“Oh yeah, Joe. Because my track record shows that I’ll be bringing even one person back here.” Victor put his phone on speaker and set it on the edge of the mattress. The bed didn’t look heavy, but he wouldn’t be sure until he actually started moving it. He grunted with the first push, still listening to Joe joke about all the stuff he could do living alone. It wasn’t until the second grunt- the bed really was sturdier than he thought- that Joe questioned him.
“What are you doing over there?”
“I’m trying to move my bed around so it’s in the corner,” Victor huffed out. “It’s heavier than I thought.”
“How big is it?”
Victor paused and then laughed at the question. An old memory of the two of them talking one day popped into his head. Victor and Joe had been best friends since elementary school. Living far enough away from the city meant they both went to the county school system. Which meant they went through their awkward phases and discovering other people and their own bodies together. Victor remembered their conversation that started with that exact same question. He shook that memory from his mind before he let it continue. Joe was his best friend and he genuinely did not have any feelings toward him, and vice versa, but they had fooled around onenight.
“It’s a queen, so upgrading from my full at home.”
“And here I am stuck on a twin.” Joe sighed dramatically. “Think you might share with me some nights?”
“Come on, Joe.” Victor pushed the bed one final time to get it in the corner of the room. His mom already put the curtains up but he could see that the sun would hit his face perfectly. “You know I applied for the apartments because I didn’t want to live with you.”
“Ouch, best friend. I’m going to cry now.”
“Don’t drown yourself,” Victor shot back.
The truth was, Victor didn’t mind sharing the bed with Joe. While Victor was naturally bigger than him, Joe was more of the video games variety. He was confident in his body, goofy as all get out, and was a damn good big spoon. Victor never recalled them having a conversation about it, but Joe would always pull him closer at night so they were back to front.
“I guess I’ll let you go live your cool new life,” Joe said. Victor rolled his eyes. “Maybe one day you’ll remember me and invite me over.”
“You know, just for that, I’m going to wait at least a week to invite you over.”
“You hate me. I knew it. Our friendship is ending right now. This is the beginning of the end.”
“You’re so dramatic, dude. How about dinner at the campus restaurant later?”
“Seven o’clock, don’t be late!” The line disconnected before he could agree. His clock read five. He clicked open his music playlist before setting it to the side and pulling out the sheets and blanket. The sheets were plain white, but the blanket was maroon.
As much as he wanted the purple and black bedding set, he couldn’t bring himself to ask for it. Not in front of his family. Maroon was the next best choice. It was nice, reversible so he could use the color or the black side. The set came with matching pillowcases and he went back down the hall to grab the two new pillows. Then he moved to his clothes. He hung up his shirts in the closet, folded his pants into the drawers. He tossed his socks and typical underwear into the top two drawers of the dresser. The last box held hisotherclothes. They were wrapped in one of his plain shirts and put in a plastic bag. He hid it at the bottom of the clothes. He looked around, trying to figure out where he could put the items.
This was his room. No one would be barging in. He’d keep it locked when he wasn’t home. He pulled out the skirt and held it up. Then he moved to the closet and grabbed the last hanger. He folded it over neatly and hung it back up, to the edge of the rod. He pulled the underwear out next. He couldn’t stop the smile that pulled his lips upward.
Without second guessing, he pulled his shorts off and slipped on the thin fabric. He didn’t bother putting his shorts back on as he moved down the hallway to grab the last box. He locked his door and settled into a routine to fix up his room. He shifted the desk to the left wall and placed his laptop, notebooks, and other small items on top. He would try to keep organized, but he knew himself and knew that eventually he would just start tossing things here and there. He was going for a degree in teaching, so he’d have to start working on that habit.
His phone dinged with a text and he walked across the room to grab his phone. It was just after six now. The restaurant he was meeting Joe at was only a ten minute walk straight across campus toward the main entrance and Welcome Center.
The text was from his sister.Hey bro, I’m going to be on campus tomorrow and Sunday if you needed help with anything or wanted to get some food.
He loved his family and of course he knew his sister would be on campus as the newest assistant coach for the same soccer team she played all four years for. The sports buildings and offices were across campus from where his apartment was. The campus was a decent size with a couple tens of thousands of students.
Maybe. I’ll let you know if I have some time.
He’d need to stop by the bookstore tomorrow to get some textbooks and then maybe go to the store a couple miles out and stock up on food for the apartment. He really wasn’t sure how the roommate situation would go. He’d text the guy and ask what he liked to eat and maybe stock up some things for him too. Since he brought the TV and everything.
He finished putting the rest of his things where he wanted them. He didn’t bring a lot, since he’d be home often. But he brought his figurines from his favorite Marvel movies and his stuffed teddy that he’d had since he was a baby. It was sentimental more than anything and he kept it on the top of the night stand next to his bed. He also hooked up his alarm clock and set it for the right time. Finally, he hooked up his lamp on the desk. He tended to do most of his work at night and he liked the dimmer lights instead of the overhead one when he was studying.
It was half an hour before he was supposed to meet Joe when he finally finished. The room was still kind of plain, but it was definitely his. He looked from the room to himself, still in nothing but the underwear and t-shirt. It felt nice, but he wasn’t quite ready to try that out just yet. The last time he’dworn them ended with a less than ideal meeting of the new professor that would be on campus. Just the reminder of his face popping up in Victor’s mind had him changing quickly. He settled on jeans and the same shirt.
Chapter Three
~ Tawson ~
Taking over for Daniel Cadman was not as easy as he thought it was going to be. Sure, he had the degree for teaching, had a couple years of experience up North. He’d met Daniel at a conference where he was the guest speaker. They’d exchanged numbers and emails and kept in touch. Tawson had been going through some stuff in his personal life and it’d taken him into a really dark place before he reached out and asked Daniel for help.
“Thinking hard in here, aren’t you?” Speaking of the man himself. Daniel leaned into the room and offered a bright smile. He was older, born and raised in Chicago with his mom and little sister. He’d moved to Texas when he met his wife. Even at their ages, they were a power couple. Tawson missed that most, having someone to shower with love. To go through life together.
