Realistic or Modern The Pioneering Roommates

Back in their dorm, Matthew sat on his bed and laid down. So Josh didn't really like crowds as well? Glancing over at Josh, Matthew had to quickly look away when the other was changing into his over night clothes, though luckily the other realized what he was doing and went into the bathroom to change. When the other began to speak, Matthew turned his head to look at Josh, "I'll keep that in mind." he said as the other began to meditate.

No, he wasn't one for crowds, wasn't really one for making new friends either. But yet, he made one in his roommate, Josh. Josh the open, considerate, Asian-American, whom like to talk a lot about his life. Matthew wished he was that opened about things in his life. Honestly, it made Matthew think about his life. Closing his blue eye, Matthew sighed reflecting, it made him look like that he was mediating too in a way.

He grew up on a large farm in Kansas close to Oklahoma. His mother, Ashley, is your typical house wife, she cooks, she cleans, takes care of the children and all their needs. She's small slightly plump woman, brown hair, brown eyes, but has a big heart. His father, Damian, is your farmer's farmer. Your old fashioned Christian farmer, he raised cattle for a living. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a few missing teeth from getting kicked by the cattle. He was strict, always had Matthew helping with the farm leaving almost no spare time. It was a wonder Matthew got to the level of art he did with the little time he had. When he came out of the closet, so to speak, his father took it the worst. Wouldn't talk to him to days, weeks, until his mother stepped up and gave him a good smack to the head and told him to pull his head out of his ass.

Matthew smiled and chuckled, eyes still closed.

His brother, Derrick, was older than him by a few years, he stayed at the farm to take over for when his dad retired. There wasn't really much to say about him, he took after their dad more than anyone. Treated him like the plague when he came out, since they shared a bedroom, then his mom did that same thing she did to their dad and smacked him upside the head. His little sister, didn't even bat an eye. Thought that now he was out, they could go shopping and share fashion together. Matthew felt sorry for her when he told her that he didn't like fashion, he ended up relenting and went shipping with her to make her happy. He had a pretty normal life growing up, except the hick-up of him coming out as gay. Other than that, it was normal, nothing exciting that he thought.

While having his eyes closed, Matthew had dozed off and was breathing softly, it had been a long day. Arriving to a new town, meeting a new friend, turning in his resident packet for staying at the dorm. He had his classes, which wouldn't start until Monday. All in all, it was exhausting.

Josh opened his eyes. How much time has passed? He saw Matt seemingly fast asleep. Must have been a long time. He got up to his feet and opened the sliding doors. They were coated with a reflective material which was opaque during the day and translucent at night. He poked his head out. No one there. No voice there. Long time or everyone is just plain exhausted and decided to hit the sack.

Josh sat on his bed and pulled off his hair band. He picked up his phone and set his alarm for 7am. I didn’t even get to tell him that I’m going to church in the morning. With a town the size of Sutter, there was just one Catholic church. This one was named for Saint Bernadette of Lourdes. Normally, Josh would have gone to service for Saturday evening service after going to the grocery store in the morning, but today was not like other Saturdays. Sunday then. First service of the day. It was unlikely that Matt could hear him and yet he whispered, “Good night roomie.” He turned off his lamp and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

The light came back on when Beethoven’s Pastoral plays. 7am already? Josh yawned greatly and he climbed out of bed as he tried to be as quiet as possible. He grabbed a fresh pair of undies and then headed to the closet. He pulled out a mint green polo and tan khaki pants. He takes them inside the bathroom and sets the hangers on the door while he showers.

Matthew groaned softly as he heard some music being played, "Five more minutes..." he said groggily as he rolled over onto the back with his arm over his eye still sleeping. The covers down to his waist revealing his chest which adorned a scar crossed it in a diagonal direction. At some point in the night while Josh was sleeping, Matthew had briefly woken up due to feeling hot and took his clothes, save for his boxers, off before going back to sleep. However, sleep was apparently not in his itinerary when he heard the shower, groaning again, Matthew slowly sat up legs over the edge of the bed as he leaned over rubbing his face, frowning when he felt some stubble poking through his skin.

Need to shave. Though he was too tired still to think anything else as he looked over and saw clothes sitting out over Josh's bed, which was empty. Which would be why the shower was running. Matthew just laid back down on his bed, realizing he felt hot and pushed the covers off of him. "Need to get a fan." he mumbled as he laid there waking up. It was a slow process for him, needing to just sit there and let his body and mind get to the same state of awake-ness.

As Josh showered, he tried to keep a mental note about the time that had passed. Twenty shower minutes and ten to get dressed. Add time to get to church, find a spot, and then head inside. He turned off the fixtures and reached for his towel.

