Chapter Eleven
The lecture hall was too warm. Coats were draped over half the seats as Dr. Franklin clicked to the next slide and started discussing enzyme kinetics.
Bryce copied the first formula, then read the same line three times without taking it in.
He forced himself to follow. Substrate, product, rate.
His phone buzzed once in his pocket, and he left it there because he didn’t need a distraction when he was already struggling.
When the slide deck switched to case questions, Franklin gave them five minutes to talk in pairs. Harry slid into the seat beside him, already grinning.
“Dude,” Harry said under his breath. “Heard about the closet.”
Bryce kept his eyes on the worksheet. “We’re on question three.”
“I’m on question gossip.”
“Try question three.”
Harry laughed. “Saw a pic from your party. Nothing wild. Just… You two looked close.”
“Question three,” Bryce said again.
Harry leaned back a little, hands up. “You mad?”
“I’m doing class.”
“Okay, okay.” Harry looked at the paper, then tapped the margin. “Vmax is here. You’re overthinking it.”
“I know.”
They worked through the problem. When Franklin called for answers, Bryce kept it concise and got a nod. He wrote down the homework and packed up.
In the aisle, Harry caught his shoulder. “Hey. I’m not trying to be a jerk. Just surprised.”
“Don’t be,” Bryce said.
“You and Sage?”
“Yeah.”
Harry’s eyebrows shot up, then leveled. “Okay.”
“That it?”
He shrugged. “Pretty much. I just didn’t know.”
“You don’t need to.”
“True.” Harry made a face. “Wanna grab coffee?”
“I can’t right now. I’ve got another class.” Bryce looked at Harry. “Later?”
Harry nodded. “Later.”
Outside, the cold air helped. Bryce checked his phone and saw he had two texts.
He checked Sage's text first. Workshop pushed. Food later?
Bryce snorted when he read Gage's. Tell Dan to stop saying puffy lips in the group chat.
Bryce sent a text to Gage. I’ll handle Dan.
Bryce then text Sage. Food sounds good. 1?
Sage was quick to respond. 1 works.
Bryce shoved his hands in his pockets and crossed the quad. People were already talking about midterms and rides home next month. He kept his head down and his pace steady as he walked to his next class.
At the door, he found Dan holding court with two freshmen. Dan clocked him and smirked. “Look who it is,” Dan said. “Legend of the hall closet.”
“Drop it,” Bryce muttered.
“Kidding, man. It’s just a bit of fun.”
“Not for me.”
Dan’s grin faltered. “Right. Sorry.”
“Don’t do it again.”
“Okay,” Dan said, and for once he left it there.
The TA waved them in. They did half an hour of problems on whiteboards. Bryce put his shoulder into it and let numbers take the space.
After, Harry drifted back over. “Coffee now?”
Bryce thought about it. “Sure.”
They cut across to the campus cafe and, once there, Bryce ordered a black coffee. Harry got something with foam and caramel. They found a small table against the window and sat. Harry peeled the sleeve off his cup and placed it on the table.
“So,” Harry said. “You going to tell me to mind my business again, or can I ask one thing?”
“Depends on the thing.”
“Is Sage your boyfriend?”
Bryce looked at his coffee. “We haven’t put a label on it.”
“Okay.”
“We’re together.” Bryce shrugged and glanced at Harry, then back down at his coffee.
“Okay,” Harry said again. “If anyone gives you crap, do you want me to say something?”
Bryce didn’t answer right away. He watched a bus hiss by and the two kids racing it to the stop. “I can handle it,” he said. “If you hear Dan being an idiot, tell him to shut up.”
“Done.”
They drank in silence for a minute before Harry asked, “You good?”
“Yeah. I’m good.” Bryce nodded, surprised at how right the words felt.
Harry nodded. “Cool.”
Bryce checked the time and stood. “I’m meeting Sage.”
“Tell him I said hi.”
“I will.”
Harry grinned. “Tell him I want a rematch on Mario Kart.”
“He’ll destroy you.”
“I know,” Harry agreed, chuckling softly. “But one day, I will beat him.”
***
Sage was already at the soup place, hat off, hair a mess. He’d grabbed the corner table and had two paper cups in front of him with a split baguette on a napkin between them.
“You beat me,” Bryce said as he sat next to him.
