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As a reminder, Chapter 1 was told from Aiden's perspective. This one is from Corey's. The chapters will alternate through their freshman year.
2 September
Corey
Aiden and I had differing schedules on Tuesdays/Thursdays. I
worked on lyrics in the room last night. I tried to put them to music this
afternoon.
A knock came at the door. I answered.
"I heard ya playing," Ace said. "I knew you were here. Geoff
and I are grabbing pizza tonight and wondered if you and Aiden might wanna join
us."
"Nice," I said. "I think Aiden has a date though."
"Well, the three of us can go."
"Sure."
"By the way, the walls are thin. You have a really good voice."
"Yikes. I didn't know I was so loud."
"You're not. I can just hear."
"Really? I don't hear you guys. Well, I do when football is
on."
"Yeah. I love my football. I played in high school."
"Cool."
Ace looked at the keyboard. "Play something for me."
"Nahhh," I said, putting it away.
"Whoa. Don't let me stop ya."
"I was just working on something. It's not ready. I don't
want to share it yet."
"Songwriter, musician, singer, sculptor you are quite the
talent."
"And you haven't seen me in the kitchen. I'm a dang good chef.
For a little while, I thought about pursuing that as a career."
Ace looked blank. "Hmm. Gosh, Corey. I kinda
feel like a nobody around you."
I was stunned. "What? Me? I'm not anybody."
"Aiden told me you were valedictorian. You're a freaking
handsome blond. Talent is just oozing from your armpits ... gotta say, man, you
are livin' the dream."
But I wasn't living the dream. None of those things he
listed seemed to matter. Aiden had started seeing Donny in the first three
weeks of school. I was nowhere even close to meeting a girl. I knew I hadn't
tried very hard, but I felt I held back. Since arriving, something seemed weird
with me. What was I afraid of?
"What time tonight?" I asked.
"Does 6:30 work?" Ace answered.
"Sounds like a plan."
Shortly after Ace left, I grabbed my carving. I always
sculpted outside because of the tiny shavings. The weather was so nice; I loved
that it wasn't too chilly yet, but the hot days were subsiding.
I had found "my tree" that I leaned against while carving. I
could still detect a few shavings sifted in the grass from last time. I stared
at my piece of wood. I seemed to just be carving for carvings sake. I wasn't
inspired. It was more therapy than art. I sort of felt lost with it.
Hm.
In those seconds, I was inspired. My work would be titled
"Lost." I looked at my smoothed work and began to visualize how I wanted the
forms to go. I hadn't brought out the tools to make major changes, but I did
carve into some areas that I knew I could accomplish some progress with what I
had. In those moments, I felt soothed. Time slipped away.
Off in the distance, I saw Aiden entering the main doors to
Dunne. I hadn't realized how late in the afternoon it had become. I gathered my
things.
Minutes later, I entered our room. I noticed Aiden shirtless.
He was reaching for what the two of us would call a "nicer" shirt.
"Date, huh? Where are you and Donny going?"
"Movie. We haven't decided which one yet."
"Okay. Ace and Geoff invited us to join them for pizza, but
I told them you had plans."
Aiden looked troubled for a moment.
"Did you tell them I was dating a guy?" he asked softly.
"No. I think I said you had a date, but that's all."
"'K."
"You all right?" I asked, still
unsure of his expression.
"Yeah. I ..." He stopped talking. "I'm just ... trying to figure
out my way here. I guess."
"Well, we should start a club because I'm kind of
floundering too."
Aiden walked over and put his arms around me. I held him for
several seconds.
"You're awesome, Corey. And I've got your back."
I squeezed harder. "Ditto."
Aiden walked to the mirror to check his look. He moved his
hair with his hand in self-examination. His hands pressed his shirt against his
stomach.
"You look good."
"Thanks. Tonight ... after the movie, I'm kind of hoping ..."
"Hoping?"
"More than kissing."
"Ah."
Rocco's was fairly full, but we
were able to get a table right away. Had we been ten minutes later, we probably
would have had to wait.
Geoff and Ace mostly concentrated on the pepperoni pizza,
but they had tried at least one slice of my sausage, green pepper
and mushroom. One of them wasn't a "big fan" of mushrooms. The other didn't
care for peppers. But they tried it. I probably should have selected something
we all liked. I kind of felt like a dick for choosing something just for my
tastes, but I was paying for it, so ... I was going to enjoy it.
"So, Aiden's date," Ace started. "Have ya met this girl?"
Crap. I wasn't going to out Aiden to our friends. That
wasn't my place.
"We haven't been introduced yet."
"Well, good for him for finding someone so quickly," Geoff
said.
"Have ya been out with anyone?" Ace asked me.
"No. Not yet,"
I answered, thinking it came out louder than it actually did.
"Me neither," said Geoff.
"I went out with a girl named Bonnie twice," said Ace. "The
second time was Milkshake Mass. She suggested another mass service. I ended it
there. I need my dates to be a little more fun."
"By dates, do you mean the girl or the activity?" I asked.
"Both, I `spose," said Ace.
Ace's preferences made me doubt myself again. Would I be a
fun date? Now that I was in college, did girls expect more? As an adult, was I
supposed to act a certain way? Suddenly, I felt fourteen.
"Do you guys feel peer pressure now that we're in college?"
I asked. "I mean, how much do you think girls expect a guy to spend on a date?
For some reason, I'm kind of second-guessing myself."
But I didn't think that was it. I was second-guessing more
than money. Would I ... live up to a girl's expectations? Would they expect more
"experience"? Would I be a wimp romantically?
"Well, if they expect you to shell out big every time, then
that's not the girl you should go after," said Geoff.
"I'm considering getting a job," I said. "Just a few hours a
week, maybe ten or twelve. That would give me some cash."
"As good lookin' as ya are, all
they'll want to do is make out with you, Corey. You have no worries," said Ace.
But I did. I had no confidence. I was supposed to be some
"catch;" I just didn't feel it.
Geoff and Ace finished the pepperoni pizza. I had my two
final slices boxed up.
Back at the room, with Aiden gone,
I got my reading for tomorrow's eight o'clock done. I found it dry, but I underlined
a few things that should help me in any discussion or if I'm asked any
questions.
Aiden opened the door at 9:40.
"How was the movie?"
"Fine. Actually, it was good."
"... but??"
"We just kissed good night outside his dorm."
"Ah. Well, ... I hope it was still an enjoyable evening."
Aiden flopped on his bed and pulled his shirt off.
"It was. I guess."
"I just had pizza and then studied for over an hour. There's
a slice left if you want."
"Thanks."
Aiden didn't mind that it was cold. He could have heated it
up in the common area, but he just chewed on it at room temperature.
"Ace and Geoff asked if I had met your girlfriend
yet, but I didn't clarify."
Aiden sighed. "It probably doesn't make much of a difference
anyway. I came to college wanting to be myself. I wanted to be open and out and
... doing more than I am with Donny."
"I'm sorry. At least you're dating. That's better than the
three of us."
"Maybe," he muttered with a mouthful of crust and
mozzarella.
Aiden kicked off his shoes. I didn't know what would make
him feel better, other than a blowjob that he didn't get on his date, and that
wasn't my territory.
Neither of us were in the mood to stay up late. With an
early class, I was ready to turn in. With our teeth brushed and clothes put in
their proper baskets, we moved together for our nightly hug. He held me longer
tonight. I wondered what Ace and Geoff would think if they walked in and saw
two guys in their underwear hugging. It all seemed fine to me. But that only
made me feel even more that I wasn't like other people.
Aiden hit the lights. His name art glowed purple, but he
reached for his remote to dim it to almost nothingness. The slightest of
illumination allowed us to walk around the room without bumping into anything.
My insecurities kept me up for a while. I had been in
college only a month, and I seemed to be floundering personally. My self-doubt
was keeping me awake. It had been about forty minutes. Aiden must have assumed
I was asleep. I could barely hear him, but he was lightly
moaning. It was more like heavy breathing. I opened my eyes just the
slightest bit. With my eyes adjusted to the darkness, the hint of violet made
his fist bobbing under the sheet visible enough.
Back in high school, we had jacked off a few times together.
I didn't think much of it. At least until the night he kissed me. I freaked out
on him. I almost walked away from our friendship because of the awkwardness.
Thankfully Laramie helped me to not overthink it. Now, we are closer than ever.
I wondered if he would ever want to jack off together again. Or was that "kid
stuff"?
His breathing got heavier in his throat. He wasn't loud. Had
I been asleep, it would have been imperceptible. His breathing boarded on
panting. I could see him pull down the sheet. There was his dick I remembered.
It was bigger than mine. I felt the whole world had a bigger dick than I did.
Man, that bugged me. He was yanking it so hard. He lifted his hips and shot cum
on his chest. I didn't know why I was even watching. It felt invasive. I
couldn't really make out the cum. A brief flash of one spurt caught the light.
I just saw his fist working overtime.
Aiden breathed out. He was still.
I saw him lift his head to look at his chest. He flopped his
head back down. He had no tissue or sock or rag or anything.
"Fuck,"
he whispered.
He wiped his hand through it all. He smeared his hand on the
sheet at the side of the bed down by his leg. He made
a second swipe.
We totally needed to do laundry.
My own dick was hard as a rock.
"I miss you too, Laramie," I said. "I'm not sure when I'll
be home, but I won't wait too long. Yeah, I love you too. Put Dad back on."
Aiden watched me from across the room. He made a slight
wave.
"Before I forget, Aiden says, `hi,'" I told my father.
Looking at my roommate, I said, "Dad says `hey' back. He says he misses us."
Both of them wished me "Happy
birthday" one more time. I thanked them.
I wrapped up the call.
I looked at the card that arrived from Emory and Don that
afternoon. I stood it with the others on my desk.
"Dude, look how many cards you got."
"Mostly from relatives," I said. "It's just a handful
really."
"I'll be lucky to get one from my parents," he said. He
thought about the phone call. "Your dads are so cool."
"They may come up in two weeks," I told Aiden.
"Awesome. I love your family."
"Eh. They're okay. They are just like everyone else." I
paused and reflected for a moment. "Well ... my dad sleeps with another man, soooo ... maybe not everyone."
Aiden laughed.
"I bet they are so hot in bed," he said to himself.
"Ew. I don't even want to think
about that."
Aiden laughed harder. "Sorry. I didn't think you'd hear me
say that."
"Did I ever tell you I heard them having sex one time?"
"I remember! Tell me everything all over again."
"Ugh. No. But I was ... a junior. I think. I came downstairs
for something in the kitchen. I heard groaning. I stepped closer to their door
and ... then it was very obvious."
"What were they saying?" Aiden's eyes were very wide.
"I'm not going to tell you that. Gross. To be honest, I
don't remember. I just ... blocked it out."
Aiden leaned back against the wall. "Man. Just thinking
about your dads making love gets me hard."
"Stop! You're demented."
"So, would it be worse to hear your mom?"
"Gah!!! YUCK! Don't even say such things." I stuck my
fingers in my ears and sang "La-la-la-la."
