The Academy Read online

  “Nick—” Sebastian moved closer, eyes trained on his face “—do you remember why I invited you here?”

  Nick swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “So I can get to know you, or something to that effect.”

  Sebastian didn’t stop until his face was inches from Nick’s. It’d be nothing for Nick to lean forward and bring their lips together, and judging by the color in Sebastian’s cheeks, he knew it too.

  When he spoke, his voice was velvety. “I intended to do that. I wanted to spend this time talking to you, getting to know you as well. So, why is it all I can think about is kissing you again?” His eyes drifted down to Nick’s mouth.

  Reasons to stop him sprang up in Nick’s mind, but to his surprise, they weren’t his usual ones. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, or that he still didn’t trust Sebastian. But rather, if they did this now—while they were alone, and there was a convenient bedroom nearby—Nick didn’t know how they’d ever stop.

  Sebastian started to close the distance between their mouths, and Nick couldn’t work up the desire to protest. Just before Sebastian’s soft—so very soft—lips would have brushed Nick’s, the doorbell rang.

  “Damn.” Sebastian glanced past Nick, out of the kitchen and into the living room, before huffing. “That was dumb luck.”

  “No.” Nick smiled. “That was bad luck.”

  Sebastian looked at his mouth again, like he was contemplating kissing him anyway, but then the doorbell rang repeatedly. With a sigh, he poured more Scotch into both of their glasses, put the bottle away, and whisked out of the kitchen. “I’ll get it.”

  As soon as Sebastian was gone, Nick fell against the island and drew a deep, ragged breath. Holy fuck, that’d been close. Now that he’d kissed Sebastian, it was in his system, and all he wanted was more. If he’d realized that before, he might not have agreed to come.

  Well no, he still would have. But he would have thought more toward the future. Parties meant laughing and dancing and flirting, and Sebastian had driven him here. What if he wanted Nick to spend the night? What if Nick wanted to spend the night?

  It was alarming how not alarmed he was by the idea.

  Before he could work himself into a tizzy, he heard familiar voices chatting in the living room. He grabbed his tumbler of Scotch and walked out.

  Sebastian was standing beside the now-open front door, talking to Theo and Dante, whose arms were loaded with bags.

  “Jesus, guys,” Sebastian said, “how much are you planning on drinking tonight?”

  “A lot,” they answered in unison.

  Theo caught sight of Nick. His face split into a radiant smile. “Nick! I’d hoped you’d make an appearance.”

  Nick strode up to his friend and hugged him around the supplies. “Good to see you. Can I help you with those?”

  “Nah.” Theo hefted the bags. “I got it.”

  Nick’s eyes slid to Dante, and nervousness jolted through him. “Hey, Dante. Long time no see.”

  Dante smiled pleasantly and edged closer to Theo. There was no trace of his flirtatious attitude from before. “Likewise.”

  Hm. I wonder if the talk I gave him was fruitful. He made a mental note to ask Theo later.

  Sebastian pointed to the dining room. “We’ve already set up a drink station. We’ll help you unload.”

  Together, they emptied the bags, which contained a frankly disturbing amount of booze.

  By the time they’d finished, guests began to arrive in droves. If anyone was surprised to see Nick at Sebastian’s party, standing next to him like a cohost, they didn’t let on. Nick met a dozen Academy students within the first twenty minutes.

  During a lull, Sebastian brought his lips to Nick’s ear. “Let me know if this gets overwhelming. We can sneak off and talk.”

  “No, I’m enjoying it, actually. My big goal when I first came here was to make friends, and now I’m at least meeting new people.”

  “Look at you two.” Theo appeared and gestured at them with the half-full cup in his hands, almost sloshing the liquid out. “Whispering sweet nothings to each other. It’s adorable.”

  Dante took Theo’s cup from him. “Wow, you really can’t handle your liquor.”

  “No, I can’t.” Theo smiled as he addressed Sebastian and Nick. “Hey, you know what you two should do? You should watch the last of the sunset out on the balcony.”

  Nick almost choked on the sip of Scotch he was taking. “What?”