Josh’s skin was unblemished and his chest was devoid of any hair except the line leading away from his belly button. This is just one side of the coin that is me. Other side of the coin is all furry and cuddly. At least I’d like to think I am because I like my fur. He let out a puff of air. I wish I had a boyfriend who knew what I was and hold me or be held by me. That’s never going to happen. Except to my parents, werewolves don’t exist. Plus, people have been fed a steady diet of monster movies over the past several decades. Suppose I shift and step outside with people all around. “Grab your bats folks and let’s bean a wolf.” That’ll be on everyone’s mind. I couldn’t afford to show my inner self to Brett and I like Matt and he seems the accepting type, but I just can’t show him.

Josh opened the sliding door of the tub and found a problem. Where are my clothes? I could have sworn I brought them in with me. The only article of clothing was a set of sky blue trunk briefs. I left my clothes on my bed. That’s what it was. I must have been so sleepy-headed. He slipped on his briefs and gathered his sleepwear.

The knob turns and he steps out. He turns the corner and sees Matt sitting on his bed. Here I am one garment away from birthday suit. “Morning Matt. I hope I didn’t wake you up. I wasn’t able to tell you that I was going to wake up early so I could go to church. In the hullabaloo of yesterday, I forgot." He spritzed cologne and then raised his arms to apply the deodorant spray. He grabs his polo and slips it on, “I’ve never been to Sutter except for a brief scouting trip last year when I was still selecting schools so I don’t know too much about town. I was thinking that we could bum around town later today so we can familiarize ourselves with the town. Maybe, if find a pretty cool place and we’re in the mood, we can find a place to eat later in the day. Just you and me. That is, if you want to.” He slips on a fresh hair band.

One pant leg, two pant leg. Josh pulled up his pants and he looks up. His eyes zeroes in on the scar on Matt’s chest, “What happened?”

Seeing Josh coming out of the bathroom with just boxers, Matthew blushed and looked to the side giving the other some privacy. "Yeah, that sounds nice." At the question, Matthew frowned and looked back to Josh. "What do you... Oh? This?" he asked as he realized that Josh was looking at his scar.

That's right, he knew he would have to explain the scar at some point or another. Just didn't realize it would be this soon. Now he'll definitely find out I'm gay. Looking down at the scar himself, Matthew lightly rubbed it. "My Ex did it, junior year. He was senior at the time. Was into some pretty weird stuff. I wasn't, so he bullied me. Before we broke up, he decided to take a knife and... well. This was the result." Matthew didn't feel comfortable enough to go into detail just yet.

The event was rather traumatic, Matthew and his Ex were on a date. His ex had said it was as an apology for all the thing he put Matthew through with pressuring him about things he wanted to do and try. He was so sweet to Matthew, that he didn't see what was coming. Went out to see a movie, dinner, then walk around for a bit. Then before he knew it he had a big knife slash across his chest and was left there bleeding. A police report was filed, since Matthew was thankfully found and taken to the hospital. He had to have sutures done to keep the wound closed but it obviously still left a scar.

"Anyway. He's in jail so, no worries." Matthew played it off as if it was nothing, when it was. Standing up, Matthew stretched slightly, "Better leave or else you'll be late for church." he said with a slight smile walking passed Josh towards the bathroom, but not before grabbing his towel and other things he'd need in there.

Josh became incensed. A knife! He had just met Matt the day before. Sure, he would have been irked regardless. However, the fact that it happened to a friend made it even more grievous. So you like knives, huh? Get a load of these bad boys as they drive into your chest. Before he knew it, his fingertips had started to feel tingly. No! Stop! He grabbed onto his shoelaces to give them something to do and the onset of the change subsided by the time he laced them. He looked up, “Good.”

Wallet and keys collected, Josh headed to the door as Matt approached the bathroom door. He looked at his roommate, “If we had gone to school together, I would have been your boyfriend and you wouldn’t have had to worry about me being a psychopath.” He closed their door behind him. The halls were quiet and there were only one or two people about. I suppose people are enjoying one more day before classes start. Josh made his way to his truck. He climbed in and started the engine and that’s when it hit him. I was so close to changing right then and there. Why was I affected so much by what Matt told me?

He made it to church in plenty of time for the 8am service. Josh sat in a middle pew on the right side on the interior. He was going through the motions and only half listening to the readings and the homily. The quip from Father Gordon drew several chuckles, but Josh remained a blank slate since his mind was elsewhere. As soon it was after his turn during Holy Communion, he left. With his mind drifting back to Matt, he didn’t stay for the remaining prayers.

I should get breakfast. He was about to text Matt to tell him when he realized that they hadn’t exchanged numbers. His eyes scanned the signage and he found a place that sold breakfast tacos and burritos. Two tacos for me and two for Matt.

