Out for the Night (Browerton University #4)(8)

Not the answer Matty was expecting, and his ears perked up in response. "Interesting, like a science experiment?"

"No, interesting like you seem … " Coop made sure nobody was eavesdropping. "Cool."

Matty withheld a smile. He wouldn't let his defenses weaken from one measly adjective.

Coop shrugged. "You seem like a guy who has big plans going on in that head of yours. I thought that if I could study with you, your drive would motivate me, but it had the opposite effect. And so I reacted by being a total asshole." He pushed the olive oil bottle closer to Matty with one finger. "That brings us up to the present." 

Matty knew "Never let them see you sweat" and "Never let them see you cry," but he'd have to work on "Never let them see you blush." A part of him still didn't trust Coop though. Bullies could be very determined individuals.

"I appreciate the apology and explanation."

"I'm not used to apologizing to cute guys."

"Cute?" That was the most shocking adjective of this whole conversation.

"Yeah. Are you cool with me being gay?" Coop bit the edge of his bottom lip, sending a heat wave down to Matty's Florida panhandle.

"Um, yeah. That is. Totally fine. I mean, you don't really seem gay."

"Thanks?"

Matty needed to change the subject. This was getting too personal for him, even though he hadn't shared anything yet. "That class I was studying for is really important. There's this research position up for grabs in the professor's lab, and I want it."

So maybe this was going to get personal, but sharing his excitement with somebody was like taking a really deep breath. He felt better knowing Coop was gay, because gay guys were never bullies, right? Unless he was lying about being gay to trick me. Matty hated that he would always think this way. High school had left him with some serious battle scars.

"As part of the olive branch, maybe we could hang out." Coop drummed his fingers on the table. "What are you up to tonight? Some of my friends are having a party."

"I can't. I have plans." Matty was grateful for the excuse.

Coop leaned forward in his chair and rested his chin on his stacked fists. "Oh, what plans?"

"It's nothing."

"What is it? I'm curious. Aren't I allowed to be curious?"

Something in Matty couldn't let him refuse those eyes. "I have game night."

Coop gave an exaggerated nod. "Sounds like fun."

"Well, it is for me."

"I wasn't mocking you. I love game night. I'm a huge game nerd. I wished my friends played games. Well, aside from flip cup."

"You? Play games?"

"Don't we all?" Coop asked with a cheeky grin. "What do you guys play? Scrabble?"

"Catan."

Coop tilted his head. "What's that?"

Matty couldn't tell where the charm ended and sarcasm began. "You've never heard of Settlers of Catan?"

"Oh! Settlers of Catan! I thought you said something else. You need to practice saying words better, because I didn't understand you. I absolutely love Catan."

Matty cocked an eyebrow. Yep, this was sarcasm. "Funny."

"I'm being serious. I'll play with you guys tonight."

"You? Play Catan?"

"You? Play Catan?" Coop repeated back mockingly. "It's my favorite game."

"Really? You don't seem like a Catan player."

"Wow. Is there a birth control pill for all of your pre-conceived notions?" Coop crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow.

"What happens when you roll a seven?"

"It's bad luck for everyone." Coop's gaze didn't veer from Matty. They were in a staring contest, something that Matty did not mind. As long as he didn't have to stand up soon.

"What does that mean?"




       
         
       
        
"I think you know what it means, Matty. I don't need to pass your Catan quiz. I know how to play."

"What two resources do you need to build a road?"

"Patience and self-confidence."

"Incorrect."

"Or is it?" Coop tried to sound like Confucius. "Catan isn't just a board game for me. It's a way of life."

"Have a good day, Coop." Matty tossed his utensils and napkins onto his tray.

"So I'll see you tonight, for some good, old-fashioned Catan."

"No, you won't." He stood up.

Coop handed him the olive oil. "Don't forget this."

Matty was polite and took the bottle. He squeezed it into his backpack's side pouch normally reserved for water bottles. Matty took his tray over to the bussing station. He glanced over his shoulder, and Coop was still at his table, giving him a salute. Matty laughed to himself.