  Sebastian rubbed the back of his head. “I can’t leave my own party.”

  “You’re not leaving. You’ll be right there.” Theo whipped a hand around and pointed to the balcony. “Like, fifteen feet away. Grab that bottle of Scotch and scoot before the sun disappears. You’ve only got like ten minutes left. Dante and I can greet people, and everyone will be busy getting a buzz going anyway.”

  Nick glanced at the balcony. Outside the glass doors, the sun was hanging low in the sky. Its bright-orange light infused the encroaching purple evening with a halo of warmth. It was beautiful. Nick couldn’t remember the last time he’d stopped to watch a sunset, let alone done it with someone . . . significant.

  He glanced at Sebastian. “Well?”

  Sebastian sighed. “Gimme a sec to grab the Scotch.”

  As he disappeared into the kitchen, Theo let out a whoop. “All right! Go team!”

  “What team?” Nick asked.

  Theo looked over his shoulder as if checking for eavesdroppers before leaning closer. “Team Sick.”

  Nick blinked at Theo slowly before it dawned on him. “Is that a combination of Sebastian and Nick?”

  “Yes.” Theo frowned. “Though I suppose that’s not clear. I didn’t really think it through. What about Team Nebastian? Or Team Nebby?”

  “I . . . can’t choose. It’s like deciding between poison or a noose.”

  Sebastian thankfully reappeared with the Scotch, took Nick’s hand, and flashed an award-winning smile. “Please excuse us.”

  The sound of Theo giggling followed them all the way out onto the balcony. It had a waist-high stone railing and no screen. The view of the sunset was unencumbered by tall buildings as it swept over the town, drenching it in gold. The air was the perfect temperature: still warm from the day, but night had taken a hold of it with cool, soothing fingers.

  Sebastian set the bottle of Scotch carefully on top of the railing before turning to Nick. “I’d like to formally apologize for my friends. What they lack in subtlety, they make up for in obnoxiousness.”

  Nick waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. This was actually a great suggestion. And I consider them my friends as well.”

  Sebastian’s face lit up. “Yeah, I suppose they are. Listen, Nick, I was wondering—”

  A distinct click from behind them interrupted his sentence.

  Sebastian’s head whipped toward the door. “Oh no.”

  “What is it?” Nick looked over.

  Theo and Dante were standing on the other side of the glass. Their muffled laughter was barely audible.

  “Christ,” Sebastian groaned.

  Nick gasped. “Did they . . .”

  Theo cupped his hands around his mouth. “Have fun, boys! This way, no one can disturb you. We’ll come fetch you in a few minutes.” He grabbed Dante’s hand and tugged him away.

  Sebastian sighed. “Those meddlesome bastards. I swear to God.”

  Nick opened and closed his mouth several times. “They do realize anyone inside can unlock the door and come out here, right?”

  “Yup.”

  “Locking it from the inside doesn’t give us any privacy at all.”

  “Yup.”

  “So, what Theo is really doing is—”

  “Trapping us out here together. During a romantic sunset.”

  Nick took a long breath and let it out slowly. When he’d composed himself, he held his glass out to Sebastian. “Well, at least we have Scotch.”

  Theo’s maneuver was juvenile, but Sebastian had to admit, i
t was effective. He would have been hard-pressed to get some alone time with Nick while he was hosting a huge party, but now, at least they’d have this.

  And alone time was something Sebastian really needed. Every interaction with Nick made two things clear to him: this had stopped being about the bet a long time ago, and he really didn’t know anything about Nick.

  He knew surface things, like what he was majoring in (physics), his hobbies (drawing), and that he was an adult orphan (devastating). But if Sebastian was considering dating for the first time in his life—and potentially giving up Barbzilla forever if he bowed out of the bet—he needed to know something much more important: would they even work together as a couple?

  And on a different note, Sebastian wondered what Theo’s motive was in all this. First, Dante was clearly up to something, and now Theo had pulled this stunt. Were they in on it together? Knowing Theo, he was probably the mastermind behind whatever they were planning. Dante would never waste time scheming unless Theo put him up to it. Later, Sebastian would catch Theo after one cocktail too many and needle it out of him.

