fry,” Hank teased.
“I‘m not short; you’re just unnaturally tall,” Nick muttered as they fell into their usual banter.
“Stop changing the subject,” Hank said. “How’d you get home?”
“I got picked up – and not like that,” Nick said, just as Hank began to grin. “It was this senior from GN. Monroe.”
Hank shot a look at Nick before returning his gaze to the road.
“What?”
“What what?”
“What was with the look?”
“I wasn’t gonna say anything, but Monroe,” Hank said, drawing out the name with a breathy tone.
Nick blinked. “What was that?”
“That was you, my friend,” Hank started to laugh. “Nicky’s got a crush!”
Glad the darkness hid the heat that flushed his face, Nick said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, and you know I hate it when you call me that.”
Still chuckling, Hank said, “I know that tone. You use it every time you meet someone you like. It’s a dead giveaway.” He thought a moment. “This is what? Your third or fourth from GN? Admit it, man. You have a thing for the earthy types.”
That drew a reluctant smile from Nick. “I guess I do.”
“So. Tell me about him. What’s he like? Does he braid his hair and play ultimate Frisbee when he’s not trying to cultivate a better strain of weed?”
Nick frowned. “That’s illegal.”
“And we’re not cops yet,” Hank said without pause.
Nick smiled, thinking of how he’d tried to get Monroe to understand that too.
“So, Mister Smiley Face, tell me about him.”
So Nick did. He talked about Monroe’s major and how he was a senior who wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his degree; he talked about Monroe’s yellow Volkswagon. He described Monroe’s beard and the flannel shirt that he seemed to fill out nicely from what Nick could see. He described Monroe’s eyes and the way they crinkled at the corners when he smiled. He told Hank about how Monroe said he wasn’t a people person but how he thought that Monroe was actually a little shy. He stopped talking briefly at the gas station to fill up Hank’s gas can and then talked more about Monroe as they continued along their way. He didn’t realize how much he had been talking until they pulled up behind his car.
“How long were you two together?”
“He just drove me home,” Nick said, feeling a little awkward.
“And you got all that in an hour?”
“I might’ve grilled him a little bit,” Nick admitted.
Hank shrugged. “You always do that when you like someone.”
“I don’t!”
Hank grinned. “You totally do. But it’s okay, because they always think you’re adorable.”
Nick rolled his eyes, fighting another blush.
“So did you ask him out?”
“He said he didn’t think it was a good idea,” Nick said, opening his door and getting out.
“Wait!” Hank leaned low so he could see Nick out of the passenger side door. “You aren’t letting it go are you?”
Nick grinned. “I already have a plan. I’ll tell you about it when we get home.”
Of course Hank couldn’t wait, and he called Nick as they convoyed back to their apartment. “So what’s the plan?” His voice filled up Nick’s car; he always shouted when they were on speaker.
“I’m going to convince Juliette to have a party.”
“You said he wasn’t a people person, so I doubt he’ll want to come to a kegger.”
“GN’s a small school; I bet she knows him – or knows someone who knows him. She’ll come up with something.”
Hank laughed. “You’re the only person I know who’s still really good friends with his ex’s.”
“Except for Adalind,” Nick said, disliking the taste of her name in his mouth.
“She was boil a baby rabbit, horsehead in your bed psycho,” Hank said. “She couldn’t contain her crazy but luckily didn’t take it out on you.”
Nick winced. Even after all this time, he couldn’t forget the sight of her being dragged away from her dorm kicking and screaming after she’d tried to stab her roommate. Everyone’s attention had turned from her to him after they’d driven away, gauging the reaction from her most recent ex-boyfriend.
JT was a small school.
They got home, cracked a couple of sodas, and hunkered down in the living room to study, Hank on the sofa they’d bought used two years ago and spent two hours lugging upstairs, Nick at the small desk he’d found on a nearby curb. He’d bought the chair from a local thrift shop.
Less than twenty minutes later, Wu’s faltering steps caught their attention, and they smiled at each other as they listened to him fumbling at the lock with his key.
“How long do you think it’s going to take him to actually get the key in the lock?” Hank asked.
Nick raised a shoulder. “Even better question is, will he ever realize that the door’s already unlocked?”
