Just Like a Cat

My roommate reminds me of a cat. When we first moved in together, I didn't think anything of the fact that he seemed to be a bit of a loner. He was quiet and that's probably what I liked most about him. We both go to college, though I'm three years older than him and he's only a freshman.

During the interview in which I was looking for a suitable roommate, I asked him why he wanted to share an apartment with me rather than just use a dorm and he said that he could afford an entire apartment all by himself, but that he couldn't find one so close to our college with such conveniences that was available any time soon. Then he asked me why I wanted a roommate and I told him that it was because my previous roommate had just moved out and I couldn't afford the apartment all on my own. All in all, it seemed like our needs lined up fairly perfectly.

So, I let him move in and – to be honest – I haven't really seen much of him. He really is a loner in that he stays in his room most of the time doing his homework, but when he's bored, he comes out and sort of haunts the apartment. I mean it's his home too, so there's nothing wrong with him wandering around it aimlessly, but it sort of makes me a bit nervous and I don't really know why.

Thankfully, the weirdest thing I've caught him doing so far is sleeping naked on his stomach on the floor in the sunshine. I had come home early from class, figured that he hadn't expected me home yet, and since he was asleep, I simply went to my room and did my homework before leaving for work. Still, I have to admit that seeing that surprised me. It's such a cat thing to do!

And so, it seems I have found myself a pet cat that can pay half the rent and his share of the bills. I suppose that if that's all I have to complain about, I should just keep my mouth shut. Still... would it kill him to actually talk to me at times?

Maybe I'll just have to, I don't know, initiate a conversation or something? Invite him to play GTAV with me? Maybe have a drink.

As a bartender, I tend to work late at night. I also tend to have a lot of girls interested in me. They're usually college students like me, and so I know them. Previously, I'd take them home when asked, but ever since I got my new cat, that has seemed weird. Almost like I was afraid he'd judge me, but still, I'm a healthy man with needs, and so, when I just couldn't take the celibacy anymore, I started bringing them home again. To my surprise, he didn't seem to notice, much less say anything judgmental.

Then again, he's so quiet, I'm not sure he'd say anything even if it did bother him. This is crazy! I need to stop feeling so awkward around him! I was going to get him to open up and become a proper friend if it killed me!

But how?

After my guest for the night left one morning – well probably more like afternoon, we had been up until dawn after all – I paced back and forth in my room trying to figure out a way to strike up a conversation with Elian until a decently brilliant plan came to me.

I wandered out to find him, thanking my luck when I found him staring into the fridge as if thinking that if he simply stayed there long enough, the perfect meal would make itself for him. Oh if only!

“Hey Elian?”

“Yeah?” He asked with mild interest even as he continued to search the fridge.

“I just wanted to warn you that I plan to have a bunch of friends come over tonight – since it's Friday. But don't feel like you have to leave or anything. In fact, I'd like it if you hung out a bit.”

“Why?” He wondered curiously, even turning to look at me.

I shrugged. “Well they're my friends and I plan to have various combinations of them over from time to time. It would just be easier if you already knew them so that you wouldn't feel weird if they came over before I got home – for example.” I explained, and even thought that was true, it wasn't the main reason – which was that I wanted to get him out of his shell a bit.

He gave a half shrug as he shut the fridge. “Whatever. I'll probably stay in my room for the most part, but I'll come out to meet everyone when the pizza arrives.”

“Pizza?” I questioned stupidly. Honestly, pizza was the perfect food for an impromptu party.

He gave me a tiny smile. “Don't worry, it'll be my treat. How many people should I order for?”

I rubbed my chin as I thought this over. “Hmm... I think... about 12.”

“Alright then,” he stated as if this was now a fact set in stone. Then he grabbed an apple from the basket on the table and chomped into it as he returned to his room.

Crap! Now I not only have to invite people over, but I ALSO have to get out of working tonight! Lucky for me that one of my coworkers owes me a big favor.

Later that night, after the party was in full swing, the doorbell rang and I answered it to find a delivery girl staggering under a stack of a dozen pizzas. Elian emerged from his room to accept and pay for the delivery without even being told that it had arrived. I was surprised to find a nice variety: meat lovers, veggie, cheese, etc. Watching curiously, I was also surprised to see him act gracious as my friends all treated him like a conquering hero – or a popular celebrity.

Once he had a couple of slices on a plate (one chicken bacon ranch and one meat lovers), he took a step back and grabbed the cup out of my hand.

“Um...” I muttered, wondering if I should stop him. He was only 18 after all, and I could be legally liable if the cops were called out at any point. But he downed my long island iced tea before I could say a word. He didn't cough or make any indication that the alcohol bothered him.

“This is good,” he said instead.

“Well, it's one of my favorite drinks, and being a bartender, I know a lot of them. I made it the way I like it best,” I explained, not entirely sure why I felt off balance and didn't just say thanks and leave it at that.

My friends were having a blast, drinking and dancing to the music. They all made a point to meet and chat a bit with Elian, but then went back to fucking around as they got a bit drunker. Meanwhile, Elian stood off to the side, sort of drifting around a bit, watching them all with the fascination of a scientist conducting an experiment.

After winning an impromptu dance contest – since I was the only one still sober enough to remain on my feet – I finally decided that it was a good time to chat with Elian.

“Hey,” I began as I gestured for us to sit at chairs around the table that were sort of in the corner and seemed to offer a bit of privacy even as we were able to see (and be seen by) everyone.

“Yeah?” Elian asked curiously.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” he permitted with a careless shrug.

“Why are you always so quiet and alone if you have no problems chatting with people and hanging out like this?”

He tilted his head to look at me, once again bringing to mind the mental image of a scientist being curious. Or a cat being curious. “Well... I guess that the short answer is that I just don't want to get close to people.”

I frowned in concern. “Why not? Do you come from a shitty home too?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. My dad loves me and always gives me whatever I want. It's just...” He looked away and I could see him take a deep breath and hold it as he thought things over for a moment. Then he exhaled a mildly aggravated sigh.

“What?” I pressed curiously.

He looked at me again. “It's just that the first time I fell in love – puppy love, you know? I was only 12 and the girl I liked liked me in return. We sort of dated a bit, as much as 12 year old kids can, until she died in a car accident. I was... utterly crushed and withdrew into a shell. I've had a lot of therapy, so I can think about it from a detached perspective, I suppose. Anyway, my mom urged me to take the time I needed to grieve, and then find someone new. Just when I think I was ready to do that, she died from cancer. Lymphoma. So...” He shrugged and looked away again. “I decided that getting close to people just wasn't worth the risk of being hurt if they died in an accident or from a disease.”

Oh... shit! That's a lot deeper than I expected!

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Oh, um... sorry...”

He shook his head. “It wasn't your fault.”

I nodded because it was true. “Still.”

Maybe he felt like the air around us was weird now, because he seemingly tried to lighten the mood. “But I don't hate people either. I can get along with almost anyone if I have to. Do group projects. Play team sports. Things like that. I just don't seek it out.”

I had to wonder how much therapy he'd actually had if he could say these things so calmly – as if they weren't about him but about someone he knew but didn't really care about.

He smirked at me almost meanly. “Bet you're sorry you asked now, huh?” With that, he stood up, grabbed a slice of hawaiian pizza, and ate it as he walked to his room. I was tempted to go after him and ask him more questions, but he shut the door and that seemed like a pretty clear signal to leave him alone.

After that, the party devolved into a series of hookups. I ended up having a threesome with a girl and her boyfriend. I wasn't exactly bisexual, but I'd tried it once or twice and found it to be nice enough, thus I had no problems switching back and forth between the couple.

Strangely enough, I woke up to see Elian poking his head out his bedroom door. He was looking around as if wondering if he really wanted to come out, and if so, did he need to avoid stepping in anything. Truth be told, he probably did need to avoid spilled drinks and possibly even puddles of vomit. Ugh! That's the WORST part about hosting a party!

Carefully picking his way over to the bathroom, he pulled out his phone and whispered softly to whoever he called: “Hey, do you think you could come over to my apartment today and clean up a complete mess? We threw a party last night and I don't want to know what might be on the floor now!”

Huh... Who would agree to clean up another person's apartment like that? If someone really did, I'd be so happy that I'd be tempted to hug and kiss them!

As it turned out, a woman in her 50s or 60s arrived about 2 hours later and didn't even attempt to scold Elian for the mess. She simply made a motion like rolling up her sleeves (she was wearing short sleeves), and threw herself into the task. Just as I had mentally promised myself, after I got out of the shower and felt less hungover, I threw my arms around her, kissed her cheek, and thanked her so much for cleaning the place up.

She rolled her eyes at me. “Flatterer! Go kiss your girlfriend and let me get on with it!”

