Jock Next Bed

Thanks for checking this out. This is a gay story. So if it's not your cup to tea, you should leave now.

For those interested, note that English is not my first language, so in case there are some misspellings, kindly point them out instead of criticizing bluntly.

Everything is fictional and characters are over 18 years old.

This is a slow burn romance. So do not expect to find them having sex from the first meeting. haha.

Now enjoy....

*********

"Are you sure you've thought things through?"

His mother asked for the umpteenth time just as his flight was announced.

Ever since he made this decision, his parents had repeatedly asked him to make sure he knew what he was getting himself into.

The thought had just come one day. Of course, he'd done it on the spur of the moment. He had been emotional and just felt like detaching himself from the world. Feeling as though no one genuinely cared about him. Maybe they were friends with him because of his family? His parents had several businesses and were the type known as the RICH rich. They weren't only rich, but they were rich in the rich. It was funny how his parents didn't even know they were rich because he doubted that they had ever sat down to think about all they had achieved. They were always working. Always accumulating. And they were giving him the best life he could ever ask for. And that was why he made up his mind to do something meaningful and make them proud.

He decided he was going to study business instead, which surprised his parents, but they had been happy with his decision. Then came the next shock to them; he told them he didn't want them to pull any strings and he was going to get into one of the two universities his parents owned with his own abilities and warned them not to get involved.

He had believed in his abilities and had even gotten mad at his parents for not believing in him until the admission came out and he realized he hadn't been accepted despite how passionate his statement of purpose had been. Isn't that how it usually happens in the movies?

He knew it was pathetic of him, but he had kind of hoped his parents would pull some strings behind his back. So it had been a hard jab at his ego.

He needed to take out his anger on someone, and so he faced his parents and told them he was never going to attend any of the universities they owned. Instead, he was going to get into a different university.

So for the rest of the year, he made sure to do some research, took some online courses and earned some certificates, then he studied hard on how to write a good personal statement and realized how awful the previous one had been. He cringed whenever he remembered the words he had written.

So there it was. Like a miracle, he got admitted to one university after applying to five schools he believed suited him, and it came with funding!

Even though his parents were worried about him, they were very proud of him.

He was leaving now. And he was leaving as a different person. He had changed the way he looked, changed his number, and even deleted his social media. He was done with his immature life. At 19, he had to be serious. He was his parents' only child, after all.

"I have, mum. And you really should start believing me. For real." He gave her a pointed look.

"I believe you." She sighed and touched his cheek. "And I believe in you. But I'm worried. You have never lived on your own before. You don't even know how to cook, or clean, or wash your things."

"Mum!" He groaned.

"There's always a way to start. And... I have a roommate, remember? He is a senior. I'm sure I'll learn from him. It shouldn't be that hard."

"God! You look so awful." She sighed. "I prefer your real look. Your red hair. Your blue eyes. This is just... awful." She grumbled, making him laugh.

The call came again as a reminder, and so he got ready to leave, kissing her cheek.

"I'm still good looking, right?" He joked.

She rolled her eyes, but he knew he still looked good. In fact, he was beginning to like looking like this.

His once red hair was now dyed black and left to grow a little while falling to the back of his neck. He wore black contacts and specs and had even taken off his ear studs.

There was no doubt that even if he bumped into someone around here over there, they were not going to believe it was him.

"Where did you even get those clothes?" He could hear his mother complaining as he waved at her and hurried to catch his flight.

His best friend, Wilson, was probably still traumatized by the experience. They had both visited a thrift store to shop for outfits, and first of all, the prices blew them away. That he had almost bought the entire store. The fact that people had worn those clothes before was too much to take, but he was on a mission, so he bought a few items he thought were good and made sure to tell the maids to properly disinfect them before and after washing.

He had thought he would hate wearing them, but surprisingly, it felt like every other outfit. He wore a tee-shirt, joggers, and a hoodie with the zip undone. On his feet were a pair of knockoff sneakers to go with it.

