Could I Be? (BxB)

Chapter 2

Orientation week begins and it's a lot of lectures, tours, and papers. Not to mention it's incredibly boring, but it's necessary. I'm still trying hard with the whole gay thing with Josh. I've been using fag and gay since I was 12 years old, so old habits really die hard. But, I think I'm starting to get better at not using them.

Classes have started and I'm starting to get used to the routine. I really want to go pro in baseball, but I promised Mom and Dad I'd get a degree, so I've decided on a finance degree. You can get a job anywhere with a degree like that.

Josh has been practicing with The Cardinal for a few days now, so he often comes back to the room pretty late and usually goes to get something to eat in the dining hall, comes back to work on his assignments, then falls asleep. I don't mind it, but it would be nice if we could talk for a little while. At least we get Josh's guitar to the repair shop (it'll be fixed by next week).

After a long and tiring Friday, I get all my assignments done a little early, so I decide to explore the campus a little bit. I see some sights that I didn't get to see on the tour, but I mostly just enjoy the warm afternoon air and wander aimlessly.

As I walk I start to zone out and Zane drifts back into my head. What is it about him that makes me want to get closer to him? And why do I want to get closer to him in the first place? I think back to that night in the bathroom, when I got hard in the shower when I was thinking about Zane. I got flaccid after a minute, but I've been thinking about it ever since.

I stop walking and look around, trying to find where I am. I see I'm standing in the front of the Imaging Arts and Sciences building. As much as I want to keep walking, something stops me and pulls me toward the building. I walk in the front door and see how much different it is from my finance building.

There's piece after piece of art lining the walls, sculptures everywhere. It's all beautiful. I see a few students walking through the main lobby, all of them fitting the definition of 'hipster' and 'artsy-type.' They take notice of me and give me an odd look. They probably don't see too many jocks in here.

My mind tells me to leave, but my body seems to have a mind of it's own, taking me through the building, passing art pieces, a few students, and a professor or two. I stop in front of a door and look through the glass window. Sitting at a desk, with a sketchpad in front of him, is Zane.

He has a pencil in his hand and is running the graphite tip over the blank surface. He looks so...focused. His eyes aren't leaving the sketchpad and it doesn't even look like he's blinking. I quietly open the door and walk into the room, but Zane doesn't look up. I walk over to his seat and look down at him. "Hey," I say.

Zane jerks his body and the pencil goes flying from his hand. He looks up and sees me standing next to him. "W-When the hell did you get here?" he says, his eyes wide.

"About ten seconds ago," I reply. "I saw you in here and thought I'd say hi."

"Well, hi. You can go now."

Zane gets up from his seat and walks over to his discarded pencil. I look down at the piece of paper and can't believe my eyes. This is...a masterpiece. The sketch is of a setting sun behind large bare mountains, but it looks so realistic. The landscape seems really familiar. "Please don't touch that," Zane says, slipping past me and back into his seat.

"Did you draw that?" I ask.

"Yup."

Zane goes right back to sketching. "It's unbelievable," I say. "I've never seen something hand drawn look so lifelike."

"Thanks, I guess."

Zane cuts the conversation off and keeps drawing. I sigh to myself and grab a chair and take a seat next to him. "Look," I say. "I know we didn't get off to the best start, me storming off in the dining hall and all, but I really am trying to understand gay people a little more. So...I'd like to get to know you more."