Chapter Six - 6. The Visitors
CHAPTER SIX
The Visitors
I sucked in a deep breath, willing myself to be mature and calm and collected. “Do I need to remind you that you lost your mind because Matty and I were in my bedroom for five seconds —”
“First of all, it was like twenty minutes, and second of all, you were red and sweaty —”
“Because we were moving furniture!” I exclaimed. “As soon as he left, you were all in my face, asking me if we fucked, and now you’re accusing me of being jealous?”
“I was jealous,” Taylor said flatly. “Now I’m asking you if you’re jealous.”
“Gee, I don’t know. You invite him over, have him in your room with the door closed, and also he looks like that —”
“Like what?”
“You know,” I said, throwing my hand up. “He’s cute.”
Taylor stared at me. “Oh, so you want him now?”
“No,” I said loudly. “But it’s obvious you do.”
Taylor looked genuinely confused.
“You smile at him. You’re nice to him. You touch him. You let him into your room —”
“Where else are we supposed to study, your bedroom?”
“You never let me into your room,” I said in a small voice.
He stepped forward, and my shoulders tensed, ready for him to say something cutting, but he didn’t speak.
Instead, he tugged at the hem of my shirt, and led me into his bedroom.
It really was like a jail cell, dark with the light turned off, the single window looking out at a dusky navy sky.
Taylor pushed me towards his bed, and I stumbled backwards as I landed on it.
The springs squeaked. I could feel them digging into my back.
“This bed is shit. This room is shit. You know that.” In the gloom, Taylor looked almost threatening as he loomed over me. Then, softly, he said, “were you really jealous?”
“Obviously,” I said dryly. Then, because he was staring at me so intensely, it made me feel flustered, I said, “well, you were jealous too.”
“Yeah. Because you belong to me.”
I laughed, but it quickly died when I realised Taylor wasn’t joking.
“Yeah, well, you belong to me too.” I tried to sound confident and macho. I worried that it came out weak.
Taylor stared at me a moment longer, then sat down next to me, the cheap bed frame creaking under his added weight.
I looked at his profile, the strong line of his nose, the curves of his lips. “Maybe I overreacted,” I admitted. “We got tested a few days ago and I was thinking about…how we agreed not to touch anyone else.”
He leaned forward, lips grazing over my shoulder. “It’s not like that with Emery,” he said quietly.
“Is he really your best friend?” I asked.
He shrugged. “If it’s not him, it’s you, and that’s kind of pathetic.”
“Hang on,” I said, straightening up. “How’s that pathetic?”
“That my best friend is someone who can’t stand me.”
“I can stand you,” I replied. “Sometimes.”
“Great.”
“I tolerate you,” I tried.
“Even better,” he drawled.
“Sometimes, I even like you,” I teased.
I hoped to win a laugh from him, but instead he frowned, and I felt a whisper of shame. “Sometimes,” I tried, “it’s like we’re actually friends. When we play FIFA or cook together…” He didn’t respond, so I changed the topic. “Who was your best friend in high school?”
He looked at me. There was no answer, I supposed. He’d always been a lone wolf, liked by everyone while seeming above it all, like human connection was something he simply didn’t need.
To be fair, I didn’t have a best friend in high school either.
I had a group of mates to hang out with, complain with, get drunk at parties with, but they hadn’t really got me.
They didn’t understand why I was obsessed with studying and soccer and building my resume and beating Taylor when I could’ve just chilled out.
Now I was in university, and —
“Shit,” I said, with dawning horror. “You’re probably my best friend.”
Taylor laughed, which was the worst possible response, but his eyes were soft. “No need to say that so reluctantly.”
“Well, university’s supposed to be about branching out and meeting new people,” I said. “Instead, I’m spending all my time with someone I knew from high school.”
Taylor huffed, wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me down so we were lying on his bed. It smelled like his laundry detergent.
“What are you doing?” I asked, peering up at him. His eyes were on the ceiling, thick black lashes fanning out.
“I’m making a point,” he said. “My bed’s uncomfortable as fuck.”
“Have you thought about buying a mattress topper?” The only reason I knew they existed was because my mum had bought me one when I moved in.
“This is it with a mattress topper,” he said dryly.