Aiden was all giggles. He was enjoying tormenting me.
Curiously, I could tell he had a hard-on though. He always thought Dad and
Laramie were hot.
"We totally need to drop this conversation. That night weirded
me out. Slightly. But ... a tiny bit of me felt good knowing how much they loved
each other. It took me a while to realize that."
"I hope to find that one day," Aiden said.
I changed the subject to cheeseburgers. He was taking me out
for my birthday.
"I'm sorry it is all I can do. I don't have a gift or
anything."
"I think it's nice. I appreciate it."
"I can always give you a blowjob."
"Pass!"
We used a laundry facility off campus because so many people
tried to do their laundry on the weekend. One was across from the burger place,
so that had given us a head start while we were eating.
I loved my fabric softener. Putting away my clothes smelled
extra fresh. Since making our ground rules on our first night, Aiden and I had
kept our commitment to a clean room. While walking down the hall, I could
occasionally see into a couple of rooms that were totally wrecked in just mere
weeks. As weird as I had been feeling lately, I was at least proud of that.
Or should I have been? Was it just one more thing to make me
feel different? Surely not every guy in college was a slob.
"I'm going out with Donny tonight. Just dinner. We're trying
not to blow a lot of money just doing things to do something. Besides, maybe
tonight ..."
I looked at him. I wasn't going to say anything.
"That's free," he smiled.
Aiden seemed to want sex more than I did. It wasn't that I
didn't have such feelings. They just didn't seem right to me. Was that Mom talking in my head?
"I know what you mean about blowing money. I can't eat out
too much. I feel that the two of us have been pretty
responsible."
"Your father is an accountant and investor. Maybe his
expertise with money has rubbed off on you," Aiden said.
"He's always been good at teaching me about handling money."
"What about your mother? Did she teach you stuff?"
"Only how to not have fun."
"What?"
"That's mean," I sighed. "I shouldn't have said that. She
just stressed so much about avoiding drugs and alcohol and sex and ... wasn't
keen on me even dancing."
Aiden looked at me blankly. He seemed lost in trying to
figure out what to say.
"Corey, do you want to do those things?"
"No! I mean ... no.
I tried a beer once and hated it. Drugs never tempted me. But I am sure that
was because I didn't hang with the cooler kids. I was okay with that in high
school, but now..."
Something in my voice concerned Aiden. He came and sat next
to me.
"Are you saying ... you want to try drugs now?"
"No. Oh, no." I wanted to ask Aiden a question but was
afraid to. He put his hand on my arm because he could tell something was on my
mind. "Remember our first night here, we promised not to lie to each other?" I
asked.
"Yeah,"
Aiden said cautiously.
"Our senior year, when we were at Manuel's house ... you went
off with a few guys in the backyard. You smoked pot with them."
"Yeah."
"You didn't ask me to join you. Did you think I was too lame
to do it?"
"No. That wasn't it. Is that what you thought?"
"Yeah. You're not lying, are you?"
"No. I swear."
"It kind of hurt."
Aiden hugged me. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that
way."
I held him firmly. I wasn't sure why that memory surfaced.
Maybe all my insecurities were bringing up stupid feelings from the past.
"Corey, that's a knife in my heart. I'm so, so sorry. I
would never want to hurt you."
"It's okay," I lied. It took two weeks before I even talked
to Aiden after that. I finally let it go, but I didn't forget it.
"If it makes a difference, I can't say I really liked it. I
felt ... different. I didn't think it was necessarily good. Just
different. Then I became so self-conscious in how bad it smelled, I don't think
you could call it a high."
I laughed. "You never did it again?"
"I didn't have any desire to. I can't say I would never do
it again. Maybe if I was with the right people in the right place, but it
doesn't have an allure for me. It smells."
Aiden checked his appearance in the mirror one last time.
"I'm off."
"Have fun with Donny."
Soon, I was alone. I contemplated carving. Or writing song
lyrics. Or studying (briefly, but ... no). I had no idea what to do with myself.
A rap came at the door. I answered it. It wasn't a big
surprise that it was Ace, but I wasn't expecting him.
"'sup?" he asked.
"Aiden is on a date. I'm not sure what I want to do."
"Same here. Geoff is finally going out with a girl. She
looked pretty from what I could tell."
"Good."
"Want to grab a bite?"
For some reason, fast food was the last thing I wanted. I reflected back on the day when I actually cooked for Mom and
Dad at their houses.
"Um. Do you mind if I cook us something?"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. I'm in the mood. Let's hit the grocery store."
Forty minutes later, I was cooking up a chicken stir-fry in
the common kitchen area.
"Dude, that smells awesome."
"Well, it should be healthier."
"I'm sure. I still work out on the basketball court several
days a week, picking up with other players, but I know I could be better."
"I feel my jeans getting a little snug. Clearly, I am
putting on a few pounds."
"Don't worry. Ya look like a god," Ace
complimented.
"I don't feel like a god," I muttered, stirring in some snow
peas.
"I hear ya."
"Oh?"
Ace let out a big sigh. As I added a bit more sauce, Ace
said, "I was top dog at my high school. On the basketball team. I really wanted
to receive a scholarship. But ... I didn't get a free ride. There are much better
players on the team. I'm not what I was. I still enjoy playing, but I can tell
basketball isn't my future."
"Didn't you receive some financial aid or something?"
"Yep, but no full scholarship."
I thought about Ace's words. I felt a little the same. I had
direction in high school. Here, I had been adrift for weeks. Why did I feel
different about myself?
"So, is Aiden getting serious with this chick?" Ace said to
change the subject.
"Uhh... I don't think I know the answer. He'd like to take
things further. You know..."
"Sex? They haven't fucked?"
I hated it when my friends cussed. I wasn't sure why. I
never heard it growing up in my home. When Laramie cussed, it didn't bother me.
It was weird how I could box in traits and approve them for some people and not
others.
"Well ... he is hoping to be more intimate."
"She's holding out on `im."
I shrugged, not knowing how to keep the conversation going.
I didn't feel I could talk knowledgably on the topic.
"Geoff confided that he isn't planning on hopping into bed
anytime soon. I think he'd like to make out, but his upbringing was pretty strict. I'm not sure if he'll hold out for marriage,
but he isn't in a rush. He confided in me a few days ago."
"It's nice that he trusts you in that way."
"Yeah. I `spose. We don't tell
each other a lot of personal stuff."
"Aiden and I have been friends for so long. We can tell each
other anything."
"Cool."
"I take it your attitude doesn't align with Geoff's?"
"Nah. Don't get me wrong. I don't hold anything against him.
It's like a Catholic school and everythang."
"Right."
"I'm sure everyone has their own wants and path to take. I'd
just like some tits in my hands. I haven't fucked a
girl in a few months."
And I had never done any-thing.
King virgin. I had only kissed. I had never even touched a girl sexually. That
made me feel more like a zero. But then I thought that it was exactly what Mom
would want of me. The truth was, I didn't even know what I wanted. Mr. Lost.
Our conversation stopped when I plated up our meals.
"Whoa. That smells fantastic," someone I didn't know said as
he walked through.
"Thanks," I smiled.
"Way better than the burrito I will probably be farting off
all night."
"Dude!" Ace snickered. "Have you met Corey?"
"Nope." The young man extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Sam."
I set down my fork to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you,
Sam."
"Well, I've got a date for an 8 o'clock movie. I better get
ready."
The two of us sighed. "Everyone has a date," we moaned in
unison.
At 9:20, our door opened. It was Aiden. I wasn't expecting
him to come back so soon.
"You're earlier than I thought you'd be."
"Yeah." He didn't look happy.
"Did things not go well?"
"I don't know." He looked me in the face. "I like him,
Corey. I do. I think he'd be a great boyfriend, but ... I'm feeling pushed away."
"What happened? Uh ... if you want to talk about it."
He sat on his bed and buried his face in his hands. "You
sure?" he said into his palms.
"I'm here." I sat next to him.
He nudged my shoulder. "Thanks."
"We enjoyed each other's company. Burgers and fries, that
kind of thing. He asked me up to his room. He said his roommate had gone home
for the weekend. `Finally!' I thought. It was ... really nice.
We kissed for a while. Then I pushed him down and rolled on top of him. We made
out, sucked face. I was hard and started pressing my crotch into his. That went
on for a few minutes. It felt great. Then he rolled over and was on top of me."
"Were you guys still dressed?" I asked.
"Yeah. But we could tell each other was hard. I felt him
push his dick into my body. We just kind of ... grinded. He started breathing
hard. I clutched his ass and pushed his crotch harder into me. He started
gasping and then ... stopped. Everything."
I wasn't sure what to say. That was a little personal, but I
still listened. Aiden looked me in the eyes.
"He finally sighed and said he had come in his pants."
"Oh."
"I tried to go with it. I unbuttoned his pants, unzipped
them, pulled them down and licked all the cum of his dick and bush that I
could. For that moment, it was hot."
"Oh. Wow." There wasn't any expression in my response. I had
no idea what to say to all that.
"When I had licked him for a minute or so, he moved me off
him. He pulled up his clothes. He said he should get out of the sticky
underwear. I nodded but thought he could wait until I got off." Aiden paused.
"Then he said, `Is it okay if I'm alone for a while.' He didn't say the words
exactly, but his eyes pleaded for me to leave."
"Aiden, I'm sorry. I know that wasn't how you wanted it to
turn out."
"Fuck no. I mean, I didn't get to come. I liked his dick,
but he all but hid it from me shortly after he blew his load."
"This ... this really isn't my comfort zone," I meekly
uttered.
"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't unload my shit on you."
"Don't cuss. Just know I am always here for you. I may not
know what to say or do..." I wrapped my arms around him and held him. "But I'm
here. I'll have your back. I will listen."
"Because you are an awesome best friend."
Between those words and my successful stir fry, I felt a
touch better about myself. I felt bad for Aiden though. I still hadn't wrapped
my head around several of my friends being so comfortable with sex and I
frustratingly wasn't but I could tell he was hurt. I squeezed him tight. He
squeezed back even tighter.
We didn't say anything else the next hour. I got ready for
bed at an embarrassingly early 10:15.
I hugged Aiden good night. "I'm sorry your date didn't go
the way you wanted. And I'm sorry I don't know the right thing to say."
"Trust me, you're awesome," he said, letting go. "I love
you."
I didn't feel awesome. I felt helpless. I didn't know how to
make my friend feel better. "Love you too."
I crawled into the sheets. Aiden lowered the lights, but he
sat at his desk staring into the illumination on his tablet.
I was tired for some reason, and I knew I would fall asleep
soon. The last thing I remembered was realizing that we told each other we love
them. It wasn't in a romantic way. We were close, but we had never said that.
Maybe that would make him feel better. I always liked hearing it from my
family.
I rummaged around the room just enough to stir Aiden from
his sleep.
"ut-time-sit?"
he mumbled.
"Nine. I'm going to church services this morning."
"Really?"
"Yeah. How do you feel?"
"Half asleep, but when I fully wake up, last night will
probably hit me."
I walked to the mirror to comb my hair. Aiden slogged out of
bed.
