Noah ran into the dorm and kicked his sneakers off. “First dibs on the shower!”

Bentley held the door open with one hand and gripped his bike with the other. He looked at a bashful Kit and sent him a smile. “After you, Kitten.”

Kit playfully rolled his eyes as he walked in past him. “Thank you, Bentley.”

“My pleasure.”

The rest of the ride back to the dorms had been relatively chill. The three boys rode in silence consumed by their thoughts as the hit music radio station played. It seemed like all the Zoey and leaving school talk kind of sucked the life out of everyone.

Bentley hoped to lift the mood as he wheeled his bike into the small room. It was clear to tell which side belonged to whom. One had a twin-sized bed with a grey bed set, a small TV and XBOX gaming console, and a stack of textbooks. The other side had a twin-sized bed, too, but was brightly lit with white fairy lights lining the ceiling, a picture collage and huge poster of Paris on the wall, and decorative pillows that spelled out K-I-T.

“I know,” Noah began as he walked towards the bathroom; dark hair draped over his shoulders. “His side of the room makes mine look like a homeless shelter.”

“Not sorry,” Kit said with a smile.

Noah laughed, turning his attention to Bentley. “Make yourself at home. I’ve got a spare blanket.” He walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

“And I’ve got a couple pillows,” Kit added. He then walked over to his desk and took a seat, stretching his arms high above his head.

Bentley noticed Kit’s gold top lifted in the process. A pale line of skin was exposed at his midriff. The skin looked soft and smooth – like it’d be easy to give Kit a hickey right below his navel. Bentley licked his lips before looking away.

Well that wasn’t weird at all, you big creep, he thought to himself.

He dropped both of his bags and stood his bike on one wheel in Noah’s corner. It wasn’t long before you could hear a Destiny’s Child song blaring from the bathroom, followed by the pinging of the shower water. Bentley stood there for a moment, smiling when Kit finally glanced up at him.

“I’m calling second on the shower. Just so you know.”

“No, you aren’t.” Kit sat back and reached for his cell phone. “My roof, my rules.”

Bentley smirked. “Even though I’m a guest?”

“You’re a guest, sure, but Noah told me you were like his family. Family gets treated just like anyone else.” Kit moved his attention to his phone screen and winced.

New Message: Paulie Madison

What can he possibly want? he wondered.

“Fine,” Bentley began. “Just know that I smell like bicycle and perspiration and I’m about 5 seconds away from laying in your bed.”

Kit looked up from his phone. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I go second,” Bentley said. He unzipped his sweater and let it fall to the floor, leaving him in nothing but his grey sweats and sneakers.

It was comical how quickly Kit made himself look away now that Bentley was shirtless. He smirked, lifting both eyebrows as he undid the drawstring of his sweats.

“Is that a blush?” he asked. “It’s perfectly okay if you want to look…”

“I don’t,” Kit said.

Bentley bit his lip into a smile. “Are you sure, Kitten?” He continued after he realized Kit was struggling rather hard with himself. “We could just go in there together and save water. Don’t be fooled by the rain. There’s a serious drought here.”

Kit rolled his eyes, but Bentley laughed when he saw the smirk on the boy’s lips.

“You wish,” Kit said. “I’ll let you go second, stinky. You’re not permitted to go anywhere near my bed until after your shower, though.”

“Thanks, Kitten.” Bentley began to step out of his sneakers one-by-one, realizing the ‘after your shower’ part of the statement. “I was only kidding about you showering with me, for the record.”

Kit finally allowed himself to look over at the shirtless boy in his bedroom. He almost hated that he was right about the washboard abs he predicted earlier. Almost. It was a sight to behold. Bentley had a dark trail of hair that led into his boxer briefs – the white boxer briefs that showed just enough to see the Calvin Klein logo over his jogger pants. He moved his eyes a little higher to Bentley’s chest and broad shoulders, noting the pendant he wore on a black string around his neck. That only made him focus on his chest even more.

Fuck.

Bentley took a step forward. When he looked at Kit, he saw the boy’s green eyes slowly making their way up his body. He lifted an eyebrow and lowered his voice before speaking. “Unless you want to, of course…”

Kit rolled his eyes, allowing himself to smile. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re increasingly annoying?” He picked up his phone and cleared the notification from Paulie without even checking it.

“Yes. I like your bracelet, by the way.”

Kit looked down at the beaded-bracelet he’d been wearing for years. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Tell me some more about you.” Bentley pulled Noah’s chair over to Kit’s side of the room and mounted it backwards.

