Light The Fire Ch. 01

**This story will continue references to homophobia and violence throughout. Reader discretion is advised**

**This is my first every attempt at erotica content so I hope you enjoy!**

I pushed my glasses up my nose, my face slick with sweat as I did my best to wheel the suitcase through the long, crowded hall. College move-in day arrived with a hot and humid air that made moving my stuff up several floors a form of torture more than a fun, new experience. My brother stalked ahead of me, navigating the halls with more swiftness and dexterity than I could ever accomplish.

He turned, raising an eyebrow at my lack of grace as I almost tumbled over an abandoned suitcase.

"This wouldn't be a problem if you, oh I don't know, actually worked out every once in a while."

"Ryan, some of us are built for sport, some of us are not. I am part of the former category. Always have been, always will be."

"Then maybe College is the time to change things, Cal. Join a team, do something different, make some friends."

"No, thanks."

"You're impossible." He shook his head, his dark curls bouncing.

Several girls walking along the hall giggled at him, glancing back as they walked past and whispering behind their hands. Ryan had always been the better looking one out of us with the curly hair, lean physique, and a charming smile that always had the girls swooning. That wasn't me. I was the nerdy one in the cardigan and glasses who could get knocked over by a really strong breeze. 

His idea of College and my idea of College were two completely different things. I wasn't interested in impressing the girls. They had never been my type, and he knew that. Sports groups just sounded like hell, and I had never been all that confident in making friends. Just talking to people made me uncomfortable. Moving into a dorm room with someone I didn't know, especially another guy, terrified me. 

We continued down the long hallway. I trained my eyes on the ground as a shirtless guy emerged from one of the rooms, sweat glistening off his body. Heat rose in my cheeks. Ryan turned to look at me, laughing as he enjoyed the awkwardness of it all. Traitor. 

Ryan waited for me to catch up and then pushed the door to my door room open with his toe. I followed him into the room, the wheel of the suitcase catching on the door frame and causing me to stumble. 

"Smooth, Cal, smooth," Ryan said, biting back a laugh.

"Coming from the guy who threw a hot coffee down himself whilst on a date."

"If it makes you feel any better, I had food poisoning on a first date. I did not get a second one." A soft chuckle filled the room. 

I looked up from my suitcase. Standing across from me with a small sheepish smile on his face was the person I could only assume was my roommate. He had light, sandy-colored hair that sat across his forehead in small, loose curls. There was a dimple on his right cheek and, even from across the room, I could see his startling green eyes. He wore a tight shirt that clung to his chest and arms. 

God, he was hot.

His strong build reminded me of the football players in High School that I used to avoid in the halls, but there was a kindness in his eyes that wasn't present in High School. He fidgeted a little, tugging on the top of his shirt. I would have given anything to see what he could do with those hands.

I shifted a little, my palms growing sweaty. Get a hold of yourself, Cal, I thought.

"Put your eyes back in your head, Cal," Ryan muttered, patting me on the back. "You must be Cal's roommate. I'm his brother, Ryan."

"Luca."

Ryan approached him and held his hand out, the two of them shaking for a split second. He turned around to me with a slight raise of his eyebrow and an amused smile dancing on his lips. Being my brother, he had come to read me like a book. 

"I'm Caleb," I said, shaking my head a little. "Most people call me Cal."

"What's your Major?" Luca asked, running a hand through his hair.

"History. You?"

"Physical Therapy. Hey, maybe you can help me study. I've never been very academic."

Ryan clapped me on the back. "Cal would love to help. He's very studious." He turned to me and wiggled his eyebrows before laughing.

"Need some help moving the rest of your stuff? I'm all sorted and my parents have gone home, so I'm free to lend a hand."

"That would be great. Cal's arms would snap if he lifted anything more than a twig."

I shoved him hard, heat rising in my cheeks. "Not funny."

"Come on, little bro, let's get the rest of your stuff and then I can leave you two to chat."

"So annoying," I muttered.

He laughed, stepping out of the room and back into the hallway that was still crowded with people moving their things into their rooms. I glanced at Luca, who smiled warmly and gestured me to the door. I turned away from him, unable to fight the rising blush on my cheeks as I stepped from the room and followed Ryan back to the elevator to get the rest of my things.