I winked at her. “Don't have a girlfriend. Interested?”

She looked like she wanted to roll her eyes again but shook her head instead. “Sorry but I'm happily married, and you're far too young for me. I wouldn't be able to keep up with all your energy!”

I shrugged. “Your loss!” Not that I was serious, I just liked to flirt. It came in handy as a bartender.

When I spotted Elian come out of his room in search of food – which once again did NOT magically appear in the fridge for him – I walked over to him and grinned. “Your grandma is nice. I like her.”

“Huh? Oh! That's not my grandma. That's Gina, our housekeeper since before I was born. Although, I suppose that she's more like a grandma than mine is, since all my grandma does is bring me on a two week trip each year.”

“Nice!” I exclaimed appreciatively, wondering what that must be like.

“Well Hawaii was nice,” Elian stated with a shrug. “But Rome was a bit crowded and overly religious for my taste. I could go for Japan again this year. It's been a while. Huh...” he trailed off and pulled out his phone, rapidly typing (he was standing so that I could see it over his shoulder): Hi Grandma. How are you doing? I was wondering if you would be willing to take me to Japan for our next trip, but rather than Tokyo again, maybe some of the more rural areas?

I wondered how long it would take his grandma to reply and was a bit surprised that it happened almost right away. I'll look into it and see what I can do.

Lucky bastard! Then again, his grandma hadn't said anything like: Hi love, I'm well, how are you? I miss you and can't wait to see you again.

Sadly, since it was Saturday, I had to go to work soon.

***

About a month later, I had an actual Saturday night free from work. The night before, I'd brought a woman home. She was in her thirties and wailed dramatically about her husband getting so mad at her for staying out all night when she woke up the next morning. I wanted to tell her that maybe she shouldn't be cheating on him if she was so concerned about upsetting him, but I kept my mouth shut because I didn't want to get involved in things that weren't my business. It's not like she had told me beforehand that she was married.

After taking a shower, I wandered out to the living room to find Elian sitting on the couch a bit weirdly, half hanging over the side so that he could bask in the sun. Shaking my head at him because he was always doing weird things like that, I sat down on the couch and turned on my PS4.

“Hey, you mind if I throw another party tonight?” I asked, not really thinking he'd have a problem with it.

“Whatever. I can buy pizza again, or if you'd prefer, some restaurants have a sort of catering take out menu,” Elian offered.

“That sounds expensive man, you don't have to do that. We can make do if everyone brings chips or something to share,” I declined while my game loaded.

He gave me that curious but somewhat cold cat look of his again. “Why not? I have to eat too, and I'd rather have food to chips.”

I gave him a small smile. “If that's the case, do whatever you want. I'm not picky.”

“Same amount of people?” He asked.

“Probably,” I replied as my game finally loaded. “Maybe a couple more.”

“Alright then,” he murmured as he pulled out his phone and started browsing the internet – presumably for menus. Sure enough, just as my character was in a shootout with the police, he made a call. “Hi, I'd like to order enough food for twelve people tonight.”

I wasn't really paying attention, so it was a bit of a surprise that night when he left and came back with Olive Garden. Basically, he'd gotten bread sticks, salad, more than enough pasta to feed 12 people (more like 20 people), and a variety of sauces to go on it – such as regular tomato with meat, chicken alfredo, even seafood! As for that, he practically hogged the seafood, but since he'd paid for it, no one had the heart to protest.

Once again, he interacted with all my friends like he was used to being the popular kid at the center of attention, but I could see that it was all basically an act. He didn't give out personal information of any kind, and he didn't ask for any either – although he did seem to listen as people told him things. Almost compulsively, but that was because of the alcohol.

That said, a girl sat down next to him at one point and asked about his classes, and he visibly turned on like a Christmas tree as he told her all about his engineering classes. It seems that he had gotten into MIT, but since he didn't want to go too far from home, and since he wasn't certain he wanted to be an engineer, he'd chosen to start with a closer school. He figured that he could always transfer later.

Based on how much he seemed to like his classes, I was certain he probably would transfer after this year. That said, our school had a decent engineering program, so maybe he'd stick with it. Either way, I suppose that it was none of my business.

Not surprisingly, the girl started to look thoroughly bored after about a half an hour, only she didn't seem to be able to just say so or make an excuse and run away. After another 15 minutes, I took pity on her and loudly called out over the crowd a challenge to see who was a better dancer. She immediately jumped up and promised to slay me in the contest.

Meanwhile, we all got drunker. I watched Elian watch us for a bit before he stood up, stretched side to side, and slipped off to his room. He stared at a couple that had just hooked up in the corner as he went, so I had to wonder if he just didn't care to see anything like that.

Which made me wonder if he had a girlfriend, boyfriend, or even just a sex life. I mean he almost had to, right? He was certainly good looking enough and had girls interested in him. So... was he just too shy? Then again, he had said that he didn't like getting close to people.

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and conceded defeat in the contest – since I hadn't been paying full attention anyway. I really had to stop being so concerned about my roommate. He clearly wasn't going to stick around that long anyway. All he needed to do was figure out that he genuinely did love engineering, and then he'd be off to a better school. No need to get attached to him.

***

About two weeks later, it was a Wednesday night and not only did I not have to work, but the plans I'd made for the evening fell through. I sat on my couch playing GTAV with a feeling like I actually wished I had homework so that I'd have something constructive to do. After completing my second or third heist, I tossed my controller aside in frustration.

“Damnit! I'm horny! I should probably go take a shower...”

To my embarrassment, I hadn't noticed Elian standing in the kitchen, in essence right behind me. He finished drinking from his glass of water, rinsed it out, and set it in the clean rack.

“Didn't you have a date tonight?” He asked.

“Yeah but she canceled,” I grumbled.

“You can just say no if this is too weird, but I noticed you play around with guys too. I'd be willing to take care of your horniness if you take care of mine,” he suggested, looking almost bored by the prospect.

I was taken back a little. “You... you're gay?”

He shook his head. “I don't think so. Don't really feel the need to have a label. I'm just horny – like you said – but I don't have a bunch of friends I could just call over to help me out. I figure that it would be a useful exchange for both of us.”

That was a bit cold, but I couldn't deny that most of my encounters were basically easy ways to get off and go to sleep. The offer was tempting and I didn't think I could find a better one on such short notice.

“Yeah, alright. Why not?” I agreed, then I sniffed myself and wrinkled my nose. “Let me take a quick sower first. I went for a run earlier and am all sweaty and stinky.”

“Alright,” he murmured, stretching as he returned to his room. “That'll give me time to finish up my report.”

I took one of the quickest showers in history, nearly yelping when I returned to my room to find him lying in my bed. He was already naked and seemed asleep. It was sort of odd how he seemed to be able to take naps at the drop of a hat, but since he also seemed to be up on and off each night doing things, I suppose he needed to make up for it somehow.

After drying off, I tossed my towel in the hamper and climbed into my bed. Gently, I nuzzled and sucked on his neck until he opened his eyes to look at me.

“Just so you know, I always top when I play around with guys,” I informed him because that was pretty important to me.

He merely shrugged. “Whatever.”

Relieved, I skipped straight to the part where I prepared him for safe entry. This meant using my fingers and plenty of lube to stretch him open and soften him up a bit. As I did that, I continued to suck on his neck until I felt like shifting to suck on his perky little nipples.

“Mmm...” he moaned, shifting a little and spreading his legs a bit wider.

My other hand shifted to stroke his shaft a couple of times, but I didn't want to get him off just yet. Unless he masturbated whenever I wasn't looking, he had to be backed up, and thus, ready to go off as soon as possible. Deciding that he was fairly well prepared, I pulled my fingers out of him, wiped them off on a hand towel, and then grabbed a condom. It took about a minute to put the condom on and lube it up, but then I shifted to enter him.

Opening my mouth, I planned to ask him if he was ready, or if he needed me to prepare him a little more, but nothing came out as I realized that he was looking at the ceiling with an expression like he was seriously trying to figure out a puzzle. Or... was he doing math??? Either way, it suddenly seemed a bit awkward to say anything, so I just pushed into him as slowly as possible in order to give him plenty of time to tell me to stop if necessary.

Happily, he not only didn't tell me to stop, but he dug his fingers into my back and pulled me into him insistently. That was all I needed to stop being so cautious and basically let my body take over. Sucking on the other side of his neck now, I ground into him with a medium pace that packed a powerful punch. He made noises of both pleasure and surprise, continually digging his nails into my back and trying to meet me thrust for thrust.

When I felt the end nearing a while later, I pulled back a little so that I could jerk him off before I orgasmed and passed out. Blissfully, he arched his back and pumped out a thick mess between us. This coincided with magical little ripples on my shaft that triggered my glorious orgasm. Rough cries turned into a blissful sigh as I pulled out of him and rolled onto my back next to him.

