“Tell me again why we had to come to the grocery store, and why we couldn’t just stop at a gas station? You know I despise the grocery,” I told Garrett as we walked through the automatic door of the supermarket. “We only have to bring chips.”

“And dip,” he clarified, loud enough for the entire place to look in our direction.

Every day with him was like opening night on Broadway. He felt the need to announce to everyone within a half-mile radius of his grand entrance and departure. Seriously, I couldn’t make that shit up.

“Couldn’t we get dip at the gas station? Surely, they sell dip.” My voice piqued at the end for his amusement. Musicals, and sarcasm were the only language he spoke. “It’s just a card game. The guys won’t care what kind of dip we bring.”

“Yeah, well I will. Now get a cart.”

My head snapped in his direction. “C’mon. I draw the line at getting a cart. We don’t need one. Now move your feet. The card game starts in thirty minutes.”

“Keep snapping at me, and I’m going to take all your money tonight, Big Guy.” The sarcasm in his voice was noted. Between the two of us, he was far bigger. He had a good hundred and fifty pounds on me, at least. “Why are you in such a big hurry anyway? You know Jude will be late. He’s always late.”

“True.” Jude was always late. His schedule kept him busy. “I just hate the grocery. A bunch of random people with their filthy hands on every item in the store gets to me. Then you put it on a dirty conveyer belt, where someone touches it again. Oh, but that’s not all. Then you have the bagger who manhandles it into a bag, so you can put it back into the filthy cart you took it out of.” I scrunched up my nose. It’s so much easier to order the groceries online and pick them up. If I can’t see it happening, then it’s like it never did.

Garrett smirked before giving my shoulder a little shove. “You’re such a weirdo.”

I smiled and shrugged. No sense in denying it.

With summer ending, the guys decided to start our usual poker games back up. We’d been doing it once a month since I started Trinity College last year, and it just stuck. It became a ritual for us, a chance to blow off some steam in a laid-back setting. We took turns playing at different places, and tonight we were meeting at Fox’s guesthouse.

I’d never been there before, but according to the other guys, it was a sight to see. His parents were filthy rich, and they lived in some gated community near downtown. As much as I wanted to see the house, there was someone inside of it that I wanted to see more. Don’t get me wrong; I loved a fancy place as much as the next guy, but I was hoping for a chance to see his sister.

Gwen Taylor, the girl who never texted me back, the girl with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and an ass that would stop traffic. I shit you not.

She was the reason I was in such a rush. I was hoping to catch even just a small glimpse of her before we started our game.

“Ouch!” I jumped. “Can’t you drive that thing?” My heel was on fire from him ramming the cart right into the back of it. He insisted on getting the cart, but he couldn’t drive it any better than he drove his truck.

“If you quit daydreaming and walk a little faster that wouldn’t have happened.” His teeth were on full display with his shit-eating grin. “Come on. Let’s check out.”

“Finally.”

Over the past year Garrett and I became more like brothers, than friends. We bicker, we laugh, and we always manage to have a good time no matter what he coaxes me into doing.

Like grocery shopping…

When I think back to move in day at the dorms, it still cracks me up. He walked out of the bathroom naked, burst into song, and claimed to be my best friend in the world. It just worked. Despite our crazy journey, I couldn’t picture having anyone else for my roommate.

Instead of pulling into the circular driveway in front, we followed the road on the side of the house that led to the back of the property. I had to slow down, so that I could take it all in. We were inching in like turtles. I was barely driving three mph. My Camaro hadn’t ever been driven at such low speeds. They weren’t kidding when they said the place was huge. It was massive, and one of the prettiest places I’d ever seen.

Parking behind Obi’s SUV, I sat there staring out my window, trying to take it all in.

“Freaking amazing, right?” Garrett chimed in, before climbing out of the car.

“Right,” I nodded.

Who would actually need a house this size?

I climbed out of my car and closed the door behind me. My eyes were still glued to the house. Seriously, it was something out of a movie. I kid you not. There must’ve been a hundred windows. Scanning over them, I couldn’t help wondering which one of them belonged to her.

In the midst of being a nosey stalker, I tripped over my own feet. If I hadn’t caught myself on the edge of Obi’s SUV, I would’ve face planted on the pavement. Call me Mr. Graceful.

“Easy there, Slick,” Garrett said. He laughed at me all the way up the sidewalk, and I could still hear him chuckling when he walked inside.

Let’s just hope that Gwen wasn’t staring at me through whatever window was hers. I would’ve made a complete fool out of myself. Everybody inside the guesthouse must’ve seen me too, because the laughter carried out through the door when I opened it.

“Laugh it up, Guys.” I called out to the room.

“It’s not the first time someone has been impressed with the size,” Fox belted out over the laughter. That only made it worse. Poor Garrett was bent over, and I thought for a second he was going to piss his pants.

The rest of the night seemed to have the same theme. We did more laughing than card playing, and I wound up losing fifty bucks. It was all in good fun though. I loved our card games. It was nice to have a good time, and not have to worry about anything. The parties on campus were too much for me. It got old, trying to see who could drink the most, or trying to see who could snag the girl before the night was up.

I was glad to see freshman year come to an end. This year was going to be different, better.

When the night was over, Garrett and I headed out to my car. The place looked different when it was pitch black outside. The lights were bright, and you could see the moon reflecting off the pool. What a good life they had. Not that I didn’t, it’s just I’d never seen a place of that magnitude. The money that must’ve gone into it was more than I’d probably ever see in my lifetime.

I opened the door of my Camaro and was just about to climb in when a new light caught my eye. It must’ve just turned on. When I gazed into it, I could see her there. She was far away, but I still knew it was her. There was a dusky silhouette near the pane of the window, tiny and feminine. I squinted to see if I could get a better look, but the body moved.

Man, was I hoping to see her.

Maybe some other time, or maybe I’d get lucky and she’d finally text me back for once.

A guy could dream right?