When I turned, he held out his arms, and I walked into his
hug. We silently held each other.
"It's going to be okay." Then I lightly kissed him on his
lips.
Aiden jumped back. "What was that?"
"Sorry. Mom and Daryl do that all the time before leaving
the house. It's like they are saying, `Have a good day' or `Everything's all
right.'"
More likely it was to say, "I love you," but they usually
said that.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it. I'm not sure why I
did. It was a reflex. I'm sorry."
"You're sure you're not bi? ... or curious?"
"I'm sure. Again, I'm sorry. That was my mistake."
All through the church service I obsessed over the simple,
quick peck. I had no conscious thoughts of doing that beforehand. It just
happened. Was it weird? Did I freak Aiden out? It reminded me of the kiss he
gave me in high school. I freaked out and worried I had given him mixed
signals. Now I knew I probably was. Why was I so weird? I just wanted
him to feel okay. Was I a good roommate, or was I a problem?
I didn't feel bad about the kiss. I just hoped he was okay.
Dang, I messed up. I didn't hear a single word the minister said. At least I
enjoyed the song service.
Affection never bothered me.
I opened our dorm room door at 11:20. Aiden was sitting on
his bed staring at his phone.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi," I said back.
We were quiet for a minute. I sat next to him.
"I want to apologize."
He looked at me but didn't respond to what I said.
"I should have asked if that was okay before I did it. I
don't even know why I did it. It ... just seemed like what an adult would do."
"Adults who are a couple. We're not a couple, Corey."
"I know."
"I mean, I'd love that, but ... you're not gay."
"Right." I looked at him. "But I did mean it when I said I
wanted you to feel everything was going to be okay."
"Doubtfully. I texted Donny twice. He hasn't responded."
Donny didn't reply to Aiden on Monday.
Donny didn't reply to Aiden on Tuesday.
Donny didn't reply to Aiden on Wednesday.
He decided not to text him on Thursday. He felt ghosted. As
I grabbed my textbook for my 9 o'clock, Aiden looked at me. "Can you tell me
it's going to be okay?"
"It's going to be okay. I promise."
"Can you kiss me again?"
I did. Short. Simple. A peck.
"Have a good day," I said as I moved through the doorway.
We kissed again Friday. It wasn't romantic; it was friendly.
It was followed with "Bye."
I seemed lost with everything in life. Except Aiden. I knew
he was my best friend. I didn't want him to hurt.
That evening, Geoff came by after our last classes and asked
if the two of us wanted to join them for pizza. We agreed.
Aiden went next door first. When I walked in, a funky smell
hit me immediately. I looked at my roommate, who nodded in agreement.
"Dudes! Your room ... smells!" I looked around. There was
trash and dirty clothes strewn everywhere. "It smells like sock and chips and
underwear and armpits and sex."
Why on earth did I say that? Like I knew what sex might
smell like? I was embarrassed for
having said it.
"Well, there ain't no sex
happening in here," Ace said.
"Seriously. Invest in some Febreze," I announced.
"I guess we could clean up some," Geoff said.
"The only person getting' some is Aiden," Ace said,
returning to my stupid comment.
"Not really. I guess we've kind of broken up."
The guys turned to my roommate. "Sorry, man," Geoff said.
"I know. I thought he'd make a great boyfriend, but I guess
he didn't want me."
Booom! Aiden came out to them.
Just like that. No dramatic announcement or confession. He just said it, like
it was just everyday talk. I worried what their reaction might be, but I was
immediately proud of him.
"Ohhh," Geoff and Ace said in unison. They immediately
didn't know what else to say.
Our two friends looked at each other. They tried to conceal
their shock, but they did a poor job of it. Luckily Aiden was looking down.
Geoff put his hand on Aiden's shoulder. "Ready?"
"Yeah. I'm hungry."
Aiden's phone rang. I typically would have let it go, but I
noticed it was his father. I decided to answer.
"Hey, Mr. Dressel. It's Corey. Aiden's in the shower down
the hall."
"Hi, Corey. Well, it's good to know he isn't sleeping in
until noon on a Saturday."
"How are things in Jackson Bend?"
"Good. The same. Busy at work. As you know, the town seems
more crowded when the university here is in session."
"Do you regret that we didn't go to W. Travis?"
"No. I'm a Notre Dame alum. I'm pleased Aiden is there."
"I see."
"I'll call back later." His response seemed abrupt.
"Do you want me to give him a message?"
"No. I'll call later."
"Do you want me to tell him you miss him? Or love him?"
"Uh." It almost sounded like he didn't know what to say.
"I'll call him back later. Just let him know I called."
We hung up. I was in shock. I'm not sure why that moment
threw me, but it did. Big time. My father would tell me he loved me a million
times a day if I didn't complain about it. Aiden had always indicated his
family wasn't warm and fuzzy, but man! For some reason I felt angry.
Three minutes later, Aiden walked into the room just wearing
a towel.
"Your dad called," I said blankly. "He said he would call
back later."
"Oh. Okay."
Aiden dropped his towel.
We had seen each other naked numerous times. Several here at
college and our jack off sessions in high school. People said I was really handsome even though I didn't necessarily see it. It
seemed like I had too many imperfections. But Aiden's body was better than
mine. His stomach was a little flatter, although neither of us worked out.
Maybe we should. His dick was bigger than mine. A lot. It hung almost four
inches limp. Mine was ... nothing. If I were gay, no guy would ever want my cock.
He slipped on briefs and wriggled a university T-shirt over
his head.
We were going to try working part-time. We needed to leave
shortly for our first shift at the Center for Culinary Excellence. They allowed
us to work on Saturdays and then one evening shift during the week. That would
give us a little cash.
I had no idea what working there would be like. I'd love to
be preparing dishes for catering, but my guess was that it would primarily be
lugging boxes and unloading trucks. I had no idea. The CCE was very student
friendly though.
"Let's do this," he said, now fully dressed.
The fall morning was wonderful. We could easily walk without
working up a sweat. Maybe we would during work; I had no idea. However,
spending cash was going to be nice. Fast food was burning through my expendable
dough more quickly than I had planned. Dad had always taught me how to handle
money well. I thought I had resisted some frivolous expenditures other friends
were doing from time to time. I was okay, but ... yeah, extra money in the wallet
would be nice.
The Dressels came from more money
than I did. Aiden never really seemed stressed over cash. I think his father
transferred some money into his account here each month. Not that it was any of
my business.
My thoughts drifted back to when Mitchell cheated on Dad. We
moved into a small apartment all those years ago. It seemed like we had so
little. Dad had let Mom keep everything in the house. We just had basic
furniture when we started over. Well, when he started over. I only got
to see him every other weekend. Man, that seemed ages ago. Now I realized that
Dad just needed time to get things into place. I knew some big bonuses helped
us get the house, but Dad was just smart. I didn't realize that at the time.
"I'm excited to see your dads next week," Aiden said during
our walk.
"Me too. I think Lance and Jakob are coming too."
"Really? Man, you rate."
I thought about Mr. Dressel
hesitating to say he missed his son. I got angry again. If there was a bright
side to Aiden's day, it was that he hadn't mentioned Donny at all.
"Lance ... Lance. Is he the buff guy that works in a gym?"
"Yeah. Super built nowadays. When my father met him, he said
he was a little pudgy."
I didn't feel the need to tell Aiden it was because of
alcohol. That wasn't my business.
"And Jakob is ... his husband, right? The one that was dealing
with all the food at Friendsgiving?"
I chuckled. "That's him. He is such a sweet guy. I had so
much fun in Vegas and the National Parks with them."
"What a dream trip. Six gorgeous gay men in one vacation."
"I sometimes think life would be easier if I was just gay."
Aiden stopped. He glared at me like I had just offended him.
"No. NO! I I I think it's sweet that you are accepting
of us ... of me. But being gay isn't easy, Corey. There is a whole period of just
a person accepting it. Then fear of being lashed out at. And when you do become
comfortable in who you are, your choices of finding someone to love is like ten
percent of what straight people have. I mean, I'm okay being gay. I am. But ...
don't think it is easy."
"I'm sorry. I didn't intend for my words to trivialize
anything."
Aiden smiled. "You sound like a valedictorian." We walked
further. "I'm glad you are my best friend. Not everybody on campus would be so
accepting as a roommate. Donny was worried about his."
Dang. Thoughts of Donny resurfaced.
"I was proud of you last week when you were open with Ace
and Geoff."
"Yeah." He paused. "My first big coming out on
campus, and it wasn't much."
"Would you have been happier if I was shaking pink pom poms
and sparklers were going off?"
Aiden laughed. "I think seeing you with pom poms would be a
riot."
We were quiet, but then I was brave enough to present my
question. "Has Ace or Geoff said anything?"
"About me being gay? No. Not really. I think they look at me
slightly differently, but they aren't running from me. I'm used to people
needing a little time to adjust. I'm okay."
"I wonder if they've cleaned their room."
"We should stage an intervention."
Wednesday night in the dining hall, Aiden and I were waiting
for Ace and Geoff to join us. A taller guy sat next to Aiden. We didn't know
him. He whispered something to him, and they both walked off to the end of the
table.
Geoff, Ace and Sam sat down where
we were positioned at the table. We said our hellos,
and they all made small talk over something that had happened during their day.
I told them we had worked two shifts at the CCE and were enjoying it. I explained
it wouldn't be a windfall of cash, but it would make things easier.
I looked over at Aiden. He was smiling and nodding. The tall
man looked to be a student but a little older than us. As guys
went, I felt he was pretty good looking. Nice beard, dark hair. If people were
into chest hair, his was noticeably sticking out of his collar.
Aiden returned to us.
"Who was that?" I asked.
"His name is Roy. He saw me at the LGBTQ thing where I met
Donny. He ... he asked me out. He wanted to make sure you and I weren't a
couple."
"So." Sam started. "What Geoff and Ace told me was true."
"DUDE!" Geoff barked, feeling exposed.
Aiden's look at Sam was unclear to me. Did it say, "Do you
have a problem with me?" Did it say, "Are you going to hurt me?" Did it say,
"I'm proud of who I am regardless of what you think?" And I realized my comment
from a few days ago was kind of naοve. It was indeed not easy being gay. At
least not as easy as fitting into the straight stereotypes.
"Hey, I'm okay with that," Sam quickly defended. "I I
I've just never known anyone ..."
"Is gay the word you are struggling to say?" Aiden
pointedly asked.
Sam nodded, but quickly said, "But really. I'm fine with
it."
"Isn't it funny that people never have to say, `I'm fine
with it that you're straight.'?" I spoke.
"Hey, Aiden," Geoff said. "I want you to know, we're good.
Know that we are your friends. I'm not sure if we've been really
clear about that, but ... Ace and I, we're all good."
"And it ain't like we went door to
door telling all o' Dunne," Ace interjected.
"I guess I should expect word to get around," Aiden softly
admitted. "I suppose I should just expect a few weird looks from time to time."
"Fuck that," said Sam.
"So ... Roy," I said.