He kissed my cheek. “Thanks for that,” he said as he sat up and stretched. “I think I'll be able to concentrate on my project now.” Then he slipped from my bed and padded to his own room.

For a while there, I really thought he was a virgin – at least as a bottom – but the way he just thanked me and left made me wonder if that's how all his encounters ended. He certainly seemed used to it. Sheesh! I don't think I'll ever be able to figure him out!

***

A week or so later, I was once again playing GTAV since I'd finished up my homework and usually didn't have to work on slower week nights. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Elian come out of his room, yawn, stretch, and grab a glass of water. Then he walked over to the couch, sat down next to me, and watched me play for a bit. After a while, he shifted so that his head was laying in my lap. I waited for him to say something – such as: please stop playing the game and talk to me? But he didn't say a word.

When I finally couldn't take the curiosity anymore, I got to a good place to save and quit, and then looked down at him. He seemed like he was asleep, and for some reason, this made me want to make fun of him by petting him like a cat. I ran my hand through his hair a few times before stroking his spine.

He started making a soft sound like a hum or a purr, and then rubbed his hand against my shaft – which was already perking up with hopeful interest. Encouraged, I basically grabbed him and dragged him to my bedroom. It didn't take long at all to prepare him so that I could get inside him. To my surprise, there was just something about him that felt really good. Like... I'm not sure I've ever felt this good. And weirder, I wasn't even doing anything particularly special.

Also a surprise was the fact that I was able to keep going for several hours. By the time we were finished, we were both making babbling erotic noises like: Uh! Uh! Fuck! Yes! Uh! I thought for sure that we were both going to pass out the moment we were done, but despite the fact that I collapsed on top of him after roaring out my orgasm (he'd already had his), he simply waited for a minute or so for me to move. When I didn't, he gently pushed me off him, kissed my cheek, and thanked me before slipping out of my bed and leaving my room.

Huh...

It's not like I thought we were going out now or anything, but he didn't have to be in such a rush to leave my bed. I wouldn't get mad at him for sleeping a bit first. Whatever...

***

Two days later, I decided that if he was willing to have sex with me whenever we were horny, I might as well take advantage of it. So, after having a ham sandwich for dinner, I slipped into his room and silently watched him writing a report for a few minutes. About five minutes later, he pulled up a browser and typed in a search for robotic mechanisms, so I thought it might be a good time for him to take a break. I put an arm around his right shoulder and gently sucked on the left side of his neck.

He pushed me away from him rather roughly. “Go away.”

“But –” I protested, feeling a little disappointed.

“I'm busy!” He growled harshly, pointing to the door even as his other hand clicked on a link and he muttered almost silently as he read.

Sighing, I left his room and scrolled through my phone to see who might be interested in coming over for a booty call. Ironically, it was hearing my neighbors come home that inspired me. They were a couple who had been married about five years and occasionally liked to play around. I called them and asked if they were up for it, and to my delight, they came right over.

***

With term finals just around the corner, I actually felt a little bad for Elian. He was clearly a full time student that needed to study almost constantly. Whereas I was only part time since I needed to work to pay my bills – hence me working as a bartender. This meant that I only had four classes a week, and in turn, didn't have to devote quite so much time to studying.

Every time I saw Elian these days, he looked a strange combination of utterly worn out and entirely way too happy about it. He had some sort of engineering project to work on in addition to homework and tests. All in all, I was grateful that I was only going for a nice simple degree.

To tell the truth, I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life, so I was just getting my generals out of the way while I worked toward a basic associate's degree. If I decided to pick a major at any point, that would change, but for now, I just... didn't really care.

I went for a jog after my classes, then decided to shower before flopping on my couch to play games for a bit to unwind before doing my homework. To my surprise, the moment I got out of the shower, still naked and dripping but planning to dry off in my room, I was faced with a bit of a shock. Elian stood outside the bathroom, looking pretty pissed off (and I'd never seen him look that way before), with bloodshot eyes and wild hair.

“Uh...” I droned as I desperately searched my brain for ANY idea of what I'd done to make him mad.

Without a word, he grabbed my hand and dragged me to my bedroom. Baffled, I watched as he stripped off and jumped on my bed. Then he tossed the bottle of lube at me with a look that promised to murder me if I didn't prepare him as quickly as possible.

“Um...” I muttered, seriously wondering why he thought it was okay to expect me to just drop everything and fuck him. On the other hand... why not? It's not like I was in a bad mood. “Alright.”

I climbed onto my bed and got to work right away. He sighed in relief and closed his eyes even as he spread his legs a bit wider for me. I wasted no time in getting him ready for me. Then I sank into him with a surprisingly relieved sigh of my own. Now that this was happening for the first time in over a month, I really wanted to take my time and enjoy every second.

Elian had other ideas. He not only urged me to speed up, but when I clearly wasn't going fast enough for him, he kicked me off him so that he could straddle my lap and ride me at a rough and demanding pace. I'd have protested but it felt too damn good. As he bounced and ground onto me, he also rapidly stroked his shaft. My toes curled as he got oh so tight around me. I gripped his hips and gasped as my orgasm hit me with the force of a Mack Truck. A warm tickle on my chest let me know that he was right there with me.

Sighing in relief again when it was over, Elian collapsed onto the bed next to me and swiftly passed out. Happy about this, I tried to snuggle up to him for at least a few minutes before I either passed out too, or got up to do my homework. Unfortunately, touching him pulled a growl from him, and trying to snuggle with him only increased the growl as he tried to push me away with his shoulder.

Sighing in defeat, I got out of bed and decided that a sandwich or something was necessary before I could even attempt to do my homework.

***

With school out for the holidays, I expected Elian to go home and visit his dad. And come to think of it, I had no idea if he had any other family. I'd never asked and he'd never said anything. I personally HAD to go visit my family, but I was only going to do so on Christmas day, and even then, ONLY for the exact smallest amount of time I could get away with. My family was... complicated...

Even so, Elian didn't leave right away. The first weekend, we threw a party. This time, Elian insisted on having it catered by Red Lobster, which probably was expensive, but maybe not as much as it could have been since it was mostly fried things such as calamari, clam strips, and fish fillets. In fact, had there not been those seriously delicious cheddar biscuits and garlic mashed potatoes, I'm not sure anyone would have noticed that it was Red Lobster food as opposed to Long John Silver's.

The party was as fun as always. Until I noticed Elian go into his room with a woman. Even though he had SAID he wasn't gay and didn't need a label, I had actually assumed that he was. I mean come on! He'd only had sex with me since moving in – as far as I knew – and I really didn't think he was out of the apartment long enough to do anything other than go to his classes.

In any case, I was a little concerned that maybe she was forcing herself on him somehow, but a quick peek assured me that if she was, it was with her mouth on his shaft to his vocal encouragement. In other words, not likely.

Feeling a little odd, I shrugged it off and returned to the party so that I could find my own hookup. Which was how I ended up in bed with two women who were into each other every bit as much as they were into me. Which means that I had something nice to watch even as I had a hell of a lot of fun.

The next morning – or whenever it actually was – I crawled out of bed desperate to down a pot of coffee and a bottle of painkillers. Figuratively. I just really had a hangover and didn't want to think about anything. To my surprise, Gina was already cleaning up our atrocious mess. She laughed at me mercilessly and handed me some Advil and a glass of water.

“Ow...” I groaned pathetically.

She got really close to me so that she could whisper in my ear. “I just want to thank you for getting Elian out of his shell. He's been such an introvert for so long that his father was beginning to despair. You're more than welcome to come with Elian for Christmas – if you don't have any other plans.”

“I do. But thank you, I was hoping for another chance to flirt you into my bed,” I embellished with a cheeky grin and a laugh.

She rolled her eyes at me and smacked my ass as she pushed me away. “Oh go on! Take a shower and get rid of the stench of alcohol and sex!”

“I'm a bartender!” I informed her with a cocky scoff. “I ALWAYS smell like alcohol and sex!” Even so, I took her advice and got into the shower.

My very cat like roommate very much remained in character by shocking me a little bit. The moment the water was up to temp and I was sighing happily under it, he came into the bathroom to use the toilet. That wasn't so shocking; what was was the fact that he then pushed me to the back of the shower, turned up the temp to scalding, got in, washed his hair and body very quickly, and then got back out while I was still confusedly lathering up my hair.

“Ah!” I gasped when I realized how hot the water was. It took far too long to go back down in temperature, and I thought for sure that I'd have to go to the hospital for burns, but no, I was soon fine.

