Finally Us

by Quinn Ward

  “But what if we hate each other once we’re constantly in each other’s space? What if you feel like I’m stifling you?” I asked. This was serious. There was more to it, but this was what I felt comfortable sharing with Gabe. The rest wasn’t a conversation to have in the Jeep on the side of the road, because there was a good chance Gabe would take it the wrong way and we’d wind up in our first real fight.

  “Relax, Trevor.” Gabe massaged the back of my neck because he didn’t play fair. He knew this was one of my hot spots. If he kept that up, I’d agree to almost anything.

  “I can’t help it,” I told him. “You like to do things by the seat of your pants. I worry. What if—”

  Before I could continue with my list of all the reasons our relationship was going to implode once we were in Wilmington, Gabe tenderly pressed his lips to mine. My entire body relaxed, held up by the press of his chest against mine. With one hand anchored at the base of my neck, the other roamed down my side, tugging at the hem of my T-shirt. My back arched against his touch, the feeling of his flesh against mine searing like a brand. “Want you so bad, Trev. You’re all I can think about. The only thing I want. I care about you too damn much to let stupid shit pull us apart.”

  “Same.” God, could I have been any lamer?

  “I feel like we’ve been teasing one another forever,” he admitted, nibbling his way down my neck. “If it was dark, I’d bend over right here and suck you. I’ve been dying to see how you taste.”

  He shoved a hand beneath the waistband of my shorts, leaving me little choice other than to slouch down in my seat. My eyes darted around, certain someone would catch us.

  I wanted so badly to believe him. I wanted to take everything he was offering me and beg for more. But I was still guarding that last sliver of my heart, trying to find a way to make sure I didn’t fall completely for him. Too dang late for that, that nagging voice in the back of my mind scolded. You were in love with him long before that first kiss.

  “Gabe, we can’t do this,” I objected, the breathless rasp of my voice betraying my desires. It felt so good to have his hands on me, but we were in an empty parking lot just off the interstate. The copse of trees shielded us from passing traffic, but we didn’t need a cop pulling into the lot and catching us with our pants down, which was exactly the state he’d find us in if Gabe kept dipping his fingers beneath the waistband of my shorts. I pushed him away and righted myself. “Another hour and we’ll be in Wilmington.”

  “And then we have to dick around with registration and unpacking the Jeep,” he complained. His argument would’ve held more weight if he wasn’t pouting.

  “All necessary evils.”

  “If you think I’m unpacking all the totes and setting everything up tonight, you’ve lost your damn mind,” he informed me. “I’m looking forward to a quiet night without Mom barging in to make sure I haven’t forgotten to pack anything.”

  “She worries about you,” I told him, same as I did every time he complained about her hovering. “You’re sitting there thinking about how awesome it’s going to be not having them in your business all the time, but think about where your mom and dad are at. For almost nineteen years, you’ve been there. Now, you’re not. I think they call it empty nest syndrome or something. And at least your mom wasn’t drilling the dangers of college life into your head.”

  “Small miracles,” he agreed. “But really, don’t you get sick of it? You know I love your mom, but if she had her way, I’m pretty sure you’d still have the umbilical cord attached.”

  I shrugged because there wasn’t a good response. Yeah, it annoyed me when she tried to act like I was still a child, but I knew her heart was in the right place. Mom and Dad had tried for so long to get pregnant, suffered repeated miscarriages, and then I came along. Mom always made sure I remembered I was her miracle baby. If anything happened to me, it would kill her.

  “Admit it, you’re looking forward to being able to sneeze without your mom running into your room with the thermometer and a box of tissues,” he continued as he pulled across the road and into the gas station parking lot.

  “Believe me, when I think about the reasons I’m glad to be getting away from home, a case of the sniffles isn’t anywhere on that list,” I teased. It was wrong of me to go there when I was still so conflicted about pursuing a real relationship with Gabe, but I couldn’t help myself. He’d gotten me all worked up and then let me slam on the brakes, the way he always did. I didn’t have to worry about Gabe pushing me out of my comfort zone, but if we were going to do this, I needed him to do exactly that. I needed him to get me so turned on I couldn’t think straight and just do it.

