14
The following day, I walked to Nick’s with my backpack, which carried my pyjamas and toothbrush.
Nick had sent me the directions via text, and according to Google Maps, his building was a twenty-minute walk away from my place. I knew he lived in student accommodation, so I expected a shiny skyscraper with a company brand name plastered on the side. Student accommodation towers were peppered through the city, mostly catering to international students, but housed rural and interstate students too. Elena had lived in one last year, and when I’d visited, I’d been impressed by the sparkling facilities. Each studio had its own kitchenette, but there were communal stainless steel kitchens, study areas, a cinema room and a gym that had a view of the city.
When my phone announced that I had arrived, I was not standing in front of a silver tower. Instead, the building was a three-storey concrete block. I wondered if I’d gotten the address wrong when I spotted a faded sign in a window that read: Carlton Student Living .
I texted Nick.
Hayden: I’m here.
His reply came a few seconds later.
Nick: Coming down now.
A minute later, the front door slid open.
“Hi,” he said, stepping onto the street. He looked a little tired but smiled at me. “So technically I’m not allowed to have overnight guests,” he murmured into my ear. “But just walk in like you’re a student here, kay?”
“Okay,” I said.
He punched four numbers into the front door’s keypad lock, then led me inside. We walked through a lobby area, which was lit up with a clinical grey-white bulb, and passed a bored receptionist who was watching TikTok on his phone.
There were two elevators, but one had a handwritten sign on it saying it was out of order.
“Sorry, the elevators take a hundred years,” he said as we waited. The one that wasn’t broken arrived, and we stepped inside.
“I’ve never heard of this place before,” I said as we went up to level three.
“I found it on Facebook marketplace,” Nick said. The doors opened, and he led me down a dark hallway. “It looks a bit sketchy, but they gave me a proper contract and lodged my bond with the RBTA, so I’m pretty sure it’s not a scam. This is mine.” He stopped in front of a door. I noticed that the neighbouring doors were decorated with posters or spelt the residents’ names in colourful stickers, but Nick’s was completely bare.
As he fished out his key, someone on the other side of the hallway came out of his room.
“Hey Nick,” he called. “Who have you—” he stopped short. “Well, if it isn’t your pupil.”
It took a few beats for me to recognise Tyler.
“Hi,” I said, waving a hand. “You live here too?”
“Unfortunately,” Tyler drawled, walking closer. “I mean, I love living near my schmoopy-poo,” at this, Nick scowled, “but this place is a shithole. It’s really cheap, though! Probably because there’s black mould growing on the ceiling. Remind me of your name again?”
“Hayden,” Nick answered for me. “You saw him, like, two weeks ago.”
“I’m awful with names, you know that,” Tyler said before shifting his gaze to me. “Are you here for some calc tutoring, Hayden? Which reminds me, I have an assignment that’s due Friday.”
“Next Friday?” I asked. He still had a week, which was more than enough.
“No, this Friday.”
“Today’s Saturday, you dumbass,” Nick said.
“Oh shit, really?” Tyler looked way calmer than I would have in his situation. He shrugged. “Oh well. It’s only a 10% penalty for every day it’s late. Although, that does mean I have to finish it tonight…” He brightened. “Hey, maybe I can join your study bender.”
“Actually,” I told Tyler, “we’re not having a study bender. This is a social visit.”
Tyler laughed, then caught sight of my expression. “What, really? Nick never has anyone over. Like, ever.”
“Tyler,” Nick began, sounding annoyed.
“But you guys are, like, friends? Damn. Never would’ve guessed.” He stepped forward and poked me in the shoulder. “As long as you don’t steal my pookie bear from me.”
I forced a smile despite the flame of jealousy that flickered within my chest. Tyler’s gaze moved over my shoulder to Nick, and I turned around to catch the end of a silent conversation communicated through glares and frowns.
When I faced Tyler, he’d already taken a step back. His easy-going demeanour had changed, and now he looked almost… troubled. “Well, I should really get started on my assignment. But first, I gotta go grocery shopping. You guys have fun doing… whatever it is you do. See ya.” He speed-walked to the elevator and hit the button several times.