The whole week before Elian left to visit his family passed strangely. With no classes or homework to do, it seemed like Elian got bored. I'd be minding my own business and doing something – such as playing a game – when he'd come out of his room, lay his head on my lap, and lightly brush his fingers over my crotch. After doing that a few times successfully led to sex, he changed things up by giving me blowjobs when I was actually trying to concentrate on something – such as the time I was on the phone with my mom, to my mortification!

He even got bold enough to straight up sit on my lap and put my hands on his ass while he sucked on my neck. Alright, message received, sex it is then! As much as I enjoyed these encounters, it was a little disappointing when he returned to his room the moment we were finished. That said, I hadn't had such frequent sex since the last time I had a girlfriend, and that had been nearly two years ago, so I wasn't exactly going to complain.

The night before he was set to leave for his dad's, I wondered if I could actually spend the night with him by joining him in his bed for a change. Thus, I went into his room around 10 PM to find that he was doing something on his laptop while sitting in bed. Curious, I wondered if he was watching porn or something.

To my amusement, he was actually watching the last 15 minutes or so of the Avengers movie. Since he had headphones on and probably wouldn't hear me anyway, I decided to pull a trick from his book and simply give him a blowjob. Even better, he was actually naked (one of the reasons I thought he was watching porn), so I had easy access to his lap. However, things did not go as planned.

“Stop that!” He growled.

Sighing in frustration, I decided that waiting for his movie to finish up wouldn't be unreasonable. So, I shifted until I was laying on his bed next to him and watching the movie too. He didn't say anything until I tried to lay my head on his chest.

“Get off me.”

Alright... I shifted a bit and tried to get comfortable next to him.

“Stop moving the bed!” And a minute later when I was still fidgeting just a bit. “Go away already!”

Even more frustrated, I crawled out of his bed and went to my own room. It looked like I might actually need to go on a hookup app and see what was available at the moment. I was scrolling along and not really finding anyone interesting – even though there were a lot of good options – when Elian came into my room, crawled in bed with me, and lay his head on my shoulder so that he could see what I was looking at. Based off the current time, his movie had probably just ended.

He pointed at a profile. “If you're planning on inviting someone over for a booty call, I kinda like her. She's... beautiful.”

“You say that like you're not sure beautiful is the right word,” I pointed out with a laugh.

“Well... I was going to go with sexy, but I felt that might be objectifying. In this instance, beautiful is too, and clearly she wants to be objectified, but still, it didn't seem right to me.”

“You're so weird sometimes!” I exclaimed with a slight shake of my head. “Can I ask, how many women have you been with?”

“One, why?” Elian wondered with a curious frown.

“I sort of thought so. You didn't seem to have any sort of experience with them considering that they keep coming onto you at parties and you obliviously talk to them about your studies.”

“Well they ask!” He exclaimed defensively.

“Only because it's more politically correct to ask: 'how're your classes going?' than: 'how about you take me to bed and fuck me raw?' But basically, if a girl sits really close to you and shows an interest in anything about you at all, you can assume that she's probably interested in having sex at some point. Er, well, maybe not assume, but at least try to steer the conversation in that direction and see what happens,” I advised.

He shifted so that he could look me in the eyes. “And what about you, Richard? How many women have you had?”

“Um... I've sort of lost count...” I said with a strange sense of shame.

“That's probably a lot then,” he said with a nod of acceptance.

I shrugged. “Probably, but what you have to understand is that my first time was sort of not entirely consensual. I didn't feel ready and the girl pouted and told me that if I loved her, I should want to have sex with her. I thought I loved her so I eventually gave in and did it, but I didn't really feel good about it. And afterwards, I found out that she had poked a hole in the condom in an attempt to get pregnant, and that made me feel disgusted. SO – after I dumped her – I went out with a girl that was into pot, and she'd get me high and have sex with me, and then invite her friends, and at that point, I didn't really care either way. And that led to more drugs – stronger drugs – and MORE meaningless sex, until I very quickly couldn't tell you who I had done or how many times.”

“Oh...” Elian murmured, looking like he wasn't quite sure how to take that.

I felt strangely compelled to keep talking to him, now that we were having an actual conversation. “On my 16^th birthday, I woke up to find that I had crabs. My mom – who's... a piece of work, and that's probably an understatement – was surprisingly supportive in taking me to the doctor to get treated. The doctor tested me for all the STDs, and then lectured me on how lucky I was to have gotten something so relatively easy to treat. It wasn't a lifelong disease, and I wouldn't have to worry about spreading it if I treated it and waited a week or two before having sex again.

“That said, it scared me a lot. I NEVER wanted to be in the position of catching something again, so I made a vow to never do drugs again – at least not in conjunction with sex – and ALWAYS wear a condom. I mean I thought I already insisted on that part, but clearly I either hadn't, or I'd gotten crabs despite wearing one. But that's also why I keep things well groomed down there.”

“Hmm...” Elian hummed in thought, biting his lip. “I guess I don't have to worry about that.”

“What do you mean?” I wondered, because EVERYONE had to worry about protecting themselves during sex.

He shrugged. “Just that you're so diligent about using condoms that I don't have to think about it. You just do it.”

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “Yeah... but what about others?”

“What others?” He asked with a look like he honestly couldn't figure out what I was talking about.”

“Wait... Surely there's been others!” I protested, freaking out for some reason even though I had suspected this all the way back during our first time together. He'd been too... curious, I suppose.

He shook his head. “I haven't wanted sex. Just a little masturbation from time to time. But then you said you were horny and I'd seen you have at least one threesome in which you were with a guy, and I thought: Why not?” He shrugged. “I had an opportunity and I was in the mood to take it. And it turned out really nicely. So I had no problem doing it again.”

“You have some strange – I don't really know what to call them – about sex. You lost your virginity to some guy on a whim, have mostly had just one partner, but then don't really seem to care about things like love or monogamy. Like seriously! Are we dating or not?”

He scrunched his nose up in confusion. “Why would we be dating? We don't go out to dinner or anything. We don't talk all that much. I'm usually too busy with my schoolwork, and you've got school, a job, and a bunch of casual lovers. What would be the point of dating?”

I sighed in defeat because he had a very valid point. “I just... I'm so confused by you!”

He snorted. “So stop being confused and just fuck me already.”

For the first time, I was tempted to tell him no. But... I oddly didn't have it in me to say that word to him. Melting a little, I pulled him close and nuzzled his neck. My hands shook as it fully hit me that I had been his first! That I had almost been his only lover! Wasn't that... supposed to be special?

My mind was all over the place in a turmoil even as my hands and body got to work. One of the things I felt bad about was that I had at least half assumed that he'd had special sex with someone else, and so, had mainly been fucking him, but didn't he deserve the whole package at least once? So, with that in mind, I didn't rush straight to the main event. Instead, I took the time to explore his body with my hands. Lick his nipples and areolas. Kiss a path down to his shaft before giving him a blowjob. Flip him over and lick a trail up his spine. Massage his firm ass, and even try eating ass for the first time.

All in all, it was at least an hour before he was mewling and begging me to hurry up and fuck him already. Biting the back of his neck, I did. Oh...

Damn! Why the hell it is always so amazing with him??? Is it because he's basically innocent and I get to be the one to corrupt him? That's probably it, sigh.

After pounding into him from behind for an eternity, I had a strange urge to see his face. I wanted to watch him as he reached his climax. So, I pulled out and flipped him onto his back. To my delight, he held me close and made a purring sound as I alternated thrusting with biting his neck.

I had no plans until I had to go to work tomorrow evening, so I had no reason not to take my time. And take my time. And keep right on having fun with him until dawn. By the time we were done, I'd had two orgasms and he'd had at least three. I was exhausted and he passed out so hard that he couldn't even protest when I pulled him into my arms and snuggled him as I slept.

Even so, it was probably only about two hours later when he pushed himself free from my arms – only half waking me in the process – and slipped from bed. When I fully woke up – nearly running late! – he was already gone and hadn't left a note or anything. Not that I expected him to. But... maybe I was hoping for a sweet little: Went to dad's, thanks for the sex, see you when I get back.

Sigh...

Clearly, this wasn't a relationship. Just... sex. When in the goddamn hell had I started wanting more?!

Sighing again, I fell out of bed and rushed to get ready for work before I actually was late and got into trouble.

***

For Christmas, exactly as planned, I went to my parents' house, argued with my brother and sister, took turns having a fistfight with our dad, chatted with mom about this and that, got mildly drunk which led to more arguing and fistfighting, and eventually opened presents. Naturally, that led to a round of throwing the cheap stocking stuffers at each other and calling each other the worst names imaginable. Then drinking a little more, followed by a shouting match that got the cops called on us.

You know, the usual.