“Oh.” The bed was lumpy and hard. It was still nice, though, feeling Taylor’s warm arms around me.
“You really wanted to hang out in my room that bad?” Taylor asked.
I shrugged, which was difficult to do when lying down, half smothered by a heavy, six foot one man. “You always keep the door locked. I was curious.” I paused. “Where did you live in high school?”
“In a house,” he said.
I huffed impatiently. “Yeah, but where? Which neighbourhood? I never saw where. I never even saw you getting dropped off by your parents.”
“I lived in an average house on an average street. Why do you care?”
“Because I’m interested in your life,” I said, honestly. “Do you know where my house is?”
“Yes,” he said. “Not because I’m a stalker. I drove past it on the way to a party and someone said it was yours.”
“Hmm.” I closed my eyes.
“Tired already?”
“I’ve been up since six. I could fall asleep right now.”
“Want me to get you your toothbrush?”
“Thanks.”
He carefully slid his arms out from under me and walked to the bathroom. I was left on the single bed, my feet almost hanging off the edge.
“Here,” Taylor said once he returned.
I took the toothbrush from him. “How do you sleep here every night?” I asked.
“I told you. My bed’s shit.”
“You should ask for a replacement mattress.”
“Even with a replacement, it’ll still be too small for me.”
“Isn’t my bed too small for you, though?” I asked. “When we share?”
“No,” he said. “We sleep diagonally, anyway.”
I didn’t realise we did that. It was strange Taylor noticed.
“Oh,” I said.
“It’s better to share a queen then sleep alone on a single.”
I gave him a look. “Are you trying to hint —”
“No,” he said immediately.
“We could share tonight.” Then, afraid he might misconstrue that, I added, “and do stuff.”
“‘And do stuff,’” he echoed. “How specific.”
“Take it or leave it,” I said, sitting up and starting to brush my teeth.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “Okay.”
I went to the bathroom to rinse my mouth and wash my face, while Taylor lingered behind, smoothing the covers of his bed. After I was finished in the bathroom — I used mouthwash twice, to make sure I tasted alright for later — Taylor came in.
I waited for him in my bedroom. When he entered, a few minutes later, we looked at each other, and then he pulled his shirt off.
“Well. That’s forward.”
He rolled his eyes. “This is what I wear to sleep.”
“Oh.” I didn’t use pyjamas either, just went to sleep in my jocks.
After stripping my clothes off, I climbed into bed.
Taylor turned the ceiling light off, plunging the room into darkness, and slipped in beside me, laying one of his legs over mine.
The fact he didn’t feel awkward at all about it made me relax.
I kissed him, chastely at first, but then his hands landed on my body and I touched him too, first feeling the warmth of his skin, the jut of his hip bone, then dragging my fingertips up his torso, over his chest, feeling his nipples harden under my thumbs.
“Feeling me up, Archie?” He smirked against my lips.
“You’re literally groping my ass right now,” I pointed out, and pinched his nipples, which made him hiss.
Being this close to him, smelling him, hearing the low inhale of his breaths, made my dick wake up, but we didn’t do anything except touch each other and make out. Despite the fact that we were almost naked, I’d say it was even innocent.
Taylor hovered over me when I woke up, a blurry outline as I scrubbed my eyes.
“Here,” he said, setting a mug of milky coffee on the bedside table.
“Mmghh?” I said, very eloquently. I sat up, leaning against the headboard, stretching my arms above me. “What’s the coffee for?”
“Token of my gratitude. My back isn’t killing me, for once.” He looked at his phone. “So,” he began.
My spine stiffened as I anticipated what he was about to say. Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t like you or anything. I’m just trying to butter you up so you keep letting me use your bed. It’s not because I actually enjoy sleeping — literally sleeping — with you.
I sipped at my coffee, taking care to swallow slowly.
“My dad’s side of the family is visiting today,” Taylor continued. “I don’t know how long they’re going to be here.”
“Here?” I pointed at the floor, indicating the dorm.
“Yeah. This afternoon.”
“And you want me out of the way?” I asked.
His face did a weird thing. “You can stay if you want. I don’t know why you’d want to, though.” He walked around the room. “They’re arriving at one. They probably won’t stay for long, but if you want to avoid the awkwardness, you can go and I can text you when to come back.”
