Spin Ch. 01

Gus, like a trooper, just smiles. "Go for it."

I count off each question with my fingers. "How old are you, where are you from, what are you doing with your life?"

He pauses before looking at me. "Not gonna ask what my favorite color is?" he asks in a serious tone before smiling, both of us laughing.

I learn that Gus is twenty-four, like myself. Our graduation years were different because he took time off between high school and college to pursue some serious athletics (turns out he's big into winter sports). He graduated with a degree in publication and journalism, surprisingly enough. He's lived in Boston his whole life with his mom and his kid brother, and since his mom works the night shift, he mostly works from home as a writer for one of Boston's newspapers in order to also care for his younger sibling. He doesn't seem to mind, though. In fact, his face perks up a bit when he talks about his family, so I'm sure he has no qualms about where his life is at.

He asks for my rundown in return, so I give him the gist of things. I'm a grad student working on my PhD in organic chemistry. I'm an only child, adopted from Malaysia, and though I've never particularly been into athletics, I love hiking and rock climbing. My life has been on a cycle lately: PhD, working out at the indoor rock climbing gym, back to PhD, maybe seeing a friend or my parents, and then PhD once again. You can't really have much of a life going for a doctorate in fucking organic chemistry -- so I'm hoping the end result is worth it.

It's a decent walk to where he lives, but I don't mind. It's nice chatting with Gus. It's a totally different pace than what I'm used to. My conversations are usually either heavily science-based or pointless small-talk. In the very, very short span of time that we've been talking, I can already tell that Gus has the capacity to have real, deeper conversations. There are other qualities I can discern right off the bat, too: he's kind, very self-aware, lacking a strong sense of confidence, smart, and unambitious (which I don't see as a total con just yet). It seems like we might overlap in a lot of ways, like with humor and how we think. The only major differences I've noticed thus far are our confidence levels (of which I have plenty) and ambition (of which I have too much). Already, I'm eager to see how this friendship develops.

When we get to his apartment, he lets me in first and locks the door behind him. Then, I hear a woman's voice coming from the kitchen. "Angie, is that you?"

I smirk at Gus, who blushes. "Angie?" I whisper, but he just shoves me playfully.

"Yeah, it's me, Ma," he says to his mother, heading into the kitchen. I follow, seeing him hug a small, kind-looking woman who looks a bit frazzled. She looks up at me in surprise when she sees me, but Gus quickly introduces me. "This is my friend Jackie."

"Hello!" she says sweetly, and I'm about to offer my hand before I realize she's coming in for a hug. I laugh, leaning over to accept the embrace.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Fenway," I say, and she gives me a pat on the back.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" she asks in typical mom-fashion. It's quite adorable.

Gus steps in, though. "Mom, we're fine," he says with a little laugh. "Just focus on getting ready for work."

"Okay, okay," she says, brushing him off as she finishes wrapping up food for herself. "Can you make sure Gabriel is asleep? He keeps sneaking off to play video games."

"I'll make sure," Gus says, and he leans in to kiss her cheek. "Have a good shift."

After saying goodbye to his mother, he gestures for me to follow him, leading me through the small apartment space and down a narrow hallway. We stop halfway down, where Gus pokes his head into one of the bedrooms. "Gabe?" he whispers. I stand behind Gus to peer in and notice it's his seven-year-old brother's room. He looks like he's fast asleep in his bed, so Gus just shuts the door. "I'm surprised he's actually asleep," he says as he heads further down the hallway.

"Does he not sleep?"

"He does, just not alone. I almost always wake up to find him in my bed, or in my mom's bed," he says. He opens the door to his own room and flicks on the light. Immediately, the small space is illuminated. It reminds me of a dorm room with how compact everything feels, especially because he has a bunk bed, but he's managed to keep it cozy. The top bunk is used for storage, it looks like, while the rest of the room has so much shit on the walls that I don't even know what the paint looks like. Between the posters, banners, flags, and newspaper clippings, the already-small room feels a bit tighter, but not suffocating at least. I'm surprised, though -- because it's not as messy as I thought it'd be, especially considering he said he's been doing not much else besides getting high and playing video games. As we walk into the dimly lit room, I hear a meow coming from his bed, and notice a light-grey cat stretched out on his pillow.

"Cute," I say, smiling.