In any case, I made it through the obligatory dinner and packed up my share of the leftovers (at least mom's cooking was pretty good), and was finally able to yell that I was leaving when my sister managed to punch our dad unconscious in the middle of screaming at him for being drunk all the damn time. Not entirely sober yet, I only drove down the street to a neighbor that had long since given me permission to sleep off family events before having to drive home.

After that, I spent every day until New Year's Eve working. It was one of the best times of the year to be a bartender, and I made a shit ton of tips. Not to mention, the sheer number of people who wanted to come home with me was staggering. I'll admit that it wasn't my best week in that I got drunk a bit more than normal, and followed that up by having meaningless sex with a lot of people, but at least I DID use protection. Judging by the trash bin in my room, lots and LOTS of protection.

Even so, I feel like I should probably go get tested soon.

The Friday after New Year's, I threw another party and this one had an end of the world feel to it in that everyone was a college student who'd have to go back to classes on Monday. Clothes came off fairly early on and stayed off as people hooked up left and right.

When I woke up the next morning – afternoon, whatever – I was in the middle of a pile of naked bodies and couldn't tell you exactly how many of them I'd done. Cracking an eye open, I spotted Elian sitting at the table, drinking something (coffee???) from a mug, and looking highly amused at the sheer number of naked people on the floor.

I had no idea why, but I felt extremely guilty and had to spend the first five minutes – while attempting to will away my hangover – trying to convince myself that I wasn't dating Elian, and therefore, was free to have sex with whoever I wanted and not feel guilty about it.

Cracking my eye open a tiny bit more, I looked at Elian again and wondered how long he'd been home. Had he arrived at some point when the party was still going and joined in, or just a few minutes ago?

Seeing me squinting at him suspiciously, he smirked and held up a McDonald's bag. Then he pointed to a fresh looking pot of coffee. Lastly, he pulled a bottle of Advil out of his pocket and shook it at me knowingly.

That was the temptation that proved too much for me. I gently pulled free from all limbs and crawled my way over to Elian. He gave me the Advil first, along with a glass of water. Then he handed me the bag, which turned out to contain a mouth watering steak and cheese bagel. As I inhaled it with happy grunts, Elian fetched me a cup of coffee, petting my head like a dog, before heading to his room.

***

On Monday, since my only class of the day was in the afternoon, I was able to make an appointment to see a doctor and get tested. The bad news was that I had caught a minor infection. The good news was that I had been tested so soon that it hadn't even presented symptoms yet, and so, might even avoid having symptoms at all if I took the medication right away. The not so good news was that I was ordered to abstain from sex for at least a week to let the infection respond to the medication. The worse news was that the medication could react badly with alcohol, so I was ordered to abstain from that too.

Well... I suppose I could use a bit of a break from it...

But I gotta tell you that being a bartender really sucks when you can't have a quick drink after getting off of work to relax and unwind.

***

Elian had immediately gotten caught up in a complicated project, and so, he was almost as busy as he'd been during finals. As a result, he was shut in his room at all times again. Thus, it was nearly Valentine's Day before I had a chance to see him for more than a couple of minutes at a time, and those were generally him having to go to the bathroom and remembering that he was human and needed to eat from time to time.

Actually, it was a bit alarming how little he ate when he got busy working on something. As a result, I felt I had no choice but to make him things. Nothing complicated, I couldn't really cook after all, but things like sandwiches and chicken fingers seemed easy enough. At least they had to be better than almost nothing at all. The next time I saw Gina, I might have to ask her if his family also had a chef or something that could drop off weekly meals so that Elian didn't get malnourished long before graduating.

He probably did, come to think of it. He seemed like a spoiled rich kid that had never really had to take care of himself before. It's sort of a miracle that he hadn't starved to death long before now. I also had to wonder how he got his laundry done. Did Gina come get it each week and I just hadn't noticed???

In any case, with Valentine's coming up, I had an insane urge to go on an actual date with Elian. NOT on literal Valentine's Day – because that would be obvious and might even make him mad with what I was implying – but the day before. Dinner shouldn't be too suspicious.

And then we could have sex. Hopefully. He hadn't come to me at all since the time before Christmas. I was getting strangely desperate to have him again.

Happily, my plans worked out. The night before Valentine's, I managed to catch Elian on his way to the kitchen. As usual, he rummaged around the cupboards and stared in the fridge as if hoping that if he just kept looking, food would eventually make itself for him.

“Hey, you hungry?” I asked casually, as if I had not made plans in advance and had no ulterior motives.

“Yes!” He exclaimed, a hand pressed to his stomach.

“Then why not come with me? I was just about to head out to my favorite restaurant.”

“Where's that?” He asked with interest.

“Fuji's Japanese Steakhouse. They have a hibachi – which is pretty cool actually. A 'private' chef grills your meal right in front of you and puts on a bit of a show while he's at it.”

“I'd like that,” Elian said with a small smile. I was actually glad to see the small version because whenever he had a big smile or a grin, it was usually when he was pretending to be a popular guy rather than a loner. Such as at one of our parties.

Once we got there, I let Elian park his car as I went in and let them know that I'd called ahead. Which meant that by the time Elian joined me, we were already being seated. I tilted my head at him curiously.

“How long have you had your car?” Because even though he'd had it as long as he'd lived with me, I hadn't ever been inside it before. I hadn't realized based off it's rather plain exterior that it was actually rather luxurious on the inside.

He shrugged. “I got it for my 16^th birthday. My dad chose it because it has a nice balance between safety features and comfort.”

I looked away so that he couldn't see me thinking: Oh sure, I got crabs and he got a car. Life just isn't fair sometimes!

He seemed entertained during dinner, but not surprised. In fact, this probably wasn't his first time coming to a place like this, even though I had hoped to show him something cool and different. Oh well, what can I do?

Even though I was cleared to drink alcohol again a while ago, I only had a single cup of sake (which those cups are tiny!). That said, I did have a lot of pop and water, and so, after I finished most of my food, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. When I got back, Elian handed me a box.

“I asked for containers so we could pack up our leftovers.”

I looked at my calamari, veggies, and fried rice. I'd eaten about half what I'd been given and there was no way that I'd pass up finishing the rest off later. “Good call!”

I waited for a few minutes for the bill to arrive, but then got antsy to go. “I should ask them to bring the bill. Usually they would have by now.”

“Oh, is that what you're waiting for? It was brought out when you were in the bathroom, so I already took care of it,” Elian informed me.

“What?” I blurted out, strangely upset.

“What's wrong?” Elian asked in concern.

“Nothing really, just that I invited you and I wasn't expecting you to pay at all, much less for me,” I explained.

He shrugged. “Whatever. You can always pay next time.”

Sighing, I accepted that there was nothing I could do about it at this point, so I just let it go. On the way back to our apartment (he let me drive his car), I decided to make a stop.

“Why're we here?” Elian wondered.

“I just want to go in and get some chocolate. Want some?” I offered.

He opened his door. “I might as well go in with you then. I'm really picky about the chocolate I'll eat.”

“Really? Me too!” I said, a little surprised since most people just ate whatever candy they had.

Inside the store, we both headed to where the premium chocolates were. As it turned out, he insisted on a organic brand that was free from all allergens. I personally preferred a brand called Endangered Species because they had a nice variety of dark chocolates that had things like sea salt and almonds in them.

“Damnit!” Elian grumbled petulantly. “I gotta run to the bathroom. I was hoping to hold it until we got home, but I can't.” He handed me his chocolates and ran off.

Grinning, I not only took the opportunity to pay for all the chocolate, but I also got one of those reusable bags that you couldn't see through, and a single rose. One of those that were yellow but looked dipped in red. I loved that color combination for some reason. The rose fit in the bag and couldn't be seen.

I was waiting for Elian outside the bathroom when he came out. “Ready?”

He eyed the bag and then seemed to mentally come to the conclusion that I must have already paid for everything. He also looked a bit unhappy about this for some reason, but shrugged it off. Then he gestured toward the door, silently saying: Let's go.

Once we got back to our apartment, he scratched his messy head and smelled himself.

“Ugh! I've been so busy working on my project that I can't remember the last time I showered. I'm gonna go do that!” He announced.

“Have fun,” I bade with a smirk. While he was in the bathroom, I put my chocolate in the freezer (it tastes better frozen, for some reason), put his chocolate on his bed, and put the rose in a glass full of water on his headboard.

It's really too bad that he never seemed inclined to invite me to his bed, because it was a plush and comfortable thing, whereas mine was old and getting worn out. I should probably save up to replace it soon. Great! One more thing to add to the list of things to buy when I have money to buy things. Sigh...

Trying not to get my hopes up, I sat on the couch and surfed what was available to watch on Netflix without really being interested in watching anything. To my delight, he sat his naked ass on my lap after he finished up his shower and had dried off a bit. I pretended to be oblivious.