With Luca's help, it didn't take us too long to move the last of my stuff from the car to the dorm room, including the mini-fridge that Ryan insisted I take. By the time we finished, I was more sweat than man, which certainly didn't lend itself to making the best first impression on my oh-so-attractive roommate. 

Ryan, being the child that he was, found the whole thing hysterical and kept laughing at me whenever I tripped over my own foot or almost dropped something. I was glad when he finally decided to call it a day and start the drive back home, even more so when he wiggled his eyes between myself and Luca before he left. Subtly had never been his strong suit.

It's not that I was ever uncomfortable with being gay. I had been pretty certain of that since I was about seven and first saw Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. What I wasn't comfortable with was people knowing when I didn't know them well enough. For all I knew, Luca could hate me.

"Your brother seems cool," Luca said, sitting on the edge of his bed. He reached underneath and grabbed a football, throwing it in the air as I started to unpack my things.

"He's a nightmare. He lives to torment me."

Luca laughed. "Sounds like my sister. Cleo knows just how much she can push it without Mom telling her off." He laughed. "What about your parents? They working?"

I scratched the back of my neck. "I don't really talk with them anymore. Haven't for a few years."

"Sorry, man. Shouldn't have asked. Not my business."

"It's fine, doesn't matter."

I turned away from him and back to my suitcase, which lay open on my bed. My parents, especially my mom, had been a sore spot of mine for four years and I wasn't about to explain all of that to an admittedly very handsome stranger. That was a can of worms that I wasn't ready to open just yet. Or ever. Probably ever.

"Dude, how many books do you own?" Luca asked, appearing at my shoulder and leaning over to grab one of my history books. 

I froze, feeling his chest press against my shoulder as he flicked through the book. We had just met and yet the close proximity of our bodies caused my head to spin and my heart to beat wildly in my chest. 

It took a few seconds for me to come to my senses. 

"Oh, erm, more than this. I just bought a few with me."

"You are so helping me study." He threw the book onto my bed with the others. "I hit the jackpot with you as my roommate."

Luca glanced at me, a smile dancing on his lips. I could almost hear his heart beating in his chest due to the closeness of him, but he didn't move. A soft stillness settled over the room as my heart drummed against my chest. I could have sworn he heard it, too. My mouth went dry and my cock jumped in my pants.

The door to our room slammed open, and Luca took a small, almost unnoticeable step backwards. I tore my eyes away from my bed and towards the door. An unfamiliar figure stood in the doorway wearing a plain white shirt and blue jeans. His dark hair was cut short, and he looked between me and Luca with a small smile on his lips and a slightly raised eyebrow. Without him having said a word, I could feel the arrogance oozing off his body.

"I thought I heard voices," he said, his voice like gravel. "Names Derek, I'm next door. Wanted to check out who my new neighbors were." He strode into the room, eyes roaming around the unpacked stuff and the books still strewn across my blankets.

"Luca. That's Cal."

"Looks like we've got a nerd on our hands." Derek strode further into the room and grabbed one of the books. He flicked through the pages, raising an eyebrow at me before flinging the book back onto my bed so it landed open with the covers facing upwards.

"I just like books." I shrugged a little, moving the book a little, so it was no longer wide open.

He stared at me for a few seconds, his eyes seemingly staring straight through me. I shifted uncomfortably and scratched the back of my neck, hoping he might look away or find something else to do. 

"You're not gay, are you?"

My eyes widened, and I could hear my heart beating loudly in my chest. "I... what?"

"I haven't met my roommate yet, but if he's gay, I want to find someone to swap with. The way I see it, they should put all the gays together so it doesn't spread."

Just a few paces away from me, Luca's hands shook a little as he clenched his fingers into a tight fist. I listened to the sound of my heart hammering against my ribcage. My palms grew sweaty, and I knew this time that it wasn't because I was standing close to Luca. Homophobia wasn't a new experience to me, but there was something in Derek's tone that put me on edge, and I didn't like the way he stared at me.

I swallowed the bile at the back of my throat and hoped he didn't notice the shift in my demeanor. Derek continued to look at me, his ice-blue eyes stared straight through me. After a few seconds, he smiled, laughing as though he had said something hilarious. He took a couple of measured steps towards me and clapped me hard on the back. 