Kit placed his phone on the desk and shrugged. The last thing he wanted to do was bore these interesting people with stories of his life. “If you want me to be honest, there isn’t much to say.”

His phone vibrated hard against the surface top. Bentley watched Kit reach for it, look at the screen, roll his eyes once more, and then place it down again.

“Hm.” Bentley looked Kit in the eyes. “Interesting.”

Kit lifted an eyebrow, challenging himself to look just at Bentley’s face and not over his tanned arms.  “No. Not interesting. My name is Christopher Edwards. I’m 18, from a super small town in Northeastern Ohio. There’s not much else to say…”

“Eh. I’m sure there are other things. You’re probably not used to telling anyone as devastatingly gorgeous as me what you’re into, huh?” Bentley scooted a little closer and gestured over to the neglected phone with a head nod. “You’re ignoring your phone. What’s his name?”

It vibrated again with a text this time. Kit took a deep breath.

“First of all, you might be a little cute, but devastatingly gorgeous is a stretch. Relax.” Kit smiled, noting the way Bentley’s eyes got real squinty when he laughed. “Secondly, I don’t even know if he’s worth mentioning, but his name is Paulie. We were… well we’re not even exes. I don’t know what to call it. We just… spent time together. Mostly in private.”

Bentley seemed attentive, nodding his head and looking Kit directly in the eye. Kit looked away, though.

“He was always nice to me in public, and that’s more than I can say for most people back home. But… ugh. I don’t even want to talk about what happened.”

Bentley frowned a bit as he put the pieces together. “That sucks, man. Well as someone who was dumped not that long ago, I’m available to share relationship woes. My shoulder’s available if ever you want to talk about Polly, or anything, really.”

Kit chuckled. “Paulie. His name is Paulie. And thank you.”

“Pablo. I literally said that.”

“And,” Kit continued, trying not to laugh. “I don’t know if I want to talk about him. I damn sure don’t want to answer his messages. He’ll get the hint sooner or later.”

Bentley wrapped his arms around the chair and nodded, smiling softly at Kit.

He tried not to blush as he looked down at his hands. “Tell me something about you instead,” Kit said.

“What would you like to know?”

“Surprise me.”

Bentley took a deep breath, sitting up and thinking about what to say. He’d probably have to get used to talking about himself soon if his career took off and he had interviews. “Surprise you? Let’s see. Well, my name is Bentley Williams.”

Kit crossed one leg over the other as he smiled. “I believed you the first time you told me.”

“Bentley is an English name that means ‘I am hotter than your douchebag ex.’”

Kit smirked. “Pretty sure that’s not the meaning, but okay.”

“I just turned 19 on the fourth of July. I was born and raised in Santa Barbara which isn’t too far from here. I have a 17-year-old sister named Ariel. She is Satan’s best friend. Ham and pineapple are the only toppings that should go on pizza. I could live off of Hawaiian pizza.”

Kit shook his head. “If Ariel is Satan’s best friend, then you’re Satan. Pineapples do NOT belong on pizza.”

Bentley rolled his eyes. “Watch your mouth.”

“They don’t! You’re crazy.”

“I’ll take you to a place that has the best Hawaiian pizza and I bet you’ll be singing a different tune,” Bentley said proudly. “As a matter of fact, if I qualify at preliminaries, you have to come out with me for celebratory pizza next weekend. Deal?”

Kit tapped his chin as he thought about it, playing it up for show. This would only be a big deal if he made it such. Bentley seemed like a good enough dude. He was straight, yes, but that would keep things simple. He didn’t have to worry about him asking to lie down together or any of the bullshit Paulie had suggested at first. This was a normal friendship with a guy. He could do it.

“Answer before preliminaries, Grandpa.”

Kit smirked. “I agree. If you’re paying, I agree.”

Bentley licked his lips. “Then it’s a date.”

“Something tells me you want it to be a date,” Kit said. “I keep telling you I’m not interested.”

“Then stop thinking about my chest.”

“I’m not!” Kit laughed. He hated that his skin was burning. He didn’t need anyone to tell him how red he was right now. “You’re ridiculous.”

Bentley gave a sarcastic nod before moving forward. “Sure. Now… shall I continue?”

Kit nodded, too. “Please.”

“Um. I played high school football and ran track and field which earned me a scholarship to a few schools. Because my father went here, I wanted to as well. But school wasn’t the only way I wanted to follow in my old man’s footsteps.”