Josh made his way back to campus and headed back up to his room. As he clutches the paper sack, he inserted the key. The knob twists and he opens the door. “I’m back and I brought a gift.”

Matthew had just begun closing the bathroom door, before his body stopped all motions and tensed up. What?! Eyes wide and it felt like his heart skipped a beat. Is he messing with me?! Matthew had a lot of time to think about it as he took his shower. He knew he had time, since church usually ran for a couple of hours, he thought. After his shower, Matthew got dressed in a grey button down long sleeve shirt that he rolled the sleeves up past his elbows and his blue jeans. Sitting at his desk, Matthew pulled out his music player, put his ear buds in pressing play on the device and opened his sketch book to a fresh page starting on his art assignment. The music that played wasn't country despite his upbringing, it was rock and alternative music that played, a little bit of everything really. Mostly some Mumford and Sons, he really like the band and was perfect music to listen to for him to draw and get into the mind set as well, at least to him anyway.

Though even through the music, he couldn't stop thinking about what Josh had said before the guy left for church. Leaning back against his chair with his hands behind his head, Matthew sighed as he looked at the rough sketch he did of a wolf. ' If we had gone to school together, I would have been your boyfriend .' Does that mean he's into guys? Is he bisexual? Or gay? He couldn't mean what he said, he's only known me for a day. It doesn't happen that fast...right? Maybe he just said it to make me feel better? Yeah, that's it, that's why he said it.

Trying not to think about it any longer, Matthew let out another breath as he hunched back over his desk, turning to another clean page and began sketching again.

He was almost done with the sketch when Josh entered the dorm. At first Matthew didn't notice him at first until the other began to talk. Jumping slightly, Matthew took his ear buds out and pressed pause on his music player. "Hey." he said as he noticed the paper bag that smelled like it had food in it. Smiling slightly, "I'm guessing that's the gift?" Nodding his head towards the bag as he sat back in his chair. Stretching his arms over his head, Matthew groaned slightly before relaxing back into the seat. "Man, I didn't realize how long I've been sitting here." he said. My butt is numb. "But, on the bright side, I'm almost done with my art assignment, the one I told you about. I'll have to ink it and color it in later." Looking up at the other, Matthew offered a smile. "So what did you get?"

Josh blinked, “Gift? Sure is.” He set up his TV tray and placed the sack on it. He reached inside and took out, “Breakfast tacos. I would have texted you, but I didn’t have your number.” He placed two on his tray and said, “These two are for you when you get to a stopping point.” He came over to Matt’s side of the room and placed the bag close by, but out of the way so as to not disturb his area. “I wasn’t sure what kind of tacos you like or even if you like tacos. They’re here when you’re ready, but don’t let them get cold.”

He looks at the assigned drawing coming together, “Awesome headshot. That’s pretty much what I had in mind.” Josh stoops down in front of the mini-fridge and opens the door to get a bottle of orange juice. He returns to his side and sits. He unscrews the cap and unwrapped the foil of one of the tacos. He undoes the hot sauce packet, intensity hot, and poured it over the egg and bacon mixture. I know what I said before I left and I hope it didn’t freak Matt out, but that’s nothing compared to telling him about what I am. What I really am.

Josh eats in silence while he reviews his class schedule for tomorrow. Occasionally, he looks up at Matt unsure if he has questions.

"Thanks. I'll probably do a black wolf, like you suggested. I was looking at pictures of them and I think I can work with it. I like how their eyes stand out. It's like you can see what they're thinking through them." he said as he grabbed the bag and got up from his chair needing to sit somewhere else other than a hard seat. Putting the bag on his bed, Matthew walked over to the mini fridge and grabbed a water bottle before going back to the food that was brought to him. Sitting down on his bed, Matthew almost moaned at the feeling of something soft under him than a hard chair. "Damn, sitting in that chair for hours on end is going to kill me. I'm going to have to find a different one."

Digging into the food bag, Matthew pulled out the food. "Breakfast tacos? Don't think I've ever had one..." he said as he looked at the food. "Though, I'm always up for trying things at least once." he said as he took his own hot sauce packet, opened it and poured it on before taking a bit. It's good! "Hmm....Not bad." he said after his first bite and swallow. Glancing at Josh, "So what classes do you have?" he asked before he took another bite.

Matthew really wanted to ask about the boyfriend comment, but he wasn't sure how to approach that subject just yet. You can't just out right ask, are you gay? Right? Eating his food, Matthew was finished before Josh, he learned to eat his food pretty quick or else you don't eat until lunch or even supper depending on the day planned. Usually he had to help hos dad with something on the farm, so he always wanted to be out there fairly quick. Taking his trash and throwing it away, Matthew then opened his water and took a drink, the food was a bit spicy with the hot sauce on there.