“I left early, so figured I’d order.”
“Good.”
“How was Bio?” Sage asked after they’d been eating for a few minutes.
“Fine. Franklin rushed to the end. Harry asked a couple of questions.” Bryce shrugged. “He was okay.”
“And Dan?”
Bryce grunted. “I told him to cut it out.”
“Did he?”
“Yeah.”
Sage nodded. “Good.”
A kid from their dorm walked past and did a double take. He recovered fast and kept moving. Bryce watched him go and waited for the twist in his stomach, which thankfully, didn’t come.
“You okay?” Sage asked.
“I’m okay,” Bryce said.
“He’s probably heard about the closet.”
Bryce shrugged. “Maybe.”
They finished the soup. Sage pushed the last piece of bread across the napkin, and Bryce took it, broke it in half, giving a piece to Sage.
“Workshop later?” Bryce asked.
“Yeah,” Sage said. “An hour. Then I’m done.”
“I’ve got the gym.”
“Go early,” Sage said. “It’ll be packed by five.”
“True.”
Sage looked at his hands, then at Bryce. “You want to come by the lab after? I’ll show you the board.”
“Yeah.” Bryce smiled. “I like seeing it when it works.”
“It worked this morning,” Sage said. “For once.”
They cleaned up the table and then went outside. Bryce shoved his beanie lower. At the corner, Sage glanced around once and stepped close, giving him a quick kiss.
“See you in a bit,” Sage said as he walked away.
***
The gym was busy but not too full. Bryce ran two miles on the treadmill, did a light circuit, then stretched. Locker room chatter rolled around him without sticking. He showered quickly and walked over to engineering with damp hair under his hat.
Sage met him at the lab door and swiped him in. The room was a wash of benches, parts bins, and that faint electrical smell. Gage looked up from the soldering iron.
“Hey,” Gage said. “Want to see us test the LED chain?”
“Yeah. I brought snacks,” Bryce said, holding up a bag.
“Just what we need,” Gage said and took the chips.
Sage showed him the board. The new resistor sat cleanly on the line. The LEDs ticked on in sequence when Sage tapped the key.
“Nice,” Bryce murmured. “Looks stable.”
“For now,” Sage muttered.
They ran the test again, and it held again. The TA signed the sheet and moved on.
“I’m out,” Gage said. “Stop by later if you want to watch Dan submit the cursed playlist to the masses.”
“No thanks,” Sage grunted.
Gage clicked his bag closed and pointed at Bryce. “Good boundary earlier. He stopped.”
“Yeah,” Bryce said, and Gage left.
Sage unplugged the board and coiled the leads. He cleaned his area, wiped the bench, and put the boxes back where they belonged. Bryce watched his hands move in their usual precise, quick, no wasted motion.
“You want to grab groceries?” Bryce asked. “I’ll cook.”
“You’ll cook?”
“I can handle pasta.”
“That is cooking,” Sage said.
They shut down the station and signed out. The hall outside was quieter now and the stairs echoed.
They walked to the small market on Sixth. Bryce grabbed pasta, sauce, and a bag of salad. Sage picked up garlic and a lemon.
Back at the apartment, Bryce put water on to boil and then sliced garlic. Sage set the table and dug out two clean bowls. They ate on the couch with bowls balanced on the coffee table. The sauce was better than Bryce expected.
When they were done, Bryce took the dishes to the sink and washed them while Sage dried. They didn’t talk for a few minutes.
“You okay?” Bryce asked.
“Yeah,” Sage said.
Bryce leaned in and kissed him. Sage moaned softy as he leaned closer, his hands sliding over Bryce’s hips. Bryce nipped at Sage’s lip before sliding his tongue inside to dance with Sage. Sage trembled, whispering Bryce’s name before leaning back.
“I’ve got early lab,” Sage said.
“I’ll set the coffee for the morning,” Bryce said.
They got ready for the night. Teeth, lights, the usual. In Bryce’s room, Sage hesitated at the door. Bryce noticed and asked, “You staying?”
“Yeah,” Sage said.
They undressed down to their underwear and got into bed. Same side as the previous night. Sage curled into Bryce’s side and placed his hand on his chest. Bryce covered it with his own.
“You good?” Sage asked.
“Yeah, I am.” Bryce kissed Sage, then closed his eyes.