The Universe of Discretion: The Dead House

A knock at the door was followed by Will peeking around the corner.

“Are you okay?” he asked carefully.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just needed to escape for a bit.”

Will sat down on the bed and looked at me in silence.

Then he said, “I kissed a guy for the first time, and I was wearing a blindfold.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. I wasn’t sure why he was telling me this.

“Sam asked me to talk to Alexei in the hopes that he would reconsider our offer. I was trying to be hospitable, but now I feel…weird,” Will said, looking out the window.

“Weird how?” I asked. I would go for “violated,” but I didn’t want to put any words in his mouth.

“My folks raised me with an old-fashioned Southern backbone which includes a general misunderstanding about…”

“Guys kissing guys,” I said, trying to make this easier for him.

“Yes,” he said, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I wanted to change my worldview. That’s why I’m here with you guys.”

“Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming?” I said nervously.

“I never had a clear picture of what would happen if I removed the limitations my background put on me,” he said.

I was still confused as to where this was going.

“According to everything I know, that kiss was supposed to make me feel like I’d done something fundamentally wrong. Instead, it made me feel…alive!”

Holy fuck! I’d definitely not seen that coming.

“I instantly knew that I was kissing a guy but, in that moment, it didn’t matter. Nobody ever kissed me like that before!”

It felt good that he was comfortable enough to tell me this. He was sharing something very personal.

“I believe ALL rules are human-made,” I said. “If we lived in Ancient Rome, you might be married for status, yet we could be friends and lovers without anyone caring.”

Holy fuck, did I actually just say that to him?! Will was now looking at me as if trying to figure out the same.

He opened his mouth but closed it again. On his second attempt, he said, “You’re probably right.”

I watched him stand up and motion for me to get up too. He hugged me again and said, “Thank you for listening to me.”

“Of course,” I said, meaning it. “Anytime, brother.”

“I need to ask you for another favor. There’s a sorority girl downstairs that I promised I would text. Can I…get the room?” he asked carefully.

Why did the question catch me off guard?

“Definitely,” I said, trying not to look hurt. What the fuck were my expectations?

***

I made my way downstairs and stepped outside for a breath of fresh air. It didn’t take long for the troublemaker to show up.

“Hey!” he said, leaning against a beam.

“Hey,” I answered, trying to match his casualness.

“You like him, don’t you?” Alexei asked.

“What are you talking about?” I said, confused by his forwardness.

“William, you like him,” Alexei repeated. He was wearing a leather jacket over his bare chest. He was hot as fuck but right now, I was too annoyed with him to look.

“Why do you care?” I asked defensively.

“I like to know the other wolves in my den,” he said with a grin.

“You shouldn’t have done that to him! Will is…”

“Yours?” he asked with a smirk.

“Of course not! He’s probably banging a sorority girl as we speak!” I fumed.

“And how does that make you feel?” Alexei asked, stepping closer. Who the fuck did he think he was, my therapist?

“What is it that you are trying to achieve?” I asked, having had enough.

“I told you, I like to know what kind of wolves…”

“It’s not your goddamn den!” I said, before storming back into the building.

***

I found Sam in the study room. Nobody was playing beer pong because they were all fascinated with the thrill of blind kissing. He was drinking wine from what looked like an expensive bottle.

“Why are you here all by yourself?” I asked.

“I’m celebrating,” he said.

I gave him a puzzled look.

“I might as well tell you,” he said. “Everyone will know in a few weeks anyway.”

Why was everyone confessing their secrets to me?

“I was just awarded a full scholarship due to my flawless academic performance,” he said, hanging his head. The wine almost spilled out of his glass.

“Then why do you look so depressed?” I asked, sitting down next to him. He had a flawless academic record? Perhaps, I had judged him too soon.

“I wasn’t supposed to need it,” he said. “But now my parents are filing for bankruptcy because Dad gambled away EVERYTHING!”

“Holy fuck! How long has this been eating away at you?” I asked.

“You don’t have to do that,” he said.

“Do what?”

“Poor little rich boy isn’t rich anymore, boo-hoo.” This time he did spill his wine.

“Your circumstances changed outside of your control, and you feel betrayed by the people closest to you. Trust me, I know what that feels like!”

