Politieke Besties

Chapter 3

From that day forward Rob and Jesse did in fact become friends. They ran into each other quite a lot. At almost at every student council event Jesse spotted Rob somewhere, mingling with the attendees, so when he did not have anyone to talk to himself he could always walk over to the well dressed, meticulously coiffed guy.
Their social circles overlapped more than the originally realized. By the end of this semester they had signed up for a french class together.

Despite having some key differences in their political beliefs, they somehow never got into any big fights. To Jesse the most refreshing thing about hanging out with Rob was that it gave him the usually scarce opportunity to have a non-toxic conversation about the political issues he cared about with someone, who would actually call out his bullshit and disagree with him if necessary. Rob never even complained when Jesse got arguably too passionate about a topic after some beers with the boys.
It was easy to hang out with Rob. Refreshing in a way a conversation can only be if you are talking to someone at your level, who understands your references and listens to your arguments. As the semester drew to a close Rob and Jesse had gotten closer. 

After exam season, Jesse took a week long break to visit home. It was nice to be back home and get to eat his mom's delicious Indonesian dishes. But yet there was the familiar disconnect he experienced, whenever he came home from uni. Life here had moved on while he had gone away, so he never fit in as well as he once did. He also missed his friends. In particular Rob, with whom he had hung out with every day for the past month. So he ended up spending a lot of time laying in his childhood bedroom, staring at the ceiling.

One day, Jesse was once again laying on his bed, tossing a small rubber ball into the air and catching it again, trying not to have it hit him in the face. He was contemplating what kind of politician he would like to be one day. A big question, only a young snobbish idealist and dreamer like him would think about during his time off. Jesse valued honesty in politicians, he realized, and authenticity. None of the mentors he had had compromised their opinions out of fear of judgement. It took bravery to be a good politician. 
Maybe Jesse realized that day, that he was going to come out as bisexual.

Rob ended up being the first person he told.
For one Rob being so confident in his own identity had simply been a contributing factor with Jesse feeling more comfortable with his own identity. So it felt right to share it with him. But it was also easier to tell someone, who he knew was thoughtful and understanding, but had thankfully not known him for so many years that he had a preconceived notion of who Jesse was supposed to be. Or maybe, with Rob, the stakes just felt lower. Either way, speaking to Rob. It was easier.

It was still spring break. Both Jesse and Rob had returned to the now much calmer campus for that French class. They were sitting on the sunny steps to the physics building today, Jesse licking his raspberry ice cream while Rob went over his vocabulary flash cards.
"Hey Rob?", Jesse suddenly found himself saying. "Hmm?", came the reply. Jesse breathed out and then in. "I think I am bisexual.", he said quietly. Rob looked up from his flashcards, gently placing them the stone steps, so he could divert his entire attention to Jesse, who was now licking his ice cream with a faint hint of mortification. "Oh! That's great! Thank you for telling me that.", Rob said. Rob placed a hand on Jesse's left knee and patted it awkwardly.
It was so odd, they both couldn't help but laugh. Rob apologized: "Sorry, I just realized I have no idea what I am supposed to say. When I came out... the people I told reacted kind of badly. So it seems I have absolutely no reference... Well. I guess I'll say this: I accept you for who you are. That hopefully is not too surprising.", he trailed off beofre catching himself again: "I am really glad you trust me enough to tell me this about yourself. I value your trust. I am happy for you." Jesse felt a new sense of calm wash over his body. Rob was right. He was not surprised, but he sure was glad. "Guess I should have told you I was doing this, so you could've prepared some notes.", Jesse joked, gently tapping Rob's famous binder of notes, today the same salmon pink as Rob's dress shirt. The corner of Rob's mouth twitched into a slight smirk. "Guess you should have. You know how much I hate being unprepared." "I do know", Jesse agreed. Rob pried the ice cream cone from Jesse's fingers so he could try it. "Hey...", Rob inquired. "So is there some guy you're in love with then?" "Why?", Jesse replied, "So you can steal him away from me?" Rob just rolled his eyes as he handed the ice cream back. "Non, mon cheri. Pure curiosity. Is there anyone you have a crush on? Maybe I can set you up. I know some guys."
Their eyes met for a second. Jesse swallowed. Ice cream dripped on his shirt. "No.", he lied "I don't have a crush on anyone in particular." Rob nodded, while Jesse wiped at the stain on his shirt with the pocket square Rob had handed him. "Well, I myself do have very exciting news in that department. I have a date on Saturday. With Sjoerd!" Jesse's heart sank. But he smiled. "Oh my God! Really!", he shouted, disappointment and genuine excitement for his friend mixing in his stomach. "Yes, he is taking me for a pick-nick in Kronenburgerpark." Jesse was so happy for Rob. He had been crazily pining for Sjoerd for months now.