3
Gabe
After toppingoff the gas tank and grabbing some munchies, I let Trevor take the wheel. He was much more patient than I, and getting arrested for a road rage incident during move-in mayhem wasn’t the way I wanted to start my college experience. I tapped out a rhythm on my knee as Trevor inched his way through the parking lot to the Coliseum. If we’d packed the Jeep last night, we could’ve left earlier and wouldn’t be stuck in this royal clusterfuck.
Trevor placed his hand on top of mine, stilling my nervous energy. “It’ll be fine. We knew it was going to be busy today.”
“Eager to get settled into our room,” I told him. For the past hour, I’d been replaying his subtle taunt about the reasons he was glad to be away from home. I’d imagined everything I wanted to do to him, things I hadn’t dared to even mention when we were back home. Dirty, nasty things certain to make him blush that had left me stuck in a car with a painful hard-on.
I took advantage of the forced proximity while we waited in line and laced my fingers into Trevor’s. I expected him to pull away, but instead, he offered me a brilliant smile and shuffled closer. It was the first time we’d dared show any affection in public, and now that I knew how it felt to lay claim to him in this simple way, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to let go.
He tensed when I guided him in front of me so I would wrap my arms around his waist. Yeah, I was making sure everyone knew he was off the market. I’d waited over a year for this opportunity, and I wasn’t about to let anyone steal my man.
My. Man.
Mine.
Yeah, I liked the sound of that. I rested my chin on Trev’s shoulder, turning my head so I could kiss the side of his neck. The only way he would ever stop being so damn self-conscious about us was exposure, and I planned on exposing him until he told me to stop.
We were nearly to the front of the line when Trevor’s phone rang. He groaned when he checked the display before promptly answering. “Hey, Mom… Yeah, we made it safely… Sorry… Yea, I know you worry, but really, we’re fine.” I snickered and Trev flipped me off. We shuffled forward with the rest of the pack.
“Trev, we’re next,” I warned him, leaning close enough I knew DeeDee would hear me. He quickly wrapped up the call, promising to call back once we had our room assignment. I checked the time as he tucked his phone back in his pocket. “I’m impressed. She waited a whole three hours before calling to check on you.”
“Piss off, Gabe. You know it’ll take time before she’s comfortable with me being all alone down here.”
“You’re not alone, baby,” I whispered low enough no one could hear. “I’ll be here takinggoodcare of you.”
“Pretty sure that came out a lot creepier than you’d intended,” Trevor scoffed. “Besides, half the reason she’s so worried isbecauseI’m down here with you. She trusts me, it’s you who attracts trouble wherever you go.”
“I’m not that bad,” I protested, loud enough to draw the attention of a few families near us. Trevor laughed, and yeah, I couldn’t keep a straight face, either. Of all the times we’d gotten in trouble together, I could count on one hand the number of times he’d been the instigator, and I would have had several fingers left over. “Fine, but still, she has nothing to worry about this time. I’m smarter than I used to be.”
“Next,” one of the employees at the desk called out. I stepped forward. “Name?”
“Gabriel Brunner.”
She flipped through the pages of her binder until she reached my name. “Okay, here we are. We have you all set up in Hewlett Hall—”
“No, there has to be a mistake,” I interrupted as I rifled through my paperwork. We’d requested Galloway and I had a confirmation that was our assignment. Triumphantly, I pulled the letter out of my bag and thrust it in her face. “See, right there. Galloway Hall.”
Matching every ounce of attitude I’d thrown her way, she turned the binder around so I could see her sheet. “I’m sorry, but this is the finalized assignment, and as you can see, you will be rooming with Trevor Bruce in Hewlett Hall.”
“But we requested Galloway Hall,” I whined. She gaped at me as though I’d lost my damn mind. If the situation were different, I’d have given my left nut to get a spot in Hewlett, but I wanted the privacy of the traditional dorms. In Hewlett, we’d be shoved into a suite with six other guys. Not ideal for two young men trying to wade their way through the sea of gay life.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Brunner, but there were some issues in Galloway, and students had to be shuffled around.” She didn’t seem sorry in the least, only slightly astonished that she had to explain this at all. Everyone else who’d been switched was probably overjoyed. “I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the suite we’ve moved you to.”
“No, that’s not what we asked for,” I complained. “We made sure to complete all of the paperwork well ahead of the deadline to make sure we got the assignment we wanted.”
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do to get you into a different hall right now.” Again, not sorry in the least.
Trevor stepped forward, placing himself between me and the poor registration clerk. “Whatever you have will be fine.” He turned to me, narrowing his eyes. “He doesn’t deal well when plans change, sorry.”
“It’s okay, I understand.” She offered Trevor a quick smile. “I’m assuming you’re his roommate?”
“For better or worse,” he teased. Her eyes widened momentarily, and I wondered if she suddenly understood why I didn’t want so many roommates. I elbowed Trevor, willing him to reel back the southern charm just a bit.
“Okay, well if you boys can both sign here, I’ll get your keys.”
A few minutes later, we were back in the car trying to creep our way out of the Coliseum parking lot to find our new digs for the school year. I wasn’t happy about the change, but I would do my best to follow Trevor’s lead and see this as a good thing. It wasn’t the end of the world, after all. We did have a door, and after the initial fuck fest, we’d eventually calm down, and making friends would be a good thing. As an added bonus, when we decided the time was right, we could be together in the safety of the suite and I could help Trevor ease his way out of the closet.
