“Also, my crush?” Cliff picked up a tray and handed one to Dell.
“He’s a guy, I take it?”
“He’s now my boyfriend.”
“Nice! I was gonna say, even being gay, you could get plenty of action with your newfound campus celeb status. You could be The Buttpirate of Browerton.”
Cliff turned as red as the Jell-O desserts in front of him. “Please never call me that.”
“Have it your way.”
Once they filled up their trays, they swiped their ID cards to pay and found a table by the window.
“So tell me about this guy,” Dell said.
“Well, he’s my older brother’s best friend.”
“Damn. I’m one hundred percent straight, but that sounds hot.”
Epilogue
BRENNAN
Being in a relationship was fucking fire.
There was the sex, obviously. Lots of it. Bed, shower, dorm room, once on the riverfront. Outdoor sex in December on rocky soil was a fool’s errand, but they got it done.
Cliff’s moans were like a radio jingle Brennan couldn’t get out of his head, nor would he want to. He found himself sprouting wood in boring lectures thinking about Cliff tied up, Cliff coming, Cliff anything.
But there was more than just sex. He got to hang out with his favorite person on earth all the time - schedules permitting. They got through their days meeting up between classes and carrying on unending text conversations about really important minutia like dining hall food and favorite Christmas movies. Cliff had a wicked sense of humor that made Brennan laugh like crazy. Above all, Cliff made him feel like anything was possible, like he could become a successful artist and walk on the moon.
And it’d only been three weeks.
Was there any greater pleasure in the world than waking up beside Cliff Warner on Christmas morning?
For Brennan, the answer was a resounding no.
He held Cliff in his arms and kissed his neck. Brennan kept one eye on the alarm clock, willing time to stand still. Then again, it didn’t need to anymore. Their relationship didn’t pause when they left the loft. Cliff was his boyfriend twenty-four-seven.
“Is it time to get up?” Cliff mumbled.
“We have time. Alex isn’t coming by until ten.”
Knowing Alex, he was still in bed with his new girlfriend - Rachel! They had met at the quarterly showcase, and one thing led to another. Brennan couldn’t believe they were a thing, but Cliff thought they were actually perfect for each other because they both love to talk and loved their opinions. Alex revealed to Brennan that he’d had more sex with Rachel over the past month than over three years with Rosie. Brennan was not surprised. This was the same woman who made her own vibrators cry uncle.
Cliff turned over to face him, wiping his sleep from his eyes. His hair stuck up at all angles. There was an unguarded, sweet look on his face that warmed Brennan’s heart. He got to see it most mornings. Cliff slept over a few times per week depending on his game schedule.
“How are your ribs?” Brennan kissed his neck.
“They’re doing all right.”
He peeked under the blanket at the blushes of blue and green on Cliff's bruised skin.
“I’ll get you another ice pack.”
“I’m good for now. It’s a little too cold for ice.”
Apparently, basketball was a contact sport, which Brennan witnessed two nights ago when an opposing player elbowed Cliff while trying to defend the ball. Brennan wanted to launch out of his seat and scream in the ref’s face for not calling a technical foul. Brennan had turned intothatfan, cheering and yelling and watching games with fervent determination. If the straight boys back home could see him now.