"He's a junior! Even though I am a freshman, he thought I
was cute. He wanted to know if I was unattached, if I
would like to go out tonight."
"Wow," I said. "Good for you." And good that Donny was
forgotten.
I looked at the clock. 11:03. Aiden wasn't back from his
date with Roy. Notre Dame didn't have a curfew, so it was no big deal. I had an
8 o'clock in the morning. His first class was at 9. I turned out the lights.
I must have been slightly out of it, because when Aiden came
in, I was having thoughts of people talking about barrels of root beer, which
made no sense. I turned my head. 11:20.
"So...?"
Aiden sat on my bed. It was fairly dark,
so I couldn't tell for sure, but I thought he was smiling.
"It was great. It was so different than with Donny. Roy
wanted to get right to it in his room."
"...right to it."
"He gave me a spectacular blowjob. SO good."
"Oh."
"I know you don't want to hear the details. But he's big.
Scott was easier to suck in high school, but ... man, what a cock."
"You're right. I don't need the details," I said turning
over. "Good night."
"Good night, Corey."
I knew those three words were something that would never be
spoken about me: What a cock. It made me never want to date.
Ace had talked me into playing some music with him Thursday
night. I found it uplifting. I played keyboards while the two of us sang. A
little Bieber, a little Coldplay. I even admitted I knew some Taylor Swift.
Soon, our door was open, and several people stood in the doorway. The two of us
received applause, which really made me feel better than it should. It was a
moment of acceptance that I needed.
Somehow a dozen people came into our room, and we rocked the
third floor of Dunne. I couldn't wait to tell Dad and Laramie on Saturday.
At 9:30, I called the impromptu concert finished. It was
nice to see a bunch of guys a few I hadn't even met smile and thank me as
they left our room. It was down to Sam, Geoff and Ace.
Ace and I basked in the afterglow of our unexpected triumph.
"You are amazing, Snow," Ace said, putting his arm around me.
A text notification sounded on my phone. It was from Aiden.
"Oh." I put my phone away.
"Anything wrong?" Sam asked.
"No."
The three of them looked at me as if there was more to my
"Oh."
"Aiden is out on another date with Roy. He ... he said he was
sleeping over there."
"Oooo ... fast," Sam said. "I guess gay guys get action
immediately."
"He didn't with Donny," I noted.
For some reason, the conversation then felt awkward.
"Corey ... I'm okay with Aiden being ... who he is," Geoff said.
"But do you ... do you ever feel like ... you know ... he looks at you ... in that
way?"
"Yeah, dude," Ace said. "Think he looks at ya like he wants
your body?"
Deep down, I knew Aiden had feelings for me. Or once had. He
kissed me in high school. And then I kissed him last week! But that was
different. But if I was gay, yeah, I knew Aiden and I would be together. But I
wasn't. And I never wanted to hurt him.
"We're just best friends. We have been for years."
"I dunno," said Ace. "You're hot as fuck."
"Says a straight man," Sam joked.
"Are you all ever naked in front of each other?" Geoff
asked.
"Yeah. Does he show ya his dick?" Ace asked.
"Guys! Guys! We are sharing a dorm room, for heaven's sake.
So, yeah, on occasion, one of us might be naked. I mean, we do get dressed, you
know."
"Wow," said Ace.
"C'mon, man. Haven't you seen Geoff with no clothes on?" Sam
asked Ace.
"Not his penis. He always turns away."
I couldn't be sure, but I thought Geoff felt embarrassed.
"I don't need
to show my hot bod to another dude," he mumbled.
Of our group, Geoff was the one most modest like me. Ace had
shared that his roommate wasn't into sleeping around. I wondered if he had any
of the same anxieties I had.
"Ya don't think seeing you might turn him on?" Ace asked me.
"Enough! It's not like either of us dance around the room
swinging a hard-on at each other. We're friends. He's supposed to be your
friend too. This ... this all seems a little mean."
"Sorry, man. We didn't mean anything. We were just shit
talking," said Sam. "And, yes, he is our friend. We should always remember
that."
"Yes," I said, not looking at any of them. And Aiden's words
of telling me it wasn't easy to be gay all but suffocated me. I had never put
thought into it. I hated that people were talking about my best friend. I loved
him. He didn't deserve any of this crap.
"Sorry, man. We'll leave. Hey, the music was great. Nice
job."
I didn't say thank you.
I sat on my bed and sighed. I had been in such a good mood,
and then it all changed.
I heard another text come in. It was from Mr. Dressel. It
was strange that he would text me.
"Are you with Aiden?"
"No. He's out. I'm in the room alone."
He then called.
"Hi, Mr. Dressel." I wasn't sure what to say next. He had
never called me, even though we both had each other's numbers.
"Hi, Corey. I, um ... I was wondering ... um." Then he went
silent.
"Is anything wrong, Mr. Dressel?"
"Well, that's just it. I don't know."
"I'm sorry, sir. I don't understand."
"What you said last week has played over in my head every
day since. Like a hundred times."
"What I said?? I'm sorry, sir. I
still don't understand."
"You asked me if I wanted to tell him if I missed him. If I
... loved him."
I didn't say anything because I didn't know what to say. I
just remembered how angry I felt when he didn't want to leave that
message.
"Corey, does your father tell you that ... those things ... over
the phone."
"Yes, sir. He does. Every time. In fact, so much so that I have to tell him not to get mushy."
"I see." I detected a slight quiver in his voice. "Do do
you think ... Aiden expects me to say those things?"
Wow. This was heavy. For someone who had just turned 19, I
had no idea how to respond. Was there a right thing to say?
"I I can't speak for Aiden, sir, but I can tell you ... even
if he gets mushy, it makes me feel so much better every time my dad and mom
tells me that. I have no idea what Aiden expects,
sir."
From years of conversations, I knew Aiden never expected
anything emotional from his parents.
"I see. Well. It's just been on my mind. I'm sorry that I
bothered you."
"It's no bother, sir. Have a good evening."
With a bladder drained and teeth minty fresh, I was in my
sheets twenty minutes later. There was no way I was going to drift off quickly.
My mind was a cyclone.
What was going through Mr. Dressel's head?
What did Aiden's blowjob feel like? What more was he getting?
"Sky Full of Stars" was our best number. Or was it "Levitating"?
Aiden would show me his dick, but I would turn away.
Why did my friends talk about Aiden that way?
Would Roy and Aiden fall asleep in each other's arms? That sounded nice.
Aiden and I had kissed goodbye almost every morning this week. Was that weird?
What were Aiden's feelings for me nowadays?
Would I ever date? Was I making it more difficult the longer I resisted?
Why was I so lost?
"I have a favor to ask."
I looked at my roommate. "Yeah?"
Aiden looked awkward. "I don't know how to say this."
"You and I are best friends. You can tell me anything."
"Well ... I think ... tonight will be the first night."
"First night for what?"
"First night for ... me."
"I don't follow."
"Fucked! Roy and I talked last night
and he wants to ... fuck me.
Tonight."
"Okay."
What was a person supposed to say to that?
"Well. I want him to do it here."
"In OUR room?"
"Yeah. I'm going to ask him to sleep over."
"Where am I supposed to sleep?!" I wasn't angry, but I
didn't understand the entirety of the plan.
"We'd expect you to be in your bed. We'll be ... we'll be
`done' by 10:30. Do you think you could stay out until then?"
Well, this was a curveball. It was Friday night. I could go
see a movie. I could see if Sam or the guys next door
wanted to do something. But did I want a stranger in our room? Overnight? These
beds are so small. How do two people even make it a whole night? Well, I assumed
they did last night.
"I don't know."
"Please? I know it is a big ask, but ... I think this night is
going to be something special."
Dang. "Okay, but just one thing. When you are `done,'"
I said using air quotes, I expect you to put something back on."
"I can agree to that."
"Did you last night?"
"I did. He didn't. I felt a little weird in the room when
his roommate came back. But that was midnight. We just held each other. I get
the impression that Roy sleeps naked often."
"Hm. That demands a little of a roommate." I hadn't formed
an opinion of Roy whatsoever, but that was the first thing I placed on my list
of traits.
"I just melted in his arms. We held each other tight the
entire night," Aiden said in his dreamiest voice. It was the gayest thing he
had ever said to me. I was ashamed that I wanted to roll my eyes. I resisted
but wanted to.
We were still a week from our first paycheck. Sam, Ace and I decided to go watch the girls' basketball team.
That filled the evening, cheaply. We had eaten in the dining hall, so we were
being smart with money. Geoff was out on a date.
I wasn't sure if I should say anything about Roy and Aiden
or not. I felt it best to not bring up anything gay.
They drove off to find a Sonic for a late-night milkshake.
It was 10, so I still needed to wait. I decided to take a simple jog around
campus. Maybe that would help burn a few calories. So many of the guys in my
hall would work out. I should do better to exercise.
It was cool enough, so I didn't really work up a sweat, but
I was out of breath. I checked the time. 10:25. By the time I got to Dunne, it
would be after 10:30 and I would have fulfilled my obligation.
Then it felt weird.
Would they still be in bed? Or would they be up doing something? How undressed would they be? Obviously,
Aiden would introduce me, but then what would I say ..." How did the fucking go?"
Should I wear a T-shirt to bed? How regularly would they want me to give them
the room? Did I want to even see them sleeping together? Man, I felt weird.
I took a deep breath and opened our door. It was dark. Aiden
had his wall art illuminated enough to where I could see my way around. I saw
that he was alone.
"Hey," he sadly said from under his sheet.
I sat on his bed and put my hand on his shoulder. "Where's
Roy?"
"He left almost an hour ago."
"What happened?"
Aiden rolled over to where he was looking up at me. "Sure you want to know?"
"Do you want to tell me?"
"Yeah. I know I can trust you."
"Of course, you can."
"It started off nicely. We kissed. We started removing each
other's clothes. It was like last night. We talked about ... going further. I saw
him roll on a condom. He told me to roll over. There was the sound of lube
being squirted. He put ... some on both of us. I was all excited that I was
finally going to be fucked."
Aiden sniffled. I didn't need light to know his eyes were
watery.
"What happened?" I softly said.
"It hurt. Corey, it hurt so bad. I told you before. He's
big. It just hurt. I tried to hold out and thought it might get better, but
after about thirty seconds I told him to stop. I didn't like it." Aiden sobbed.
"I didn't like it!"
He rolled back over to stare at the wall.
I felt sorry for my friend. I wasn't wild about him just
having immediate sex with someone he barely knew or who he didn't even have any
feelings for, but it broke my heart to see him sad.
I curled up behind him and put my arm around him. "I'm
sorry," I whispered close to his ear.
"I asked if we could just finish jacking off. We were done
in five minutes, and then he decided to leave. I get the feeling he won't call
me back."
"That sucks," I said.
"I'm just a freshman. He would probably do better with
people who have more experience."
"I'm sorry," I whispered again.
I held him in his bed for a long time. I could tell he wiped
his eyes on his sheet. I wasn't sure how long it was before I released my
embrace, but I went down the hall to pee and then came back to brush my teeth.
