Chapter 6
By the time Theo, Caleb, and I return from our grocery (and communal silverware) trip, the living room looks completely different.
Colorful throw pillows and blankets drape across the couch and armchair.
Two red floor pillows sit by the TV stand, and the two walls adjacent to the windows now feature several framed movie posters: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Birdcage, The Shape of Water, The Matrix, and some film I don’t recognize called I Saw The TV Glow.
Damn, Max wasn’t kidding about decorating. I’m impressed.
“Harrison is almost here,” Theo announces. “I’m going to head down to get him.”
“Cool,” I answer, tearing open the box of new silverware. It was the least opinionated of all the silverware we could find. I waste no time, dropping each piece directly from the box into the dishwasher's utensil holder.
“Do y’all need a hand with the food?” Caleb asks Theo before he disappears.
“Nah, we should be fine,” he says. “Can you help Oliver with the groceries?”
“Of course!”
Lucky for us, Theo’s older sister Grace has already spent a few years in college and has been gracious (ha) enough to share some great tips.
The best recommendation so far has been to buy a portable wagon for hauling groceries, so we don’t have to make multiple trips to and from Theo’s car. Fucking genius.
After Caleb and I unload the little wagon, I fold it up and tuck it behind the dining room table. Hopefully, one of us will remember to take it back to Theo’s car before our next grocery run.
“Oh, fuck off!” a muffled voice yells in what I hope is a playful tone. It sounds like it’s coming from Max’s room. I glance at Caleb, who shrugs. Several separate voices laugh, and I’m quickly relieved. They must be the friends he mentioned he’d be having over.
“So, Max seems nice, right?” Caleb says softly, gesturing to Max’s door.
“Definitely,” I agree, returning to the kitchen to continue putting groceries away. “He’s also one of us, so that’s nice.”
Caleb goes still, then looks at me curiously. “One of us?”
“One of y’all, I mean,” I clarify. “But that sounds weird to say out loud.”
“Oh, right,” he concedes. “Yeah, that sounds weirdly aggressive when you say it like that.”
“Exactly.”
“But, I mean, you’re basically one of us, too,” Caleb adds. “Like an honorary queer person.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yeah, I’d say so,” Caleb continues thoughtfully. “You definitely don’t give off straight-guy vibes to me. You’ve always felt like a safe person to be around. Not that all straight guys are unsafe, but you know.”
“Yeah. But what about Harrison?”
Caleb considers it. “I mean, I guess it’s different with Harry because he’s a person of color? He’s also marginalized, so he gets it, in a way. I don’t know. I just know that I usually avoid straight white guys like the plague.”
“Yeah, I guess it helped that Theo’s not completely white, either,” I say. “But you didn’t know he was queer right away, did you?”
Caleb’s lips curve up into a knowing smile. “I had a strong feeling about Theo from day one.”
“Gross,” I say, almost on instinct. “But did you think I was straight from day one?”
“I mean, I assumed that you were,” Caleb continues. “I still assume that because you’ve never said differently.” He gives me an inquisitive look. “Is that… not the case?”
I shrug. “Nah, it’s probably still the case.”
Caleb’s brows furrow. “Probably?”
Before I can answer, the door clicks and swings open, and Theo and Harrison enter, each carrying two plastic bags. The delicious scent of Chinese food hits my nose a moment later, and I nearly swoon.
“Welcome to 319,” Theo declares, grinning ear to ear. “You can set the food down in the kitchen so I can show you my room.”
“Damn, you have your own kitchen!?” Harrison exclaims.
“I mean, the four of us have to share, but yeah.”
“Man, shut the fuck up,” Harrison snaps. “We just left my place. You know I have to share a kitchen with the whole floor.”
Sadly, Harrison’s housing situation is a much more traditional college dorm setup: he’s in a four-person suite with two two-person rooms and one shared full bathroom. His floor includes two halls, each with a communal kitchen and lounge. At least his roommate seemed nice enough.
“Well, if you ever need to use your own kitchen, you can borrow ours,” I say. “Unless Max and Vimlesh are actually chefs and we don’t know it yet.”
Harrison shakes his head. “This is some privileged rich kid shit.”
“Oh, Harry,” Caleb sighs. “You haven’t even seen their bedrooms yet.”
Harrison’s face drops. “Bedrooms? Plural?” He turns to Theo. “I thought you said you and Oliver were roommates?”
Theo winces. “Technically suitemates, I guess?”
“No fucking way.”
Theo reluctantly guides Harrison back to his bedroom while Caleb and I tear open the bags full of Chinese food. “Poor Harry,” Caleb whispers.