Matt doesn’t think he’s ever had a breakfast taco? Josh’s ears couldn’t believe what they were told. “These tacos are good enough, I should’ve taken pictures of them before I chowed down. I have a blog, but I don’t post too much. If I do, it’s about food. I take pictures of my creations and foodstuffs I have when I eat out. If you’re ever in my neck of the woods, and if you would like to try new places to eat, let me know.”

Josh filled in another blank spot on his calendar. “I have to run the gauntlet tomorrow. Core curriculum classes including wretched math. Never liked math and never will. Easily my worst subject. Still made Bs though. I do have Latin in the afternoon just before dinner so that’s a plus. My parents thought I was crazy when I said I wanted to take Latin. Who speaks Latin these days? Right? I wanted to learn though. What about you? Maybe our schedules line up so we can have lunch or dinner together? Maybe both?”

"You have a blog?" he asked in disbelief, Josh didn't put out the vibe of a blog person, but then again he didn't put out the vibe of being into guys either. Matthew moved back to the hard chair in front of his desk, glad for the short break of sitting on the hard surface. Looking at his markers that he set up the previous day, picking out the colors and shades he needed for inking and coloring in his drawing. Having the colors picked out, Matthew then looked at his schedule to see what he had. "I'm ok in math." he said, though his version of ok was calculus, he never pursued trigonometry.

"Hm... I have pretty much all my core classes until about twelve in the morning. Monday thru Thursday. " He said still looking but paused as he looked at Josh. "Latin? Really? I'm not taking a foreign language this year. All my electives are covered with art and music. Speaking of.." Looking aback at his schedule. "I have art class Fridays, looks like during the lunch hour though. Musical theory is in the morning that day. That's easy though, it's just a pre-requisite to a class I really want to take. But that probably won't be until next semester." Matthew smiled, he was happy with his class schedule. "Looks like I'll be free weekends and evenings. You don't see that all the time." He would have plenty of time to study when it came to it.

"So I guess if you wanted we could end up having dinner together. That is, if you don't make any other friends." He said teasing slightly. He knew the other would make friends and would want to hang out with them, probably most of the time. Matthew didn't mind though, he was use to it. In High School, he had quite a few friends but his friends had other friend that they'd rather hang out with and eventually left Matthew behind. Matthew didn't really care one way or the other, it gave him time to work on his art or music if he chose to.

Turning back to his artwork, Matthew began to pains staking process of inking the piece.

Josh got up and sat in his chair. He turned on his computer and looked at Matt, “Yea. My blog isn’t too spectacular but it’s not a travesty either. It started years ago, but offline, as a way to help me keep track of the places I’ve eaten at and the dishes I like or those I didn’t like. A couple years ago, one of my teammates wanted to go on a date with his girlfriend. However, he didn’t know what type of restaurant to take her. His indecision was annoying, so I blurted out a few suggestions. By then, they already knew I was a big foodie. That’s why they called me Jaws. It sounds a lot like Josh. Trust in Jaws. So he told me what type of cuisine and price range he was looking for. I told him to go to Reggie’s. It’s an awesome Cajun restaurant. Prices are decent, not basement level or exorbitant.”

The computer is on and the desktop picture is a team picture of Josh and his fellow Ravens. All in armor sans helmets. A few keystrokes later, the blog is accessed. At the top is a blue/white banner which reads Foodballs by JR. On the left of the banner is the image of a meatloaf shaped like a football. The last entry is dated some weeks prior, “I never made sushi before my trip overseas, but I think I did well.” There are no faces in the picture. Just a plate with five types of sushi and sashimi. Two familiar hands hold up the plate, slightly tilted for a better view.

Josh leans back with a chuckle, “The following week, Trevor’s all ecstatic and soon more guys come to me for restaurant advice so to save everyone time, I started Foodballs.” He looks back at Matt, “Well, semester started. I don’t know if I will make more friends, certainly not with those guys from last night. Sure they were hot, but they seemed so obnoxious. No, I’d rather work out alone than be with them. On a team, we have to get along even though we are different for the sake of the mission. Here, I can choose who to associate with.” He lets out a snort of contempt.

He picks up his sketch pad, “Personality wins with me.” Josh had a fun dream last night and wanted to get a rough sketch down before he lost the imagery. He takes a pencil and lightly brushes the paper. Lines for a fence, more lines that branch out to form the ghost of a tree. There is the start of a male figure beneath the tree, reclining against the trunk of the tree. This figure is turning his head to what appears to be the form of a horse standing on the other side of the fence, but the equine neck is missing. In its place is the start of a male human torso. “It’s about noontime. Maybe we’ll stay in the room for a few hours to work on our art and then out for some fresh air. If we find some place to eat out, awesome. If not, then we can always come back here.”