Eventually Wu stumbled inside, straightening when he realized that Hank and Nick were in the room. He smiled, attempting to walk a straight line to the sofa without giving away his obvious inebriation. He collapsed on the sofa, barely giving Hank enough time to pull his work out of the way.
“Have fun?” Hank asked.
“I did!” Wu said. “Of course, I wasn’t the one out joy riding with a GN-ola.” He looked deliberately at Nick.
“How did you –“
Wu blithefully raised a hand, stopping Hank. “I have my ways.”
Hank rolled his eyes and smiled at Nick.
Nick didn’t particularly like having people know his business; it was definitely one of the drawbacks of attending a small school. In a small town. “I ran out of gas, and he gave me a lift.”
Wu shook his head. “Tomorrow, I’ll call Dad. I know you want to fix everything yourself, but seriously, this gas gauge is getting ridiculous. I bet he has an old used one lying around somewhere. He keeps everything; just ask mom. Actually, don’t unless you have a good two hours handy.” Wu’s parents lived about an hour outside of town, their house adjacent to his father’s garage. Hank and Nick had been out there a few times for dinners and weekend lunches.
Wu’s parents and sister were just like him – smart and fun, but a little loopy and filled with sarcastic rejoinders. They loved each other immensely, and the only time they weren’t all talking at the same time was when they were asleep – or so Nick imagined. Wu’s life was so different from his own that Nick found himself staring, fascinated at their dynamic. Hank had equated their visits with Nick going on a sociology outing, and that was kind of what it felt like.
After a few failed attempts, Wu managed to extricate himself from the sofa and tried to stand. “I’m heading to bed.”
“Did you set your alarm?”
“Did it before I left this morning, mom,” Wu muttered, running into a wall before disappearing into his room and closing the door.
Hank shook his head. “I don’t remember getting like that on a Thursday night when I was a sophomore.”
Nick gave him a pointed look. “Wu’s probably not going to remember it much either.”
Hank laughed as they returned to their books. “Good point.”
It took the better part of a week for Nick and Juliette to arrange a time to get together for coffee at her favorite coffee shop in town, a popular GN hangout. Ignoring the stares and whispers, he ordered for the both of them and looked around for two available seats. Not spotting one, he casually leaned against a wall and waited.
Juliette arrived soon after, looking as beautiful as ever. She was by far the classiest woman he’d dated, and even now that they were no longer together, he appreciated how much she'd taught him about relationships. He might not’ve fallen in love with her, but he treasured her friendship.
“Hey!” She kissed him on the cheek. “Why aren’t you sitting down?”
He gestured with her cup before handing it to her. “No room.” He waited as she scanned the area.
“C’mon.” She led him across the room to where one woman was sitting, focused on her computer. “Rosalee? Do you mind if we sit here?”
The woman looked up, blinked, and smiled. “There is always space for my roomie.” She looked at Nick. “And her friend?”
Juliette made the introductions as they sat.
“So you’re Nick. I can’t believe it’s taken this long for me to meet you.”
Nick shook her hand, liking her immediately. He knew that Rosalee and Juliette’d been roommates since freshman year and had become such good friends that they’d found an apartment together their sophomore year, keeping it for this, their junior year. “You’re majoring in something to do with herbal medicine, right?”
Rosalee nodded. “Kind of. I’m getting a bachelor’s degree in Integrative Health Sciences, with concentrations in herbology and ethnobotany.” She looked at Nick and laughed; he imagined his confusion was written all over his face. “Basically, I’m focusing on the connection between all living beings – plants, humans – ”
“ – animals,” Juliette continued. “We’re going to work on a paper together about alternative healing for pets.”
“So you have a major, two concentrations, and a paper?”
“No wonder we’ve never met.” Rosalee laughed. “It’s a lot, but I love it.”
“We don’t mean to bother you.”
“You aren’t bothering me,” Rosalee assured her roommate. “I’m going to study over here and mind my own business while you two talk over there. It’ll be like we’re strangers sharing a table.” She gave them one last smile and returned to her computer.
Juliette turned to Nick. “So, what’s up?”
“I need your help. I met someone – ”
“This is about a hookup? Really?” She rolled her eyes.
“We haven’t hooked up. I just need a way to see him again.”
Juliette raised an eyebrow. “Him?”