  For now, he watched the man standing next to him out of the corner of his eye. Nick was leaning on the stone railing encasing the balcony, his eyes unfocused as he gazed out over quiet streets peppered with neat houses. The sunset made his blond hair glow white-hot, and his tan skin had a distinct pink tinge. It was impossible to tell if he was flushed or if it came from the pastel sky.

  “So”—Sebastian swirled the Scotch in his glass and mourned their lack of ice—“since we’re stuck out here, we should probably find something to do.”

  Nick looked at him askance. “Dude, there’s a room full of people inside.”

  It took Sebastian a second to follow his train of thought. “Wow, so not what I meant.” He paused. “Though I’m thrilled your mind went straight to the gutter.”

  The pink in Nick’s face deepened, confirming that it hadn’t been caused by the sunset. “What were you thinking, then? We could play a drinking game, I suppose.”

  “We can’t play a tawdry party game with a nice bottle of Scotch. This is a sipping liquor. It’s not meant for shots.”

  “You have a better idea?”

  “We could plan a daring escape.”

  Nick gestured at the ground a solid twenty feet below them. “We’re three floors up. What are we going to do? Jump?”

  “I guess not.” He grinned. “But imagine Theo’s and Dante’s faces if we waltzed into the party a few minutes from now with the door to the balcony still locked. Tipsy as Theo is, I bet we could convince him we’re wizards.”

  Nick laughed. “Dibs on Harry Potter!”

  Sebastian made an affronted sound. “Bullshit. If either of us is Daniel Radcliffe, it’s me. Only I’m taller and lack his beautiful eyes. You can be Tom Felton.”

  “Malfoy?” Nick turned to face him. “You think I’m Malfoy? On what grounds?”

  “You know what?” Sebastian ruffled Nick’s hair. “You’re not blond enough to be Malfoy. He’s platinum, and you’re more of a honey.” The second his fingers touched Nick’s head, they wanted to never stop. Holy fuck, Nick’s hair was soft. Tangled, but soft.

  Nick didn’t push Sebastian’s hand away immediately, and Sebastian made a note: potential for hair play later. “Seriously, you said you wanted me to get to know you. Now seems like the perfect time for you to tell me about yourself.”

  “That’s a broad topic. What do you want to know about me?”

  Nick raised a fine eyebrow. “I can ask anything? You sure you want to hand that kind of power over to me?”

  “Fair enough. In that case, you can ask me anything, but I get to ask you anything in return.”

  For the first time since they’d gotten locked outside, Nick seemed nervous. “And we both have to answer?”

  “Well, you don’t have to, but if you pass too many times, it ruins the spirit of it.”

  “Hm.” Nick shrugged. “All right, I’m in. Though I fail to see how that’s much different from a drinking game.”

  “Just ask a damn question.”

  Nick looked out over the orange-drenched view and tapped a finger against his chin. After a minute, he perked up and glanced back at Sebastian. “All right, how long was your longest relationship?”

  Damn, he comes out swinging.

  Sebastian shifted from foot to foot. “I’ve, uh, never been in a relationship before. I dated this one guy for like a month, but that’s not exactly long-term, is it?”

  “Oh man.” Nick groaned. “I’d hoped that wasn’t really the case.”

  “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you’re a flirt who has trust and communication issues. Not exactly the makings of a relationship expert.”

  Sebastian sniffed. “Touché. You sound like you already knew what my answer was going to be.”

  “Yeah, Theo told me about your one relationship a while ago. I won’t lie: I asked because I was testing to see if you’d tell me the truth.”

  “I want to be pissed about that, but I guess I don’t have the right. It’s true: I’m lost when it comes to relationships. Sex is what I’m good at. But to be fair, it’s not like I couldn’t have dated if I’d wanted to. I’ve had plenty of offers.”

  “Why haven’t you taken anyone up on them?”

  Because for a long time, I doubted if love exists. Though lately, I’ve been questioning everything I once knew.

  “Nice try,” he said out loud. “But you don’t get two questions in a row. It’s my turn.”