“I know,” I mutter in reply. I feel awful.
Harrison is right—we are privileged rich kids.
Theo and I both have pretty wealthy parents who are paying for all of this.
All we have to do is keep our grades up and not get kicked out.
Well, actually, Theo has to keep his job and work on the weekends, too.
So really, I’m the one Harrison should be frustrated with.
“I hate you both so much,” Harrison grumbles as he and Theo return to the kitchen. Fortunately, there’s no real edge to his words, so I know he’s just putting on for the bit. But I still feel pretty shitty.
“Here, have an egg roll,” Caleb says, passing the iconic cardboard box to Harrison. “It’ll make you feel better.”
“Then we can smash until your heart’s content,” I add with a wink.
Harrison rolls his eyes at my implication, but then grins. “You know, virtually beating the shit out of y’all does sound cathartic right about now.”
“Should we eat at the dining room table like a family?” Theo asks, loading a plate with sesame chicken and white rice.
“I don’t see why not,” I reply. I carry my plate loaded with noodles, rice, and various sauced chicken to the table.
After stuffing our faces with excellent Chinese cuisine, the four of us move to the living room. Harrison lays claim to the armchair, Theo and Caleb cuddle on the couch, and I decide to give the new floor pillows a try.
A few rounds into playing Smash Bros., nature calls, and I take my leave.
Almost as soon as I sit down, I hear a distant door open, and I recognize Max’s voice.
I can faintly make out introductions and new voices over the bathroom fan, and I curse to myself.
Damn it, I wanted to meet Max’s friends.
I can only hope they’ll stick around a little while longer.
Once I’m finally finished and washing my hands, Theo and Caleb join me at the sink outside the water closet. “What did I miss?” I ask eagerly.
“Max’s friends are here,” Theo says. “But Lola just called and said she’s close by, so I’m going to walk Caleb downstairs.”
“Aww, it’s already that late?”
“Sadly, yes,” Caleb says, sliding his arms into his backpack straps.
“Well, I’m glad you got to hang with us, man!” I exclaim, opening my arms for a hug.
Caleb steps into the hug and gives me a light squeeze. “Take care of Theo for me, okay?” he says softly, his voice cracking slightly.
I squeeze him back. “Always,” I promise. There’s an annoying lump forming in my throat, so I swallow it down.
Caleb pulls away and gives me an appreciative smile. “Thank you, Oliver.”
“You ready?” Theo asks.
“Yeah.”
The two exit out into the hallway, and I head into the kitchen for a soda. I take a few nice, long gulps, and the emotional lump washes down with it. Whew. That was a close one.
“Hey, are these cookies for everyone?”
I turn around to locate the source of the quiet voice, meeting a striking pair of gray-green eyes.
Immediately, the person reminds me of Wren in their hip, androgynous appearance, so I wonder if I should ask about their pronouns.
They’re shorter—about Theo’s height, I think—with soft features and an edgy pixie cut with shaved sides and a swoop of strawberry blonde bangs across their forehead.
I glance down at the aforementioned cookies—a substantial pile of individually wrapped fortune cookies from the Chinese restaurant—and toss the blonde an apprehensive expression. “Actually, I think those are the only cookies that guy Theo’s allowed to have. He’s like, deathly allergic to peanuts.”
Their hand hesitates over the cookies, quirking an eyebrow in my direction, and suddenly, my confidence inexplicably falters. Something about their gaze makes my cheeks feel warm—like I’m embarrassed, but I haven’t done anything embarrassing yet. Weird.
Barely a second later, I exhale a half-hearted laugh. “Sorry, I’m fucking with you. Theo’s not allergic to anything. Or, at least, nothing that I know of. You’re welcome to have as many cookies as you’d like.”
The blonde studies me for a few seconds, but their lips twitch into a half-smile as they reach for a cookie. “Thanks.” They extend their other hand out towards me, fingers adorned with several multicolored rings. “I’m Jude. A friend of Max’s.”
“Oliver,” I reply, taking their hand in mine and shaking it politely. “One of Max’s new roommates.” I clear my throat. “My pronouns are he/him, by the way.”
Jude’s expression flickers for just a moment, but then their smile widens. “They/them.”
I grin, swelling with pride. “I had a feeling. You remind me of one of my good buds from high school.”
Jude’s eyes narrow. “Oh, are you saying that all enbies look the same?”
Shit. Fuck. That was fast. I’ve already ruined this friendship immediately by being weird and performative.
I open my mouth to apologize, but Jude cracks a smile and snorts. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” they snicker. “It was my turn to fuck with you.”
A rather manic laugh tumbles out of me. “Holy shit. You got me.”