Page 3 of Tongue-Tied
I close my laptop and slide off my bed. There are some perks to having the room all to myself, and apparently, the poli sci gods graced me with this one. I use the extra space to stack my books and odds and ends.
I can also jerk off more with Dex gone—which he thinks I never do.
Plus, the room has remained tidy. Dex is like a human tornado, collecting things as he goes. He even snatched one of my hoodies by mistake, but something about him having it comforts me. Like a reminder that I’m still with him.
Guess I’m feeling a bit sappy about this whole arrangement.
Dex and I’ve always had mostly different interests, but they intersect where it matters, like gaming and snacking. We grew up in the same suburb outside of San Diego, and though we were friendly in grade school, we didn’t really connect until we were both members of the same after-school group in middle school. There, we realized we had something else in common besides being gay and the aforementioned gaming and snacking. Our parents were divorced, and we both lived with our moms though at the time I was being shuffled back and forth between my parents.
There were lots of feelings that came with all that baggage, and we turned to each other for support. My parents’ constant bickering frayed my nerves, and Dex’s father was always canceling on him until one day, the visits stopped completely. Dex hasn’t seen him since.
My mom remarried when I was in high school, and though my stepdad’s great, it was hard to accept for a while. So yeah, having Dex around as a sounding board has been great.
A sharp knock startles me. Maybe it’s the RA or Dex, surprising me. I open the door to find a short, thin dude with black hair, a lip ring, and ripped jeans. “Hi, I’m Kael.”
“Can I help you with something?”
He glances over my shoulder. “I’m, uh…your new roommate.”
“Wait, what? I thought I scored a single.”
“Last-minute placement.” He bites his lip nervously. “Housing said they emailed you.”
“Shit, I guess I haven’t checked my messages in a while.” Well, there goes that plan. I open the door wider. “Well, come on in.”
He hesitates before he walks inside, and I wonder if he’s even more timid than me.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asks once I close the door.
“What do you mean?” Do I have a choice?
“Housing told me you checked the box on your application…the one that says gender is not an issue for you.”
I scrunch my nose as I look at him. What the hell is he talking about?
He straightens his shoulders. “I’m a trans guy, and it’s important that I feel safe.”
Well, now I feel like crap for being so abrupt. “Oh God, I had no idea. I’m gay, and you’re totally safe with me.”
He breathes out. “Thank you. My girlfriend told me it would work out.”
I pad to the extra bed and lift my laptop. “Meaning?”
“I’ve only been out for a year and on T for half of that, so I thought for sure you’d know. It’s hard to gauge anyone’s reaction.”
I study him as I move the books to the floor. He has small features, and maybe now I can notice he’s binding his chest, but I’d never presume to know anyone’s gender or identity. I’ve been proven wrong plenty of times. “It’s all cool. I hope you’ll feel comfortable with me. I’m pretty quiet and introverted?—”
“Pretty organized too?” he asks, likely noticing how everything is arranged just so.
“Yeah,” I admit. “My last roommate wasn’t at all, so unless you’re worse than him, I’m sure we won’t have a problem.”
“I’m a clean freak too.” He smiles for the first time. “I’m gonna grab some boxes from the car.”
“I can help.” I follow him to the hall and then out to the curb, where his car and girlfriend are waiting.
After introductions, we all grab a box to carry from the trunk. “Are you new to campus?”
“I commuted last year,” Kael says. “Angelica lives in campus housing with her friends.”