He had never left his house like this, much less traveled like this. But he was on a mission. And it was beginning to make him thrilled. He was both excited and apprehensive.

He went through his plan in his head throughout the 4-hour flight.

"Study hard, pass well, no dating, no unseriousness."

As soon as he landed, his whole being felt the change. The air around here smelled fresher. It was kind of chilly too.

He had read about the city, and as he rode the taxi to the town where his university was, he seemed to believe what he had seen on the internet.

The place was not overly crowded. The people were friendly-- his cabman proved that. They all had an accent that he didn't mind. He could hear his cabman just fine.

"You will enjoy your university here." The cab said, for the nth time.

"I bet," Chris muttered while looking out the window, hoping for the best.

*******

Chris didn't know what a messy room looked like. Whenever he left the house, before he returned, the maids had cleaned up whatever little mess he had made inside his room. So his prayer was that his roommate was not the messy type and was not the excessively neat type either. Because he still wasn't sure how he was supposed to clean and manage his space to save face.

He didn't know much about his roommate aside from the fact that he was a local and a senior, and hadn't bothered about any of it, even when the lady he had been talking to about his dorm had asked if he was okay with her sharing his number with his roommate so they could 'catch up'. He was already a week late from resumption and probably would have asked his roommate some questions, but he hadn't particularly been interested in that until he received a message from a strange number one day,

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Good morning. Sorry for just reaching out now, but this is your roommate and I was wondering when you'd be coming to school since it's already been a week since resumption. I was wondering if you were okay?

That message had surely surprised him because one, they were both strangers, so why did his roommate care if he was okay or not? Two, why was he apologizing for just reaching out now? And three, why was he so nice?

CHRIS: I'm good. I had to create a new bank account for the university's fund. I guess you already know I'm on a scholarship. It was quite a long process and everything, but I was able to conclude it yesterday, so I'll be arriving on Wednesday.

It took a whole day before a reply came. In fact, Chris had totally forgotten about it until he received a message just when he was about to go to bed.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Sorry I'm just texting now. It's cool you've been able to sort it out. I'll try to be around when you move in on Wednesday to help you settle in. By the way, I'm Sky.

Chris smiled faintly at the text. What was with him and being polite? Chris already imagined a nerdy guy with glasses and braces who was probably socially awkward and that was why he was this polite. If he had this kind of guy as a roommate, he guessed it would be quite easy to navigate around the school.

Chris guessed he was the type to insist on helping him move even if he turned him down, so he didn't bother to play the "No, I'm fine. You don't have to help me move" card.

Chris: I'm Chris. Good night.

Sky: I know your name. Good night too.

That message came about 2 hours later when Chris had already fallen asleep, so he got to see it the next morning.

And that was as far as his conversation went with the roommate. Chris wondered what it was that he was always doing that made him seem busy. Was he always reading? Or doing some science project?

That would be cool too. Having a studious roommate to rub off his smartness on him was something he wouldn't mind.

By the time Chris arrived at the second floor of the school dormitory, he was panting like a dog.

The dorm was quite big. A three-storey.

It was kind of empty, so he guessed most of them were in class since it was a school day. He met a few people who welcomed him, and some had looked guilty, saying they would have helped him if they were not late for class. Two actually offered to help him carry his things, but he had used the city boy's, "It's fine, thank you," to shoo them away, and now he was beginning to regret it, especially when he found out that the elevator was not working. Fortunately, he had an athlete's spirit, but considering how long he did anything he could consider athletic, it made him feel quite tired carrying two heavy bags and one big backpack.

When he got to the room assigned to him, he checked his key tag again to be sure, and when he confirmed it was 062, he tried to stick his key inside the keyhole but was met with resistance since a key was at the other side and the door was unfortunately locked.