"Yeah, she's cute, but she's a bitch," Gus says, and I laugh a little. Gus goes to his bed and pets the cat's head before kicking his shoes off and climbing onto the sheets. He sits against the wall and grabs the controller that was on the pillow next to his cat. "Take a seat, my guy," he says suddenly, patting the spot next to him.

I smile a little, taking my shoes off before joining him on his small bed. The TV is situated at a nice angle, and when he turns the screen on, I see the game is already loaded up. Clearly, he had been playing before he went out today. I watch him save and exit his game before clicking on an empty save file to start up a new game. He then hands me the controller.

I look at him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, go for it," he says.

I laugh, taking the controller. "Damn, you really know how to treat a girl," I say, and he chuckles.

We spend hours playing through the beginning of the game. I'm in heaven. This is the perfect bit of escapism I need after being so balls-deep in my research. Plus, once I get a handle on the mechanics, I find that I'm surprisingly good at this game. He hasn't gotten too far in the story yet, so we spend a lot of time speculating where it may lead while I go through the intro, even doing things that he didn't notice during his first run.

And then, the controller suddenly loses battery. "Um. What happened?" I ask, handing him the unresponsive controller.

"Fucking shit," Gus says with a laugh. He sighs. "We gotta wait." He hops off the bed. "The one fault with the Switch is that you have to charge the Joy-Cons on the actual system. So you can't use them when it's docked." I watch him slide each controller onto either side of the console to charge. "Unless you wanna play it over there?"

It's tempting, but we've been playing a while, and I'm sure it's much better visually on the TV rather than in handheld-mode. "We can take a break," I say.

Gus nods, coming back to the bed with a sigh. "You want anything, by the way?" he asks. "My mom makes a killer cake. I think there's leftovers."

"Nah, I'm okay," I say with a smile. Even though that sounds amazing, I try not to eat when it's too late at night. "What does she do, by the way? Night shift of anything must suck."

"Oh, for sure," he says with a laugh. "She's a nurse. Mostly third-shift, but she likes it, oddly enough."

"I'd fucking die, dude," I say. "I need daylight."

"You're tellin' me," he says with a laugh.

"She works at a hospital, I'm assuming?"

He nods. "Yup. Not too far from here, actually."

"Is it even busy?"

"I mean, she says it can get busy if there are big events happening nearby, but otherwise, it's super irregular."

"Bet she gets all the weirdos," I say, imagining all the strange happenings that occur in Boston at night.

"Sometimes," he says, and then he starts laughing. "Actually, last week, she said a guy came into the ER with surgical complications. He had gotten a few ribs removed at the bottom in Mexico or some shit. And she was all 'Why would anyone get their ribs removed?'" He says it in his best, high-pitched mom voice.

I snort. "I can think of one reason."

Gus laughs. "I didn't have the heart to tell her."

I sit up a bit, feeling my own ribs. "Would that really help that much?" I ask, laughing and looking at Gus while I try to envision someone trying to suck their own cock. "I'm not that flexible."

"I am," he says.

I arch my eyebrow. "Really?" I laugh slightly. "So you can like... go down on yourself?"

He blushes but laughs as if he realizes what he just admitted. "I mean... Yeah, if I wanted to, I could probably do it."

"No way," I say with a laugh. "And you still have all your ribs?"

"Yeah, I'm fully intact. Here." He has me move down the bed more to make room for him. He turns around and rests his head on the edge of the bed with his legs up on the wall. "Just spot me real quick. Make sure I don't fall," he says as he swings his legs over his head. He looks like he's about to slip so I (awkwardly) grab his sides, looking down at him between his legs. The first thing I notice is how firm his body feels. Damn, this kid definitely works out a good amount. I keep a solid grip on him and tilt my head to a better position so that I can see, and sure enough, he can bend back far enough to totally suck his own dick. I'm a bit shocked considering Gus is shorter and has a more compact built, so I wouldn't have expected him to be flexible enough to suck himself off. He could take a decent couple of inches too, depending on how big he is. I can't help but laugh -- and at the same time, I almost want to see the real thing.

"That's insane," I say with a grin as I spot him until he's back in a normal position.

"Strains the back a little, though," he says, rubbing his lower back.

"I can imagine." I look at him, grinning still. "You must have tried it for real," I say. "Be honest."

He blushes, but I think he realizes we're kind of on cool terms now. "Uh... Yeah, I have."

I let out a hearty laugh. "Damn, man, that's impressive," I say, patting his leg before resting against the wall. "I'd never leave the house if I could do that."