Nick sighed, unlocked his door, and ushered me into his studio.
I had a few seconds to take in the neatly made bed, the organised desk, and the bare concrete walls while Nick locked the door behind him.
“What was that about?” I asked, taking off my backpack and setting it in the corner.
“Nothing. Just Tyler being annoying.” He walked over to the kitchenette and wiped down the already spotless surface.
I walked up behind him, gently turned him around, and kissed him on the lips. He was tense at first but then relaxed and dropped the kitchen towel. His hands landed on my arms, and he moved me backwards until I fell onto his bed.
With a jolt of arousal, I realised his covers smelled just like his clothes—fresh, and slightly sweet, like lavender or gardenia or something.
Nick pushed me down so I was flat on the bed and held himself on top of me, his knees bracketing my legs. His fingertips grazed the base of my neck, and he tugged the collar of my T-shirt down, sucking at the sensitive skin there, where my neck met my shoulders.
“You’re… really good at this,” I said breathily.
He pulled off. “Why do you sound so surprised?”
Sure, we had kissed before, but… “Usually, you’re more passive. You let me do what I want.”
“That’s when I was teaching you.”
He started sucking my neck again, and I stopped talking.
My kissing had been called aggressive, but the way Nick was touching me now—tugging the hem of my shirt up, pressing a line of kisses down the middle of my torso…
It wasn’t aggressive, but it was insistent in a gentle sort of way. His breath was hot against my skin, his tongue soft and wet. Sometimes I played with his hair, but mostly I lay back and enjoyed the sensation.
Soon, the arousal in my pants was too much to ignore. I reached for Nick’s shoulders. “My turn,” I said.
“I’m not finished,” he said, and his tongue licked a stripe right above the waistband of my pants. My cock jumped.
“I’m bigger than you,” I managed. “I could flip you over if I wanted.”
“Okay, beanpole.”
That was it. I wrapped my arms around Nick’s back and flipped us over so I was on top of him, the bulge in his pants rubbing nicely against my belly. “Don’t underestimate my weird, too-tall, too-skinny body.”
“Your body isn’t weird,” Nick said, pushing his palm up over my chest. “It’s perfect.”
I stared. Nick had said it in a matter-of-fact way, but there’d been a kind of wonder in his voice too. His gaze raked over me like I was some kind of deity to worship, and I felt…
Honoured.
How many people had seen him like this before? Gone was the sarcasm and nonchalance and sharp tongue, leaving only dilated pupils and flushed skin.
I reached for his pants, wanting to be even closer to him.
“Can I?” I whispered, playing with the button.
He nodded quickly, reaching for my pants too. It took a bit of manoeuvring, and I had to untangle my pants from my legs, but soon we were in nothing but our jocks and T-shirts. The sight of Nick’s erection, straining against the cotton of his boxers, made my mouth go dry.
We took the rest of our clothes off, and when Nick lay before me completely naked, all I could do was stare. Sure, I’d seen him shirtless before, but now there was so much skin my brain felt like it was malfunctioning.
Light brown hair coated his long, lean limbs. His belly was flat and a trail of dark hair pointed downwards. His cock was hard and the same shade of brownish dusky pink as his nipples.
I reached out and curled my hand around it, and Nick stifled a noise.
I’d held my own cock a million times, but touching someone else’s felt different. It was warmer, and heavier, and…
“It’s so soft,” I whispered.
Even with red cheeks, Nick managed to give me an incredulous look. “I’d consider this pretty fucking hard.”
“No, I mean, the skin.” Experimentally, I rubbed my hand up and down. He was undoubtedly rigid as hell, but I’d never before realised just how velvet-smooth the sensitive skin was. I suppose those were the details you lost when touching yourself.
“Can I give you head?” I asked, gaze flitting up to look at Nick.
His mouth had parted, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths. He nodded.
I licked the tip, which tasted like skin and something musky and masculine. My tongue moved all over the head, then down the length, and then I slid it into my mouth.