As Kit listened, he noticed the boy’s entire demeanor changed. Now, Bentley looked down at his hands and played at his cuticles. He seemed much more tense than he had earlier, and his joking nature dimmed down to a serious tone.

“My father was one of the people who helped begin the freestyle BMX movement, along with Uncle Donny. They were the “It” kids in their day.” He smiled. “But um, my dad. He fell while recording a film session – he was doing this move he’d invented. Suffered a spinal cord injury and had a pretty wicked concussion.”

Bentley’s voice had gotten softer as he continued. He swallowed hard and cleared his throat before beginning again. “After a few surgeries and a lot of prayer, he survived it. Of course, he was never the same afterwards. The whole ordeal put a strain on our family. Financially, emotionally. Definitely mentally. My mom took it the hardest. They went from being best friends to arguing constantly. It was rough.”

Now he forced a smile, but Kit could tell it was strained. Kit had half a mind to reach out and comfort him. It would’ve been weird, though. Bentley was not only shirtless, but he was practically a stranger. He encouraged him to continue with a head nod.

“I’ve wanted to ride since I could say the word bicycle, but after my father’s accident… oh boy. My mother has been heavily against it.”

Kit didn’t know what to say at first. He felt terrible for Bentley and his family, but he was really confused about why Bentley still felt riding was worth it. What if that happened to him, or worse? What if he wasn’t able to pull through like his dad had?

“I know you’re thinking I’m insane…”

Kit took a deep breath. “I guess I can kind of understand your mother’s hesitation. It must’ve been hard seeing your father in that situation, and it must scare the shit out of her to think of it happening to someone else she loves. I’m really sorry you all had to go through it.”

“It’s fine.” Bentley hesitated and then shook his head. “Well, it’s not. It hurts, of course. But he was a strong man. We lost him two and a half years later after a car accident. After all of his fighting, we lost him because of a fucking drunk driver – who, of course, survived with a couple scratches.” Bentley sat up, shaking his head. “Otherwise he’d still be here, and I honestly believe he’d tell me to go for it, you know?”

Kit wasn’t certain, but he nodded his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” He smiled, rolling his neck a bit. “I didn’t mean to put a damper on the mood, but the easiest way for you to understand why I’m sleeping on your floor tonight and not in my own dorm was for me to tell you all of this. I couldn’t keep playing football and running track, or doing any other fucking sport around here. It’s not in my blood. I don’t think about it nonstop, you know? I imagine that’s how you feel about something. Your art, maybe?”

“Yeah.” Kit smiled a bit. It was cute that he remembered. “I would eat a snake if it got me the chance at a job in the fashion industry. I just worry about you. Granted, we just met, what?” He moved forward, reaching for the watch on Bentley’s wrist and aiming it towards him. “Four and a half hours ago…. But now that I know what happened to your dad, I’d hate for you to want something so badly and then to get hurt.”

Bentley watched as Kit pulled his hand away. He didn’t want to be a weirdo, but the boy really did have soft hands. And tight jeans. God. How the heck was he going to get out of them tonight? Not that Bentley was thinking about getting Kit out of his jeans. He was just concerned.

“Wanting something badly even though it could hurt you,” Bentley repeated. He looked up at the ceiling and let go of a breath. “That’s what love is, huh?”

Kit stood up and stretched his legs. “Meh. I wouldn’t know.”

Bentley smiled at him. “Hm. Pesto didn’t have what it took to make you fall for him? Weakling.” He reached for Kit’s phone and looked at the messages. Kit didn’t have the energy to take it away.

“What are you doing?”

“You have a text from your dad asking where you put the Wing Stop menu…”

“He doesn’t need that nonsense,” Kit answered. He watched as Bentley scrolled through the messages on his home screen. “Don’t try and unlock it. You lock me out my phone, I lock you out this room.”

[Paulie] I know you’re ignoring my messages, Kit. I talked to Tawny and she says she’s spoken to you every day.

[Paulie] I just want to know how things are going for you in L.A. Don’t you move in today?

[Paulie] Do you think you’re coming back for the holidays? Sorry to bother you like this, Kit. I’m just desperate. I want to apologize.

[Paulie] I want to make things right.

“Jesus.” Bentley shook his head. “You must’ve screwed his lights out.”

Kit laughed as he plopped down on his bed; face into pillow. “Ugh. The worst part about all of it is I let myself like him.”

Bentley nodded. His eyes moved across Kit’s body before looking away. Another weird observation, maybe, but the way Kit’s lower back curved into his ass was rather beautiful…

There’s no getting past that, Bentley thought to himself. You can’t say ‘no homo’ to that.

