Page 3 of #PhiThetaForever

"Please stop. I don't want to hear about my brother banging anything, including you, whenever that actually happens."

"Both of you, shut up, " Candice finally says before snickering and pushing Darcy over onto her side.

Being so close with Darcy has been incredible but totally odd. A year ago, I hated her. She made my life hell when I first met Declan. But now, she's come around. Become the person Declan always knew was hiding behind her bad girl act. She's finally his sister again.

I flop down on my bed and think about Declan's teammate from earlier. "Hey, Candice, has Jackson talked to you about any of the guys on the football team?"

"Yeah," she says, crossing her legs under each other. "Says most of them are pigs except Justus. Jackson says he cool. Doesn't do the drinking and parties like the rest of them seem to."

I bite my bottom lip, remembering the feelings I got earlier. "He ever say anything about a guy named Bo?"

Candice looks up at me, her eyes a little wide. "He's bad news, according to Jackson. Been trying to recruit him and Declan to Sigma Nu. That's the fraternity he’s president of. Apparently, they're considered the best frat on campus, but Jackson said it's a lot of booze, sex, and drugs. And a whole lot of stupidity."

I nod, knowing deep down Jackson is right about Bo. It's evident in that guy's eyes. He's danger and trouble just looking for a place to happen. It's not like I can ask Declan to stay away from him, though. They're teammates. But that doesn't mean I have to go near him. This is a big campus, and Declan doesn't have to pledge Sigma Nu. There's over fifteen frats here to choose from. It doesn't have to be that one.

Does it?

3 Declan

Lena's been overly quiet since I picked her up. She barely talked on the ride to dinner, or during dinner, for that matter. We've been at the cafe, sipping coffee for twenty minutes, and she sat, turning her promise ring in circles the whole time . . . which she only does when she's upset about something. After another few minutes of watching her spin the ring in circles, I reach over and cover her hands with mine.

"What's wrong, baby?"

She looks down at our hands and then back to my face. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

There's the word. Fine. Anytime my girlfriend uses the wordfine, she's anything but. I think Lena forgets how well I know her. She moves her hands to entwine our fingers and then covers the back of my hand with her other one. Something is definitely bothering her.

"Please don't lie to me, Lena."

She sighs and gives me a sad smile. I reach across the table with my free hand and cup the side of her face, and my heart warms at the way she leans into my touch, closing her eyes and exhaling. "Are you going to pledge Sigma Nu?"

Her question catches me off guard, and my brows come together in confusion. "Lena, I haven't really thought about pledging anywhere. I know we talked about joining sororities and fraternities, but honestly, I don't know if I have the time for that. I want to spend as much time as I can with you, and that's already slim between football and the workload we know is coming now that classes are in. If I join a fraternity, that's going to take away even more of my time."

She smiles at me, squeezing my hand gently. "Okay."

Taking a deep breath, I let it out very slowly. "Does this have anything to do with Bo earlier?" She looks away from my face, and that's all the answer I need. "Sweetheart, I know he rubs you the wrong way, but he's my teammate. And despite him asking me for the last month straight, I haven't agreed to pledge his frat. It's not the end of the world if I don't. He's got plenty of other guys who want to."

Lena bites her bottom lip and nods her head at the same time, still not looking at me. Gently, I put pressure on the side of her face until her eyes meet mine. "I'm sorry, he just . . . gives me a bad feeling. And his frat doesn't have the best reputation on campus. I don't want you around a bunch of guys that drink and do drugs, and Lord knows what else. That kind of stuff can get you kicked out of school. You could lose your scholarship, and after how hard you wor—"

"Woah. Baby, stop." I let go of her and stand, moving around to her side of the booth. Sliding next to her, I wrap one arm around her shoulder and tuck her hair behind her ear with the other, tangling my fingers in her hair and holding her head, so her eyes stay on mine. "I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize my scholarship. Or hurt our relationship. I didn't come to college to drink and do drugs. I came here to get an education so that I can have a career and take care of you and our future."

"Our future?" She bites her lip again, and I'm distracted, wanting to kiss her and take her back to my room to show her just how much I love her.

"Yes, Lena. Our future. I want to marry you. I want a family with you. Me and you. Remember? Nothing else is as important as that goal. Not to me."

She smiles a little and reaches up to touch the side of my face. Before she can move, I lean down and kiss her. It only takes a moment before I'm pulling her body close to mine, my tongue gently exploring her mouth, my mind scattered to the four corners of the Earth. Her fingers run from the crown of my head down to my shirt collar, and I shiver. She's the only girl in the world that can set me on fire like she does. No one does to me what Lena does.

"You have no idea what you do to me, Lena Harrison."

She chuckles against my lips. "The same things you do to me, Declan Harp."

I kiss her several more times before loosening my grip and letting her rest her head against my shoulder, her arm wrapped around my stomach. "I love you, Lena. I said it last year, and I'll say it this year, God brought us together for a reason."

She turns her head and kisses my shoulder. "I know He did. And I love you too."

"Good. Now that we have the first-day drama sorted out let's get you back to your room. As much as I want to spend all night wrapped in you, I have homework, and I promised Jackson we'd study together."

As we make our way to the door, a shrill whistle catches our attention. Lena and I both look to the back of the cafe where Bo is sitting with a few other team members. He stares at Lena a little longer than I like, and I'm not oblivious to the slight shake in her hand when she slides it into mine. I give him a slight nod before turning and leading Lena out of the cafe. She's not usually one to judge others or have issues with anyone, so the fact she spoke up against Bo means he really hit a bad nerve with her.