Chapter Thirty -- What You Don't Know Makes You More Curious
Ray grinned all-knowingly and wiggled his eyebrows while Jonathan tried to focus on his textbooks. One could only do so much to ignore a curious roommate slash self-proclaimed BFF. Not that he had any qualms about that, and Ray was the first and only BFF he had ever had. On top of it all, he was very grateful to have a friend like that. Nonetheless, the unspoken questions that floated in the air made it a less than ideal environment for studying and also unnerved him a little.
"Is there something on your mind, Ray?" he asked, without pulling his eyes away from his study materials.
"People say you're getting married," Ray whispered, his eyes darting around like he was expecting someone to jump on them while they were safely tucked away in the kitchen of their dorm room.
Jonathan ignored his self-imposed rule of trying not to give in to the temptation of indulging Ray in his latest obsession with current gossip and looked up in utter shock. "Married?"
Ray burst into laughter. "Glad I got your attention. No, no one says you're getting married."
"Well," Jonathan straightened up in his chair, "you surely have my attention now. What is it?" They were supposed to be studying together, but it looked as if Ray was like a kid with a new toy which he was dying to show to others.
"Are you going home for Thanksgiving?"
The question took him by surprise. He felt his body stiffen up and grabbed his pen, while his eyes moved over the open textbook in front of him, in search of answers. "I haven't yet given it proper thought." He had tried. Even if they didn't reach out to him, that didn't mean he should maintain the silent war between them. He wouldn't go back to being under their thumb, but he didn't want to ignore them forever either.
"I was thinking," Ray said, completely unfazed by his lack of enthusiasm regarding the quickly approaching short vacation. "How about you come home with me to meet my folks?"
Jonathan stared at his roommate. Ray's face was an open book, and he was waiting for an answer. "Thank you for inviting me," he replied. "But I should seriously think about visiting my family."
Ray nodded sympathetically. "Sure thing. But if you change your mind, just let me know."
Jonathan fiddled with his pen. Things such as inviting friends over for Thanksgiving were normal, but why were they such an alien notion for him? "Are you sure your parents wouldn't mind? I'm a stranger," he pointed out. And he doubted Ray's family had a guesthouse where people who visited them on occasion could stay.
"Pfft," Ray made a strange sound and smacked his lips, "what stranger? I told mom and dad everything about you. My mom can barely wait to make you slave in the kitchen with her. She wants to see the miracle of a college boy going beyond the boiling of an egg."
Jonathan laughed and shook his head. "So, it's all a ploy to get me in your parents' kitchen."
"You can say that. But, jokes aside, JJ, you're really welcome if you want. And it can even be a short-notice thing, like right before we have to go out the door and head to the airport."
Jonathan couldn't remember feeling so touched by another human being ever before. Ray had zero obligations toward him; everything he did, he did because of the goodness in his heart, and that meant a lot. "Thank you, Ray," he said quietly.
As much as he seemed an airhead more often than not, Ray had proven once more that he was more attuned to other people's feelings than most people. He reached over the table and squeezed Jonathan's hand briefly. "It's the least I can do for your not letting me die of starvation. Mom is even certain I gained some weight." He leaned back into his chair and stretched his t-shirt over his ribs.
Jonathan pursed his lips not to laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure. One more bite and we might have to find a dorm room with a bigger door."
Ray huffed in disbelief. "Make fun all you want. I'm sure I finally put some meat on my bones. Hanna thinks so, too."
"Ah, well, if Hanna says so, who am I to say otherwise? Now let's study, or else."
"Or else what?" Ray asked with emphasis to show that he wasn't scared.
"I'll put us on a diet. Keto. Raw. All that," Jonathan joked while burying his head in his books to hide his grin.
"Eww, no," Ray decided. "I don't even know what keto is, but raw doesn't sound too good."
"You eat raw fruits and vegetables all the time," Jonathan pointed out.
"Yeah, but not raw meat." Ray pondered for a bit. "Unless it's sushi. Does that count?"
"Study, or no pizza," Jonathan threatened. It didn't work to be subtle with Ray. His roommate had a special skill for wriggling himself out of any situation.
"No pizza?! All right, tyrant," Ray mumbled and finally turned his attention to his books. "But if we get through our mid-terms with flying colors, you make sure to add some extra toppings."
"Cross my heart," Jonathan promised.
***
Maddox stretched and yawned. He was done studying for the day, but he didn't feel like going to sleep already. For a while, he toyed with the idea of sexting Jonathan, but the guy's major was definitely a lot harder than his, and as a responsible boyfriend, he needed to let him study. He realized that he needed to pay more attention to his obligations, too, and not only the fun parts.
