The second he heard that groan, Brennan realized Cliff was gay, which changed the game with everything. Was Cliff out to anyone? Alex definitely had no clue. What would he think if he discovered his best friend macking on his brother? What was going through Cliff’s mind? The questions swirled around Brennan.
They hadn’t spoken since.
He had to make things right. Whatever Cliff was going through, he needed a friend right now.
Brennan caught his breath and walked across the North Campus quad. Even though the air was cool, he had worked up a sweat. He fanned his shirt a few times as he waited outside the dorm. Cliff had said he was on the second floor. Once someone exited, he swooped inside.
Since the school year was still new, all of the doors still had guys’ names on them as part of the welcome signage. His stomach stirred with nerves when Cliff opened the door, his bright eyes and nervous smile greeting him. Cliff wore a navy blue polo and jeans that hugged all the right places of his body.
Immediately, Brennan sensed unease in Cliff. He had to make this right.
“Hey, sorry for just showing up like this. I know you hate surprises.”
“It’s cool. What’s up?” Cliff’s hand held firmly on the door, like he was three seconds away from slamming it, a clear sign of how much Brennan had fucked up.
“I just, uh, wanted to…” Brennan grinned politely at a trio of guys lumbering down the hall. One of them nodded at Cliff, who nodded back. “Could I come in?”
Cliff hesitated, each second tearing into Brennan.
“Please? I’ll be quick.”
“Okay.” Tension thickened Cliff’s voice, as if he could barely manage social graces.
Brennan lost his train of thought for a second as he marveled at how swank the dorm room was - in terms of dorm living, it was a five-star-hotel with fresh carpet, new dark wood furniture, and an alcove for his desk.
“Nice digs.”
“Thanks.” Cliff stood by his bed defensively. His arms flexed as he folded them over his body.
Now was not the time to ogle, Brennan told himself.
“Cliff, I’m sorry about the other day. We were goofing around and...I didn’t mean to make you...if I made things weird…” Brennan rubbed a hand over his hair, realizing that apologizing for making things weird instantly made things weird. “Shit.”
“You don’t have to be sorry.”
“Yeah, I do. I think the game brought out my competitive side, and I took it too far.”
This whole conversation was like walking through a minefield. He didn’t want to out Cliff, but he wanted him to know he was there for him.
“It’s okay.” Cliff’s icy demeanor showed signs of melting. “Really. We were just horsing around.”
Not me. I wanted you so bad I couldn’t think straight.Brennan told himself to reign it in.
“So we’re cool?”
“Yeah.” Cliff remained planted in place in front of his bed. The foot between them could’ve been an ocean.
“We’re friends, so if you ever want to talk...I’m here.”
“Cool.”
“And I’m still down for our art lessons. I want to help. How’s that been going?”
“I got an A-minus on my first project. The professor complimented my shading.”
“That’s awesome!” Brennan had made a positive difference in Cliff’s life. He would take the win. If all they had were art lessons, that would be enough. He would have to jerk off a few times before Cliff came over to clear his head, but so be it.
“I want to keep them up, the lessons.”