Pausing in his own work, Matthew looked over at Josh's laptop to see his blog. "Wow. Nice." he got up from his chair to move behind the other. "You've had all of these before?" he asked as he looked at all the food that Josh posted on his blog. Matthew couldn't help but chuckle, "Jaws? Really?" He was kind of funny to him, but it also kind of made sense. Since Josh's blog was centered around food 'Jaws' made sense. Looking at all the pictures, "I've never had sushi." he mumbled, he had always wanted to try it but his family never went out to dinner or tried anything new. They were always a 'meat and potatoes' type family and almost never deviated from it. Looking at the picture of the sushi, "Looks good to eat."

Matthew smiled slightly, Josh had a lot of friends back at his home. Made him almost a little jealous, having so many friends and being popular. "Of course you'll make more friends." he said, ignoring the 'hot guys' comment, moving away from Josh realizing his was probably too close for the guy's comfort. He watched at Josh pulled out his own sketch book and draw.

Moving back to his own desk, Matthew continued to ink his art piece. "Yeah, that sounds nice." he said concentrating on his work. The sound of getting out of the dorm for some fresh air sounded great to Matthew. He always thought better when he was outside, maybe it was because he was so use to it working on the farm with his family.

Sitting there, Matthew sighed as he looked down at his piece, he rubbed his hands since they had started cramping. He had finished inking, leaning back in his chair, now it was the process of letting it dry before he would shade and color it in. Putting his pen away he kept the colors he was going to use out on his desk. He was really liking how it was turning out. Getting up, Matthew stretched and looked over to his alarm clock, he had spent about two hours on the piece. He walked to the bathroom and closes the door, the sound of the toilet flushing and then the faucet as he washed his hands was all the could be hear before Matthew came back out.

Glancing over at Josh, Matthew noticed his drawing. "A centaur?"

Josh browsed his culinary memories, “Sushi’s fine, but I looked around in the brief time from her to church and back again. I didn’t see any places that could possibly sell it and the grocery store sure wasn’t stocking. The closest was a typical Chinese bistro, not that there’s anything wrong with that. If you want Japanese food, we’d have to take a road trip. San Antonio’s three hours away, but my folks and I never went anywhere to eat other than El Mercado. I suppose I could scrounge up something. Other than that, we’d have to go to Houston. That’s six hours away and we would have to spend…” He stopped himself before saying anything else. They’d have to wake up pretty early if it was for lunch. If they were going to have dinner, they’d have to spend the night. Together. At his house. I like Matt, but we are still new to each other. “Anyhow, I much prefer okonomiyaki. Some people think of it as a pancake, but I prefer to liken it to an omelet. Daisuke chewed my head off for preferring Hiroshima style over Osaka style. I like my ingredients layered rather than in a jumble. I’m trying to develop my own style that Tex-Mex but it’s still identifiably okonomiyaki.” Ping, Josh’s phone goes.

The young man looks at the lit screen and he swipes it. The phone’s wallpaper is a profile picture of Josh in football regalia. He wears eye black and kneels on a knee. His arm rests on his left leg and his helmet rests in the crook of his right arm. “Speaking of my cousin.” It’s a text message from him. “He must be night owling or something because Japan’s 14 hours ahead.” His eyes read the script, “He wants to know if I’d be up to chatting through webcam later today.” He switches his phone’s keyboard from English to Japanese. In a series of quick texts, they agree to a time of Sunday at 8pm for Josh which would be 10am Monday Daisuke time.

Josh looks up at Matt after he puts his pencil down, “Sure, we can head out whenever you’re ready. He then looks back at what he has so far. “Sure is a centaur. Most of my art is fully of a mixture of the human and the animal. Draw what you know. I’ve been interested in dual natures for years. Psychology was offered as an elective for Senior year so I took that during this past Spring semester. What better example of the blend than a centaur? Anyhow, I had a dream about one last night. I dreamed I was at a ranch. I was riding a horse and felt his powerful gallop but I kept wondering where the horse’s head was. I then realized that I was a centaur. Derp. Derp.” He makes a goofy face.

Matthew looked at Josh with a perplexed look. "You're speaking gibberish to me, man." he said as he sat down and pulled on his socks and shoes while the other tapped away on his phone to his cousin. Grabbing his keys and wallet, placing the bill fold in his back pock and the latter in his front pocket. Matthew couldn't help but burst out a laugh at the face Josh made. "Derp, derp? Wow... okay then." he said chuckling still. "I'm ready to go, sounds like you need fresh air more than I do. We can take my truck this time." he said as he walked to the door and waited for for Josh.