“Want to watch something with me, or would you rather just go to bed?”

He made a great show of thinking this over. “Hmm... I think we should just go to bed.” And with that, he took me by the hand and practically dragged me to my room.

Once I threw all my clothes off and joined him in bed, I once again wanted to take all night if I could. I didn't want it to be over quickly, and I was aiming for him being too worn out to leave my bed when he was done. Actually, if I could get away with it, I had a powerful urge to do nothing but cuddle with him all night long. Sadly, based off all previous indications, he really didn't like being touched unless he was specifically in the mood for it.

Instead, I focused on what I could do. The licking. The caressing. Sucking on his neck. Everything but the main event.

He chuckled unexpectedly, making me neurotically self conscious.

“What?” I demanded.

He shook his head. “Nothing bad. Just that my dad noticed that I had hickeys when I went home for Christmas and he asked me if I was actually in a relationship. He had a tone like this was the last thing he would expect from me. So I fucked with him a bit by telling him that no, I had simply picked up a person off an app for the night. He really had no idea what to do with that!” This made him laugh. A real genuine and rich laugh that I'd never heard from him before.

That made me happy even as I felt rather grumpy. “Would it have been so bad to tell him that you've been sleeping with me?”

He looked confused. You know, for such a smart guy, he sure got confused over the simplest things.

“Well... no... but why would I do that? He'd only jump to the conclusion that we're serious enough to get married, and then he'd want to meet you and pressure you into signing a prenup. Seriously! I'm only 19 and still in college!”

I was floored by this information! “You're 19??? I swear you said you were 18.”

“Well yeah! I was, but I turned 19 in October.”

“WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT?!?!” I roared angrily.

“What difference would it make?”

I sighed out a frustrated hiss. “Whatever.” I was rapidly losing the mood. Then I happened to look over at the clock and notice that it was after midnight, and thus officially Valentine's Day. Pushing my irrational anger to the side, I smiled at him mysteriously before giving him a kiss and resuming our quest to wear each other out in the best possible way.

He looked puzzled for a moment and pressed his fingers to his lips. Then he squinted his eyes as he thought that over, before literally shrugging and grabbing my head by the hair and giving me a kiss in return. That's when it occurred to me that if his first love had died when he was only 12 and he'd basically been a loner ever since – to the point that I'd been the one to take his virginity – then...

Then that had probably been his first kiss. I felt like a complete asshole for doing this in the entirely wrong order, but it's not like he had been forthcoming with any of this. Also, he'd never asked me for a kiss either.

In order to calm down and stay in the moment, I had to tell myself that he'd kissed the woman he'd been with, and thus, I was just over thinking things. But still... I had to wonder...

After doing nothing but kissing for a surprisingly long time, Elian broke off and shifted to gently bite on my ear. “Will you please just fuck me already?”

Oddly grumpy again, I nodded and grabbed the lube so that I could properly prepare him. I gasped in surprise when I finally pushed inside him. It had been a few months, and so, I'd forgotten that being with him was always better than anyone else. I was unprepared for how good it felt and nearly lost it right then and there! I had to pause and take a few breaths to control myself.

But Elian seemed to get downright impatient with my slowness. He rolled us over and huffed happily that he was now able to ride me at whatever pace he liked. Which was fast and hard. God! I could barely catch my breath!

My toes curled and a tingle traveled up my legs and down my arched spine to gather in my groin. “Oh God!” I shouted out loud as I dug my fingers into his hips and tried to stop him before I lost all control and pumped him full, but he wouldn't even slow down and it was already too late.

I felt like I was floating on an ocean of bliss for several long moments – or maybe a quick eon or two – as he finished getting himself off too. Then he got off me and gave me a soft kiss.

“Thanks. I feel really good right now and plan to get a good night's sleep. I hope you sleep well too,” he said right before slipping out of bed.

I held my breath until he was out of my room, and then felt a stinging in my eyes. Goddamnit! I KNOW that he thinks of this as nothing more than a casual series of stress relief sessions, but more and more I just want to be with him! This...

This casual thing is actually starting to hurt...

***

The next morning, I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when I heard him on the phone.

“Hi Alli! What's the problem?” There was a pause as the other person talked. “Huh? Really? Well I guess Happy Valentine's day to you too. Did you call dad? Oh? You're going to be in town today? Sure, I guess I can go out to dinner with you – wait... Dinner... Valentine's Day... Chocolates... A rose... huh... What? Oh, nothing, I just realized something I apparently was too dense to notice. Yeah yeah, I know! Whatever, I'm going to hang up now, but just text me when you get into town and I'll meet you wherever you want to go. Yep, love you too. BYE!”

And with that, he must have hung up because he went silent. After brushing my teeth, I hopped in the shower. When I was done, I traveled in the direction of my room as I dried off. I had just tossed the towel in the hamper when I turned toward my dresser and nearly yelped as I saw Elian standing in the doorway out of the corner of my eye.

“Hey Richard? I just wanted to let you know that one of my sisters is going to be in town later, so I'm headed out to go buy her stupid things that make her happy. You need me to pick up anything while I'm out?”

“Um... not really,” I mumbled. Then I perked up. “Wait, one of? How many sisters do you have?”

He looked put upon all of a sudden. “I have four sisters and two brothers, and I'm the youngest out of all of them. Thankfully, most of them were already off in college and the like before I was in middle school. I CANNOT IMAGINE how embarrassing it would have been to have all of them in the same school as me, meddling in my life and trying to get me to make friends. Ugh! They're all outgoing too! So they were things like cheer and football captains. Nearly all of them were student body president in high school too! It was enough to make me want to rebel! But... that would have required me going out and actually rebelling, so I just never did it.”

I snorted in amusement. “I can easily picture you sitting in your room under a poster that said: Rebel! With one right next to it that said: Maybe Tomorrow...”

That got him to chuckle, which made me inordinately proud of myself for some reason.

“Anyway,” he said. “Since I'm not going to be home for dinner, you should probably order take out or something. Looks like neither one of us remembered to go grocery shopping.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed, feeling stupid. “Right. I was distracted thinking about something else. I'll probably go do that today.”

With a tiny smile, he waved at me and walked away. “Later!”

“Later,” I mumbled in return.

Later that evening, he returned home with his sister. She was... damn! She was hot! I couldn't help but drool over her even as I tried to stay in my room and NOT be in their way.

“This is where you live? It's... not bad actually. I thought for sure that you'd be living in some crappy little place because you didn't decide to move here until the last minute.”

“Thanks Alli,” he grumbled unhappily.

She took a good look around the kitchen and living room, but didn't actually go so far as to snoop through things. Then she rounded on her brother. “So...?”

“What???” Elian asked in bafflement.

“Tell me about your girlfriend! Dad said you said you picked someone up off an app, but there's NO WAY that you'd do something like that! You can't stand being around strangers! So there HAS to be a girlfriend and you just don't want dad giving you shit about it!”

Elian laughed and shook his head. “Nope, no girlfriend. And you're right about the app thing, I haven't quite done that yet. I just... well we've had a couple of parties and... things have happened...”

“Oh???” She asked avidly. But when he made his face blank and stared her down, she broke out into a smile and hugged him tight. “EEE! I'm just so happy that you've had things happen! We were all really worried about you, you know!”

He rolled his eyes and pushed her away. “Stop it!”

“Nope, not gonna!” She denied and seemed to hug him all the tighter.

“Alli! Let go damnit!” He roared, trying to fight her off. He hissed in aggravation. “WHY DO YOU GUYS ALWAYS HAVE TO HUG ME AND STUFF!”

She roared with laughter. “If we didn't, you'd NEVER let anyone hug you and give you kisses on the cheek! You'd never let anyone TOUCH you! You'd think you were a germophobe or something!”

“No! I just don't like being touched when I don't want to be!” He argued.

“Well no one likes being touched when they don't want to be. The problem is that you NEVER want to be!”

“THAT'S BECAUSE YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW WHEN TO STOP!!!”

“That's because you never say yes even if we ask you! If you just let us give you a quick hug and hugged us back, we'd let go right away!”

“ARGH!!!” He roared, still struggling to fight her off.

She finally relented and let him go. Then she put him in a head lock. “Now, before I go, show me your room!”

Sighing, he capitulated and she released him so that he could lead the way.

“Tidy, but that's not surprising. Is this what you're working on? Cool! I'm in PreMed, so I don't get to play with toys like this!”

“They're NOT toys, Alli!”

“Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I think it's so cool that you're interested in things like this. Maybe you'll be hired by NASA and help design future rovers!”

“That'd be cool!” Elian gushed happily, apparently forgetting that he'd been mad at her a moment ago.

