Our parents didn’t pester us much about our obvious falling apart, and the month we had until we left for college passed quickly. It was a month of relative freedom, in the sense that Adrian stayed out of my way, and I, out of his. The memory of the things we’d done to each other was just as vivid as ever, at least in my mind, so I indulged in long masturbation sessions recalling the taste of his lips, the way his eyes flashed in anger, and how hot and tight his ass had been around my fingers.
Dad drove us both to campus, and our trip was spent in silence, with Adrian pretending to be busy on his phone, while I stared out the window at the passing scenery. Finally, I was one step away from true freedom. The money I’d saved felt solid in my knapsack, where I hid it, and I could barely wait to turn my back on my father. Unlike the prodigal son, I’d never return. From now on, I’d live for myself – I made a silent promise to that extent, while stealing a quick glance at Adrian.
The girls back home were all crazy about him now, which obviously meant that he hadn’t talked out of his ass when telling me about sleeping around. I welcomed the jealousy because it burned hot, and I liked it hot.
All that didn’t matter. He was free to do whatever the fuck he wanted. Just like me. Now that we were both in college, I’d make sure not to cross paths with him much. I also have plans that didn’t include him, like finding a part-time job quickly so I could continue to fatten my stash while going to class.
Even if I didn’t want to become an accountant, it was a solid choice that could later secure me proper employment. In general, I had only vague grand ideas about my life. First, I needed to adapt to my newfound freedom.
The campus came into view, with its unmistakable quad and quaint-looking buildings. I’d visited before, but now I felt elated to call it home. Yeah, for the next four years, it’d be that, not my dad’s house. Not anymore. That part of my life was dead and buried.
And Adrian had been a small part of it. And he had to stay back, with the rest of that past.
The air felt familiar here, yet already distant, a different version of South, one which I could see myself capable of embracing. A few guys and gals passing by caught my attention, in their fashionable slacks and sneakers; they were all carrying ice lattes and looked like they were on top of the world.
I threw a look at my conservative clothes. As much as I hated to part with some of my hard-earned money, my wardrobe needed a spruce-up.
***
The long corridor smelled faintly of whatever they used to wash the floors, slightly metallic, less citrusy than I would’ve liked. The doors, left and right, were blasted open, allowing me a few glimpses of other students’ lives: posters already taped on the walls, luggage stuck in the entrance, and above all, their incessant chatter.
They were already making friends. I checked the number again and walked into my designated room. A bit small – actually, shockingly small compared to my room at home – but it was something.
I noted the two narrow beds, the two desks, and the tall window dividing the space. It was all so bare, but I didn’t waste any time. All this room needed were things; things would make it look lived in.
The sound of steps behind me made me turn, ready to meet my new roommate.
And my face promptly fell at the sight of my dear stepbrother.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“The fuck does it look like?” He hoisted his backpack over his shoulder while pushing his larger luggage toward the bed on the left.
“Why are you bunking with me?”
He shrugged and started unpacking, his back to me.
I sighed. “I guess I need to find our RA and ask to be reassigned.”
At first, I didn’t get it, then I realised his shoulders were shaking from laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. It’s just that you’ll be disappointed,” Adrian said. “According to the people I’ve talked to, our RA hates room-hopping more than anything in the world.”
He’d already talked to people. Should I’ve been surprised? Not really.
“I thought you’d arrange to get a different room,” I said, now feeling guarded by this change of plans.
“What gave you that idea?” He turned and measured me up and down with his beautiful eyes.
“Hello,” I said, “we hate each other’s guts.”
“Then you should’ve arranged to be reassigned,” he pointed out.
Well, that was true. We hadn’t established anything about not bunking together. I’d just assumed that after fingering his ass and threatening to pop his cherry while behaving like a total tool would be enough to make him understand that rooming with me wouldn’t be that good for him.
“Why didn’t you do it, Jo?”
His question pulled me out of my musings. Oh, how he said ‘Jo’ – he’d given me that nickname, and he was the only one allowed to say it like that.
“What? Do you think I’m not over you?” I asked with a snort and started unpacking my things.
“Over me? How could you be over me when you were never into me?” This voice wasn’t teasing or taunting me anymore. He was genuinely curious about my answer.
“And there I thought you sucked me off to make me into a sucker for your city boy charms.”
My reply must’ve taken him by surprise because he didn’t say anything for quite some time. When he did, it was to talk on the phone with some chick.
Well, I could ignore him. Barely.
***
Over the last few days, I saw little of Adrian. Popular as he was, he was quick to make new friends, and the campus rang with the noise of parties at the start of the year. The people here didn't seem so keen to let go of their summer break freedom, but things were starting to fall into a rhythm.
My main problem was that I hadn’t had the time to buy new clothes. The small strip mall serving the people on campus was basically within walking distance, but I’d been too caught up in adjusting to my life as a college student. I didn’t plan on failing, so I wasn’t going to parties.
Or making too many friends. My choir boy clothes made me stand out like a sore thumb, and I was acutely aware of how the others looked at me – when they paid me any attention, which they didn’t, generally speaking.
So, the first chance I got, on Saturday morning, I decided to go shopping. Adrian’s bed hadn’t been slept in, which had been the case on four nights out of five since we got there. I was starting to feel a bit more at peace with bunking with him. As long as he wasn’t there to tempt me with his sinful eyes and lanky, attractive body, I had no reason to stray from my business as usual.
I had no idea it would be so daunting to shop for new clothes. At the same time, there appeared to be so many items, while most of them seemed the same, so how others made a difference between them was beyond me – t-shirts, slacks, black jeans, sneakers, button-down shirts, they all stared down at me from their shelves, taunting me to find the right combination so I stopped looking like the fish out of water that I was.