  3

  Gabe

  After topping off the gas tank and grabbing some munchies, I let Trevor take the wheel. He was much more patient than I, and getting arrested for a road rage incident during move-in mayhem wasn’t the way I wanted to start my college experience. I tapped out a rhythm on my knee as Trevor inched his way through the parking lot to the Coliseum. If we’d packed the Jeep last night, we could’ve left earlier and wouldn’t be stuck in this royal clusterfuck.

  Trevor placed his hand on top of mine, stilling my nervous energy. “It’ll be fine. We knew it was going to be busy today.”

  “Eager to get settled into our room,” I told him. For the past hour, I’d been replaying his subtle taunt about the reasons he was glad to be away from home. I’d imagined everything I wanted to do to him, things I hadn’t dared to even mention when we were back home. Dirty, nasty things certain to make him blush that had left me stuck in a car with a painful hard-on.

  I took advantage of the forced proximity while we waited in line and laced my fingers into Trevor’s. I expected him to pull away, but instead, he offered me a brilliant smile and shuffled closer. It was the first time we’d dared show any affection in public, and now that I knew how it felt to lay claim to him in this simple way, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to let go.

  He tensed when I guided him in front of me so I would wrap my arms around his waist. Yeah, I was making sure everyone knew he was off the market. I’d waited over a year for this opportunity, and I wasn’t about to let anyone steal my man.

  My. Man.

  Mine.

  Yeah, I liked the sound of that. I rested my chin on Trev’s shoulder, turning my head so I could kiss the side of his neck. The only way he would ever stop being so damn self-conscious about us was exposure, and I planned on exposing him until he told me to stop.

  We were nearly to the front of the line when Trevor’s phone rang. He groaned when he checked the display before promptly answering. “Hey, Mom… Yeah, we made it safely… Sorry… Yea, I know you worry, but really, we’re fine.” I snickered and Trev flipped me off. We shuffled forward with the rest of the pack.

  “Trev, we’re next,” I warned him, leaning close enough I knew DeeDee would hear me. He quickly wrapped up the call, promising to call back once we had our room assignment. I checked the time as he tucked his phone back in his pocket. “I’m impressed. She waited a whole three hours before calling to check on you.”

  “Piss off, Gabe. You know it’ll take time before she’s comfortable with me being all alone down here.”

  “You’re not alone, baby,” I whispered low enough no one could hear. “I’ll be here taking good care of you.”

  “Pretty sure that came out a lot creepier than you’d intended,” Trevor scoffed. “Besides, half the reason she’s so worried is because I’m down here with you. She trusts me, it’s you who attracts trouble wherever you go.”

  “I’m not that bad,” I protested, loud enough to draw the attention of a few families near us. Trevor laughed, and yeah, I couldn’t keep a straight face, either. Of all the times we’d gotten in trouble together, I could count on one hand the number of times he’d been the instigator, and I would have had several fingers left over. “Fine, but still, she has nothing to worry about this time. I’m smarter than I used to be.”

&nbs
p; “Next,” one of the employees at the desk called out. I stepped forward. “Name?”

  “Gabriel Brunner.”

  She flipped through the pages of her binder until she reached my name. “Okay, here we are. We have you all set up in Hewlett Hall—”

  “No, there has to be a mistake,” I interrupted as I rifled through my paperwork. We’d requested Galloway and I had a confirmation that was our assignment. Triumphantly, I pulled the letter out of my bag and thrust it in her face. “See, right there. Galloway Hall.”

  Matching every ounce of attitude I’d thrown her way, she turned the binder around so I could see her sheet. “I’m sorry, but this is the finalized assignment, and as you can see, you will be rooming with Trevor Bruce in Hewlett Hall.”

