A guy I didn’t know came over and clapped Noah on the back of the shoulder hard enough that Noah almost spilled his drink on me. “Jackass,” I heard Noah say under his breath, and I swallowed a smile.
“Braaaa,” the guy brayed like a donkey. His shirt, emblazoned with three Greek letters, looked stylishly faded, and he wore loud plaid shorts and flip flops. Noah knocked the fraternity guy’s fist and received a slap on the upper arm in return. I wondered if learning to shorten every word to three letters was part of the secret rituals that took place on Greek Street during pledge week.
“Marco,” Noah replied in greeting.
“I hear you all are having a little get together on Friday to welcome back the ladies. Any chance of an invite?” Marco said.
“First I’ve heard of it,” Noah responded, a non-answer to Marco’s query.
“Let me know and I’ll help you tag the hot frosh buns.” He laughed at his own terrible joke and moved to sit down at the empty chair at our table. Noah must have thought that the guy would talk to us all evening if we stayed, so he stood up and said, “We’ve got to run. Nice seeing you, Marco.”
“Yeah, man, I will see you around campus.” Marco turned to Finn and added, “And Finnster, man, we will see you at your party.”
“Indeed,” Finn intoned and picked up his tray.
Noah grabbed our backpacks and slung them over his shoulders, so I picked up both trays and his cups and made toward the clean-up conveyor belt. I thought for a minute that Noah would fight me for them, but I raised an eyebrow at him and he backed away.
“You know,” I said to Noah, “I can carry my own books.”
“I’m sure you can,” came his laconic reply, “but why should you?”
I didn’t have a non-confrontational answer. I wondered if friends were invited to parties, but neither Finn nor Noah brought it up again. They walked me to my apartment, where Noah finally handed over my bag and said he’d see me in the morning.
Noah
“Could it have killed you to give us a minute of privacy?” I groused as we walked to campus parking, where I had left the truck.
“Yes, actually,” Finn replied. “After hearing from Bo how inept the great Noah Jackson is with this girl, I had to stick around.”
“I hope we put on a good show for you.”
“Nope. I kept waiting for you to put your big-ass foot in your mouth. Sadly, nothing,” Finn let out a loud belch.
“Goddamn, that reeks,” We stopped at the truck and I made Finn stand outside for a good minute before I unlocked the doors. “I told you not to eat anything that they smother in cheese at the dining hall,” I said after we had finally gotten into the cab.
Finn responded with another, smaller belch. I rolled down the windows.
“Are we having a party this weekend?” I asked Finn.
“Why not?”
“Just wondered when this was decided. But whatever, I’m on board.” I tapped my fingers absently against the steering wheel. Getting Grace in my own territory might be a good way to move our tentative dance from one between friends to more. I didn’t like the idea of her going to fraternity parties looking for something I could and wanted to provide. Whatever that was.
“Post-party hookups can be dangerous,” Finn warned.
“Sure, but I need to get her in my territory and away from campus.”
“Isolate your prey and lure her into your cave? Does that work?” Finn asked.
“We’ll see on Saturday night.”
Chapter Eight
Dear Grace,
We aren’t supposed to be sent out on a raid again for thirty-six hours. I’m not holding my breath. The base has a bunch of new Air Force personnel. Bo tells me that the Air Force girls are better-looking than in any other branch of the Armed Services, and so he has left me to my letter-writing. He’d know. I think he’s tried them all out.
Tonight, after I finish this letter to reassure you that I’m just fine but worn out, I plan to lie down in my bed and read the book you sent me. The Odyssey? I know you think I’m doing heroic deeds, but I’m not. Or if I am, they are the same things being done by millions of other soldiers from around the world.
I’m ready to be done with this deployment. And Sgt., if you are reading this, I mean that I’m excited for this deployment to be done so I can re-up. (Not really, Grace, but just in case.)
Yours,
Noah
Grace
I didn’t see much of Noah after breakfast which ended up being a hurried and unsatisfying affair given that Noah had to run off to do something. Mike had me reshelving books for the first hour, and during the second, I sorted through old journals that would be sent out to be bound. Finally, I was told to go to the reference desk where Mike was still working.