"Don't worry about it, nerd. I'm pretty good at spotting homos. Had you worried there though, didn't I?" He didn't wait for a reply. "I'm going to see who else we have on this floor. Maybe we got lucky, and they put the gays together."

Derek threw his head back in laughter before he turned and marched from the room, leaving the door wide open. Beside me, Luca sighed. He crossed the room and closed the door with a slight shake of his head. My heart continued to hammer away in my chest as Luca turned to look at me. 

"I hope he's not on the football team. The last thing we need is a meathead like that. He didn't damage your book, did he?"

I shook my head. "No, it's fine."

"Good."

Luca smiled warmly and all my worries about Derek and his comments seemed to just melt away. That smile somehow made everything disappear and my heartbeat returned to a slower rhythm, although it was still a little fast, but for a different reason. 

I wasn't sure what to make of Luca's reaction to Derek's comment, nor did I want to push my luck and make a comment that would turn him against me. Instead, I turned back to my still packed suitcase and continued to unpack my things. Luca returned to his bed, collapsing against the blankets and throwing his football into the air. I tried not to stare, but God-damn he made it hard. 

Once I finished unpacking, trying not to sneak glances at Luca at the same time, we both headed to the dining hall for something to eat. The moment we stepped through the door, my senses were assaulted by the bright lights, loud noise, and smell of food wafting through the air. It was like being back in the high school cafeteria. 

We got our food and sat down, Luca sitting so close to me that my heart started to beat violently in my chest again. His leg was that close to my own that they might have been touching, and I felt my pants tighten at our close proximity. Stop it, Cal. I moved a little and if Luca noticed; he didn't give any indication. 

"You're Luca Greene, right? The scholarship kid?" someone asked, barreling over to us and taking a seat at the table beside Luca. 

Luca shifted away from me. "Who's asking?"

"Brandon Parker, football team. Coach gave me the lowdown of the new freshman intake, so I thought I might introduce myself." He pushed a mop of red hair off his face, exposing his pale skin covered in an assortment of freckles. 

"Right. You a Senior?"

"Junior. I'm hoping to make Captain once Rhodes graduates." Brandon peered around Luca to look at me, arching one dark eyebrow. "You're not on the football team, are you?"

I shook my head. "Academic scholarship. Sports and me don't get on."

"A real nerd, nice." Brandon smiled. "At least you'll be able to help this one if his grades slip. Coach is pretty harsh about that sort of stuff. If your grades drop, you're off the team."

"Don't worry, I'm good for grades."

"You better be, or I will hunt you down. Rhodes might still be Captain, but I can still kick your ass." Brandon punched Luca hard in the upper arm, laughing and snatching a fry from his plate. 

I watched them, amazed that they were so at ease with each other in a way I could never manage. It had always been hard for me to make friends since I never knew what to expect from people if they found out I was gay. Even in the twenty-first century, there were still people who were horrified by the idea. Neither Brandon nor Luca seemed to worry about that.

"Have you met that Derek kid yet?" Brandon asked, his brown eyes moving between the two of us.

Luca glanced over his shoulder to where Derek sat, almost climbing on the tables and yelling at the top of his lungs. "He's in the room next to us. Is he on the football team?"

"Unfortunately. I don't think he'll last long. If he keeps acting like that, Coach will be rid of him in no time."

"He seems like a dick."

"Reckon you got the measure of him pretty quickly." Brandon shook his head. "I'm gonna go and introduce myself to the other players. I'll see you around Luca, and you, nerd."

"Cal," I said, lightly drumming my finger on the cafeteria table.

"Right, Cal. I'll see you."

Brandon offered me a curt nod of his head, clapped Luca hard on the shoulder, and left the table. I watched him cross the room, dodging those who had just entered, and approach another table with what I assumed to be another freshman. 

"I probably should have told who you were sooner," Luca said, his knee knocking against mine. It was only the smallest of touches, but it set a wave of electricity coursing through my body. "Sorry."

"It was football talk, not my thing."

"Are you really here on an academic scholarship?" I nodded, and Luca whistled loudly. "Damn, maybe I am going to need your help to study. That threat about staying on the team seemed legit."