His truck wasn't as impressive as Josh's, but he was proud of it. It was a light blue 1950's Chevy pickup truck. Classic and Matthew had gotten it form his neighbor that was just letting it sit there and collect rust and dust. He paid the man three hundred dollars to get it and then probably a couple grand to get it fixed up. With the help of his brother and father, they were able to get it running and as a graduation present his father had taken his truck up to the body shop to get it freshly painted. 'No son of mine is going to go off to college and get made fun of for driving a rust bucket.' Matthew was really touched, it was his father's way of saying 'good luck and I'm proud of you.'

Matthew was a bit nervous, he didn't particularly know why. Walking out the door with Josh, "Figured, drive into town, find some where to park and walk about?" Matthew still didn't know how to bring up the 'gay' issue. The 'boyfriend' comment still bothered him slightly and he was curious, damn it! He knew it would need to be done sooner rather than later since they were roommates. But also at the same time, it wasn't something that you could casually bring up or even talk about. It just wasn't! Sighing softly to himself, Matthew took his keys out of his pocket when they exited the building and twirled them around his hand slightly.

Josh blinked, “Gibberish?” He then sighed, “Not again. It’s one of my special faults as you might have guessed. “Yea, I could use some fresh air. It’s invigorating.”

Just how invigorating fresh air was, Josh wasn’t ready to tell his roommate. The Nakayama house was two stories tall and Josh’s room was very unique. There was a nook at the top of a short incline where his bed and dresser was which allowed for more space in his bed room for all his other stuff including his telescope. There were two windows. One was across from his bed which faced the next door house and the other was to the right of his bed nook. This window faced the back yard. It was inset in an alcove with a cushion. Sometimes he’d have a little nap upon the cushion and sometimes, he’d be in his wolf form all curled up. The alcove also served as a launch pad for nightly jaunts every now and then when the wolf wanted out.

On these nights, he’d open the window and leap out fully transformed. Josh looks like a wolf and sounds like a wolf, but he’s as large as he is as a human. He scurries away on all fours as quick as they can take him. This is what it means to be alive as a werewolf. He is out there as nature intended or at least that is his interpretation. He was a lone wolf in an ocean of humanity. Are there other werewolves out there? There should be because I exist. I am my parents’ true son, but they are truly human. These were thoughts that had bothered him over the years. In all these years, he had never met another and he felt so damn lonely despite being surrounded by people who loved and cared about him greatly.

Luckily for Josh, he saw Matt’s truck which helped get his mind off situation. He couldn’t help himself but whistle. He didn’t know much about vehicles, but this was a real gem. “The hours of blood, sweat, and tears it must have taken to restore this. I don’t think I could ever do anything like this, not in a million years.”

Matt must be a mind reader. Josh smiled, “What do you know? That was my idea. Park and walk. Town seems to thrive on pedestrian power. Thankfully, I am a good walker.” His roommate then makes a noise. What was that? “Forget something?”

Matthew smiled at the admiration he got from Josh about his truck. "Yeah, gashed hands too." he said remembering the slices in his hands when he tried to get a piece to fit or just punched the damn thing in frustration because something wouldn't work when it should have.

"Great minds think a like then." he said with a smile as they got into his truck. Matthew revved the engine to life, inside his truck, it was a bench style seat, no middle console like you see in your more new trucks. He did install an updated radio to play CDs or hook his phone into it with an aux cable. Buckling up, Matthew put his arm on the back of the seat and looked behind him to back up the truck before facing forward, both hands on the wheel now and off they go.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking of something." he said as his bit his bottom lip. It's now or never...

"Something you said actually, before." Glancing at the other before putting his eyes back on the road. "When I told you about my scar.... How you said you'd be my boyfriend if we went to school together?" He wasn't even sure how to even ask, wasn't sure if his wording was even correct.

Josh buckled up and kept his ears and eyes on alert. No, I am not going to stick my head out the window like a dog. In the times that he was the passenger, he acted as a navigator because he was good at directions. Most of the time.

Josh looked around him and saw the only anachronism was the updated radio. Despite being out of place, it seemed to fit right in. “Did we talk about what type of music we enjoy? I don’t remember.” The answer never comes as Matt appears pensive.

Josh glances back, “Yes. I remember saying that. I never had a boyfriend ever since I came out.” He looks out the window in thought and in observation of their surroundings. “Before then, there were a few girls who’d bump in me. Accidentally, they’d say, but it was so obvious they wanted to feel me up. My teammates started to accuse me of trying to steal their girls. First, I’m not the type to steal girls. Second, I’m not into girls at all. They’re okay as friends, but just friends.”

