Even though he didn't want to kiss anyone except Matty, every little bit of money could help his family, and maybe pad his lucky Copenhagen sock if he were lucky. "No tongue."
"Sounds reasonable," she said. "I just want it to work."
"Well, you've come to the right place." He barely said it with feeling. He wanted his lips to be reserved for Matty. One night. I can do one night, and then it'll be done. No big deal.
After leaving the sorority house, Coop tried Matty again. Another voicemail. He sent one more text: Am I sleeping at your place tonight? Getting close to my bedtime …
Rather than wait for a response, Coop had a better idea. He walked over to the library to surprise his boyfriend, but Matty was nowhere to be found in his usual chair. Coop texted a picture of himself at Matty's table with a frowny face.
Matty quickly texted back: I'm working at the computer lab in the engineering building. ground floor.
Coop stopped by a coffee shop in one of the dorms. But he realized that he didn't know what kind of coffee Matty drank. He bought him a chocolate chip cookie instead. Did Matty like chocolate chip, or was an oatmeal raisin person? They still had so much to learn about each other.
Matty met him at that special entrance when they'd first "sneaked" into the engineering building. Although it wasn't sneaking if you have the code. His sneakers squeaked against the freshly-waxed floor. They passed the familiar plaques and awards. He knew Matty was aiming for his own plaque, or something greater.
The computer lab was a series of tables with a series of computers on them, like a call center without phones. One computer was on in the entire room.
"This is it."
Matty returned to his computer and typed away furiously at rows of incomprehensible data. He was like a machine. Coop dropped the bag with the cookies in his lap.
"Thanks. I love chocolate chip!" Matty took a bite while keeping one eye on his computer screen.
"Are you just saying that? If you're one of those weirdos who likes oatmeal raisin, I won't think less of you."
"No, this is good." Dark circles drooped beneath Matty's eyes.
"Burning the midnight oil?"
"It's only," he glanced at the time on his screen. "Ten twenty-three."
"You should call it a night." Coop flopped into a chair and kicked his feet up on the table. "Looks like everyone else has."
"That's their weakness."
"Sleep is not a weakness. It's a necessary part of being a human being, and not a humanoid."
"I'm going to be a little sleep deprived these next three weeks."
And Coop was going to be Matty-deprived. He peered over Matty's shoulder, letting his chin rest there. "So what special powers are you giving your robot?"
"I'm still figuring that out, then I need to, of course, build the algorithm."
"Of course." Coop tapped his finger against a "Don't Mess With Texas" flash drive plugged into the computer. Matty didn't really have much of a Texas accent, but he caught it on certain words. "I like that flash drive."
"Thanks. That's where I'm saving my computer program. We then plug in the flash drive to the robot, and it's ready to go." Matty shrugged him off. "Sorry, your chin is in a weird spot."
"Maybe it's an untapped erogenous zone." Coop wiggled his eyebrows and Matty humored him with a smile. He took that as a green light to kiss Matty's neck. Nobody else was here … Coop's cock hardened against his leg.
Matty yawned and rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't have the energy. Maybe once it's done."
"Right."
Clack clack
"Am I going to see you tonight?"
"I don't know. I need to knock this out of the park. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be at it."
Clack clack
"So I should sleep in my room then?"
"Probably."
Clack clack
"Could you stop typing for one second?" Coop shielded Matty's hands from the keys. The clacking of the keys was little a rubber band snapping against his arm. "Your robot program isn't going to fall apart if you take one minute to have a conversation with your boyfriend."
"Sorry."
"Can we do lunch tomorrow?" Coop tapped his foot against his chair.
"Let's play it by ear." Matty gave him a sincere look, even though his mind was deep in computerland. "Coop."
Matty placed a hand on his tapping foot.
"Right." Coop made his foot go still. He got up and walked to the exit. "I'll let you get back to it."
"I'm sorry, Coop. Three weeks. That's all I need."
Matty ran to him and threw his arms around his neck. He kissed him like he was same old Matty, like nothing had changed in this past week.
Coop rested his forehead against Matty's. He ran his fingers through the back of Matty's hair. He wanted Matty to kick ass at this contest. He was just used to seeing Matty more frequently, and it was being yanked away without warning. "Three weeks. I'll just consider it a Lent extension."
"Don't be that drastic!"
"I can hold out. It'll only make me want you more."
"Thanks for understanding." Matty pressed his palm over Coop's heart. "Maybe tomorrow night we can hang out."
Tomorrow night. The beach party.
"I have plans. With Rafe." Coop hated lying, but telling Matty all about his business might lead to more questions he didn't want to answer. Plus, a part of him was upset with Matty for locking himself up in this lab, and he didn't feel like sharing. It was stupid and selfish, but Coop was acting in the moment.
"Three weeks," Matty said.
"Three weeks," Coop replied.
In the morning, he was going to text Matty, but didn't bother. The ball was in Matty's court. If he wanted to take a break from roboting, he could contact Coop. He went to the gym for an early morning workout. That usually cleared his head.
At the gym, Coop warmed up with a jog around the indoor track. Bright sun beamed through the windows. He thought about he used to get winded so easily in high school. He was skinny and slow, a horrible combination. But not anymore. When he got off the track, he checked himself out in the mirror by the water fountains. Not any-freaking-more.
"Looking good." Kelvin waited behind him. He barely had any sweat on him, and he wore a Ralph Lauren sweatband around his head like he came from a tennis match at a country club in 1988.
"Don't tell me you followed me here." Coop took a sip of water.
"No. This is quite serendipitous. I've been planning on reaching out to you, and then I run into you when I'm going to my morning yoga class."
"Why are you reaching out to me? I told you I'm done." Coop entered the weight room.
"Hear me out." Kelvin stood next to him while he did bicep curls. "I have a proposition for you."
"What? You have your curve."
"And now I want the research slot." Kelvin had a face of determination.
"But you were barely passing the class before."
"So was everyone else. Now the game has changed. The lab position is available to anyone who wins the competition."
Coop thought of Matty. He wondered what time he got home from the lab.
"I can't build your algorithm thing for you."
"But you can keep distracting your boyfriend."
Coop hated how he said boyfriend, like Matty was just another settlement or road that could be thwarted on a Settlers of Catan board. The comment burned through his skin.
"I don't do that anymore. We are no longer doing business together," Coop said firmly.
"Are you sure about that?"
"You want me to sabotage my boyfriend's work? You think I would do that?"
"You won't be sabotaging anything. Just do what you've been doing. Get him out of the lab, show him a good time. Keep him happy and entertained. Give other students a chance to compete."
"You mean yourself." Coop switched to wailing on his triceps. The anger building up in him fueled his workout.
"I never thought I had a chance at this position. If I got it, my parents would be thrilled. The shit about my grades would go away. It's the best opportunity for a freshman robotics student at Browerton. Hell, in the Northeast."
"If you want it, earn it." Coop stared down Kelvin, which was the nicest way he would tell him to move along. Kelvin seemed to understand.
"I don't have my wallet on me right now, but trust that I will make this very worth your while, like three hundred times worth your while."
Coop clocked Kelvin's punchable grin in the mirror. "Everyone is just a price tag to you, aren't they?"
"Don't go all altruistic on me, Coop. It's not your style. That number would just be a signing bonus. You'd be crazy to turn down this payday."
He hated the monetary power Kelvin exerted over him. He could benchpress the guy, yet he felt weak in his presence.
"Matty's a smart guy. Really smart. If he doesn't get this position, he can find another way in. It's a speed bump for him and a windfall for you."