He laughs, which seems to make him feel more comfortable. "It's honestly not that amazing," he says. "You kinda lose the surprise element."

"The surprise?"

"Yeah, like... When someone's doing you, you're not really sure what they're gonna do," he explains. "Or like how scratching your own back doesn't feel as good when someone else does it."

I nod in understanding. "Okay, yeah, that makes sense," I say before smirking.

"Every now and then, though," he says.

"Says you," I tease, and we both laugh.

We just chat for a little while longer until we both feel the controllers have been charging long enough. I let him play this time, though, since he's a little further in the game and I want to see more of the map. We solve a few puzzles in-game together for a while and do some exploration, but eventually, since I'm lying down, I get tired. The exhaustion annoys me because I want to keep playing this game with Gus, but my body betrays me, and I inevitably drift off into sleep.

~ ~ ~

My phone wakes me up. The vibration is extra loud for some reason, and as it pulls me out of sleep, I realize my alarm must be going off. I groan, sliding my hand down into my pocket. How did this blanket get on me?

"Morning, sleepyhead," I hear someone say.

I glance over towards the floor and see Gus is doing some sit ups, smiling at me. "Shut up," I say sleepily, and he laughs. I pull my phone from my pocket, but I notice that it's not my alarm. Liv is calling me. I squint a bit before sliding my phone open to answer the call. As I do, my phone falls onto the bed, and I sigh, my fingers still half-asleep. I just press the speaker button out of laziness. "What?"

I hear her laugh. "Did you just wake up?"

"Maybe," I say with a yawn. "You're on speaker, by the way," I tell her.

"Okay," she says, and then she pauses. "Wait. Is someone else there?"

"Gus."

"Really?" she asks, and there's something in her voice that I can't quite pin down. "You're with Gus?"

"Yeah..." I say, glancing at Gus, but he's just doing his sit ups. "I'm at his place."

"Oh, okay," she says. "Hi, Gus!" she says loudly, and Gus smiles and says hello back. "I just wanted to invite you to the casino this weekend. Bruce wants to book a hotel quick before the rooms are taken so we're trying to get a headcount. Gus, you should come too!"

Gus pauses mid-sit-up, smiling slightly. "I don't wanna intrude or any--"

"You're not intruding," she says quickly. "We're thinking Friday night into Saturday."

Gus glances at me and I just shrug. "I'm down," I say. Gus seems to think about it before agreeing to as well, which makes Liv very happy.

We talk for another minute before she lets me go, and I hang up, sighing and resting on my back. "Fuck you for letting me sleep in my jeans," I tell him, and he just laughs. He looks way more comfortable in shorts and a wife beater.

"I'm sorry. I actually tried to wake you up but you were completely out."

"Damn," I say with a slight laugh. "Your bed is mad comfortable."

"It's all the extra padding," he says, straightening out his legs to stretch.

I smile slightly. "Well, thanks for letting me take your bed. Next time, kick me out."

"Kick you out?"

"I hate taking people's beds. I always feel bad. Just tell me to move to the couch."

Gus smiles. "Alright. I'll remember that for next time. Which is when, by the way?" When I arch my eyebrow, he just laughs. "Plenty more of this game to tackle," he says, gesturing to the Switch.

I bite my lip a bit. Is tonight too soon? He doesn't seem like the type of guy who'd be weirded out by that. Plus, he was the one who suggested we hang out again. "I can make time," I say.

"How 'bout tonight then?" he asks, and I resist smiling too widely. "If it's too far, I can come to you. Where do you live?"

"Cambridge," I say. "Literally right across the bridge."

"Oh, that's not bad," he says, shrugging. "We could figure it out later, if you want."

"Yeah, that works." I smile, feeling excited about this new friendship.

~ ~ ~

We end up hanging out multiple times over the next few days, either playing video games, going out and grabbing food, seeing some live music, or just chilling out. Each time we see each other, we've been really getting to know each other better. He's such a nice guy -- and I realize I'm incredibly attracted to his vibe. There's an energy about him that just completely calms me, which is perfect for me considering how stressed I've been with my research. After a long, mentally-taxing day, Gus is there with a smile, good food, and good company.

Him coming to the casino with my friends makes it a little more exciting than it usually is. Honestly, the casino for me is a total drag. We all make plans pretty much once or twice a year to go, but I'm not a gambler, nor a shopper (since it's essentially a mall). The only reason I go is to hang out with my friends, maybe get drunk in a nice hotel suite, and just unwind for a bit. Last year I went to the nearby spa with Liv and Sasha, which was surprisingly nice. Maybe we'll do that again. But this time, I'll at least have a new friend to kick back with.

