I don’t expectletsplayjayto pause as he’s reading. His hand curls around his length again and for a few moments he doesn’t say a word. Then he sits back, gives a soft, rolling chuckle and continues on, talking to his other viewers instead of me as they tip him or engage with him.
His stream goes on for longer than I expect it to, and even though it’s definitely interesting and fun to watch him tease and flirt, I tear my gaze away from his perfect body and shut my laptop. I had a plan for this afternoon, and I do still intend to take a nap before Juniper gets home so that I’m rested and ready for whatever she wants to do for dinner and after.
Not that I think there’s going to be much of an ‘after’ in terms of going out. Juniper doesn’tloveparties and neither do I. Therefore, it’s normally at least a few weeks into the semester before she gets the itch to go and drags me to some questionable frat house.
But just in case, I want to sleep and definitely not dream ofletsplayjayand the way he spoke to me in his stream.
Once I’m awake again,the sun is starting to set. I check my phone, unsurprised to see I slept for over an hour, and that Juniper is on her way back as of five minutes ago. That gives me time to actually wake up and check to make sure no teachers have left any announcements or assignments on the school’s website.
Not that I think they have, but after nearly failing a class because of assumptions like that a few semesters ago, I don’t take anything for granted.
I pull my laptop off of the nightstand and into my lap once more, combing my fingers through my long, tangled hair. Naturally I’d forgotten to close out ofletsplayjay’sstream, and I frown at the ended stream as I go to close it.
Or I would, if there wasn’t a message blinking in my inbox. I’m not dumb, I know these sites send messages urging people to buy tokens for tipping or a subscription to premium streams. This one is probably offering some kind of special or sale, but if I don’t delete it now, it’ll bother me.
Except, it isn’t what I think it’s going to be.
The message is fromletsplayjayand doesn’t look like one of the ‘official’ ones showing their links and stream options. It looks like a real message, though the subject is just :] and nothing else. I click it anyway, and am even more shocked to see I was right. It isn’t an automated subscription message at all.
Thanks for coming back. I hope you had a good time, finalistgirl. I stream mondays and fridays from 5 to 6 and sometimes on Saturday. Maybe I’ll see you around? I think I can make it worth your while.
I snort and finally close the browser with a shake of my head. If he hadn’t locked in my interest before, this has definitely done it. And while it’s not my normal go-to, I can absolutely see myself making an exception just this once, for just this camboy.
Though, I can’t help but wonder what it’s like to be on the other side of the stream, talking to viewers, not showing your face, and getting paid to do it.
Could I do it? Or would I crash and burn like the world’s saddest tree falling miserably down a cliff into lava?
Chapter 4
“Ihate you,” I tell Juniper lightly, no real enthusiasm in my tone as I mop up sour cream with my cheese quesadilla. While I’m not exactly vegetarian, meat has a habit of upsetting my stomach. Especially when I don’t cook it myself. Besides, it’s not like I mind eating what’s basically cheese, spices, and bread dipped indairy. Quite the opposite, in fact, as dairy is my favorite of the food groups.
“Do you?” Her finger runs down the lines of her syllabus as she reads. “Tell me all about it while I give youallof my attention.” She doesn’t look up, or stop reading, and it’s clear I won’t be getting even half of her attention, truth be told. Not that I need it for slightly insulting her.
I snort anyway, like she’s hurt my feelings. “You quit photography, and now I’m stuck there. I need the credits, and I’ve already bought the camera.”
“So?” She looks up at me, brows raised. “What’s the big deal? You wanted to take it anyway, last time I checked.AndProfessor Solomon is drop dead gorgeous.”
“And awful,” I amend vehemently. “He’sawful. Incredibly mean. Talks shit about students while they’re in class. Ihave never had a worse professor, and after freshman year, Mr. Porter, and earth and space science, that’s really saying something.”
“It is,” Juniper agrees, nodding at me. “I didn’t think anything would ever top Porter for you. Especially when that Christian student locked eyes with you and, what was it?” There’s a smile growing on her lips as she pretends to forget what happened.
But she hasn’t. Not only was she there, she’s never let me live it down.
My mouth opens, but before I can speak, I hear my name and a person slides onto the bench beside me, grinning. “Hey,” Oliver Greer greets, resting his face on his chin. “So, uh, it’s not four o’clock yet.” He throws a quick look at Juniper, who’s looking at him like she’s never seen something so offensive before. “I’m Oliver.”
“I wasn’t asking,” she assures him. “Besides, I know who you are. You tutor on Thursday and I do too. You’re a… criminal justice student, right? You’re about halfway through your masters?”
Well, I was off in my calculations. I’d pegged him at twenty-three or twenty-four, but if he’s halfway through, there’s a chance he’s closer to twenty-six, depending on whether he took a year off in between.
“Oh, right!” Oliver sits back, palms on the table. “I remember seeing you.” I glance at him, surprised to see that his incredibly friendly grin is… different somehow. When he looks at Juniper, I don’t feel as much of the friendliness or the helpful attitude.
It feels almost fake.
But it’s also none of my business and I have a quarter of a quesadilla left, so I just watch them instead of butt into their conversation.
“Are you guys in a class together?” Juniper asks, focused on him instead of me. I’m glad for it. I get nervous around strangers, and Oliver’s attitude is enough to throw me off my pathetic game, even with his seemingly easy-going nature.
“We’re in Basics of Photography together,” Oliver nods. “Look, I was just…” He frowns, tapping his fingers on the table, and I bite my lip as he turns to look at me. “You didn’t quit, did you? Like I said, I know Rook is awful, but—”