His eyes scanned my face for a second before suddenly bursting into tears. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.”

“You set up this house so we could be brothers. Brothers have each other’s backs,” I said with a shrug.

“Actually, I set up this house so that when I become a social pariah, I wouldn’t stick out,” Sam said, laughing through his tears.

“Fuck you, Sam,” I said with a broad grin.

“You wish, brother!” he said, wiggling an eyebrow.

“Are you going to offer me a glass of that wine, while you can still afford it?” I retorted.

“Asshole,” he said, pouring me a glass.

“To weirdos!” We toasted in unison.

“This wine is beautiful!” I said, rolling it over my tongue a bit.

“Did you know that Alexei decided to join us?” Sam asked, seemingly recuperated.

“Yeah, I’m not so sure about him,” I said honestly.

“Why?” Sam seemed caught off guard.

“He’ll need to be managed,” I said, not wanting to stir more shit.

“Oh, I’m sure Will can deal with him.”

“No!” I said more sternly than intended. “I think we should keep him away from Will for a while.”

“Are you referring to the game?” Sam asked, in business mode. “It seemed pretty harmless to me. Unless it bothers you to see…”

“You guys can do whatever you want with whoever you want. I just don’t want Alexei playing with us.”

I thought for a second about what bothered me so much about him and said, “He seems like the kind of person who’s bored with the ‘mundane’ and wants to entertain himself.”

“That is precisely why we wanted him here,” Sam said, trying to justify his actions.

“Let’s just pay attention and maintain the balance you so carefully built,” I said, patting Sam’s hand.

I needed to lie down, that wine had gone straight to my head, especially after all the vodka. Hopefully, Will was done.

“Congratulations on your scholarship, Sam,” I said, slurring slightly.

“Thanks, man,” he said. “For everything.”

***

As I made my way upstairs, a pretty brunette rushed by me, still pulling up her jeans. I walked past Sam’s room and heard that Fred was still at it. Man, he had amazing stamina! Bobo’s room was empty, and our door was closed.

Knocking very quietly, I waited for a response. I’d already decided that I would sleep in Bobo’s room if I didn’t get an answer.

“Who is it?” Will called through the door.

“It’s me. Can I come in?”

“Just…” He was going to say something else, but I’d already opened the door. Will had his blanket pulled up to his chin.

“Hi,” he said, his eyes darting across the room.

“Don’t mind me, my head’s spinning,” I said, crawling under the covers without even bothering to get undressed.

About five minutes later, Will whispered, “I really need to pee.”

“…and you’re telling me this…because?” I asked with a wide smile.

“Well, I’m as naked as the day I came out of my mamma and my clothes are on the other side of the room.”

“I still don’t understand the problem.” I wasn’t lying.

“Well, if I start walking around naked in our room, would that not be distracting for you?”

“Maybe, maybe not. There’s only one way to find out,” I said with a chuckle.

He found that funny but said, “I’m just trying to imagine what it would be like if you were a girl doing the same.”

“Am I a HOT girl in this hypothetical situation?” I asked.

With Will, I found these statements endearing rather than offensive.

“Duh,” he said with what almost looked like a flirty grin.

“And then what?” I asked, enjoying the interaction. Neither of us had moved from our positions under the blankets.

“I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable, but avoiding the occasional peek would be impossible.”

“Then with you, I’d be a lucky girl,” I said, the alcohol having removed some of my usual barriers.

“So?” he asked.

“So what?” Where were we again?

“Is that how you’d feel if I stand up right now?”

“But you’re not a hot girl,” I said teasingly, not being able to tell him what I truly thought.

“Okay, I really need to pee!” he said with a grimace.

He leapt out of bed in one swift move and pulled on his boxers, facing the window. I saw his beautiful perky ass disappear beneath the fabric and I turned around just before he walked past me.

“You so checked out my butt, didn’t you?” he whispered.

I didn’t bother answering, but he chuckled on the way to the bathroom.

As sleep took me, the images of Will’s ass, Alexei’s pierced nipples, and the two of them kissing swirled into a soup of strange alcohol-fueled thoughts. The dreams were even better.