I grabbed his remote and dimmed the lights completely. We
had purchased a small nightlight that I turned on, just so there was a slight
bit of illumination to move around the room. I slipped into my sheets wondering
if Aiden had fallen asleep. I knew Dad was coming tomorrow. I wondered if he
could tell if it had been three weeks since I washed them. I wished I had time
to do laundry before they arrived, but we had a morning shift at the CCE beforehand.
"Corey?"
"Yeah?" I replied to my roommate's voice in the darkness.
"Could you hold me for a little bit more?"
"Okay."
I got out of my bed and walked over to his. He moved closer
to the wall. I was still on top of the sheet, but I moved my body as tightly
against his as I could. My arm wrapped around him. I
remembered Laramie often kissing the top of my head in years past. I did the
same to Aiden hoping it would be comforting.
"Thanks."
"I always have your back," I whispered. "You're my best
friend."
Something in my dream woke me up. The clock said 1:41. I
took my arm from around Aiden and moved to my bed.
The alarm went off at 8. We were supposed to be at the CCE
at 9. Both Aiden and I went down to the showers together.
"I think I'm more excited about seeing your dads than you
are," Aiden said, as he stepped in to turn on the hot water in his shower.
"Why's that?"
"They're so cool. I like being around them."
I didn't used to understand Aiden's reactions to Dad and
Laramie, but after that brief conversation with his father last week, I now
did.
The shower room wasn't crowded. It was Saturday. Most of the
residents liked sleeping in. Or not showering. We both stripped and stepped in
the hot spray. Steve was finishing his shower. When he stepped out naked, I
could tell Aiden was trying hard to not look but still snag a glance.
Our shower wasn't long. I finished first and toweled dry. I
pulled up fresh boxers.
Both Aiden and I intended to shave. He wrapped his towel
around his shoulder and stood at his sink naked. We foamed up our faces and
grabbed our razors.
"So, what's this surprise?" Aiden asked, scraping off a stripe of foam on his cheek.
"I'm not sure. They didn't even give me hints."
A couple of other students walked in. Emanuel Canales took a
leak. Someone we just knew as Slater stepped up to shave. He had a razor and a
can of shaving cream. Steve took his towel and wrapped it around his bare waist
to walk down the hall.
Slater looked our way.
"Jeez, Aiden. None of us are gay. You don't have to show us
your dick."
"What!?" I remarked, insulted on behalf of my roommate.
"No one wants to see your penis, Aiden," he continued.
Aiden remained calm.
"You didn't say that to Steve," he calmly said. "I'm just
shaving."
"You're being a prick, Slater," Emanuel said.
"Shut up, Canales."
"That's good advice for you. Your immaturity and ignorance
are showing," Emanuel fired back.
"Piss off, fat boy."
Emanuel admittedly was on the larger side. It was still
unkind of Slater to point that out.
"You're a child," he rebutted.
"Screw all of you," Slater said and grabbed his items and
washcloth and left.
I saw Aiden sigh and bow his head. His hands were on both
sides of the sink.
"Don't let him get to you," I told Aiden.
"You didn't have to stand up for me," Aiden calmly told
Emanuel.
"Yes, I did. When anyone treats others poorly and you say
nothing, then it is as if you condone it. Trust me, as someone fat and
Hispanic, I got my share of teasing."
"I wouldn't say you're..." I started.
"I'm fat, Corey. You can use words like plump and stocky and
a little overweight, but ... I know I'm fat. I should eat better."
"Thanks for being my friend," Aiden said. "Please know I
appreciate that."
I was slightly pissed that all this was a trickle-down
effect from Aiden opening up to Ace and Geoff. People
just couldn't keep their mouths shut. I'm sure Aiden like me assumed the
whole floor knew. Possibly the whole building. I couldn't believe I said a
couple of weeks ago that it would be easier if I was just gay. No wonder Aiden
went on the offense.
We were doing good on time. Each of us stuck a breakfast bar
in our pocket to eat during the walk.
Aiden's phone rang.
"Hi, Dad," he said.
Then it became suddenly real to me
that Aiden stopped talking. He was just listening. I looked from across the
room. Aiden sat down on his bed.
"That's nice to hear, Dad. Yeah, I miss you, too."
There it was. There was the connection between those two
that seemed missing. I felt just a tiny bit of pride for having initiated the
conversation.
Aiden wiped his eyes with his arm for a second. "Thanks. I
love you too."
He turned to look at me in surprise and awe and enthrallment
and disbelief. I just smiled at him.
"Dad ... you know ... you know that I'm gay, right?"
I couldn't make out the response, but it wasn't my business
to eavesdrop. I patted him on the shoulder and let him know I was going to
start my walk. I'd let them talk things out.
Because of a parental visit, the team at the CCE was willing
to let our shift be a little shorter. When I heard the text come in, I knew it
had to be Dad and Laramie. I checked my phone; they were ten minutes out. We
had finished our shift and should make it back to Dunne about the time they
pulled in. The two of us were starving. The game plan was to go out for a late
lunch.
As we walked, Aiden got visibly excited again. I admitted to
myself that I had missed my family. We saw Dad's SUV drive up. We ran to meet
them.
Doors flung open and it was a fiesta of arms and hugs and
smiles.
"I've missed you SO much," Dad declared in a bear hug.
Laramie's arms were an even stronger vise. He followed his greeting with a
sloppy smooch on my cheek.
"I'm not sure why you came," I said to Lance and Jakob. "But
it is awesome to see you."
"It's so good to see you too," Jakob said.
"You'll see in a while," Lance said. "But any excuse to come
visit is a gift. We need to get out of town every now and then. Plus, we get to
visit with Cooper and Laramie on a long drive too."
"Like a mini men's trip," I said.
"Well, I don't think a drive to a university qualifies as
Las Vegas, but ... it's all good."
I reflected back on the men's trip
to Vegas between my sophomore and junior year. I was so comfortable being
around adults for a week. I was surer of myself then than I was
now. What had happened to me?
They agreed to follow us to our favorite burger joint. Talk
never stopped. I was glad that Aiden got to know Lance and Jakob better. I got
to know them better on the Vegas trip, but Dad was so close with them. They had
a bond through AA that would connect them for life. We talked about our
classes, dorm life and our impeccable room. I asked about Emory, Don and
Mitchell, and Dad said the coffee group was fine. Our spirits were great.
"So, are you guys seeing anyone?" Laramie asked.
And then our spirits were low.
"No."
I said.
"I don't
think so," Aiden mumbled.
Laramie figured he had somehow stepped in the poop, so he
changed the subject.
"How's the food?"
Conversation recovered.
Once we were back at Dunne Hall, Lance and Jakob were really excited to see our room. I took them in. Aiden
lingered, helping Dad and Laramie carry in a large flat box.
"What is this?" I asked, as they crossed through our door.
I knew it couldn't be a big flat screen TV. Or was it? I
guess we could figure out how to hang it. But where?
"When we were here that first weekend, and Aiden had
something on his wall and you didn't, I got an idea," Laramie started. "When we
got home, I asked Jakob if he was willing to work on something."
"Of course, I immediately said yes," Jakob interjected.
No way. It couldn't be what I thought they were implying.
Lance ripped the tape off of one end of the box.
Laramie gently pulled out the contents, which were wrapped in a blanket.
"What IS this?" Aiden asked.
Laramie and Jakob flipped off the blanket and revealed what
I expected. It was art. Their art.
"I can't believe you did this."
"Do you like it?" Laramie asked.
"Of course, I do!"
"It's titled: `The Journey.' If you like it enough, we'll
hang it on your wall."
"Tell me about it," I said.
Like Jakob's and Laramie's previous works, the backdrop was
woven pieces of stiff fabric. There were carvings of wavy figures with rounded
ends to the left and a similar group to the right. A circle connected the two
groups. In the center was a more realized figure. It reached toward the group at the right but looked back to the group at the left.
"The figure in the middle is you," Laramie started.
"Wow," Aiden said, not realizing he did so out loud.
"These woven wooden figures at the left represent the people
in your past."
"They look like lasagna noodles with heads," Aiden said. I
shot him a disapproving glare.
"The people to the right are all the people in your future.
You can look at the past, but you always reach for what's ahead."
"What if I don't want to leave the people in the past?" I
asked.
"That's why the circle connects it all. Many people in your
past will be in your future. And some people in your future will eventually
become your past."
"Wow. Deep," I said. I looked at the figure representing me.
"I seem kind of alone." I wasn't sure if I should have said that. It seemed
like a criticism.
"Well, the piece isn't necessarily finished. Nor does it
have to be," Jakob said.
"What do you mean?"
Jakob pulled a small fabric bag from the box. He reached in
and pulled out a figure. It was stained giving it just a touch of purple.
"This is to represent friendship. For now, that could be
Aiden," Jakob said.
"Wait!! I'm in a work of art!?" my roommate blurted.
I smiled at him and then turned back to the wall hanging.
"This figure can one day be a wife, fiancι, girlfriend, ...
whatever you choose," Jakob continued, holding a different figure from the bag.
"How do they fit in?"
Laramie showed me a small hook behind the central figure. He
demonstrated how to attach a companion.
"Of course," Laramie said. "You can be strong and
independent on your own. The art can continually be changing. You don't have to
add anything."
"Choose me choose me choose me choose me!" Aiden begged.
I hugged him and nodded. I inserted Aiden (Friendship) into
the artwork.
For about fifteen minutes, some minor work was done to the
wall to support the artwork. It wasn't supremely heavy, but it weighed several
pounds. The way Laramie suspended it conveyed the expertise he had gained from
his business. The Vegas picture was moved further down the wall. Jakob measured
everything to make sure everything was equidistant.
"Is this okay?" Aiden muttered to
me from the side of his mouth.
"I hope so. I don't think there will be any major noticeable
holes at the end of the year." If we had to pay a fine, we'd pay a fine.
We stood back and sat on Aiden's bed appreciating the art.
Laramie was pushed up against the wall and I moved in between his legs. He
wrapped his arms around me.
"I love it," I softly told him. He kissed me on the cheek.
Aiden smiled watching us two.
"Jakob, I don't know what to say. It's ... almost too much."
"If you don't like it, you don't have to keep it up. It's
okay if you want us to take it back."
"Are you kidding?! It's ... incredible. What other dude on
campus has a legit work of art on the wall?"
"Think anyone will try to steal it?" Aiden asked.
"It's not a Picasso," I said.
"Aren't these worth a lot of money?"
"Not until someone buys it," Jakob said.
"And I'm never letting it go," I said, looking into Jakob's
eyes. He smiled back.
"Whether I'm one of the people in your past or future, I'm
always proud of your journey," he told me.
I put my hand on my heart to show his words meant something.
The time was a quarter after 4. None of us were hungry for
dinner since we had a late lunch.
"Ooooo. Can I fix us all dinner
tonight?"
"Seriously?" Lance asked. "Where?"
"We can cook in the common area."
"Dude. Just grabbing pizza would be fine."
"Aw. I haven't cooked for you all in a long time."
