Catching Fire

Chapter Three

My mother always said that I felt like the world couldn't revolve without me participating in every activity that I could. I used to think she was being dramatic, but after joining organizations, working two jobs, and taking classes, I realized that her statement held a little truth to it. My weekdays were busy from sunrise to long after the sunsets. I preferred morning classes because I would be done earlier that I could sleep, but sleep normally never found me until late night. Instead of catching up on lost sleep I would have to go to work and sit behind a desk for five to seven hours of my day. Sitting still was never my forte and sitting still behind a desk definitely wasn't for me. Sometimes I would fall asleep other times I would invite my friends to the office to keep me awake. Eventually I didn't even have to text my friends they just knew what day and what time to stop by and keep me company.

Wednesday's were my busiest day and one of my girl friend's emptiest days. One of the blessings of the dorms were the people I met and having Deanna has my neighbor for both years I stayed on campus was heaven sent. She was a blunt female version of me. She was never afraid to be real, honest, and authentic. While I sat behind the desk she sat in one of the chairs facing me.

"You got Boys 2 Men today?" She asked questioning my attire.  I was sporting a black button up with a red bow tie and black slacks with my black gator loafers. Black and red was always an excellent slimming combo for me. I gave her one of my best smiles and served her my good side.

"You already know how the Vice President serves on Windsor Wednesday!" I dusted the imaginary dirt off my shoulder.

"And PERIOD!" Deanna always knew how to match my energy.

Boys 2 Men was the only all-male organization that wasn't a fraternity, so it held prestige on the campus. Part of the reason was because it was a stepping stone for the guys who wanted to pledge.  As someone who had no desire to pledge I tried to limit the amount of people who only joined to the org to use it to their advantage. We were nicknamed the men in suits because every other Wednesday we were supposed to be dressed in business casual. That was easy for me because my mama kept me sharp, but for the others it was a challenge. It was also how Chance, Julian, and myself met.

"I don't know why every week you decide to step on these boys necks. They not tired of it?" Deanna shook her head and I returned the pettiness with a smirk and shrug. We both laughed and returned to our phones scrolling on whatever social media platform. The office was mostly deserted with everyone away at meetings, so I decided to visit other apps on my phone. I scrolled to the very last page on my phone where I kept a secret folder with three apps.   I spun my chair around to make sure nobody was over my shoulder or coming from the back office.  I tilted my head up ever so slightly to make sure that Deanna wasn't watching me.

I tapped the solid black app and watched it open to a grid of various pictures and profiles. I felt the vibration indicating that I had a new message. Many of the people on the app were closeted gay men with a few who were out and proud.  I liked to hold conversations with the closeted ones or the "DL's" as they are commonly referred to as.  They were always more understanding and the vibe was always different. I glanced up again to make sure Deanna was still distracted by her phone. I scrolled past some profiles that I knew for sure were TSU students. Last thing I needed was to get caught up in someone else's mess.

One profile in particular drew my attention. "Looking" was all his profile said but behind it was a picture of a slender athletic shirtless black man in a bathroom with the head cut off. In my eyes, he was a perfect catch. I figured I would take the chance and see what he was looking for.

"Well we both can't be sitting here doing nothing, so I am going to the library because only one of us gets paid to sit here and do nothing all day." Deanna's sudden movement startled me making me drop my phone.

"You must've been falling asleep behind the desk." She said tilting her head to the side.

"He better be awake sitting behind that desk!" My boss shouted from the back office. 

"With that being said I'm out. Text the group later, so we can make a move this weekend." She gave me a wave and went on with her day.

After taking a deep breath and wiping my sweaty palms on my slacks I picked my phone back up. The screen was still open to the headless athlete in the bathroom. I decided to quickly shoot my shot with a "hey" before my brief moments of privacy ran out.

~*~