“So... is your roommate hot?”

“I dunno. I guess so. He's a bartender and always seems to have new lovers whenever he wants.”

“Oh? So he's easy? Great! When do you think he'll be home?”

“Ugh! I don't want to be here to hear it if you fuck him! And I don't know. I didn't think he had to work today, but he did say he had to go grocery shopping.”

“Damnit, I don't really have time to wait around. I have a long drive ahead of me and I should really get home in time to get some sleep since I have class tomorrow. I just haven't gotten laid in about three months and really want a quick and sure thing.”

Elian laughed. “Well, from what I've heard, there's no such thing as a quick thing with Richard. Even if he came home right now, you'd have to give up any idea of going home tonight.”

“Mmm... That's so tempting!” Still peeking through my barely open bedroom door, I saw them come back out into the living room. “But I really have to go. Give me his number and I'll text him the next time I plan to be in town.”

“Why would I have his number?” Elian asked in genuine bafflement.

Huh... I guess we'd never exchanged that.

“Why, wha- oh nevermind. I guess I should have expected that. You don't have any numbers on your phone that aren't family. Whatever. Bye El!”

“Bye Alli!”

“Give me a tiny hug!”

Sighing, Elian gave in. After a very quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, he practically pushed her out the door. “Love you Alli!”

“Love you too!” She declared in a syrupy tone before taking off.

Elian shut the door and leaned against it with a profoundly relieved sigh. “Man! She's exhausting!”

Suddenly his phone rang and he groaned as he checked it. “Hi Eileen. Yeah yeah, Happy Valentine's day to you too. Alli just left. What??? WHY?! I just saw you all at Christmas! Yeah alright! Spring break, got it! Stop nagging already! I said I'd be there! Where are we going? Alaska? That's new. Might be fun. Alright, see you then.” He hung up and grumbled to himself: “I'd better text the rest of them before they ALL call me!”

Still muttering to himself, I watched him walk back to his room. That's when I opened my door wide enough for him to see me.

“Hey, sorry, I wasn't exactly trying to listen in,” even though I totally was. “But you were both pretty loud, so... Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that no matter how easy you think I am, I'm not actually the type to sleep with siblings. Couples, sure, but even I think it would be weird to do a guy and then his sister.”

He gave me a weird look. “Allllriiight....”

“You honestly wouldn't care if I did?” I asked incredulously.

He shrugged. “My sisters often fought over boyfriends and ended up dating each other's exes. I guess I don't really see what's wrong with it. I mean it'd be different if it was cheating, but it's not. And besides, Alli doesn't like to take no for an answer, so...” He shrugged again and finished walking into his room.

I had to bite back a roar of frustration even as I ran my hand through my hair. I know I KNOW! We're not dating! But could we please just date already?!

***

The next time we had sex – about a week later – he didn't immediately jump out of bed when we were done. He stayed and even let me cuddle with him as we fell asleep. I counted it as progress in my mind even though he still woke up a couple of hours later, pulled free from my embrace, and left to go to the bathroom. I was just awake enough to hear him tinkering with something in his room after that, so I knew that he was working on his project again and wouldn't be coming back to my bed. Still, it was proof that if I kept hoping, things might actually turn out alright in the end.

***

Elian straddled my lap and gave me a nice kiss. For a change, it was me that was writing a report and him that had finished up all his homework for the day. I tried my best to ignore him until I was done, but he had his hands roaming everywhere and his mouth had shifted to my neck.

Smiling, I kissed him again. “Alright, what's on your mind?”

He gave me another kiss. “Spring break starts the day after tomorrow, so I assumed that you were going to throw a party, but you haven't mentioned it.”

I shrugged. “I just haven't felt like partying lately.”

He frowned just a little, which looked like a pout. “Were you planning to wait until I left for Alaska with my family so that I wouldn't be here for it?”

Crap! I'd forgotten all about that!

“No, actually, when are you leaving and how long are you going to be gone?”

“Eileen says that we're only going for an extended weekend, so I'm leaving Thursday night and should be back by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning,” he explained.

“And which one of your sisters is Eileen?” I wondered.

He had to think about this a moment. “Well, Elliot is the oldest, then Ellen, Arlene, Allen, Eileen, Allicia, and me – so she's the fifth child and two sisters above me.”

“What's with all the L names?” I wondered, because it seemed odd to me.

“Huh? Oh! My mom loved them. Her name was Alexis and she said that it had been a tradition in her family for generations to name their kids like that. In fact, all of us were named after family ancestors. My dad's name is John, so he felt that so long as she wasn't picking common names that you can find a dozen of everywhere you go, it was fine with him.”

He hesitated a moment and I decided to wait and see if he continued.

“My... my name means light. My mom always told me that I was the brightest light in her life because I was – well I was weird I guess, even as a child. I always did my own thing, mostly conducting experiments like a little scientist.”

I smiled at him, running my hand up and down his back. “I can believe that. Listen, I'm not planning to have any parties. I'm actually planning to work as much as possible during spring break because everyone else will be partying, which means I'll probably earn a lot of tips.”

“Do you need more money?” He asked with a curious frown. “Are you short on your half of the rent or something?”

I shook my head. “No, I'm actually okay on money, I just realized a while back that my mattress is old and worn out and I should probably replace it. So, I'm saving up. The more tips I get, the better!”

“Oh...” he murmured, and then must have decided that he was bored with talking, because he latched onto my neck and gave me what felt like an impressive hickey. Deciding that my report could wait an hour or two, I scooped him up and carried him to my bed.

***

As summer approached, I started feeling a vague sense of panic. Part of that was probably the fact that even I had to spend a bit more time on my studies so that I could pass all my finals. But... It had occurred to me to wonder what was going to happen next.

See, I was still working my way through college, so nothing was going to change for me. Elian – on the other hand – could still decide that he'd rather transfer to MIT. In fact, I was currently about 80 percent certain that's what he was going to do. The idea of him leaving me hurt more than anything I'd ever felt in my life.

So here I was, laying in bed watching him sleep. He'd been staying in my bed after sex – or at least trying – ever since Valentine's Day. Not to mention, our sex life had increased until we were having sex at least once a day, but not always at bed time. Thus he's was only actually in my bed an average of two or three nights a week.

Still... I counted it as progress.

He usually never made it until morning, waking up either to go to the bathroom, or because he felt stifled and needed to get away from my clingy arms. Last night, it had been just a little too hot to cuddle with him, so I ended up keeping a little distance. In return, he'd actually spent the entire night in my bed. I was tempted to pinch myself!

Over time, I'd learned that if I treated him like a cat by basically letting him have his space when he needed it and giving him plenty of attention when he wanted it, well, he'd open up more and come to me more often. The moment I tried to chase after him a bit by asking – or even just hinting – about dating or relationships, he'd either look at me like he had no idea what I was talking about, or he'd retreat into his shell again for a while. So, despite the ENORMOUS amount of patience it took, I never pushed and just basically let him come to me.

But now, finals were literally two days away. He hadn't said anything yet, but I could easily picture him moving back to his dad's within a week, and then deciding to transfer to MIT a week or so later, after his dad had a chance to talk him into it. The worst part was that I wanted what was best for him, and clearly, getting an education that would make him in demand at all the highest paying jobs would be best for him. But still...

My heart was breaking into a million tiny pieces.

He opened his eyes and looked at me. His expression went through a couple of changes. First it was like: Oh hey, I know you. Then it was like: Mmm, I really like you. Then there was: what the hell am I still doing here? Next was: Damnit! I still have so much studying to do! Ending with: Fuck it! I'm too lazy to move at the moment.

I was tempted to laugh, but my heart was still rather heavy and I was also far too close to tears.

Since he had decided to stay put for the time being, he stretched out a bit and then snuggled up with my pillow – which he must have stolen from me at some point during the night.

“Hey, I've been thinking,” he murmured.

“Yeah, what about?” I asked.

“Well, I'm going to have a rather busy summer later on, what with Grandma taking me to Japan and Eileen getting married, so I think packing up to move sooner rather than later would be for the best.”

I had to hold my breath to stop myself from gasping in dismay and crying. I knew this was coming. This is not news to me.

“Yeah?” I finally managed.

“And even though I have found a lot of apartments online, I think we should look at them together,” he continued, seemingly oblivious of my sudden mental crisis.

“Wait... what? Why would we need to look at apartments?” I asked in total confusion. More importantly, what sort of cruel bastard would make me help him choose where he was going to live without me? Although, he was still a bit, um, hopeless when it came to taking care of himself. He probably felt he needed someone who'd been through the process before.

He shrugged. “Well, I suppose we don't NEED to, but I thought that we should. This place is smaller than I like. It's really meant more for students who want to be close to school but live on their own or share with a roommate.”