  “But we requested Galloway Hall,” I whined. She gaped at me as though I’d lost my damn mind. If the situation were different, I’d have given my left nut to get a spot in Hewlett, but I wanted the privacy of the traditional dorms. In Hewlett, we’d be shoved into a suite with six other guys. Not ideal for two young men trying to wade their way through the sea of gay life.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Brunner, but there were some issues in Galloway, and students had to be shuffled around.” She didn’t seem sorry in the least, only slightly astonished that she had to explain this at all. Everyone else who’d been switched was probably overjoyed. “I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the suite we’ve moved you to.”

  “No, that’s not what we asked for,” I complained. “We made sure to complete all of the paperwork well ahead of the deadline to make sure we got the assignment we wanted.”

  “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do to get you into a different hall right now.” Again, not sorry in the least.

  Trevor stepped forward, placing himself between me and the poor registration clerk. “Whatever you have will be fine.” He turned to me, narrowing his eyes. “He doesn’t deal well when plans change, sorry.”

  “It’s okay, I understand.” She offered Trevor a quick smile. “I’m assuming you’re his roommate?”

  “For better or worse,” he teased. Her eyes widened momentarily, and I wondered if she suddenly understood why I didn’t want so many roommates. I elbowed Trevor, willing him to reel back the southern charm just a bit.

  “Okay, well if you boys can both sign here, I’ll get your keys.”

  A few minutes later, we were back in the car trying to creep our way out of the Coliseum parking lot to find our new digs for the school year. I wasn’t happy about the change, but I would do my best to follow Trevor’s lead and see this as a good thing. It wasn’t the end of the world, after all. We did have a door, and after the initial fuck fest, we’d eventually calm down, and making friends would be a good thing. As an added bonus, when we decided the time was right, we could be together in the safety of the suite and I could help Trevor ease his way out of the closet.

  The parking lot at our new residence hall wasn’t much better. There were people everywhere. Every-fucking-where. There was a sea of volunteers decked out in UCNW teal, rushing the cars as soon as they pulled up alongside the curb to help unload vehicles and get them out of the way. Trevor’s Jeep wasn’t even in Park when the doors opened. “Hey, I’m Chris. Welcome to Hewlett Hall.”

  “Uh, hey. I’m Gabe and this is Trevor.” Chris had serious personal space issues, and I was tempted to ask if he wanted to climb in the back seat and go for a ride. He was already halfway in the damn Jeep.

  “Good to meet you guys. We’ll get some volunteers over here to help get everything to your room,” he informed us. The automated cadence of his voice hinted that he’d been replaying the same spiel all morning. “We do ask that you move your vehicle as soon as it’s unloaded to keep the process moving smoothly.”

  “I’ll find the parking lot,” I told Trevor. “That way you can start unpacking, because I know those totes are gonna drive you crazy until they’re stacked up in the closet.”

  Trevor blushed but didn’t argue. I was already over today, and if he went to park, I knew damn well he’d find me kicked back on the crappy mattress on my bed.

  “The beds are all set up, but if you want them lofted to make more floor space in the room, we can get you on the list for someone to come up and help later,” Chris told us, as though we weren’t having our own conversation. He was annoying, but I refrained from snapping at him, reminding myself he was doing his job, and he had a hell of a lot of students to get moved in today.

  “Thanks, Chris.” I motioned for him to move so I could get out of the Jeep and help unpack. “I’m not sure what we’re going to do yet, but I’m sure we can handle it.”

  “Those beds are clunky. I highly recommend taking the help today while it’s being offered,” he warned me. I didn’t want Chris or anyone else in our space, but he had a point.

  “Cool. Yeah, put us on the list,” I told him. “Not sure what we’ll do yet, but we’ll figure it out before anyone stops by. Do you know what time that’ll be, by the way?”

  Chris tapped at his smartphone. “Looks like there are quite a few ahead of you, so it’ll probably be about two. If you want, get your stuff up to the room and then grab some lunch. There’s a food truck that should be setting up down the street in about an hour. Killer street food. Cheap, too.”

  “Cheap is good,” Trevor chimed in. “Thanks for the tip. Any suggestions for some coffee? I’m thinking Gabe’s running low and a jolt of caffeine will make him more bearable by afternoon.”