He knocked on the door when he heard voices inside, but even after 3 minutes, he got no response. It seemed like they were playing a video game inside and having fun while he stood out there trying to get their attention. Was that even allowed in dorms? He had read that part in the rule document that said those things were not allowed in the school dormitory. And now he really agreed.

Frustrated, he banged on the door and it seemed to work because everything came to a halt inside and he could hear noises as if they were trying to cover up whatever they were doing.

God, he really hoped his roommate was not the type with too many friends. The door flew open and he caught the flushed face of a boy quite shorter than him, with brown hair and deep brown eyes, trying to maintain a smile, but when the boy saw who was standing out there instead, he sighed in relief and placed a hand on his chest. He was probably not more than 19 and had quite a slender build, which was quite obvious in the tank top and shorts he was wearing. Chris could swear this guy had never played a single sport in his entire life. He didn't look bad. He had quite a pretty face that Chris would have probably admired if he hadn't already taken a celibacy vow and, most importantly, if he wasn't so pissed right now.

"For a moment, I thought it was the dorm inspector." He said, looking inside the room at the other person there.

"It's not?" The person asked hopefully and came to peek at the person outside.

Chris got a view of the second person. He was taller than the first guy but a head shorter than Chris. From his build, he obviously played sports. His black hair was cut like some kind of military dude and his eyes were a lighter shade of brown. He wore a stud in his right earlobe, and his face wasn't bad either. Maybe guys from this side were naturally good looking?

Of course, he knew they were from this side because of their accents. The big guy wore joggers and a tank top too. Weren't they cold? Or was he the only one?

The two guys looked at Chris, and after a few seconds of staring, the one standing by the door closest to Chris smiled.

"You must be Chris?" He exclaimed.

Was this guy his roommate? Or was it the second guy behind?

Either way, he was not impressed with whoever his roommate was out of the two of them, and they seemed to notice.

"Idiot! Get out of the way and let him enter!"

The one behind scolded, and the guy at the front seemed to come to his senses and moved to the side.

Chris glared at him before entering the room and glancing around.

No way in hell he could live here!

******

"It was totally douchebaggery of us to lock you out. We came to help you settle in and lost track of tim--"

As soon as Chris turned to look at the short guy, he pursed his lips, obviously intimidated by Chris. Even though Chris had changed his looks, it didn't change the haughty air around him, having been born with a silver spoon. The boy he was looking at was not really short. He was about 176 cm while Chris was 188 cm and he had played sports all his life. From soccer to basketball to baseball, not to mention workouts with his friends.

Chris wasn't the bulky type. He just had the right muscles and fitness that even his hoodie and tee-shirt with joggers could not hide. So yeah, the tiny guy had to keep his mouth shut. Chris's eyebrows pulled together slightly when he thought he saw the tiny guy checking him out. Now, he really hoped that this guy was not his roommate.

"Uhm, Chris. Sorry for keeping you outside. Let us know how we can help you. Sky is busy with some stuff and asked us to help you settle when you arrive. He even bought you something to eat." The other guy said apologetically while pointing at the nylon bag on the small table beside the unmade bed.

Chris suddenly felt bad for getting angry at them, even though he had a valid reason to be angry.

"It's fine. It was just chilly outside, and I was exhausted."

"Oh, yes. You are not used to the weather here. You are going to adjust. My name is Henry, by the way. And this guy here is Noel. We are Sky's best buddies. All from this town." Small guy extended his hand, smiling.

Chris shook his hand as Henry continued, "We expected to see a geek or nerd or something. But you look..."

Henry didn't complete his words. But he seemed pleased and Chris wondered what would have happened if he had come here the way he usually looked.

Since they probably knew he was here on some school funding, they must have assumed he was a nerd. He adjusted his spec before shaking Henry's hand, hoping they would at least see him as one since he was wearing glasses.

"I'm Chris." He introduced himself, even though they knew his name already. He was compelled to be nice to them since it seemed they were nice. His roommate had actually asked his friends to help him and had even bought him something to eat.

That was surprising.

