Sweet Love (NG5)

7 - Nick

MARCH

As Nick Brenner walked across campus, the heat caused perspiration on his back. Glancing at the time, he picked up his pace. He didn't want to be late for his lab.

As his feet moved his body ignoring the fatigue. Nick wasn't tired of classes and hours in the lab, but the heat and being away from home made him weary. He missed Sophie, his twin, most of all, although the list was long. He even missed the snow. At seventeen, he had thought he needed distance from Maine and the cold winters. The only schools he applied to were in the south. Three years later, it was too late for a redo.

Florida was pretty far south. His mother hid the fact she hated him so far away by saying at least he had family to look out for him.

His father's sister, Aunt Liz and her family lived nearby. His cousins were older than him, but they hung out occasionally. Lauren lived at home after graduating with a health administration degree. She worked at Tampa General. Adam was in southern Florida at Optometry school. His father, also Adam, was an optometrist. Nick planned to stop by the house for a haircut and a free meal after his lab.

Three hours disappeared and Nick stepped out into the heat again. Maybe it was the long stretch before spring break that was getting to him. Time always flew during the second half of the semester. Shutting his eyes, he thought of sitting on the beach with the cool wind blowing in. In Tampa, he was near the water, but not a beach which was a half hour away. The white sand, palm trees and clear water should look like paradise, but it didn't look like home. Where were the long stretches of dunes to hide him at night. No one was having sex on the beach with a road running along the length of it.

Heading towards his car, a streak of blond hair came running at him. Trinity lunged at him. "Nick, come on."

He caught her before he reached the piece of shit car he bought off Lauren after she graduated. "I'm going to my cousin's house. I thought I told you."

She pouted. "I forgot. Do you have to?"

He nodded. "My aunt's making dinner."

"Lucky you, a home cooked meal.' She pouted. "I'll eat alone."

He chuckled. "Alone with your sorority sisters."

She hung on his shoulders, so he planted a kiss on her forehead. "I have to go."

"Can I come?"

"Sorry. It's rude to bring an uninvited guest, plus she's having steak." Nick didn't know what his aunt was cooking, but Trinity hated red meat.

Lauren had met Trinity a few weekends before. They ran into each other at a music festival. Nick didn't need to be the honors student he was to know his cousin didn't like his girlfriend.

Greek life wasn't Nick's thing, so he never pledged a fraternity. Still, everyone knew the best parties were at frats. His friend, Xavier, did the pledge thing freshman year and got into Phi Gamma Delta. FIJI, for short, threw bashes and Nick went because X-man was his best buddy on campus. They bonded over their chem lab together. He saved the term best friend for Ben Probst. Kevin Bennett was second in line. Sophie's place was special - best friend, womb mate, sister.

With X-man at his side, he drank warm beer from the keg. Honestly, Nick was having a good time because he wasn't comparing it to beers from bottles on the beach. The summer before Ben was twenty-one so they no longer had to sneak booze from their parents. Nick was pretty sure his parents knew. They were cool, although his father hammered into him some important rules. Don't rely on birth control, always wear a condom. Nick got it. He was a fan of safe sex, but mostly he was a fan of sex. Always prepared, he had a foil package in his back pocket. Hooking up happened on campus and he was all for it.