Dusk (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 30 - Victory

Usually after a victory, the players would go out. They'd drink and party, sometimes miss their classes the next day- but their professors rarely cared. Athletes were idolized by almost everyone at a university like Creighton.

Erik had started to ask Rowan which party to hit up, but shut up as soon as he saw the steely expression that remained on Rowan's face.

"Big building." I muttered quietly, hoping to break the uncomfortable silence that was thick in the air. Erik and I were following Rowan to his dorm, and while the people walking nearby were chatting away happily, Rowan hadn't said a word in five minutes.

"Hm?" Rowan turned when I spoke, and I could tell there were many thoughts swimming behind his hard-set gaze.

"Oh," I cleared my throat awkwardly, "nothing really." Erik snorted, and I flashed him a glare which only made him laugh more.

Rowan pressed a key card against the door monitor which flashed green before he pulled it open. He gave a stiff smile to those lounging in the lobby as they congratulated him, one that was so forced it would've been better if he'd ignored them entirely.

"What's A?" I curiously blurted out in the elevator as Rowan ignored the floor numbers, hitting a small round button labeled A and scanning his key card again.

"Student athlete dorms." His tone was less icy than it'd been earlier and I wondered if it was because he was farther from the public eye.

"Oh, right." I responded. Erik stifled another laugh and I scowled at him from behind Rowan. He just shrugged and mouthed can't help it, before pretending to take an interest in the reflective silver walls of the elevator.

I wondered if Rowan had roommates, and the thought of that being a possibility made my palms sweat in anxiety. Rowan pressed his card for the last time against a door in the center of the hallway.

The room wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. There was one queen-sized bed covered in black sheets against the corner opposite the doorway, and a desk on the other side covered in closed textbooks and papers. I was surprised Rowan found the time to do actual schoolwork on top of basketball, and found myself studying the way his materials were neatly organized.

The walls were dark grey, and I wondered if they had allowed him to paint the room or if he just didn't care. There was a black and white painting of a small house mounted on his wall, a tree towering above it with a swing attached. Next to the painting was a cushioned arm chair and a small closet, cornered next to a tall lamp that almost reached the ceiling. He had a small mini-fridge planted under a window that was cracked open, a slight breeze flowing through the room.

Erik immediately plopped down in the armchair, reclining it back to face a small flatscreen mounted on the wall by the door.

"Ooh, I think the Bulls are playing." Erik said, pulling a small remote from under the cushions. He turned the game on and muted it before relaxing further into the seat.

Rowan rolled his eyes as he switched on the lamp in the corner, and a warm orange glow filled the dark room. I walked towards the window, not knowing what to do and feeling a bit awkward. The room was high up. It's view was of the courtyard, and there were two connected buildings facing me, both stacked with windows of other dorms. There were different colored lights in a few of them, some of their residents were visible drinking, or laughing with friends. Somebody was playing music loudly in one of the rooms and the sound of bass echoed through the square.

There was a knock on the door, and Rowan dropped his gym bag at the foot of his bed before going to answer.

"Hey," a tall girl with a deep voice and toned arms was on the other side, next to one of Rowan's teammates. I recognized him as the player who'd been arguing with the refs, the one who'd gotten a technical. He looked a lot less angry than he'd been earlier, and was holding a six pack of Bud Light under his arm.