“I knew better. I’ve seen him date multiple girls in the past. He was single at the time we got involved, sure, but I knew what I was getting myself involved with. He’d smile at me, then the compliments would start, and he’d put his arm around me when we were alone together. It was something I never had – I never even dreamed of it growing up in Junction. I was the only out person in the town and I was given shit for it.”

Bentley placed the phone down and fixed himself in the chair so that he was seated properly.

“Eventually I was lying to my father about where I was so that I could go see him. Maybe I was desperate to have a friend besides Tawny…” Kit pointed to one of the pictures on the collage on his wall. The photo was of him and a redhead in a cheerleading uniform. “That’s Tawny. She was pretty much my only friend, well, besides my father and my English teacher. But with Paulie, he was the star athlete, and he was charming… I let the attention get to my head and then we were kissing.”

Bentley nodded. “You sound like you blame yourself. You shouldn’t. Crushes can make people do crazy things.”

“Yeah,” Kit replied with a sarcastic laugh. “He knew that all too well. It wasn’t long before we… did more. After the first time, he wouldn’t talk to me. In school, on Facebook, via text. Radio silence.”

This Paulie dude sounded like a complete asshole. He sounded like the dudes on Bentley’s old track team – they’d use girls and get what they wanted before moving on. Bentley didn’t know if that was the case here, but it didn’t seem that farfetched.

“Did you end things with him?”

Kit shook his head no. “I mean, I wanted to. I tried to. But he came to me with this story about how it was his first time with a guy. He said he freaked out because he didn’t know what it meant.”

Bentley shook his head. “It means he likes boys. What’s the big deal?”

“Everything isn’t like it is here,” Kit answered. “Back there, not being straight is like a big deal.”

“I guess.”

The water turned off in the shower. Bentley looked over at his bag. He’d need to get out some clothes to change in to, and a towel as well. “Well…” he trailed off, looking Kit in the eyes again. It was hard to look him in the eyes, though. Kit usually diverted his gaze away quickly. “I think you’re pretty cool. You’ll find someone here who isn’t afraid to tell you that.”

Kit smirked. “You just did. Thanks.”

“I mean a boyfriend,” Bentley said, standing up. “Maybe I’ll hook you up with a guy I know, since you keep rejecting me. He –”

“Let me stop you there –”

“He works at the pizzeria. Flirts with me a lot, so I assume he’s gay. Or at least bi? Hm. Or it could be that I’m that fucking good looking and he can’t help himself.”

“You’re a solid 6,” Kit said.

Bentley laughed as he kicked the foot of the bed, making Kit quickly roll out of the way. “Add two inches.”

“Oh… my god.” Kit turned scarlet red. The bathroom door opened as Bentley laughed. “You didn’t just say that. Go get in the shower.”

Noah’s damp hair was sticking to his face as he walked out in a thermal pajama set. It was similar to the ones they used to wear when they were kids, and Bentley shook his head at him.

“Last chance to do the right thing and conserve water. If you even care about the environment.”

Kit smiled. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Bentley nodded. “You’d love it, though.”

“Please stop flirting with my roommate and go get in the shower,” Noah said. He hopped over his bed and reached for a spare blanket. “I promised him we wouldn’t annoy him.”

Bentley clutched his clothes in his hands and winked at Kit before grabbing a towel. “Fine. Only because you asked so nicely.”

Kit smiled, watching their guest head off to the bathroom. “Make it quick.”

“Try not to miss me.”

The door closed a second later. Kit smiled to himself as he got up, reaching for his cell phone.

[K] What about that veggie stir-fry we discussed?

[Dad] Too late. Found the Wing Stop menu.

Kit shook his head.

“Is he messing around with you too much?” Noah asked. He plugged his TV in, followed by the XBOX. “Benny can get carried away at times, but he’s a good guy. I don’t want it to get out of hand.”

“Oh, he’s fine,” Kit said quickly. He turned to put his phone on the charger, and then got something to sleep in. “Don’t worry about it. If he goes too far, I’ll let him know.”

Noah smiled. “Cool. Do you play Call of Duty?”

Video games had never been his thing. Even if they had, Tawny wasn’t about to play with him. “Can’t say that I do.”

“Well, I’ll be changing that if we’re going to live together.” Noah laughed at the look he got from Kit in response. “You’ll like it. All you have to do is pretend the enemy is someone you hate and shoot them in the head. It’s really therapeutic.”

Kit laughed. “Maybe I’ll watch you guys play after my shower and give it a try.”

Noah smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”