Everyone looked at each other. Apparently, I had thrown them
a curveball. I was sure the group felt it was an imposition on me to do it, but
I wanted to.
Dad went with me to pick up some groceries. I knew exactly
what I wanted to fix. He insisted on paying. I just found the car ride with him
to be oddly enjoyable. I shouldn't tell him that I had missed him as he would
retaliate with accusations that I was getting mushy. But it was the truth.
Aiden toured them around Dunne while we were shopping for
dinner ingredients. Lance and Jakob had never been on campus.
As dinner cooked in the common
area, several friends and students poked their heads toward me to see what I
was doing. I didn't have enough to offer anyone anything as I was cooking for
six, but they all said it smelled good.
We had picked up a gallon of iced tea, so the rest of the
guys sipped on a beverage as I continued preparing our meal. I had chosen
something that didn't require an abundance of spices since I didn't have the
stocked cabinets like I did back in Jackson Bend. A bottle of Cajun seasoning
wasn't too much.
"Man, watching you go back and forth is like watching a
cooking competition on TV," Jakob commented.
I laughed. "Ha. Not really feeling that type of pressure.
I'm just going back and forth between the linguine and skillet items."
I knew I had red pepper flakes in the room from the times we got pizza to go. The recipe called for parsley to
garnish, but that was an easy sacrifice. My small supply of spices were near me.
Within a half hour, I was plating up a Cajun chicken and
vegetable skillet dish over pasta. My family and friends "oohed" over it, which
made me feel good.
"Outstanding, champ," Laramie said after his first bites.
"What all is in here?" Lance asked.
"Chicken, zucchini, red bell peppers, broccoli, onion and some chicken broth. And a few spices."
"Sounds rather healthy," he commented. "It's delicious."
I thought so too. A few more people walked by and asked
where we ordered from. I told them I had cooked it. They seemed impressed. They
complimented me that it smelled really good and looked
fantastic. I glanced at Dad who was smiling at my friends' praise. I felt he was
proud of me. I introduced my father to most of them. I called everyone else by
name. It felt weird introducing Laramie. I wanted to say, "Dad's partner," but
with all the crap Aiden was dealing with, I decided to keep it low-key.
And I then sort of felt guilty. I wasn't ashamed of a single
person there. Certainly not Laramie. There was no reason to broadcast my father
was gay, but I felt bad for slightly hiding it.
After we had all finished, all the adults pitched in to make
sure the area was completely clean and spotless.
"Ice cream is on me later," Lance said.
"How can you eat ice cream and look like a sculpted Greek
god?" Aiden asked.
"I like you!" Lance said, hooking Aiden into a head lock. "I
allow myself something sweet every now and then."
True to his word, once it was dark, we were all spooning our
ice cream sundaes.
"What a fantastic day," my father said, looking at the
group.
"Agreed," said Jakob.
"Thank you all for coming. It was really
nice of you to make the drive," I said. "I've loved seeing you."
I had another customer quickly take a picture of our group.
We all had cheesy smiles.
Darkness had fallen, and the men stated they had yet to
check into their hotel. We all called it a night, although it was not late. We
gave each other hugs. I couldn't imagine us ever being "hugged out." Dad asked
if we attended church services, but I told him our morning could be free. They
would head back mid-afternoon.
Back at Dunne, Sam, Ace and Geoff
stopped by. They had seen the large box being carried into our room. Although I
had introduced them down in the common area, they had not seen the art.
"Dude," said Geoff. "That's ... that's cool. What is it?"
I took a couple of minutes to explain the symbolism behind
Jakob's and Laramie's design.
"And that's me. That's me!" Aiden said.
"Fancy stuff," Sam observed.
I wasn't sure what they really thought of it, but they
seemed impressed that I would just have real art in my room.
"It's like worth a couple thou," said Aiden.
"Whoa," said Geoff.
"Again, until someone buys it, it has no value," I said.
"But the ones at the museum I mean the art ... gallery ...
thingy ... place had price tags like that."
"Yes, they did," I confirmed.
"Your dad seemed very nice. Who were all the other guys?" Sam
asked.
"Well, Jakob and Lance are in a ... group with Dad or they
were before they moved to another town."
I didn't feel it was right for me to tell them Lance and
Jakob were alcoholics. They all met and became especially close through AA. And
what did I say about Laramie? Aiden had been given so much flak for being gay.
I had never brought up Dad to Sam.
"Laramie is my father's partner."
"Like, at work?" Sam said.
I just stared at them for a moment. It took several seconds,
but my silence allowed him to process what I meant. I could tell by Geoff's and
Ace's faces they were waiting for Sam to realize the situation.
"Oh," said Sam. "So... your ... dad is ..."
I nodded. "Gay. He is. And he's awesome. Laramie is
incredible too."
"Okay," Sam softly said.
I knew they all wanted to ask questions. I was certain of
it. But they didn't know how. I was going to let them know it was fine
to ask me, but Aiden jumped in.
"And don't fucking tell the whole building!"
"We won't, we won't," Geoff said.
"Corey can tell who he wants when he chooses," Aiden
insisted.
"Heaven knows I have started getting up earlier just to
shower before everyone else does."
"Ya do?" Ace spoke.
"Yes!!" Aiden took in a deep
breath. "Yes. I don't
want to have to put up with any shit. Nor do I want anyone to think it is weird
to be around me."
"It's not weird to be around you. I'll shower with you,"
Geoff said.
That broke the tension. We laughed.
"Well, not shower with you. But it won't bother me to
be in the room."
"Wouldn't bother me none either," said Ace.
"Thanks," Aiden said, looking at the floor.
The three of them said they would see us tomorrow evening.
We told them we would enjoy having dinner with them. They walked toward the
door. Geoff stopped. He turned and walked back to Aiden. My roommate looked up,
and Geoff hugged him. Aiden wrapped his arms around him.
I could have been way off. That hug could have said a
million things. It could have said, "You're okay." It could have said, "I'm
your friend no matter what." It could have said, "Don't let the pricks get to
you." It could have said, "I support you." Part of me felt it said, "I'm sorry
that I opened my mouth."
Once they were gone, we both sat on Aiden's bed looking at
"The Journey."
"Are you okay with this in the room?" I asked.
He turned to me. "Yeah. Do you not like it?"
"Yes. I do. Totally. But ... they didn't really ask you."
"It's your side of the room. You can do with it whatever you
want. I'll take it over a poster of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders."
I chuckled.
"Considering what I've heard around here, it was kind of
brave of you to tell our friends your dad is gay."
"I felt guilty at dinner not introducing Laramie as his
partner." I put my head on Aiden's shoulder. "I was ashamed."
"Don't be. I don't think he was offended in any way." Aiden
looked me in the eyes. "Why aren't they married?"
"That's a good question. They didn't in high school because
they ... well, Laramie said he wasn't the marrying `type.' They told me at
graduation they didn't want me to be teased or bullied."
"Guys can be jerks."
"Yeah," I softly said. Seeing what Aiden had gone through
the past weeks, maybe Dad was right. It wouldn't have bothered me though.
We were quiet. I got lost in the colors in the background
fabric of the art.
"Think all of them are in the same hotel room?" Aiden asked.
"Like shirtless?"
I grabbed his pillow and hit him over the head.
We did our nightly routine: peed, brushed, stripped to
underwear, hugged, lights out.
True to his word, Aiden was up earlier than the "church
rush" to shower and be out of there. I knew he used to like to sleep in.
I had decided to take a morning jog. When he returned from
the shower, I noticed he had underwear and a T-shirt on when he walked down the
hall. He just held his towel and shampoo.
Once I was showered, we set a time to meet the men for a big
breakfast. At 9:30, all of us were being served calorie-packed entrees from
Nick's Patio.
Aiden looked so happy being with my family and friends, even
more so than with our own friends here at ND.
The weather had a surprising nip in the air. It was
officially fall, so we weren't too surprised.
We had no plans, and I felt slightly awkward about what to
do. I didn't want them to leave, but I wasn't sure what to do with them. Inside
me, I wanted to talk. But I felt comfortable talking with Laramie the most. But
how was I to separate ourselves from the others?
"Dad, is it okay if I carve with Laramie for a little
while?"
My father looked perplexed for a brief second, but then he
smiled because he appreciated how much I bonded with his life partner.
"Sure."
I looked at Aiden. "We've shown them Dunne, but can you walk
them around the campus to the other places you and I go?"
Aiden stood tall being requested to be the guide in charge.
"You bet. Follow me guys."
My father and friends slipped on their jackets again. I went
over to get my sculpture and tools.
Outside, we paused at "my tree" and watched them continue to
walk off into the distance. We sat down with our backs against the trunk.
"Tell me about your sculpture," Laramie said. "What are you
going for?"
"Well, it's called `Lost.' I wasn't sure where I wanted to
go with it at first."
"I see."
"I want this central figure to represent me, but then I want
these other objects to go around it, kind of swirling me and confusing me."
"Interesting."
"But I won't know how to attach them."
Laramie spent a few minutes showing me how wood glue could
complete it when the surfaces were done. We examined the parts closely to make
sure the surfaces were flat in certain areas to where it could be assembled
easily yet strongly. I appreciated his knowledge.
I started to smooth and flatten one object. He asked if he
could do another. Tiny shavings went into the grass.
"So... you asked to be alone with me ... and ... your sculpture is
you feeling lost. Want to talk?"
"I guess."
"What's up, buddy?"
"Promise not to tell Dad?"
"You aren't in trouble, are you?"
"No. Nothing like that. I just ... I don't know, Laramie. By
the time I graduated high school, I had a grip on who I was. I didn't feel I
had to prove anything to anyone."
"And now?"
"I'm not that at all. I mean, I was always kind of ... awkward
my sophomore and junior years. I wasn't sure if I fit in with most kids. But by
senior year, I kind of felt okay about myself."
"And you don't now?"
I stopped carving. "No." I bowed my head.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know, Laramie. I feel ... well, lost. I'm not sure I
know who I'm supposed to be."
"Explain. Help me understand."
"Now that ... well, okay, 19 isn't truly an adult, but..."
"Legally it is."
"Yeah. I was okay being a kid wanting to be an adult, but
here ... I don't know if I fit in."
"People like you, don't they?"
"Yeah. Yeah." I sighed. "A lot of them have sex. Aiden does,
and I just don't feel..." I paused. "I don't think I'm ... ready."
"Buddy, there's no agenda; there's no schedule. Your parents
waited until they were married. Don't make yourself feel pressure you don't
have to."
"I know, but I just feel different."
"Isn't this a Catholic joint? Surely there have to be some people abstaining. Or have Christians
changed in the past year?"
I chuckled.
"I'm kind of scared to date."
"You are so good looking and nice and polite. Why be
afraid?"
"What if she wants to ... go further than I do? What if she
expects me to spend more? What if ... my body isn't good enough."
Laramie had never seen me naked. Would he know what I was
implying there?
I felt his arm drape around me.
"Is this a dick thing?"
"I guess."
"Well, you've probably seen your dad. He isn't hung either.
