Chapter 1 #2
Felix watched the bar doors swing shut behind Jacob’s long, beloved back. Then he turned to Hec, who was neither long nor beloved but he was there, which would have to be enough. There and wanting, a combination that Jacob sorely lacked.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Felix said dramatically.
He grabbed Hec’s shirt, taking a moment to appreciate the muscles underneath it as he dragged him out to the dancefloor that often started up at The Last Call at this time of night.
He’d never have Jacob, might not even have him as a roommate if he didn’t find some way to convince him before the semester ended.
But he could have Hec, and any other guys that did want him.
Luckily for Felix, there were a lot.
Felix woke next morning to the sound of stifled giggles.
He pried open his eyes reluctantly. He was in his own dorm—Hec wasn’t the type to stay over—and an acceptable amount of hungover.
His roommate, creative writing major Shane Turner, was standing in the doorway whispering sweet nothings to his boyfriend, Nate Whitterman.
Nate had been on Hec’s football team until a head injury made him drop out of the team and, after meeting Shane last semester, out of college entirely.
Nate was working full time at the Liberty Heights campus gym, but he spent so much time here it was easy to forget he didn’t go here anymore.
Especially when he was still living in his old dorm.
“Your hair is cute like this,” Nate muttered, pulling on Shane’s bedhead. “Makes me wanna write a poem.”
“Oh god, please don’t,” Shane said, grinning so wide it was hard to be mad at him for waking Felix up.
Shane had spent the first couple years of college with Felix as his only friend.
It was nice to see him finally fall for someone.
Even if they were stupidly devoted to each other after only one semester.
And they hadn’t even dated for most of it, they’d just hooked up and pined like idiots.
“You don’t like my love poetry?” Nate asked, faking a hurt look.
“Nope,” Shane said. “Hate it.” But he was still smiling.
Nate smirked, pulling him closer until their noses brushed. He said something in Shane’s ear, but Felix was too busy shuffling around in bed to hear it. Thank god. He might have helped these two idiots get together, but he didn’t want to listen in on this.
“Oh good,” Felix said, loud enough to make them look over. “It’s the Shane and Nate show. Again. Nate, isn’t your old roommate letting you illegally crash in your old bed this semester?”
“Steph has an early morning,” Nate said. “Shane said you would be out.”
“You usually are on Thursday mornings,” Shane added, giving Felix a pointed look.
He’d never quite shaken free of his prudish small-town roots.
Just like Jacob, Felix considered as he scratched a sore spot on his neck that he quickly realized was a hickey.
Felix could hold casual conversations about BDSM at breakfast, but Jacob clammed up like he was still in high school.
“Sue me for having a lazy night last night,” Felix said. “Are you guys going to keep standing there being sickeningly cute or can I go back to sleep?”
“We’re not cute,” Shane protested.
Nate, who unlike Shane had actually been in some relationships before this one and was much cooler about being accused of PDA, winked at Felix and leaned over to kiss Shane’s cheek.
“I need to get ready for my first shift anyway,” Nate said. “See you at lunch, babe.”
He headed off into the hall. Shane stared after him for a moment, his pale skin flushing before he closed the door. Then he turned, his smitten expression turning exasperated as soon as he saw Felix’s face.
“Shut up,” Shane said. “You wanted this. You called me an idiot for not going for it sooner.”
Felix rubbed his hickey hard enough for the sting to drown out the memory of that painful conversation.
He thought he’d hid his unrequited love for his best friend, but Shane told him otherwise.
Yelled it at him, actually. It was what pushed Felix into telling Shane to get over himself and go for the guy he was crazy for.
Because unlike Jacob, who only saw Felix as his childhood friend, Nate was obviously crazy about Shane.
Felix had been thinking about that conversation a lot. Wondering if anyone else knew about his ridiculous, useless crush. At least Jacob didn’t know. Felix would be able to tell. He’d always been able to see through Jacob, even when he didn’t want him to.
“If I’d known I’d have to put up with all this mushy shit, I’d have held off until we stopped being roommates,” Felix said.
Shane rolled his eyes. “Right. I’ve been walking in on you with guys since the first week of college, you can deal with my boyfriend saying sweet shit sometimes.”
“That’s different,” Felix insisted. “That’s just sex. That’s not mushy.”
“Well, I don’t like it,” Shane said, walking over to the window on the other side of the room to pull the curtains open, ignoring Felix’s grunted protest. “You know how many times I’ve seen your bare ass? Too many times, Felix.”
Felix thought about flashing his butt at him out of spite. But before he could fumble for his boxers, there was a knock on the door. Fast and efficient. Jacob’s knock.
Felix sighed and heaved himself out of bed.
He didn’t bother dragging on a shirt, or even pants.
Jacob had seen Felix five years old and covered in mud; he’d seen him nineteen and covered in vomit.
Never mind all the times they’d changed next to each other in high-school locker rooms. He wasn’t going to be fazed by Felix in boxers.
He only paused to use the hand cream on his nightstand. He would rub his newly greased hands in Jacob’s face and ask if he was proud of him, he decided. It was childish behavior and he knew it. But when it came to touching Jacob, he would take what he could get.
Felix pulled open the door, hands at the ready. He didn’t even get it all the way open before Jacob started talking.
“I do want to change,” Jacob said in a rush. “This is the end of our second year. I can’t be the same guy I was in high school. I want you to drag me into your stupid shit, okay? All that dumb crap I berate you for when you tell me what happened. Well, not all of it, I’m not crazy. But some of it!”
Felix blinked, waiting for the punchline. It didn’t come. His hands hung at his sides, forgotten and tingling with aloe.
“Holy shit,” he said wonderingly. “Dude. I would be honored!”
“That’s not all,” Jacob said. He glanced around the empty hallway. His hands were deep in his pockets. He didn’t speak for so long Felix got worried again. Then he spotted something fluttering out of Jacob’s pocket, a piece of paper dislodged by Jacob’s fidgeting.
“Jacob,” Felix started.
Jacob cut him off. “So you know how I’m a virgin?”
“Uhhh.” Felix tore his gaze away from the paper on the ground next to Jacob’s feet. “Yes?”
“I want you to fix that.”