“Argued about what?” Katie inquires.

I think back on the wide range of topics we’ve covered on our early morning runs. “Pretty much everything,” I reply honestly. “We can barely have a civil discussion about anything.”

“That’s not what it looked like last night.”

My cheeks burn. “He just felt bad for me and took pity on my drunk self.”

“Took pity on you?” Katie shakes her head. “Vivienne, have you been listening to anything I’ve been telling you? Jace Dawson does not take pity on anyone or take the time to acknowledge a situation that doesn’t directly involve him. Or even some that do. He looked ready to punch Philip when he was trying to get you to leave with him last night. That is not pity.”

I don’t answer. I take a bite of my eggs and hope she’ll drop the topic. Unfortunately, she persists.

“Did you guys hook up?”

“No!” I exclaim, feeling my cheeks warm as I recall our heated kiss. “He let me sleep it off in his bed, and when I woke up this morning he was still asleep, so I left.”

Katie raises her eyebrows and sends me a disbelieving look.

“That’s what happened.” I insist, unwilling to dredge up the details of the exhilarating and humiliating encounter that took place between those two events.

“What was his room like?” Katie asks, not missing a beat.

I laugh. “You don’t know this already? I thought you’re some sort of Jace Dawson fangirl expert,” I tease.

“Vivienne, if you still haven’t figured it out yet, every single girl at Lincoln, and most of the guys, are obsessed with Jace Dawson. Every girl wants him, and every guy wants to be him. He’s one of the best college football players in the country, he’s hot as hell, and completely unattainable. If you took anything from his room, you could hold a bidding war.”

I laugh, but think of the gray t-shirt wadded up on my dresser.

“Well, no wonder he has such a massive ego,” I remark, eating my final piece of bacon. “Are you going to eat anything?”

“No, I convinced Philip to stop and get doughnuts on the drive home last night, and I ate the leftovers when I woke up.”

“I’m glad he took you home. Sorry I was such a mess last night.”

Katie shrugs. “Getting drunk at a party is a freshman rite of passage. The rest of us just didn’t get to have Jace Dawson sweep in like our own personal knight in shining armor.”

I roll my eyes. “Can you manage to go more than a minute without mentioning his name, please? The rest of the day, maybe?”

Katie lets out a dramatic sigh, but nods in agreement.

“You ready to go?” I ask, draining the last remnants of my coffee. “I’m planning to head straight to the library. I’ve got a lot of work to do today.”

Katie nods in agreement, and we both rise from the table, heading toward the exit. I deposit my dirty dishes in the bin along the way. The aroma of various breakfast foods and freshly brewed coffee fades away as we step outside into the crisp fall air.