When Henry took his time with the handshake, Noel pulled him by the collar, breaking the moment by force.

"We'll let you settle. I have practice to go meet up with and this shortie here has dance practice. We'll catch up some other time."

"Thanks," Chris said to the friends before they left him.

Now that he was alone, he took his time looking around the room and sighed deeply.

The only things they had in the room were 2 single beds, 2 desks beside each bed, and 2 wardrobes opposite each other, with a little water sink at the end of the room, which he guessed was for brushing his teeth and probably cleaning whatever needed to be cleaned inside the room. Was that even ideal?

It was obvious to tell which side of the bed was his and which was Sky's. One bed was made, although the sheets were kind of rumpled. He guessed it was all thanks to the two guys that had just left. Obviously, the unmade bed was his, so he went to drop his things while wondering how he was going to survive in this cramped space with another person.

Sky's table was well arranged too, and there was a laptop there with some books and stationery. So he dropped his backpack on the empty table which was his.

He used that logic to arrange his things on the things he thought were his and those that belonged to his roommate. He could not believe how tiring it was to do chores like this. He had only wanted to rest a little after calling his parents and best friend to let them know he had arrived, but before he knew it, he was waking up at 4 a.m., which surprised the hell out of him.

The shock quickly wore off and then he noticed his roommate was not in. That was when he noticed he had a text message and so he opened it.

SKY: Sorry. I couldn't return today to help you with your stuff. The dorms were already locked by the time I knew what the time was saying. I hope you were able to settle in and my friends didn't give you much trouble? Also, don't forget to eat. I wasn't sure if you like burgers, but I just guessed everyone did.

"He sure likes to say sorry," Chris muttered to himself and smiled at the thoughtfulness. One thing he also appreciated was that this Sky guy typed in full. He once again imagined the faceless roommate with his big round specs, buried in the library until the lights were out.

CHRIS: Did you find a place to slee...

Of course, he would find a place to sleep! He was in his second year and not a clueless freshman like him. He cleared the message and simply ignored it before standing up. He could not believe he had fallen asleep fully clothed when he usually slept in barely a piece of clothing.

Since he was already awake, he continued arranging his things and saw the burger Sky had been talking about. He had totally forgotten about it, which meant there was no way it was eatable now. He added it together with the trash cluelessly and dumped them in the only basket he found inside the room before collapsing on the bed again from exhaustion.

He willed himself to stand up from there and go freshen up since he had to complete his physical registration and start classes today since he was already behind. Fortunately, he didn't meet anyone in the bathroom, and as he showered there, he figured it wasn't much different from the locker room showers in his high school. He just had to imagine he was showering after a soccer game and get used to this.

He believed he could do it.

*****

Chris had to admit that this whole thing felt foreign to him. And he wasn't only talking about being in a new environment. When he was in high school, literally everyone knew him. He wasn't talking about just his school alone. Everyone in town, as well as the next town, knew who he was. So whenever he walked by, there were either people saying hello to him, approaching him, or inviting him to parties or whatever. Thanks to his good looks and his family's prestige. He was always in the spotlight, even when he didn't want to be.

But here... things were different. He had already arrived at the university block and had the most peaceful walk of his life. People had looked at him curiously, and by the looks on their faces, he knew it was because of how tall he was, not because he was from a rich family or because he was good-looking.

These people here seemed to be blessed by the god of beauty because their looks were all remarkable, so his looks, coupled with the nerdiness he had added to it wasn't anything special to them. He passed by a big poster with the facial portrait of a guy that looked like a model and a big caption that said, "WELCOME BACK TO CAMPUS"

He stopped and looked at it a second time, blinking at the model. He was beautiful. And not in a feminine way.

What caught his eye was the wavy blonde hair that fell to the back of his neck. It wasn't very long, but neither was it short. The tiny black huggie earring in his left earlobe was properly revealed. His almost shaped eyes were a bright hazel and he had a nice set of dimples decorating his cheeks.