Josh knew full well what he said and he had meant what he said earlier so some vocalized reflection, “My parents and I went to see Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet when I was 12. I didn’t find the story exciting except for the dueling, but what I did find exciting were the clothes the men wore. I just couldn’t take my eyes off them. I kept the feelings I had bottled up because of my upbringing, but the silence was starting to get to me and when I started to be accused of girl stealing, I had to defend myself. I first told my parents, but they had already figured it out though. All they wanted me to be is happy and safe. It was much harder to come out to my team. First up was Brett. I thought he was going to slug me when I told him that I had feelings for him. I thought it would bother him, but it didn’t. The other guys took more convincing. This must be some type of ruse Josh is pulling. This was no joke and when they knew that I wasn’t kidding, they weren’t too keen on me being there scoping them out. Coach Vaughn spoke to them and told them that I was staying. Remember what I said about getting along when you’re on a team? He drove that into their heads, insisted on it.”

Looking back at Matt, “Our school culture was very conservative. Nothing improper will be tolerated. I was the only one in my school who was out. I’d look at my buddies and either they’d have girlfriends or were looking for one. Me, I had no one.” He looks away, “No one to hold hands or go on dates with.”

Josh looks down at his feet, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to go on like that.”

Matthew kept his eyes on the road as the other talked, he was able to school he reactions a bit. He listened closely, He had a crush on his best friend? For some reason that bothered him more than it should. Matthew almost shook his head, but didn't as he got rid of the thought. Too soon, way too soon. "No, it's ok. I mean, I've only ever had one guy and..." Matthew tried to play it off as nothing, but he couldn't help but rub the spot where his scar is. "Well, look where that's gotten me. I haven't dated anyone since. Kind of afraid to actually..." he mutter the last part.

"To me...so far anyway, only know you for a couple of days. But you seem like a really nice guy. I think definitely if we had went to high school together we would have dated." he said trying to cheer the other up. "Who knows, maybe you'll find someone here. It's a new place, bigger school - I think - and you'll be here for a while anyways. Plenty of time to meet someone and start dating." Glancing at Josh then looking back at the road, they had gotten into town and now he was finding a place to park.

Finding a place to park, Matthew cut the engine off before getting out. He was determined not to make this friendship that was forming weird. "So, where should we explore first?" he asked as he put his keys in his pocket.

Josh declares, "Maybe. Studies come first though with friendship a close second, but still a virtual tie. It'd be nice to date, but I've never gone on one. It's okay to be afraid. I'm afraid too. I'm afraid he'll get close and he'll find out about the real me. Fear of the unknown..." He clamped his mouth shut. I nearly gave away too much. Maybe I already did.

He tries to direct his wording to make it sound like a general observation. "Fear is a powerful emotion because we give up a piece of ourselves when we bring someone into our lives. Let's try not to focus on that right now. We're out here to have fun exploring the town and get some great intel." Reorienting his mind, Josh scans the shops within view. He sees a bakery that advertises itself as the oldest in the state, a sewing store that sells fabric and related paraphernalia, his eyes latch onto a hobby store. He jerks his head to indicate what he's looking at, "We're bound to run out of art supplies sooner or later and we need to find where we can restock."

The crosswalk is a few feet away and Josh presses the button and waits for the light to change. He places his hands on his waist. What will I do if he finds out about my nature?

The real you? Matthew didn't think too much of it, thinking it was because the other was gay so he could never really show his true self. "Hm... You're right." he said nodding in agreement, they should focus on exploring the town rather than depressing things. Walking next to the other, Matthew looked around at all the different shops there were around. Seeing the bakery, I'll have to come to that place later. Matthew was a sucker for freshly baked bread and pastries. If he was even in bad mood the best way to get him back into a good mood was fresh baked goods. Pausing at the bakery, Matthew took a quick glance through the window. Definitely have to stop here before going back to the school.

Catching up to Josh, following his line of sight. "Yeah, lets hope they have something. Been needed to get a few new markers." He said, crossing the street when it indicated for them to cross. Making their way to the hobby store, Matthew reached the door first, holding it open for the other to pass through before following in after him. "Lets see what they got." he said walking through the store. Make his way towards the art supplies, Matthew saw some canvas and decided to go down that isle to look at them. reaching out to touch some of them, he saw that some were prepped and ready to be used and others weren't. "Not a bad selection." he muttered looking at the sketch books. He was a bit picky with the paper that he used for his drawings as he picked s few up to feel the paper.

"Well if they have this they have to have something to go with it." he said as he moved to a different isle and smiled. "Bingo." The isle he turned into was all the mediums they'd ever need. At least where Matthew was concerned. Pencils, pens, markers, colored pencils, his comfort zone.

Josh really wanted to stop by the bakery first, but it appeared that they would go by it on the way back to the parking lot. Plus, it seemed that Matt was interested. As patrons walked in and out, the door opened offering scented hints of what awaited them.

