Dark Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 2) by Amanda M. Lee

bare hands. That’s how excited I am to see him.”
    “Join the club,” Aric said.
    “Um, Aric?” Kelsey sounded nervous.
    “What?”
    “I have to go to the bathroom,” Kelsey said.
    “You just went!” The melancholy spell was broken thanks to Kelsey’s tiny bladder.
    “I can’t help it,” Kelsey whimpered. “For some reason long drives make me have to go.”
    “Well, you’re going to have to hold it,” Aric said. “We’re not making any stops.”
    “I hope you don’t mind me ruining your upholstery,” Kelsey shot back. “That’s a lot more likely than me holding it for an hour and a half.”
    “I’m so glad you insisted on bringing them,” Aric muttered, shaking his head. “I just … why can’t I have any friends who are dudes?”
    “I think it has a little something to do with your attitude,” I said. “Dudes need bathroom breaks, too. No one wants to be friends with a bathroom Nazi.”
    “Shut up, Zoe.”

9
    Nine
    “ I t feels weird to be back here,” Paris said, clutching her cup of coffee and glancing around the University Center’s bookstore. “I … feel old.”
    “You should feel old,” I shot back. “You dated a really old guy and he got his cooties on you, so now you’re infected. It’s a good thing he’s dead, otherwise you’d be getting older by the second.”
    “There’s no such thing as old person cooties,” Paris argued. “Kelsey, tell her there’s no such thing as old person cooties.”
    “I can’t tell her that because the fact that you had sex with that old dude really freaks me out,” Kelsey said, her gaze bouncing around the bookstore. “Other than the students looking like middle-schoolers, absolutely nothing has changed. I’m not going to lie. I’m a little disappointed.”
    I didn’t know what she expected. We’d been gone only five years. “What did you think was going to change?” I asked. “Did you think we would have to unearth the University Center and treat it as an ancient dig site?”
    “Don’t be sarcastic,” Kelsey snapped. “Sarcasm is the refuge of the weak, and you don’t need to be weak. I’m not saying I thought everything would be different. It’s just … exactly the same.”
    “What are you guys talking about?” Aric asked, popping up beside me and handing me a cup of coffee. “I got you a mocha because I know if it’s not half chocolate and milk you won’t drink it.”
    “Oh, see, you are the perfect man,” I teased, leaning my head against his shoulder.
    “Paris thinks we’re old,” Kelsey supplied. “Do you feel old?”
    “Zoe makes me feel old all the time,” Aric replied, smirking when I shot him a dark look. “I’m surprised I haven’t turned gray yet with how old she makes me feel.”
    “You’re no longer the perfect guy,” I said, jerking my head away. “You’ve fallen in my estimation, and you’ll probably never recover.”
    “It comes and it goes,” Aric said, narrowing his eyes. “Now that you mention it, though, some of these kids look really young. It does make me feel old.”
    “You know these kids are the same age I was when you decided to pick me up in that aisle right over there, right?” I pointed, smiling at the memory.
    Aric glanced at me. “Now who’s being romantic and schmaltzy?”
    “Fine, don’t bask in the love with me,” I said, moving away from everyone. “I want to look around for a little bit. Did you talk to your father? Does he know where we can find Mark?”
    “He’s an English professor,” Aric replied. “He’s teaching a class right now. We should have plenty of time to look around and get over there before the class is done. Everyone has forty-five minutes before we go.”
    “Yay!” Kelsey was excited. “I’m going to buy a sweatshirt.”
    “Why?” Paris asked, shuffling off with Kelsey. “Do you want to be reminded of all the crap we went through here?”
    “I’m hoping if I put on a sweatshirt the students won’t think I’m old like