“Yeah...” I murmured in confusion, because that's exactly what we were.

“But even though I've still got several more years of school, I don't really want to stay in such a tiny apartment. Now that I know the basic layout of the city, I'll feel comfortable living a bit farther away and driving.”

I was still lost. “Uh...”

He got out of bed and went to the bathroom, then rummaged around for a bit, before returning with his laptop. He had it open so that when he climbed back into bed with me, he could show me something.

“I like this one the best. The complex has a built in gym and a pool. The apartments are larger, and they allow pets. I was thinking about getting a cat.”

I raised a brow at him because he basically WAS a cat. I looked at the specs. It was a one bedroom with a closet so spacious that it could almost be a second bedroom.

Even though my heart was still twisted in knots, something important occurred to me. “Wait! So does this mean that you're planning to stay in school?!”

“Of course I'm planning to stay in school. Why wouldn't I?” He asked in confusion.

“No, I mean this school! I thought you were going to transfer to MIT,” I reminded him.

He shook his head. “Nope, I really like this program, and I've gotten to know a few of my classmates. Transferring now would just be a pain in the ass. Besides, I can get my first four year degree here and THEN go to MIT for the advanced stuff – if I want. Not sure, honestly. I sort of like the jobs I'll be qualified for with this degree.”

Alright... sounds like I might have some more time to work on him; to make myself such a big part of his life that he never wanted to leave me. Although, him being so much like a cat, I could see him actually leaving at some point, and then realizing that he's lonely and that he misses me. THAT would hurt too, but at least it might end with him coming back.

“I guess I'm still confused. If you're planning to stay in our school, then why move? Do you REALLY need a gym and pool that badly? There's plenty of actual gyms nearby, and actually, I think we can get a membership to the YMCA at a discount as part of our student perks.”

He tilted his head at me in confusion. “If you don't want to have access to a gym, there's this one.” He pulled up the page for a different apartment. The only thing I could really see at first was that it was also a one bedroom. “The apartment is actually even bigger, and it's apparently in a quieter neighborhood, but it doesn't have a gym or a pool. I just love swimming and thought I should get SOME exercise since I study so much. And I think I'll be studying even MORE because the next classes I'll be signing up for sound fairly challenging. I honestly can't wait!”

I pressed my lips together, trying hard to be supportive even though I HATED the idea of him moving out. He actually seemed to notice my mood though, since he frowned in concern.

“Do you REALLY not want to be farther from school? I mean it's not THAT far. It would add maybe 20 minutes to our commute. And I know you like to go jogging to get a bit of exercise. There are jogging trails by both of these places, so I would think you'd like that. This one actually has paved biking trails, which I thought would be nice – oh wait! Are you worried that you can't afford half the rent? I mean sure, it's a bit of an increase, but I don't want you to worry about that.”

Now I was confused for an entirely different reason!

“Uh... wait! WHY would I be paying half?”

“I just said! You only need to pay what you already are! I don't expect you to pay more just because I want to live in a better place!”

“But...” I felt like he was speaking an utterly foreign language.

“And if neither of these seem right to you, there's always this one,” Elian rushed forward, bringing up a third page. “It's a little closer, has a gym and a pool, but it's not as big and the reviews are all complaints about it being over crowded and not kept in good shape. It would barely be a step up from this place.”

Suddenly, all the little tidbits seemed to collide in my head to make a sudden sense. “Wait! Are you saying that you want US to move?!”

Now he looked like ***I*** was speaking a foreign language. “Yeeeah... of course I am. WHY would I want to move without you?”

I was exasperated now and flung my hands out. “WHY do you want to move?!”

“I ALREADY SAID! I WANT A BIGGER PLACE!!!” He shouted in clear frustration.

“YEAH, BUT YOU NEVER EVEN ASKED ME HOW I FELT!” I pointed out. “HOW WAS ***I*** SUPPOSED TO KNOW YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT US MOVING TOGETHER?! AND!!! THESE ARE ALL ONE BEDROOMS!!!”

He looked like a cat slinking away in shame all of a sudden. “Well... I guess we can get a two bedroom, if you really want, but I just thought...”

A suspicion entered my mind and wouldn't let go. “You thought what?”

He grumbled and deflected a bit, even going so far as to turn away so that he wasn't looking at me and I couldn't see his face. “I thought that you wanted to be with me.”

I felt like a professional boxer pulled on a glove made out of pure hope and punched me in the chest with it. “Uh! Wait! You mean that?!” I mean that I was all in right about Valentine's Day, but I'd been trying my best not to smother him with my expectations. And with him not being the most observant of guys, I really thought he hadn't even noticed.

“Well... when I realized that you'd stopped bringing home lovers and kept trying to get me to do things with you – such as going out to dinner once a week – I sort of assumed that you wanted to date me. So I've been giving it a try, and I don't know. I kinda like it. My only real concern is that if we do this and only have one bedroom, I'll have nowhere else to go when I feel like I need to be alone for a bit.”

I smiled and ran a hand down his spine. “I uh, I don't think I'll be able to afford even half of the rent of these one bedrooms, but if it means that much to you and you're serious, I'll pitch in as much as I can and we can even get a two bedroom, but rather than have separate bedrooms, the second room can be like a home office or a study. That way you'll have a place to go when you need to be alone. It'll also give you a place to do your homework so that you're not basically shut in our bedroom all the time doing it. Although, I suppose that you could always do it at the kitchen table.”

I tended to do my homework on the couch, but he seemed to need a much more structured and organized place.

He was quiet for a long time. Long enough that I began to wonder if he'd changed his mind after all. Then he gently set his laptop on the floor so that he could turn and attack me. He knocked me onto my back and kissed me so demandingly that I almost felt like he was sucking out my soul. Both our hands caressed the other's body, and being already naked from the night before made it abundantly clear that we were both ready to go.

Then he pulled back and looked at me with so much seriousness that I braced myself for some sort of blow. “But I'm warning you now! Since our room will be big enough for it, I want to get a King Sized bed! I NEED to be able to push you away and get some space while sleeping! You have this habit of trying to sleep on top of me and it's annoying!”

I laughed and grinned at him. “If it means that you'll be in the same bed as me, it can be the size of the room! And actually, that would give us a lot of room to wrestle around,” I informed him with a grin that let him know I meant that in the most sexual way possible.

“Good! Now will you just get inside me already?”

Kissing him, I wasted no time grabbing the lube and getting him ready. Happily, he was still a little prepared from last night, and so, I didn't have to spend ages. Just a little lube and – Ah! As always, he was the best thing I'd ever felt!

Almost lazily, I thrust in and out of him, concentrating more on our kissing than on trying to get off. I think I would have spent the whole day exactly like this, but he started growling about 20 minutes later.

“Would you hurry up?! I've got studying to do! And I'm hungry! Gah!”

Rather than wait for me to follow orders, he rolled us over so that he could ride me at his preferred pace. It was fast and hard and very quickly turned my brain to mush. After I pumped him full, I felt like I was floating on an ocean of bliss and seriously debated just going back to sleep.

To my surprise, Mr. Impatient was laying on me, panting and purring happily. He ALSO seemed like he was half asleep, but then he kissed me tenderly.

“We should get something to eat. Then we should focus on studying for our finals. We'll go look at apartments next week and...”

I forced myself to focus, opening my eyes and looking at him. “What?”

“And... after we move in, maybe we should invite my family over for a house-warming and... and tell them... that... we're together...”

I grinned, feeling so happy that I almost thought I had a heart attack. I hugged him to me and gave him a demanding kiss. “I just love you so damn much!”

This made him gasp in surprise. “You do???”

“Wasn't it obvious?” I wondered, because at this point, I don't think I was hiding it very well at all.

“Well... maybe... but I thought that maybe I was just seeing things that weren't really there,” he murmured.

Shaking my head, I kissed him again. “I don't know exactly when it happened, but I've been in love with you forever now.”

He smiled faintly. “I think... I might be too.”

I smiled at him in return. “It's okay, you don't have to say it. I know how much you hate getting close to people.”

He frowned. “I'm not just trying to tell you what I think you want to hear. I just genuinely don't know for sure. All I know is that when I think about being with you, I'm happy, and when I think about NOT being with you, I'm really upset, so... isn't that love?”

That made ME purr! “Aww! Close enough for me!”

After that, I pulled him close and kissed him until that turned into another round, which he was happy with until he realized that he had wasted so much of his studying time. He jumped out of bed and ran to his room shouting: “AH! I'M GOING TO FAIL EVERYTHING!!!”

Laughing, I had to wonder how long it would be before I felt comfortable introducing him to MY family. I... might just have to teach him to fight a bit first...