And I totally love him. It doesn't matter at all. In fact, it makes it easier
to suck."
"Ew."
Laramie laughed.
"Sorry. Okay, let me put it this way. If I recall, Grace
didn't have a huge chest. She was kind of average, I guess."
"Yeah."
"Did you hold that against her?"
"Of course not."
"Well, there you are. Bodies are just shells. The person is
what is inside. And, son, you are just like your father; you are so handsome.
Don't get caught up in something irrelevant like penises. They do the job when
the time comes. No matter the size."
"I can't believe we are having this conversation."
"But I'm glad you feel comfortable talking to me."
"Only you."
"You and Aiden don't talk?"
"Oh, we do. We share a lot. He's had to put up with some
crap here about being gay."
"Fuck. That sucks. You are there
for him, aren't you?"
"One hundred percent."
"Bless his heart."
We resumed carving. We went a few
minutes in silence.
Eventually he shared some things about Mom and Daryl. I felt
a twinge of guilt that I didn't call frequently enough to know those details.
I wanted to ask him if the fact that Aiden and I hugged
before bed and kissed before we left in the morning made me a freak. I was too
afraid. That had to be weird. Even though I felt a little better, I still felt pretty lost.
We pressed our carved pieces together. They were smooth
enough to join easily.
I hadn't realized how long we had been there. It had been
thirty minutes. The others walked up to us.
"Before they get here, I want to say thanks for listening,"
I told Laramie.
"Any time. ANY time. I love you, Corey."
"Same here." I lowered my voice. "Sadly, Aiden hardly ever
hears that."
"That's sad," he whispered as they walked up.
"Breakfast was huge, so we're not super hungry. We thought
we might just share a slice or two of pizza," Lance told us. "Does that work
for you two?"
"Pizza? Always," I said.
Two large pizzas divided between six men was just fine. Each
of us had two slices; Laramie had three. The rest we boxed up for later
tonight.
At their SUV, my father looked deeply into my eyes. "Man, it
is hard to drive away from you."
"Dad..." I warned.
"Okay, okay."
I squeezed him hard. "I love you." He squeezed me harder.
"Same here, son. Same here. More than you know."
Lance and Jakob gave me a hug, and I thanked them for coming
and especially thanked Jakob for the artwork. Aiden hugged them as well.
Laramie looked at me sternly. His eyes bore into my very
soul. "Just remember how great you are ... because you are."
We were in a bear hug for a long time. Laramie wasn't my
father, but I still felt blessed that he was like a second father.
"Love you," we said at the same time. Then he rustled his
hand through my hair.
He then hugged Aiden, and I noticed Laramie kissed him on
the cheek. I wasn't sure what my roommate would think of that.
"You two take care of each other," Laramie softly told him.
"Yes, sir."
Then we all waved. Dad smiled but I saw a tear dart down his
cheek. What a mushy marshmallow. But I was glad he was my father.
Back in the room, we flopped on our beds.
"What a great visit! I love your family."
"Yeah. Me too."
I moved over to his bed, and we stared at "The Journey." We
didn't talk, we just looked. He moved closer to where his arm was pressed up to
mine, his body leaning into my body.
"I didn't have a chance to ask. How was your talk with your
dad yesterday," I inquired.
Aiden didn't reply right away. I could tell he was thinking.
"Fine. Fine. It it was good."
"Okay."
"Corey, your family tells you they love you like every ten
seconds. My parents ... well, they don't. It wasn't a long conversation, but my
dad said it. He doesn't often. Hardly ever. Then we talked about me being gay,
and he was okay with it. He knew. We had never discussed it, but he knew."
"Good."
"His his last words before he hung up were: `No matter
what, I will always love you.' It kind of floored me. I didn't think my father was capable of saying such words. He's been a total
cardboard cutout my whole life."
"Hmm. I'm sorry it was that way in the past, but ... maybe
we're both on a journey."
Aiden put his head on my shoulder. "Yeah."
Thirty seconds later he got up and grabbed a Dr Pepper out
of our fridge. We both settled in to do a little homework for tomorrow's
classes.
The leftover pizza was gone. Geoff and Ace asked how our
visit went later that night. Not that there was much to tell, but I said it was
a good one. They looked at the art again. Ace gave me a look indicating how
amazing my life was. I still didn't feel it. We agreed to meet
together for dinner tomorrow. They said they would text Sam too.
We went down the hall to pee. After brushing our teeth, we
just lay on our beds, not ready to turn out the lights yet.
"I really, really enjoyed talking with your dad and his
friends today."
"Good."
"They helped me feel better with the Roy thing."
"What do you mean?"
"I told them about how I felt when the two of us ... did it,
and-"
"You talked about sex with my dad??!!"
"Yeah, they were willing to listen, so I-
"I can't believe you talked about sex with my father.
Gross!"
"Fuck you, Corey!"
Huh!? My body lurched up; my neck snapped, jolting my face
to look at him. My gaze burned in shock at his cussing at me.
"What?!"
"You heard me."
"First, don't cuss. Second, why the anger?"
"You can talk to anyone. All our friends are straight; you
can bond with any of them. I I I ... I have nobody to talk to. When your dad
and Jakob and Lance were willing to listen to me ... I don't have that. I don't
have anyone gay to talk to. Donny ghosted me, and Roy dumped me. It was just
nice to have somebody to talk to. You know, for once."
Aiden sat with his back against the wall and pulled his
knees up to his chin.
I felt like a hypocrite since I had danced around the topic
of sex with Laramie.
I moved over to sit next to him.
"You can talk to me," I said softly, nudging up to him. "You
really can."
"You're not gay."
"But I can listen. And I'm sorry that you feel like you
can't be open with me. I'm sure that is hard."
He buried his face in his hands. "Thanks." He let his eyes
emerge, but they looked at the floor. "I'm sorry I cussed at you."
"It just startled me to think about you and my father
talking about sex."
"It's not like I just blurted out that Roy and I fucked.
Jakob is really nice, and-"
"He is."
"And he remembered me saying when Lance asked if we were
seeing people, `I don't think so.' He asked what I meant. And ... they said they
were willing to listen when I told him things weren't going well. It led to a
discussion of my ... first time."
It was still weird for my roommate and my father and his
friends to be talking about intimate sexual details, but I wanted to be there
for Aiden. He'd had enough people on our floor kind of push him away. I
couldn't do that to him.
"Was it helpful?"
"Yeah. Apparently, Lance has a huge cock."
"Did he ... did
he say that?"
"Yeah." Aiden turned his head to me. "It was like the
flipside of my situation. The first time he tried to screw a guy, that dude
reacted the same way I did. He encouraged me to not give up. He and Jakob make
things work. He says the right person will make it happen when it is supposed
to happen."
"Man."
"I could say practically anything, and they ... heard me. I
felt ... heard. I wasn't alone. It was ... nice." He leaned over and placed his
head on my shoulder. "They were really nice."
I put my arm around him, and his body leaned into my neck
and chest. "I'm glad."
"Did you and Larry talk about anything."
"Yeah." I wasn't sure I wanted to share.
"... and?"
"It's nothing."
He sat up. "Corey, I talked about anal sex with your dad.
Spill."
I rolled my eyes. "Ew. Still
weird. But ... Aiden, I'm here for you. Please know you can talk to me. I promise
not to judge."
"I know you can't relate to the gay details. I get that. But
thank you. I'm lucky to have you as a best friend. You're pretty
awesome."
"But I don't feel awesome. I feel ... lost. That's what I
talked about with Laramie."
"What's wrong?"
"Everything. It seems like everything should make me happy,
but for the first time in my life, I feel younger than I am."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"All through high school, I felt cool that I had these adult
friends along with my school friends. I felt kind of grown up. Here ... it feels
like everyone else is fitting into college and I'm ... twelve."
"Why?"
"I don't know. That's why I'm lost. I mean ... most of it is about me feeling ... like I'm not worthy of dating."
"You're beautiful. You're nice. What do you mean?"
"I don't know how to date as an adult. What should I spend?
What does a girl in college expect? You are having sex, but I never have."
"Does being a virgin bother you?"
It was then my turn to pull my knees to my chin. "Kinda," I mumbled.
"I'm sure there are tons of people NOT having sex. Geoff for
one."
"But what if I ask a girl out and she expects it?"
"Don't you think all girls feel the same way when a guy asks
them out and they're not ready?"
"I suppose," I said, my chin still on my knee.
"Do you want to have sex?"
I thumped my body back to the wall. "I'm not sure. I mean ...
kind of, yeah. My dick does. But ... what if the girl..." I stopped. "Never mind."
Aiden put his hand on my knee. "Go on."
"No."
"I'm here for you too. I won't judge."
From out of nowhere, my eyes watered. I wasn't expecting it.
"Corey?"
I sniffed and a tear ran down my face. "What if she doesn't
think ... you know ... my dick isn't good enough?"
"What!?? Why would any girl think that? Do they care?"
"Society seems to lead me to believe they do."
"Society??"
"Do you ever hear of a guy feeling proud he has a
small dick?"
"It's not small when it's hard. I've seen it. It gets the
job done."
"Even in high school, guys in Gym made fun of other guys who
had smaller cocks."
"To their face?"
"No, I guess not. Just ... in general. In jokes."
"A lot like gay jokes, huh?"
I looked Aiden directly into his eyes. "Yeah."
"Your dick is fine. Trust me, I'm gay, and I can tell you
it's fine. I'd give you a blow job any time you want it."
I laughed. "Pass."
"It's okay, Corey. Everything is going to be okay."
And then Aiden gave me a peck on the lips. We did it most
mornings, but this was the first time the message was directed more at me. I
did it again in return, hugged hm and moved back to my bed.
Our friendship seemed closer than ever. Each day, we opened up more to each other. I was sad that I
underestimated the crap he had to go through. And yet, he still listened to my
stupid feelings.
I pulled off my T-shirt, leaving only my briefs on. Aiden
did the same. We both hung our shirts off the back of our beds.
I flopped back down on my bed but on top of the sheet. I
looked up at the artwork hanging above me. I figured it was secured enough that
it wouldn't come loose and fall on me in my sleep. It was harder to make out
from this angle, but I saw the two figures in the middle. I turned to look at
Aiden's name art above his bed. It wasn't brightly lit but also not fully
dimmed. As I glanced down at him below, I could tell he had a big bulge in his
briefs. He randomly rubbed it with his hand. He reached in for a second to
rearrange. A moment later, even in the half-light, I
could see it move in the cotton fabric.
My erection started.
"Aiden?"
"Yeah?"
"Want to jack off?"
"Seriously?!"
"Yeah."
"Fuck yeah."
"Don't cuss."
He jumped up and ripped off his underwear. His boner jutted
out and continued to rise further.
"Can I be next to you?" he asked.
"Yeah."
I scooted over next to the wall. He moved in next to me. I
pulled down my underwear and lifted my knees to fully remove it. We both lay
naked with our hips touching.
"No kissing," I said.
"I just kissed you a minute ago."
"That's different."
"Sure."
Aiden was the first to start stroking his erection. I
couldn't help but compare that his dick was an inch longer than mine.