He wouldn't admit it to anyone, least of all Coop, but this was one of the more enjoyable meals he'd had in a while.



After classes, studying, and another dinner of French fries, Matty traveled to mid-campus where an old pair of dorms faced out over the science quad. These dorms were some of the smallest on campus and looked like they hadn't been updated in fifty years.

Matty entered the first floor lounge and waved hi to the other players Akash, Tim, and Tom, who all lived upstairs. In the fall, they had posted in an online forum that they were Browerton students looking for a fourth member for Settlers of Catan. The guys set up the game on a folding table. As the board had to be put together and the tiles arranged a different way each time, it was a group effort.

Before college, Matty had only played Settlers of Catan online. He tried explaining it to Aditi one time as Monopoly set in the Middle Ages. You wanted to build settlements and cities, which were like houses and hotels. The more you built, the more points you received until a player hit ten points. In high school, after studying and homework, he would find the time to play for a good hour. He liked to think that he had friends on every continent, even though he didn't know much about his opponents except their building strategies.

He didn't know much about Tim, Tom, or Akash either, when he thought about it. Akash was the comedian, although Matty saw right through his jokes as a way to distract players. Tim was freakishly tall with a hemp necklace forever hanging from his long neck, and he had freakishly long hair he wrapped up in a bun. Tom was the most clean-cut of the trio, and he only drank Caffeine-free Coke. That was enough for Matty.

He liked that when they played, they all got into the game. This wasn't like when his dad played poker with his friends, where most of the game was them chatting. Each guy in this lounge was in it to win it, as it should be. 

"When does the new guy get here?" Akash asked.

"New guy?" Matty looked up from setting up the game.

Tom came out of the kitchen with a six-pack of Caffeine-free Coke. "I hope you don't mind, but we invited a fifth member to play with us. He said he's a huge Catan fan."

Matty's stomach sunk to his shoes. "He did?"

"Am I late?" Coop waltzed into the lounge.





Chapter 7





Coop





The look on Matty's face was a beautiful sight. Coop whistled a happy tune and flipped one of the board game tile thingies in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" Matty asked.

"Playing Catan."

Tom cracked open a can of soda. "Coop emailed me and said that his Catan group was on hiatus this week."

Matty stepped forward, frustration creasing his forehead. "Coop doesn't have a Catan group."

"I told you how much I enjoy playing." Coop laid on his smile thick, sending Matty's eyebrows into a deep V. "I love games."

Even though he had to play a nerdy board game, at least Coop would be able to find some entertainment this evening. Matty crossed his arms and shook his head. He didn't realize just how cute he was when he did that. Coop couldn't deny that he'd been thinking about Matty ever since their meeting in the library. He was unlike any other student he'd met at Browerton.

"Hey, Tom," Coop asked politely. "Do you assemble the number tokens atop the board tiles in the traditional, Catan-recommended clockwise pattern, or do you have your own methodology for distributing them?"

"We just do it the standard way." Tom took a sip from his soda.

"I think that's best," Coop said. "Having numbered tokens in the same place makes for a more balanced board." Coop stifled a laugh. He had to hold onto the back of the chair to continue. "I once played in a game where we randomized both board tiles and tokens, and we had one cluster of just iron ore with sixes and eights. We could all build cities, but none of us could build settlements!"

He doubled-over into a raucous chuckle, as did the other players. Matty rolled his eyes and remained planted in his party pooper power pose.

"Same thing happened to me," Akash said. "We were rolling in the wheat and nothing else. Lots of four-for-one trading going on."

Coop pretended to wipe tears from his eyes.

"I asked Coop this afternoon what two resources you needed to build a road, and he didn't know," Matty said.

"I can help you arrange the board." Coop reached for the tiles, but Matty snatched them away.

"You will do no such thing!" He whisper-yelled.

"Hey Tim," Coop placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "You have got to tell me the secret to growing your hair so long. My hair just grows out into shrubbery." He took off his hat and ran a hand over his buzzed head.