We end up not spending that much time shopping, thank the Lord. Bruce outdid himself and rented out one of the nicest suites available, and all of us are so into the space that we only leave to get a group dinner and shop for maybe an hour. The rest of our time is spent in the room mingling and drinking and listening to music. I don't drink that much so that Gus doesn't feel left out, but I still end up having a good time. Plus, it's nice to see him integrating so well with our circle of friends. Bruce's girlfriend is still very out-of-the-loop, and by her choice. I keep trying to initiate conversation but she's adamant on being a lone wolf, I suppose. At least one of the newbies is getting along with everyone.

As we're all relaxing in the sitting room that connects the two bedrooms, Liv speaks up. "We should play Spin the Bottle again."

All of us groan in protest, which makes me laugh. "*God*, no," Corb says, shaking his head vehemently.

"You guys are no fun," Liv says with a pouty face.

"No stupid games. Put on a movie or something," Corb suggests.

But Kayla has an even better idea. "Why don't we go to the hot tub or something?"

I'm the first one to jump on board, and the rest eagerly accept the idea. We all change into our bathing suits and make our way downstairs to where the hot tub and pool are. It's pretty late, so there's only one man doing laps in the pool, but the hot tub is completely open, and the girls all squeal in delight at the fact that we get it all to ourselves.

Once inside, we all just have casual conversation, most of which is spent taking turns complaining about some aspect of each of our lives (I focus on grad school). I notice that Liv is all over Kyle for some reason, sitting sideways in his lap with her arms around his neck. I know they hook up often, mostly when they've both been drinking, and though I love Kayla, her brother is something to be desired at times. I like him, sure, but only in group settings, because I at least am able to shift my attention towards someone else when I need space from him. He just has irksome energy. He's also the type to stir the pot for his own entertainment... which is exactly what he tries to do in the hot tub.

"Hey, so, Gus," he starts to say as Liv nibbles on his ear. Since Gus is directly across from Kyle, everyone is listening. "Liv told me you had a sex dream about Jackie."

A couple of the girls giggle and say "Ooo!" Even I'm about to laugh until I notice Gus's face. "Dude, seriously?" he says. His face is red as fuck, and not because of the heat from the hot tub.

Kyle's grinning, but in a snide sort of way. It pisses me off a bit because I know he's only doing this to make Gus uncomfortable, which means Gus probably told Liv about the dream hoping it'd stay in confidence. "I just wanna know if it was juicy or anything," Kyle says.

Gus doesn't answer Kyle. Instead, he's looking at Liv. "Why'd you tell him that?"

She just plays it off as if it's no big deal. "What?" she asks girlishly. "Jackie doesn't care. Right, Jackie?"

I mean, she's right, but it doesn't seem like Gus wanted everyone to know. "Yeah, but I do," Gus says. God, I feel horrible. He looks so embarrassed. It's not his fault he didn't know that Liv can't keep a secret to save her life. She'll tell anyone anything.

Before anyone can get another word in, Gus pulls himself out of the hot tub, grabbing his towel and making a beeline for the door. "Gus!" I say, calling after him, but he ignores me. Once he's gone, I sigh, looking at Kyle. "You're a dick, dude."

"What?" he says in that stupid, smug smile of his.

"It's not a big deal, guys," Liv says.

"You're a dick too, Liv," I tell her, and she looks surprised that I'm calling her out. Really, I'm mostly irritated by her. Kyle's antics are expected, but she should know better than to make a newcomer feel isolated. Then again, I should really get Gus's side of things before I start berating my friends. Deciding to go check up on him, I stand up. Liv starts to talk to me but I cut her off. "I'm gonna go make sure he's good," I say, stepping out of the hot tub.

"Oh my God," Liv says, drawling out "God" in an exasperated way. "This is way way way out of proportion. It's just a stupid sex dream."

I know that it's not a big deal. We're adults. We know that sex dreams are random and weird and funny and who cares? But Gus isn't super close with all of us yet. He's still an outsider, and Liv and Kyle singled him out and embarrassed him. Regardless of whether or not it's a big deal, he feels bad about it, and that's valid enough. Without saying anything else, I pull myself out of the tub, grab my towel, and head out to look for Gus.