Thinking of which, he realized, there was something part fun part obligation he hadn't done in a while, which was to pester Rusty to study. The kinkster was lucky to be gifted by nature in the smarts department, but some things couldn't be navigated by wits alone. Maddox had already heard Kane warning Rusty to study so that he didn't flunk like an idiot.
He walked out of the room and knocked energetically on Rusty's door. He had heard him earlier, and it wasn't possible for him to be asleep already. "Go away," the familiar voice of his friend called from behind the door in an exasperated tone.
Maddox grinned and knocked louder. He couldn't exactly explain why, but sometimes pestering and teasing Rusty felt incredibly rewarding. Maybe it was because the kinkster could be convinced to do the right thing now and then, and when he did something, he never did it by half. Maddox shared Kane's opinion that Rusty was some sort of closet genius, and it was one of his secret vows that he would make it come out, eventually.
"I will strangle you with a sock and then make you eat it," Rusty called again.
Maddox was about to knock for the third time, when the door was yanked open abruptly, and he found himself face to face with his bestie. Rusty's eyes were red-rimmed and his hair was a mess.
One possibility was that Rusty's room was full of girls of various shapes and sizes, which explained why the guy was in such bad shape.
The other possibility, the undesirable one, was that Rusty had gotten into another ugly and conflictual conversation with one of his parents. Maddox's bet was on the asshole absent father, but Rusty's mom was also difficult to deal with, as well.
"Rusty, come back to bed," a feminine voice whined.
Good, it was the first guess, Maddox thought and sighed in relief. "I didn't know you were busy, man, my bad." He made a move to go back to his room, but Rusty caught his shoulder and dragged him back.
"Say I gotta study and shit," Rusty whispered in his ear.
Nothing like a buddy to save you from a bad hookup. That was one of Rusty's wise quotes, and Maddox believed that he knew why the guy lived by them. Therefore, he played along. "Rusty, you fucking piece of shit," he said loudly, "why the fuck aren't you studying right now?"
Rusty threw him a pointed look and gestured for him to up the ante. Maddox pondered for a moment. What the hell worse insults could he come up with? Rusty and his weird ideas.
"You're one bad grade away from finding yourself a bum on the street," Maddox continued.
Rusty put his hands on his hips and gave him a disapproving stare. Maddox hunched his shoulders and stared back, at a loss of what was needed of him. Rusty rolled his eyes, grabbed one of his hand and put it on his own shoulder. Then, using Maddox's hand, he pushed himself back into the room while staring wide-eyed at him.
"That's it!" Maddox exclaimed, filled with righteous, yet fake, indignation. "You're going to start studying right now or there will be consequences!"
Rusty mouthed at him, 'what consequences?'.
"I'm going to fuck you up so badly," Maddox said, "you won't be able to sit for a week!"
Rusty finally offered him a quick satisfied grin and then schooled his face into a seriously frightened look. For a moment, Maddox lost his composure; Rusty knew so well how to change his expression at the drop of a hat that unless people knew him very well, they easily bought into his act.
"Maddox," the girl squealed from the bed, "leave Rusty alone!"
He had failed to notice how Rusty had surreptitiously moved his hand from the shoulder to his throat, and now it looked like he was strangling his buddy. "No can do, darling," he said. "This fucker needs to study, and unless you're not squeamish about seeing blood, I suggest you take a hike."
That seemed enough to convince the girl of how serious he was about those threats, because she jumped half-naked from the bed and quickly grabbed the rest of her clothes.
They remained unmoving like extras for a photoshoot while she ran out of the room. Only after they heard her rushing down the stairs did Maddox droppped his arm. Rusty began laughing like an idiot.
"You're such a fucking ass," Maddox whispered to him.
Rusty waved and plopped down on the messed up bed. "Thank God, she's gone. You don't have to whisper. Phew, that was some bad shit. Remind me not to hook up again with the heroine chick look."
"I think it's actually heroin chic," Maddox corrected him.
Rusty made a gesture like he had it up to his neck. "This one wanted to convince me to go vegan, but only after sacrificing a goat at midnight and drinking its blood."
"You're full of shit." Maddox crossed his arms and stared at his friend with a critical eye. "And let me open a fucking window. Did you two sacrifice the goat in here already?"
Rusty laughed and rolled around on the bed like the naughty kid he was. Maddox shook his head and opened the window. It wasn't goat or anything, but that chick was probably high on something that smelled pretty funky. Maddox didn't exactly feel bad about sending her on her way with their little act.