Lucky me, a young saleswoman approached me. After a little to and fro, during which she kept stealing glances at my attire without entirely hiding her vague disgust, I settled for a few items that wouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg. Who knew plain t-shirts could cost this much? My scholarship covered tuition and board, but not the need to eat and cover my ass with something.
“He doesn’t need all that.”
The saleswoman stared at me, then over my shoulder, then back at me. I didn’t turn because I recognised his voice. The last thing I needed was a crash course on how to dress like the average college student – from him.
That didn’t stop him, of course. He brushed past me and started talking to the girl, throwing her a dazzling smile. I watched him without saying a word. What if I pretended I didn’t know him? Nah, it wouldn’t work. This place was closest to campus, and I didn’t want to cause a scene. Who knew what he’d do if I didn’t accept his help?
“This, this, and yeah, this pair,” he said, casually pointing at several different items.
Which didn’t look that different from what I was wearing. He chose for me a couple of button-down shirts, a dark navy jacket, and a pair of chinos. And canvas shoes. Yeah, that too.
“Do you double as a fashion consultant in your spare time?” I hissed at him while the saleswoman got busy finding all the items I needed in my size.
“Jo, you’re fucking hopeless and helpless when it comes to this.” He turned his head and gave me his most innocent look.
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you making fun of me?”
“Just try on what I chose for you. Thank me later.”
I doubted it. But since the young saleswoman came back with her arms full, I had to at least do that.
Minutes later, inside the dressing room, I was staring at an upgraded version of myself. The shocking part was that I still looked like me, not a completely different person. I had to give it to Adrian. He knew his stuff. Maybe because he was an artist.
I walked out and did a full pirouette, while he applauded lazily and rolled his eyes to show me what he truly thought of my following his advice.
“Finally, you look human,” he said.
I rewarded his cheekiness with an all-knowing smirk. The kind that said, ‘I know how you look naked’. The saleswoman was completely oblivious to our silent exchange and was too busy asking me if I was going to keep those.
“Yes,” I replied, my eyes still on Adrian.
What did this mean? Were we friends now?
“See you later?” I asked him.
He brushed his hair out of his eyes. He liked cutting it close to the head at the back and temples, but let it grow over in front. “Nah. Too busy,” he said abruptly and turned on his heel without another word.
I stared after him for a while. Like a skittish animal, he had no idea how to act around me. But I could smell blood in the water, and my earlier decision to stay away from him seemed rash.
***
Eventually, he needed to sleep in his own bed. It happened on a Tuesday night, which didn’t surprise me much because everywhere on campus, the excitement of the start of a new year was settling into a routine that included more studying and less partying. If he wanted to stay away from our dorm room, he needed to bunk somewhere.
And somehow, that night, he was out of luck.
I murmured a short greeting when he walked in, and then I went back to my books. Since college was my ticket out of the world I didn’t want to go back to, the world that belonged to people like my father, I wasn’t planning to fail.
Still, as much as I wanted to pretend I was capable of ignoring him, my ears perked up at the noises he was making. If I were a betting man, I’d say he was undressing right behind me. Whether he took it all off or still kept a pair of shorts on was impossible to tell, but a man could hope, right?
He dropped on his bed, wearing a pair of blue briefs and nothing else. He looked great in them, and I could spot the curve of his cock, limp and stuffed inside, through the thin fabric. With one arm thrown over his eyes, he could very well be asleep, although I doubted anyone could drift off so fast.
“Why are you such an asshole, Jo?” he asked, without looking at me.
I stared at his mouth. The darkest part of me wanted to grab his head and skull-fuck him, but it looked like he was a bad boy only on the surface, just like I was a choir boy only so my dad would leave me the fuck alone.
“I’m not an asshole. That’s just your impression of me,” I replied without tearing my eyes away from my textbooks.
“But you are,” he said.
“Why so passionate about it?” I asked. “You know you can change rooms, get another roommate, all that jazz.”
“I like this room,” he said.
Petulant like a freaking child.
I snorted. “Yeah, right. I bet you need to ask for directions to find your way back here. What happened? None of your girlfriends keen on putting you up for the night?”
“What do you know about my girlfriends?” He sounded strangely animated. He even rolled to one side, resting his head in the palm of his hand. Bending his upper leg, he allowed me a direct look at his family jewels. I wanted to take him in my mouth, lavish his ball sac with my tongue until he blew his load, but we were supposed to stay away from each other.
“Nothing. But it’s hard not to notice how popular you are with the ladies,” I quipped.
He laughed and jumped to his feet. “How about I blow you, Jo?”
I abandoned my textbooks with a sigh and turned to face him, hoping that my hammering heart wasn’t noisy enough for him to hear it. “And why would you do that?” I gave him an oblique stare, craning my neck to one side.
“You look like you need it. At least, back home, you used to spend some time outside. Since you got here, you turned pale as fuck.”
I wasn’t sleeping very well, but that came as no surprise. The surprise was that he noticed I didn’t look too good.
“Some people need to study. I’m here on a scholarship. I can’t afford to blow it,” I explained. As long as I pretended to be reasonable, he’d get the clue that he should just continue his business as usual, fucking girls left and right, drinking his college life away, and pretending to be an artist. Ever since we got here, I hadn’t seen him working on his sketches once.
“You can afford to get head, though,” he argued.
I gave his package another look. He wasn’t wrong about me wanting to get a blowjob from him. But more than that, I wanted to blow him, have him grab my hair until it hurt, and fuck my mouth.
Of course, I didn’t say that.
“Go to sleep, Adrian. Goodnight.”
tbc
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