They crossed the street to the beige brick building which had a marvelous mural above which spelled the name of the business Artisan Haven. He didn’t expect for his roommate to hold the door open for him, but accepted the gesture. Josh smiled, “Thanks a bunch.” It seemed that this place had it all when it came to hobbies. There were model kits of planes and cars, yarn to do knitting, cookbooks which put a reminder in his mind to check out later, puzzles, buckets of modeling clay, craft projects for kids on an ultra rainy day when the power's gone out.

Josh picked up the sketch pads that were felt by Matt. “Nope not too bad.” They walked down another aisle and he heard Matt utter, “Bingo.” He joined up with his roommate and his eyes sparked. He turned to him, “Looks like we hit the jackpot here.” The selection was wide and the amount of colors was off the scale: different shades of red, blue, green, and yellow and more. Maybe too much selection, but he’s rather have an overabundance of choice than not enough. "We never have to worry about not finding that perfect shade of green ever again."

He himself didn’t need to get anything here right now though and he’d hate to spend money in this store just to say that he bought something. Maybe one of the cookbooks, but I have to look first. “See anything you like? Sure is a lot to take in.”

Matthew grinned, "Or the perfect shade of red." he said as he walked down the isle. It was safe to say that he was having a 'fangirl' moment. "You can never have too many micron pens..." he said as he looked at the pens, his eyes lite up as he saw what he was looking for and then some. "They come in a color range?! And the Fudenoskes?!" He wasn't really much into lettering and brush pens, but he was always fascinated by it and wanted to learn.

Reel it in Mattie! Don't get over excited! Matthew took a deep breath and and let it out before putting the two items back. "Always wanted to try the Tombows for coloring." Finding a grey
'scale packet. "They're suppose to be water-based." he said as he picked up a packet. "What better way to test it out than with the wolf." He was talking about his drawing that he had inked. Deciding his would get the tombows and a pack of micron pens, Matthew turned to Josh. "Was there anything you wanted to look at?"

He didn't want to take over the whole trip into town, he wanted to see what the other was into as well and let him get things he needed.

Jackpot indeed. Matt looks like he just won the lottery. All Josh could do was smile and be happy for his roommate. He made careful notes about what Matt was getting so that when he ran out, he could get the same or similar products. Since he had begun migrating to digital tablet use for his art, he didn’t make use of physical mediums as he used to. Josh replied, “I did see a cluster of cookbooks. I know I’m not going to be much cooking here. Not like I do back home, but I wanted to check them out.”

In the back there is a small cluster of books on shelves. Many are art books or crochet guides. There are the cookbooks he was hoping he would see. He spots a book entitled Maximum Herbage. “Grow anything back home? My dad occupies his free time in the garden. I tried growing tomatoes but the friends got to them. My parents like to call pests ‘friends’. Then I tried cultivating a lemon tree. It was fine for a few years, but Houston has wacky weather .We had a quick cold snap and it killed that poor plant. It was never the same afterwards and eventually it withered away. I had to dig it up, chop it up, and discard it.”

Josh stooped down and picked up the book. He thumbs through it. It is a book all about herbs and growing them: Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, and more. “Maybe I ought to give herb growing a try. I love roasted chicken with rosemary and I use a good serving of sage in Thanksgiving dressing. No box for me, no sir. All ingredients prepared separately and combined into one awesome side dish by yours truly.

He stands and holds onto it like it is a holy text. “I don’t think there’s anything else in here that we could use right now. Unless you can think of something to look at here, I think we’re ready to check out. Want to visit that bakery and see what they have to offer? Other than that, we could see what restaurants are in the area.” As they head to the cashiers, he stops briefly, “Oh. And find the local YMCA. I upgraded my membership. I know Magin University has a gym on campus, but the Y might have better hours and more equipment. I want to explore all my options. Ready to go?”

Matthew followed Josh to where the cookbooks were. He must really like cooking. His thought was confirmed as the guy started talking about food and cooking it. Thanksgiving to be exact. "Yeah, I'm done." he said walking to the cashier with Josh.

"Did you find every thing ok?" the cashier said not even looking up at them and scanning the items Matthew had.

"Yes, I'll definitely be back though." he said trying to be polite. The cashier then looked up and paused.

"Don't think I've seen you in town before. You new?"

"Yeah, just got into town yesterday. Starting college."

"Well good luck to you both." The cashier said before giving the total.

Matthew paid the amount and was given the receipt, looking at it Matthew blinked in surprise, there was a phone number on it. Looking up at the male cashier, who was glancing at him and blushing. Matthew narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion before looking away and walking out the store with Josh. "So the bakery or trying to find a YMCA first? I vote bakery." Matthew said with a grin. He couldn't wait for the bakery, knowing that the town had one, he will definitely be going there and will likely become a regular. "If I had any guilty pleasure, freshly baked goods are mine. I'm a sucker for them, they always put me in a good mood no matter what."