“Why would it be awkward?” I asked.
Taylor looked at me like he didn’t understand the question.
“I wouldn’t mind meeting them. If that’s okay.”
He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “Do what you want. Are you hungry?”
“We have nothing to eat, remember?” I said, recalling him listing the groceries we had in the fridge last night.
“I’m planning to buy groceries. We can grab something on the way, if you want to come along.”
“Sure.”
We got ready, and when I met Taylor in the living room, he was wearing dark jeans and a quarter zip and he’d brushed his hair.
I couldn’t imagine putting effort into my appearance for my family.
If they visited, I’d probably wear a wrinkled shirt and sweatpants and they wouldn’t even comment on it because Dad would be wearing some t-shirt he’d gotten for free at a business conference back in 1994.
“Last chance,” Taylor said. “Escape if you want to.”
“I want to meet them,” I said. “But I’ll go to my room later, let you catch up in private.”
Taylor looked like he was about to reply, but his phone rang, the caller ID reading Benjamin. “That’s them now. I’ll go and collect them.”
After he left, I walked around the dorm, trying to find something to clean, but everything was spotless. An hour earlier, Taylor had gotten on his hands and knees and scrubbed the kitchen tiles while I had hovered behind him and asked if there was anything I could do.
Out in the hallway, voices grew louder, and when the door opened, a tiny bundle of brown hair wearing a pink sparkly backpack ran in, then stopped, startled at the sight of me. She had Taylor’s eyes, but hers were light brown rather than dark espresso.
After her came in a man I knew instantly was Taylor’s dad, from the shape of jaw and the sculpt of his cheekbones. Beside him was a short plump woman with strawberry blonde hair, the sort you’d expect to play a kindergarten teacher in a movie.
Pulling up the rear was Taylor, who closed the door after them and seemed to take a long time toeing off his shoes. He met my gaze, then walked past his parents to the little girl, and crouched down so he was eye-level with her. “This is my roommate, Archie. Do you want to tell him your name?”
The girl stared at me.
“Hi,” I said, offering her my hand. “I’m Archie.”
She looked at my hand, eyes wide and unblinking.
“This is Hazel,” Taylor said, ruffling her hair, which made her bat his hands away, but she was smiling. “This is my dad Ben and his wife, Lucy.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
“Good to meet you,” Ben said, shaking my hand. “I hope living with Taylor hasn’t caused you too much grief?”
“Nah, not at all.” Had I spoken too casually? I stood up straighter. “Um. I mean, he’s really clean and everything.”
“That’s our Taylor,” said Lucy. “He’s so self-sufficient.”
Hazel was still staring at me, mouth half-open. She was missing one of her front teeth.
“Well, uh,” I said, filling the silence. “I’ve got some studying to do, so I’ll be in my room.” I took a step backwards.
“What are you studying, son?” Ben asked.
“Commerce. I’m double majoring in finance and economics.”
Ben nodded approvingly. Behind him, Taylor’s face twitched and he gestured impatiently for his family to take off their shoes.
I went into my room, leaving the door ajar. As I opened up my laptop, overlapping conversation drifted in.
“It’s quite small, isn’t it?” came Lucy’s voice.
“It’s a student dorm, not the Ritz,” said Ben.
“Yes, but for such a prestigious university...”
“Taylor, is this your bedroom?” said a tiny, squeaky voice.
“Yep. Look, it’s smaller than yours,” Taylor said, and soon after came a rush of disapproving noises from Lucy and Ben.
I put my earphones in and checked my emails. Any day now, CSS would announce who had made the ball committee. My inbox was empty, though, so I lost myself in studying. A knock on my door drew my attention.
Taylor had poked his head in, and underneath him was Hazel’s tiny face, once again peering at me unblinkingly.
“Just letting you know we’re going out to get lunch. I’d offer you an invitation but…they’re crazy,” he mouthed.
“They don’t seem like it to me.”
Taylor shook his head. His attention fell on Hazel. “Say, see you later, Archie.”
“See you later Archie,” Hazel repeated.
I smiled and gave her a big wave. “Have a good lunch okay?”