"I'm happy to help. You just have to ask."

"Might take you up on that." 

Luca smiled, a small dimple forming on his cheek. A light fluttering sensation filled my stomach, almost as if butterflies had decided to make themselves at home. My cock stirred in my pants and I turned away from him and towards my food, trying to ignore the heat rising in my cheeks. How could I stand being roommates with him when he looked at me like that?

It would be a long year.

When we finished eating, I headed back to our dorm room whilst Luca decided to test out the showers to find out if they really were as gross as everyone said they were. When I reached the dorm room, I collapsed back against my bed and sighed, staring up at the white ceiling above my head. My first introduction with Luca could have gone worse, I knew that, but the thought of something going wrong lingered at the back of my mind.

He was a nice, attractive guy, but I knew it might not last. If he found out the truth about me, he could decide that he didn't want to be friends with me anymore. Plenty of people had done the same. Hell, my own parents wanted nothing more to do with me after they found out I was gay. It's been four years and they still haven't spoken to me.

My phone beeped on my nightstand, the annoying FaceTime call sound cutting through the silence of the dorm room. I groaned, rolling over and grabbing my phone, answering the call.

"Made a move on the hot roommate yet?" Ryan grinned through the scream, a small smear of jelly on his cheek.

"Shut up!" I glanced towards the door. "You're lucky he's not in here."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Dude, leave him alone," Damien said before Ryan could make another comment. 

"Have you spoken to anyone other than your roommate?" Ryan's camera shakes a little.

"The guy in the room next door, but he made a few... interesting comments, and someone else on the football team. Though he was talking to Luca more than he was talking to me."

"Way to put yourself out there, Cal."

"It's his first day." Damien rolled his eyes. "Not all of us can befriend our entire floor like you did. Let Cal go at his own pace."

"His pace is the same as a snail. He'll have graduated by the time he's made any friends outside of his roommate."

"I'm right here!" 

"Exactly, and you saw how easy it is for us to pretend you're not there. It'll be just as easy for all those people in your class."

"Don't be such a douche, Ryan." Damien shook his head, his image moving a little as he shifted positions. "Ignore him, Cal. You do you, but don't completely isolate yourself or I will come out there myself."

"And he will!" Holly, Damien's fiancee, appeared in the small square on my phone, a big grin on her face. 

I laughed, but I knew he meant it. After what happened with our parents, Damien made it his mission to make sure I didn't cut myself off from the rest of the world. There had been times when I didn't want to talk to anyone, when the feeling of disappointment hit me like a truck. Damien was always there when it happened. He would invite me out for lunch, movie nights, and just do whatever he could to keep an eye on me. Although I lived with Ryan -- a decision we made because he lived in my school district -- I saw a lot of Damien. 

He became the dad that I no longer had.

I didn't mind too much for the most part, but he didn't understand why I might be more willing to cut myself off than him or Ryan. Neither of them had to worry about whether their friends were going to turn their back on them or worry about this secret that could change everything. They didn't know what that felt like or what I had to do to protect myself. 

The door swung open, revealing Luca dressed in a pair of pale gray sweats and a towel dangling from his right arm. He wasn't wearing a shirt. His time on the football team showed with his large arm muscles, pecs, and the beginnings of a six-pack on his abdomen. My cock throbbed in my pants and I shifted on my bed a little, trying not to appear too awkward. 

"Those showers aren't as bad as I thought, but still bad," he said, smiling. He frowned when he noticed the phone in my hand. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Just my brothers being annoying, nothing important."

"Oi! We're still here."

"And still being annoying."

"Turn the camera around," Damien said. "As your older brother, I have a right to meet who you're rooming with. Make sure they're nor a serial killer."

I mouthed an apology to Luca, who took a few more steps into the room and closed the door, turning my phone around.

"So you're Cal's roommate," Damien said.

"Luca Greene."

"Damien Denton."

"Nice to meet you, even if it is through a screen."

"Likewise." He cleared his throat. "If I hear that you've done anything to my brother, I will hurt you."

"Okay, we're not doing this." I turned the phone back around so the camera was on me. "You're not threatening my roommate on my first day. I'm hanging up. Goodbye."