A Great Way to Make Friends
Madison
The door is yanked open before my foot even touches the first concrete step, startling me.
“Heyyy, roomie,” a voice drawls as someone leans over the threshold.
I open my mouth to respond, but the words catch in my throat as my eyes land on the person standing in front of me,completely nakedapart from a towel slung low on his hips. His dark, wet skin catches in the afternoon light, and my mind blanks out.
“Hellooo.” He waves his hand in front of my face.
I struggle to meet his gaze, caught in the planes of muscles, but somehow manage to unfocus my eyes so I can look away. When I meet the other’s eyes, my own widen, and my face flames with heat. I somehow manage to stutter out a pathetic, “H-hi.”
He smirks, and it’s lopsided and kind of wild. “Awe, you stutter.That’s cu?—”
Someone smacks him, the skin-on-skin contact a sharp crack in the air. “Don’t be an ass, Lenny.” A voice I recognize.
“Ow!”Lennyshouts, whipping around to glare at the other guy while rubbing his bicep. “I wasn’t!”
My attention is drawn from Lenny to the man beside him as he makes his way toward the steps. His dark hair is hanging in disarray across his forehead. He reaches up to push it back before offering his hand. “I’m Kane, and that’s obviously Lenny. Ignore him. He’s a dick. Glad you had a safe trip.”
There’s so much going on, it takes me a minute to catch up. “Oh!” I start.Thisis Kane? My eyes dart back to Lenny, who’s now sitting on the porch’s handrail, just watching me. I quickly look away, focusing my attention back at the hand stretched before me. My manners kick in, and I take it with a sweaty palm, wincing when I realize how rude that is. I should’ve wiped my hand first.
Jesus, I’m really messing this up already.
“Y-yeah, yes. Kane, h-hello.” His hand is warm and dry. Nothing like my small, clammy one. I suck my bottom lip between my teeth, hating how hot my face is feeling. I’m sure my pale skin is justbrightred. Awesome.
Even as I berate myself, my eyes wander again.
Is… everyone that lives here so…nice looking?
“Depends on personal preference, I guess,” Lenny says with a shrug as he hops down, brown eyes dancing.
“O-oh,” I squeak. What in the world iswrongwith me? I’m going to get kicked out before I even get the chance to move in. I’ll have to crawl back to Mother and Father with my tail between my legs. I’ll have to… togrovel.Tell them I was wrong…
I let my head hang between my shoulders. My fingers fistmy backpack tighter, needing the feel ofsomethingagainst my fingertips to help ground me.
A hand clasps my shoulders, making me jolt forward. “Hey, don’t sweat it,” Kane says with ease. His smile is small but kind. It helps.
“Sorry,” I apologize.Might as well get this over with. I knew it would be a problem.“I, erm, as you can probably tell… I have, uh…” I grab the back of my neck and drag the tip of my shoe over a plank of wood to avoid both pairs of eyes on me. My stomach cramps.
“I’ve lived a pretty sheltered life. I don’t… r-really know what I’m doing,” I quickly blurt the second part out. The pressure of my fingertips against the ridges of my cervical spine makes me grit my teeth, but it’s a pressure Ineed.
“You have come to the right place, my friend,” Lenny says loudly. “We shall teach you!” I look over at him, smiling, but it probably comes off as more of a grimace. Lenny winks and then disappears back inside. I’m grateful for that because his naked body is quite distracting.
“Ignore him. He’s the dumb one,” Kane says with a huff of a laugh. He makes me feel at ease. Maybe it’s because he’s the one I’ve been talking to, but I try not to question it when it’s such a relief.
“C’mon, let’s go get your stuff.” He starts down the steps, leaving me to follow. When I open the trunk, I notice his slight frown. “This is all?”
I wince and pinch my nape. “Erm… yeah. Sorry I came early. T-things got…bad.” When he looks over at me, I stumble to explain—and end up oversharing. “Mom and Dad wanted me to stay and go to this Christian university, and I just—I couldn’t. I couldn’t be there anymore and keephatingmyself so much, so I needed to leave before I couldn’tand?—”
Kane’s wide-eyed stare cuts me off mid-sentence. I blanch when I realize everything I’ve said. I open my mouth. To saywhat,I don’t know, but Kane beats me to it.
His smile is small but sincere. He pats my shoulder gently. “I get it. I’m glad you’re here.” It’s nothing profound or even that deep, but it means so much, my eyes instantly burn and fill with tears. To be accepted so easily is a gift I don’t think he truly understands.
I blink rapidly and clear my throat. “Th-tha-thanks,” I stutter, not feeling embarrassed about it for the first time.
“Sure thing.” His smile is too much. “Let’s get this stuff inside, and I’ll show you to your room.”