“My car ran out of gas last week – I know,” he said quickly before she could rag him about it too. “Wu’s dad’s already put in a working gauge.” Which rankled him, because Nick had wanted to do it himself, and now he owed Wu’s dad. He had to admit, though, that it was nice not to have to be so vigilant about his mileage. “Anyway, this guy gave me a ride back to my apartment.”
“And you like him.” She looked at him over her caramel macchiato.
“Maybe? We only had about an hour to get to know each other, and I’m not even sure he likes guys.”
“Did you get his number?”
“He said he didn’t have a cell phone.”
“And you believe that?”
Nick wasn’t sure, but out of everyone he knew, Monroe would be the one he would pick who wouldn’t own one. He shrugged. “The point is that I need an excuse to see him again.”
“So you can work your charms?”
Nick grinned. “I thought I wasn’t as smooth as I thought I was,” he teased, referencing an old conversation.
“You have your moments,” she sighed. “So, how exactly can I help?”
“I don’t know his last name, but he’s a senior at GN, an environmental studies major.”
“Really?” Rosalee poked her head over her laptop. “There aren’t that many of them.”
“She’s right,” Juliette confirmed. “What’s his name?”
“Monroe.”
Juliette and Rosalee looked at each other and laughed, and Nick couldn’t help but smile, even though he didn’t know what was so funny.
“What am I missing?”
“He’s my ex,” Rosalee said.
Nick found his smile fading.
“But your biggest problem isn’t that he’s heterosexual.”
“Which he isn’t,” Juliette added.
“Not completely,” Rosalee confirmed, boosting Nick’s hope. “But he’s kind of given up.”
“On dating?” Juliette asked.
“On people in general, I think,” Rosalee said. She closed her laptop, looking around before leaning in slightly and lowering her voice. “Monroe has always had a tough time letting people get close.”
“He said he wasn’t good with people.”
“He’s actually one of the sweetest, kindest men I have ever met, but he decided somewhere along the line that… I don’t know, that maybe he didn’t deserve happiness? I got the feeling that he had a difficult family life. I don’t know the specifics, but I do know that he’s paying for college by himself.”
“Is that why you broke up, because he kept so much to himself? You never said,” Juliette asked.
Rosalee looked thoughtful. “He wouldn’t let me get close. I knew that he’d be there for me if I ever needed him, but he never opened up to me.” She looked at Nick. “He’s a great guy, but you need to know that he’s going to keep you at arm’s length.”
“Nick’s pretty good at shoving his way into people’s lives,” Juliette teased, shooting him a look.
“Hap’s closer to him than anyone –”
“Hap Lasser?” Juliette asked. “Seriously?”
Rosalee grinned and nodded.
Nick, who’d been filing away everything he heard, asked, “Who’s Hap Lasser?”
“If we had fraternities, he’d be the one who always knows where the parties are,” Rosalee explained.
“And he’d be the guy you find passed out the next morning inside your doghouse,” Juliette added.
“After he’d peed on your garden and killed your entire crop of tomatoes.”
Nick had to press his lips together for a moment to reign in his laughter. “He sounds like the complete opposite of Monroe.”
“They grew up together,” Rosalee explained. “Hap’s not a bad guy; he just lacks… depth.”
“We’ll have a party,” Juliettete decided. “At our place.”
“But Monroe said he doesn’t like people,” Nick reminded her.
“It’ll be more of a dinner-type of party than a kegger,” Juliette explained. “Rosalee’ll ask him to cater it. He can’t say no to her. And that’ll force him to come.”
“He’ll try to stay in the kitchen,” Rosalee warned him.
“I like kitchens,” Nick said, hiding a small smile as he drank more of his coffee.
“We’ll have to invite Hap,” Rosalee said.
“Once he knows we’ll have free food, he’ll invite himself,” Juliette said fondly, like she was talking about a family pet.
“Which means that it’ll probably turn into a kegger at some point,” Rosalee said with a sigh. She examined Nick. “Monroe’s one of my favorite people, but he can be very hard-headed. You’ll have your hands full trying to woo him. He’ll be a true challenge.
“Perfect,” Juliette said whimsically. “If there’s one thing Nick loves, it is a challenge.”
Chapter Note: The poem Nick is thinking about is Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”. Odds are, if you didn’t have to study it in high school, you know someone who did.