"This is like high school," he softly said.
"Yeah," I said, pulling on my stiff rod.
We both fully reclined with our heads laid flat.
We pulled.
We yanked.
We stroked.
We tugged.
Aiden was the first to moan. It wasn't loud, but it was
audible. It was part moan, part gasp, part breathing.
"Ungh," I softly said as my cock felt better and better.
"Oh, ungh, yeah."
"Yeah," he softly moaned back. "Ungh... Oh ... Oh .. Yeah ... Ungh."
We were a few minutes into it, and I saw his hips start to
buck and writhe. "Ohhhh. Oh yeah, Corey."
It was obvious he was close to coming. I wasn't, but in the
past, he had always come first every time except once.
"Ungh. Ungh. Ungh. OhhhhhhhhhHHHH. UNGH!"
I wondered if anyone next door could hear that, but quickly
got more interested in seeing cum shoot from my roommate's cock. It fired up to
his nipples. Aiden kept coming. And coming. Until he just dripped.
"Uuuuunnnnnnggh."
"Think Ace and Geoff heard you?"
"I wasn't that loud."
My fist still worked my dick. It felt great. It felt hot. It
felt wired.
I stroked and jerked. I wondered if he wanted to get up and
wipe his chest, but he stayed next to me, tilting his head up to watch me work.
"May I?" he asked.
It wouldn't be the first time his hand would be on my
erection. I didn't answer orally. I moved my arm behind his head pulling him
into me closer. He reached for my cock. I let go.
Having someone else grip my organ felt ... different. Sensual.
Wonderful. Great.
He stroked me tenderly. His fingers gripped my cock
differently than I did. Just enough to be noticeable. I liked it.
"Jerk me harder," I whispered.
"Yeah," he whispered back.
He increased the speed of his strokes. Aiden was getting me
closer to orgasm.
"Harder."
He pumped my cock.
"Yeah, that's it," I moaned.
My arm pulled him to me tighter.
"OHHHHH," I groaned. Cum intersected my nipples, then above
my navel, then mingled in the bits of chest hair I had in between. "Aaaaaaaiiiid', ooooohhhhh." The
last dribbles of cum oozed into my bush.
A bit of it was on his hand. He
licked it.
"Really?" I watched him move it away from his mouth. "What's
it taste like?"
"You've never tasted your cum?"
"Ew. No. Why would I?"
Suddenly he leaned further into me, and he ran his tongue
through my first launch on my chest.
"Hey. What's that about?"
He licked his lips. "Knowing you, you'd find it lacking.
Like it needed salt or something."
We laughed. Loud. If anyone could hear through the walls, it
didn't sound anything remotely sexual.
"Maybe some lemon pepper?" I joked.
We laughed again. This time he reached down and just held my
cock, which wasn't very big any more. His hand still
felt nice on it.
"We're kind of messy," he said.
Hopping up, he got a washcloth, warmed it with hot water and
wiped his chest and dick. He walked over to me. I stood and reached for the
cloth, but he chose to wipe me down himself. I watched him clean my crotch
first and then my chest.
He tossed the washcloth to the floor. We looked at each
other and smiled.
"Thanks," he said.
"Thanks," I said back.
We hugged. It was the first naked hug we'd ever had. Our
dicks pressed into each other. They both still felt slightly damp.
We climbed into our beds. Neither of us put our underwear
back on.
The next morning, I couldn't muster the energy to get up. As
soon as I shut off my alarm, I became aware of my
nudity below the sheet.
I remembered the night before. It was fun in its own way,
but was it good for Aiden? Is it some kind of tease to do ... stuff ... naked stuff
with a gay guy when you can't really reciprocate? Was I a dick?
Speaking of, I had morning wood.
I threw off the sheet.
"Nice cock," I heard mumbled from the other bed.
"Oh, stop."
I grabbed fresh underwear and my towel and began my lumber
down the hall. It was immature, but I kind of liked the bulge my morning
erection gave the towel wrapped around my waist.
As I turned on the hot water and stepped in, I reached down
and could feel dried cum in my bush. I sighed, wondering if I was a good
roommate. Was I messing with Aiden's head?
The next morning, Aiden and I both
got up early. He liked to try to beat the rush in the shower room to avoid any
taunts. Since Slater's ridicule, he never allowed his crotch to be exposed.
As we headed for the door, we looked down.
"What's this?" I asked.
It was a folded sheet of paper that had been
slipped under our door. Aiden's name was written on the top of it. I
handed it to him.
"Wha...?"
He unfolded it. We both looked at the wording at the same
time.
Aiden,
I just wanted you to know that you
aren't the only one at Dunne.
I have been disappointed to hear
some things and witness some
things. I know it is sometimes
hard. But don't feel alone.
You aren't the only one. I hope
things keep getting better. I
do also hear nice things too.
I hope you do as well.
"No one signed it," I said.
"Yeah. Weird."
"What do you make of it?"
"I I dunno."
"At least you know there is someone else gay in Dunne.
Strange that they would tell you that but not say who they were."
"I get it," Aiden muttered.
"Oh?"
"Sure. They aren't out. They are still hiding it. Maybe
after seeing me go through shit-"
"Don't cuss."
"Maybe they thought knowing I wasn't the only one would make
me feel better."
"Does it?"
"I'm not sure. I wish I knew who they were, so we could ...
you know, like ... talk if we needed to."
"Hm."
We looked at each other. We leaned
in for a quick peck on the lips. "It's okay," we both said. We smiled.
Aiden was heading to a Prism meeting right after dinner. Ace
and I just enjoyed the evening with a walk.
"How's Aiden?" Ace asked.
"I'm not sure I understand."
"Is he feeling okay about ... Dunne?"
"Meaning accepted?"
"Yeah."
"I'm not 100 percent sure. I'm sure there are days, but no
one has really given him any grief lately. At least, nothing he's told me
about."
"Do you guys share stuff?"
"Everything."
"Nice."
"We've known each other for years. It's funny, at the
beginning of high school, I thought he was kind of a loner. I liked him okay.
We were both in Choir, but we weren't super close. But things brought us
together."
"Yeah?"
"His house was hit by a tornado a couple of years ago."
"Ho-lee shit!"
Guh. I hated it when my friends cussed.
"He stayed with me for a week, so we ... you know, really got
to know each other better that week."
I felt no need to tell Ace that was the first time we jacked
off together. That would sound weird. I didn't even know Aiden was gay then. I
thought a lot of guys just did that in high school. Maybe I heard wrong.
"Later, during our senior year, I knew Aiden was gay then."
"How'd you find out?'
"He kissed me."
"WHOA!!! No way!" Ace threw his arms up to his head. "Man,
I'd freak."
"I did." I stopped walking. Ace followed suit. "And I almost
ruined our friendship."
Ace looked at me earnestly. "What ya mean?"
"I thought I had somehow led him on. But I ... I just like
instantly ghosted him. And I felt terrible. I mean ... the kiss was kind of a
compliment."
"You're a stud."
"Oh, pfff. Forget that. But ... it
was kind of brave in a way."
"I s'pose."
"We resumed our friendship. It was actually
stronger. Anyway, at prom, he had a boyfriend at that time. I kind of
knew it, but he wasn't out to everyone. Then right on the dance floor he
kissed Scott. People gasped. I saw them pull out their phones to film it before
they stopped dancing. The kiss went on for a long time. I started clapping.
Then my girlfriend did. Soon a lot of people did."
"You're a good friend."
"I hope."
Was I? We hugged every night. We hugged naked the other
night! I was kissing him goodbye most mornings. What
friends do that?? As much as I cared for Aiden, was I messing with his head? He
was my best friend, and I didn't mind our level of affection. It warmed me. But
was it wrong? Were we weird? It was my fault.
Ace resumed our walk. I was becoming trapped in my thoughts.
"Hey, Corey. Can I ask you ... never mind."
"What is it, Ace?" I was glad to be distracted from my
thoughts.
"I don't want to hurt your feelin's."
"How would you do that?"
"I was just curious about you ... and your dad ... and all."
"Go on."
"When did you find out he was like ..."
"Gay?"
"Yeah. That."
"It's okay to say it, Ace. I know he's gay. I found out in
junior high. It was kind of bad. Can I share a secret?'
"Sure."
"You won't tell the whole floor?"
Ace grabbed my arm. "Swear I won't! I feel real bad about what happened to Aiden."
"My father struggled with who he was. He he kind of buried
his gay feelings. He was married to Mom; he wanted to be a good father. But he
was living a lie. It ate him alive."
"Shit."
"Don't cuss. Anyway, he ... he tried to push it away, bury it.
He started drinking. It got bad."
"I'm sorry."
"He's been a recovered or they may say recovering,
I'm not sure alcoholic for seven years. He's been sober
for seven years."
"Good for `im."
"And he's awesome. He's happy. It took me a few months, but
when I saw the Dad I remembered and loved start to come back, I was happy to
see it again. It ... just came without he and Mom being together."
"Rough."
"Yeah. A little. But ... he was great to be with. He was ...
himself. I liked his first boyfriend. We all still get along. Now."
"Was it weird seein' `im with another man?"
"Once he was honest with me ... no. If I had been in high
school, it may have freaked me a bit, but I ... accepted it okay. He was in a
good place. That made me in a good place."
"Ya been through a lot."
"Nothing like Aiden."
"Yeah."
Ace looked sad. "He don't deserve all that."
"Just be his friend."
"He got lucky with you."
And yet I questioned that very statement.
Back in the room, I listened to Aiden tell me about the
LGBTQ meeting. I didn't know how to add anything to the conversation, but I was
glad I could just let him talk; I was okay with just listening. I couldn't tell
if he enjoyed it or not, but I could tell it was good for him to be with people
like him. Not people like me, people who sent him weird signals. I was glad he
met a few more people.
"A couple gave me their numbers. Not like ... let's go out on
a date or anything. I think. Just as ... friends, you know."
"Good. Nice."
"Yeah." He looked down. "I saw Roy."
"Wow. How did that go?"
"It didn't. He just waved and then turned to other people he
knew."
"Dick."
"I was the one who messed up," Aiden muttered.
"No, you weren't. It was hurting. That's not what sex should
be."
"Says the virgin."
I slapped him on the arm. "I may not have experience, but I
know it's supposed to feel good."
"Right." He looked at me. "Thanks for asking about my
night."
"I'm always here to talk to."
We walked down the hall to pee. After brushing our teeth, we
turned out the lights and stripped to our underwear. We turned to hug. It was
usually brief, but Aiden held me a moment longer.
"Good night," we both said.
How deep were Aiden's feelings for me? Why did I ever start
the "It'll be okay" kiss? Good lord, he had his hand on my dick the other
night. I was a jerk. I was confusing him; I was screwing him up. Other than
actual sex, I was sending an entire barrage of mixed signals.
I was a terrible roommate.
* * * *
Look for a post on the blog called "Two" at timothylane414stories@blogspot.com.
Email is welcome: timothylane414@gmail.com
If you'd like me to notify you when the next chapter drops, send me a message.