  Nick huffed but nodded, taking a sip of his drink as if he needed it to bolster his nerves. “Go ahead.”

  Before Sebastian could respond, someone appeared on the other side of the glass door. It was a guy with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. As he reached for the door handle, Sebastian actually wished he wouldn’t free them. He didn’t want to lose this time with Nick.

  Luckily or unluckily, a shirtless and visibly intoxicated Theo appeared and chased the guy away. Literally. The glass muffled most of the sound, but Theo appeared to shout like Tarzan and charge the guy, who ran away in terror. Theo paused long enough to give them a thumbs-up before he disappeared back into the crowd.

  Nick whistled. “Our friends are weird.”

  “Yeah, Theo is one of those people who changes when he drinks. Into what, no one knows. Anyway, back to the game.” Sebastian thought for a moment. “Here’s a juicy one. How many guys have you slept with?”

  Nick’s flush intensified, but he met Sebastian’s gaze without flinching. “Just guys?”

  “Ah. You’re bisexual?”

  Nick nodded.

  “All right. How many people have you slept with?”

  Nick took another sip before holding up two fingers.

  Sebastian looked between them and his face. “You mean two dozen, right?”

  “What? No! I can’t imagine having that many sexual partners.” Nick peered at him. “Why? How many have you had?”

  Sebastian glanced at his wrist. “Wow, look at the time. I think I’ll jump off the balcony after all.” He moved like he was going to vault over the railing.

  Nick caught his arm, laughing. “Seriously. You can tell me.”

  “I’d rather not.”

  “Because of how I reacted? I’m sorry about that. I swear I’m not a judgmental person.”

  “It’s not that. It’s just . . . Well, I’m not super proud of my number. Not because I’m ashamed of sex itself or anything. I’m not puritanical.”

  “Why then?”

  Sebastian shifted his weight again and glanced at where his glass was sitting on the balcony. With each passing minute, as more of the sun sank below the horizon, it darkened from amber to a rich, almost chocolatey color. It was like a sundial in a way, alerting him to the fact that his alone time with Nick was running out. If he was going to open up, this was his chance.

  “I used to party a lot when I was younger,” Sebastian began. “Th
at meant I occasionally got trashed with people I didn’t know all that well. There were times when I hooked up with guys whose names I couldn’t remember. It’s one of the reasons I have a no-drunk-sex policy now. Consent issues aside, I realized it wasn’t the healthiest behavior.”

  Nick’s expression was a little too neutral. “Did you feel taken advantage of?”

  “No, I always wanted to have sex. I didn’t care who with, so long as he was reasonably attractive. I thought I preferred for things to be as anonymous and emotionless as possible.”

  “Any particular reason?”

  That was Nick’s fourth question in a row, but Sebastian let it slide. “I was fresh out of the closet and ready to check out the whole ‘gay lifestyle’ I’d heard so much about. I was also acting out, because while my parents didn’t disapprove of my sexuality, per se, they didn’t want me expressing it all over town either. So, naturally, I did. And also, I think—” He stopped short. “I was about to say I had a hole to fill, but I realized how wrong that sounds.”

  Nick, who’d been in the process of drinking his Scotch, snorted into the glass before choking on his laughter. “Oh my God. I’m so glad you caught yourself, or I would have done a spit take.”

  “I wouldn’t have blamed you.” Sebastian gave him a small smile. “But in all seriousness, I definitely think I was looking for something in all the wrong places. Not affection, for sure, but maybe validation? Something like that.”

  Nick nodded. “I get it. Your parents ignored you, so you sought out attention elsewhere. The more I learn about you, the more the puzzle pieces fall into place.”

  Sebastian eyed him. “In a good way?”

  “Definitely in a good way.”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Sebastian contemplated his next question. “So, the grand total of two people that you slept with. Who were they?”

  “One was a girl named Amanda when I was in high school. She was my long-term girlfriend until we went to separate colleges, failed at the long-distance thing, and parted ways amicably. I still call her sometimes. The other was this boy back home. He was a waiter at the restaurant where I worked to help pay for my tuition. We dated for like six months, but honestly it was never serious.”