I was careful with my teeth like Nick had taught me. But other than that, I didn’t think too hard. I just sucked and licked and flicked my tongue, using Nick’s noises and the way his thighs tensed to guide me.
“I’m doing a pretty good job, right?” I asked after I pulled off to catch my breath.
Nick, who had raised his head to look at me, flopped it back on the pillow. “Mm-hmm.”
“Especially considering the fact I didn’t even study.”
“How do you study blowjobs?”
“Reading advice on the internet, maybe watching some videos.”
“Like porn?”
“The best way to learn is a visual demonstration.”
Nick touched my hair. “Don’t watch videos. Just practise with me.”
“Well, if you insist,” I said, lowering my head to lap at his cockhead.
Once again, he flopped his head back, letting out a shuddering breath. “I feel bad making you do all the work,” he muttered. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, so he was sitting up against the headboard, his legs still spread. “We can sixty-nine, if you want.”
“No thanks,” I said, using my thumb to play with his frenulum.
He blinked a few times, his breathing still laboured. “‘No thanks’?” he echoed.
“I want you to watch me.” I licked a thick wet stripe up the underside of his cock. “Besides… I don’t trust you.”
He made a choking noise. “Why not?”
“You said yourself that you’ve never sucked a dick before. I can’t have your teeth scraping me up.”
Nick winced. Oops. Maybe that was a bad choice of words, especially right now, with my mouth so close to his cock. “Then I won’t use my mouth,” he said. “C’mon, let me touch you. I’m going to finish soon, anyway.”
I knew that sixty-nine would mean I’d have to turn around so I’d be facing his feet rather than his head. I wanted to see his face, though. It gave me a little thrill every time I saw his eyes go hazy with pleasure, especially because he was usually so reserved.
So I didn’t move. Instead, I offered him my hand.
“What is this?” he asked.
“Practise,” I said. “Suck on my fingers like you would my—”
Before I could finish the sentence, Nick grabbed my wrist with both hands, and something hot and wet slid down my index and middle finger. I was so startled I completely forgot about the task at hand. Nick’s cock bumped my chin as if trying to remind me, but all I could do was stare at Nick, eyes closed, grip tight on my wrist, lips wrapped lovingly around my fingers.
I don’t know how long I stared. It was like I was transfixed. At some point, I shifted so my legs were straddling Nick’s thigh. I wasn’t even aware I’d moved or that I’d started rutting up against him like some dog in heat until I felt a rush of bliss. My mind went white and blank for a few seconds, and then I realised I’d shot all over Nick’s leg.
“Oh my god,” I said. I blinked and looked down at the sticky mess. “Oh my god,” I said, dropping my head on Nick’s chest.
He’d stopped sucking on my fingers, and now they were a little damp with his saliva. He was smiling at me, and it could have been taunting if not for the gentleness in his eyes.
“Was I that good?” he asked.
“Shut up,” I mumbled into his pecs.
“It was hot,” he said, caressing the back of my neck. “You’re always hot when you come.”
“When else—” I began to ask.
“When you fucked that toy,” he said. “You make the sexiest face when you finish.”
“I’m so embarrassed,” I said. “I swear I usually last longer.”
His chest rumbled with a small laugh. “Don’t worry about it.” He shifted, reaching for his cock. The hard, twitching length of it jolted me back to reality. I hadn’t finished him off. I’d completely forgotten about him to chase my own orgasm.
“I can—” I began, wanting to help him even though my entire body felt boneless.
“It’s okay,” he said. “Just kiss me.”
So we kissed as he jerked himself off. It was a great idea because it meant I could remain lazily lying on top of him, but also because I had a front-row seat to the little grunts and sighs he made as he got closer to finishing. His kissing became insistent and rough before he suddenly stilled. A moment later, he breathed hard, hot against my cheek. I looked down to see the splash of white painted on his stomach.
“You’re gorgeous.” The words escaped me without thinking.
He closed his eyes. “Don’t say that stuff, Hayden.”
“But it’s true.”
I thought he’d argue, but instead, he pulled me close.