  “Port Java, for sure. They’re not the cheapest around, but their coffee won’t give you gut rot like some of the other coffee shops,” he answered quickly. Now he was speaking my language. Good food was great, but finding out where to get the best coffee was everything.

  With the help of four volunteers, we managed to get the Jeep unloaded in under five minutes and I waved to Trevor as he disappeared into the residence hall. I should park and get my ass upstairs, but now that he’d mentioned coffee, I entered the shop Chris mentioned into my GPS and couldn’t resist the two-minute detour.

  Of course, I wasn’t factoring in the insane traffic, so those two minutes turned into half an hour before I parked in the student lot and began the hike back to our room.

  “Couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Trevor teased when I kicked open the door to our bedroom. As an apology, I handed him a fresh berry smoothie and shrugged.

  My heart sank as I looked around the room. It wasn’t any worse than the other residence halls, but the painted cinderblock walls gave the room as much ambiance as a jail cell. The only upside was we did, in fact, have carpet. That’d be nice, because I couldn’t be bothered to think about shit like area rugs and I wasn’t thrilled about cold linoleum floors first thing in the morning.

  Somehow, Trevor had already made a ton of progress unpacking. Both beds were made, our desks were organized, and it looked like he’d started loading our clothes into the dressers. “It feels smaller than the rooms in Galloway.”

  “That’s only because there’s a separate study,” Trevor reminded me. “I think we should loft one of the beds so we can maybe find a chair or something to put in the corner. Maybe a small couch?”

  “No way in hell that’ll fit. But a chair would be good as long as it’s oversized and sturdy.”

  “Sturdy?”

  I’d been on my best behavior all morning⁠—okay, most of the morning⁠—and I finally had Trevor alone in the privacy of our own room. I moved around behind him, plastering my chest against his back, my arms wrapped tightly around his waist. I trailed my nose along the side of his neck. Nipped at his ear before sucking the lobe into my mouth.

  Trevor groaned, sinking back into my embrace. My hands drifted lower, the tips of my fingers grazing the waistband of his shorts. He let out a whimper as he tried pulling away from me. “Tell me if it’s too much, Trev.”

  “We’re good,” he reassured me, his voice raspy and filled with pent up sexual frustration.

  “K. We’r
e going to need a sturdy chair because, if you’re sitting in the chair, I’m sure as hell not going to be on the bed and vice versa,” I warned him as I kissed a trail back down his neck and across his shoulder blade. “We don’t have to jump straight to fucking, but I wanna be able to touch you. I want to curl up in the chair we will find and make out while a movie plays in the background.”

  “So, you’re saying you wanna be close to me?” Trevor asked uncertainly.

  “Yeah, Trev,” I whispered in his ear. “I wanna be so close you won’t be able to figure out where you end and I begin. I wanna get to the point where I’m buried so deep inside of you, our bodies fuse together.”

  Trevor turned in my embrace, draping his arms over my shoulders. “I want that too, Gabe, but I need you to be patient with me. This is kind of like driver’s ed. I know all the theories, but until I actually do it, it’s gonna freak me out a little bit.”

  “Take all the time you need,” I assured him.

  “But what if you get tired of waiting? You know me. I’m a planner. I will sit here and think about every little detail until I know I’m not going to screw up.”

  “And I’m impulsive and do shit without thinking about the consequences. We make sense because you make me slow down and I force you to actually get out of your head and do something.”

  “This is true,” Trevor purred, tentatively running his hand down my side. “And I want to do all the⁠—”

  The doorknob rattling cut Trevor short. Thank God I’d thought ahead to lock the damn thing. A minute later and whoever was trying to barge in would have gotten an eyeful. I stormed over to the door and threw it open. “Can I help you?”

  “Uh… umm… I’m sorry, I just… dang it, I’m messing this all up,” the kid stammered. He looked more like someone’s little brother than a college student. “I didn’t realize anyone had moved into this side already. I’ll go.”

  Trevor eased around me, yet again playing the peacemaker. “Hey, his bark is worse than his bite. I’m Trevor, and this is Gabe.”