I was practically bouncing around as I moved into my new college dorm. I'd been looking forward to this a lot over the summer break. After all high school had been great for me, and it was exciting to move on to a bigger and better place with so much going on. As starting running back on the football team with a cheerleader girlfriend and my built up body from working out, I was pretty popular. I could definitely make that work here too. Sure, my girlfriend and I had broken up a few weeks ago since we weren't heading to the same college, but I didn't let that slow me down.
I shifted my backpack up on my shoulder as I walked through the college campus. It looked amazing and captivating, like a stereotypical college in a brochure. All the trees, the lake I'd just passed, the huge buildings. It was scenic, and it was going to be home now.
Getting closer to my dorm, I fidgeted with my tank top and adjusted my backwards cap wiping away some of the sweat from my short brown hair. It was two guys to a room, and it was a mystery who I was rooming with. We were both freshman, but was he an asshole? Would we get on alright? I had no idea. I'd always had a room to myself before so what was it even like sharing? I'd grown up with my older brothers and always been in sports so I was used to that kind of locker room banter and hoped it would be similar. Maybe it wouldn't be like hanging out with my brothers throwing a ball but who knows.
I pushed open the door of the building and looked around getting my bearings. I checked the note the helpers had given me with my room number B12 and shifted the backpack again, heading up the stairs and down the hall. B6, B7. I could see some other people moving in and smiled at them as I kept going. B9, B10. The nerves were rising the closer I got. B12. The door was open. I peeked my head in.
A guy was there. But he did not look like a freshman. He was huge with broad shoulders and a thick neck. He was turned away from me moving some things around the room, but I could already tell he must be some kind of bodybuilder. I thought I looked good, but he was on another level. He seemed to have a basketball jersey on, and his bare arms poking out were massive.
I was staring, come on. Get it together. I knocked on the door and walked in.
He turned and looked at me and in that second he seemed to clock everything about me, his face turning from a passive scowl into a big grin.
"Hey dude! Are you my new roomie? I'm Tanner." He stuck out his hand to me.
"Hey yeah. Cody." I took his meaty hand and shook it.
"I took this side already if that's cool, Cody. You need any help lifting stuff in?" Tanner asked.
"Nah, just what I've got." I dropped the bag in my hand and slid the backpack off my shoulders.
"Damn you travel light brother." He gestured around at the different bags of his stuff. Even some weights, but that wasn't surprising seeing the guy. "Well maybe you can help me. Got a couple more things outside and I bet you can carry them."
"Yeah for sure, Tanner."
He led me back down out of the building and I got a good look at him as we walked. His black hair was buzzed short, and he was packed with muscles. I could even see the bulge of some big thighs and glutes under the shorts he was wearing. His brown eyes sat in a face that looked stern at rest, but most of the time he had a big smile on. He seemed really friendly and cool, but he definitely made me feel small. We got to a car parked nearby and Tanner opened the trunk revealing two more dumbbells and a barbell. I started reaching in for the dumbbells.
"So, the bar's got no plates if you wanna take th- oh! Those dumbbells okay? You got it?" He made a little move towards me like he thought I'd drop them and he was getting ready to catch.
"Nah it's okay, I can deal." I hoisted them out and held them by my sides. It was hard but I did my best to keep my face calm and not shake.
"Damn okay, thought you looked strong but guess I underestimated." He chuckled and picked out the bar with no effort closing the trunk. "You play sports in high school or something?"
"Yeah I was on the football team, how about you?"
"Yeah wrestling team here. What position did you play?" Tanner started leading us back to the dorm.
"Running back. I thought it was something like that, you definitely look like a wrestler." I huffed trying not to seem like the dumbbells were as hard work as they were.
"Thanks man. Yeah its all the steroids!"
I looked back at him walking next to me with a shocked look. "Steroids?"
"It's just a joke bro! Everyone always thinks I'm on the juice, should have seen your face!" He laughed harder and nudged me with his free hand as we got to the door of the dorm building.
He reached out and opened it up holding it for me as I marched in with the weights. I could feel him watching me as I sort of struggled up the stairs, but I made it and headed down the hall to our room again. I gratefully dropped the weights on the floor and sat on my new bed.
Tanner placed his bar down and reached down pulling his jersey off, tucking the end into the waistband of his shorts... What? I stared at him as he revealed his smooth torso with honestly huge pecs. He didn't have the washboard abs like I did, his build was more strong and powerful so he had that kind of strong core. But I didn't expect that. He moved around the room and caught me looking.
"Oh damn, sorry Cody. Just a habit." And pulled the jersey out of his shorts to put it back on.
"No, no it's cool. Just didn't expect it!" I laughed.
"Right! Sorry should have said. Just never been a guy for wearing clothes in my room I guess. Don't worry I won't do that if it's weird."
"Honestly." I replied. "It doesn't bother me. I've got brothers that are the same so don't worry about it."
"Sweet well, if we're gonna be roomies we should both be comfortable, right? Just tell me if it's too much. But I'm too hot for this right now." The jersey got thrown onto his bed.
The next week was crazy. We were getting settled in and finding our way around. Tanner was a pretty chill guy in general, as shown by how he basically never wore shirts in the room. It did make me feel small and skinny in comparison, not something that I was used to. So, one morning I decided to get familiar with the campus gym. Tanner wasn't in the room so I changed into some workout clothes and wandered through the campus.
Arriving at the gym, it was really big. At least compared to what I was used to. There were so many machines and areas to it. I just spent probably the first 10 minutes just walking around and finding out where everything was. But eventually I started on my usual chest workout. There was an open area with some bars where I started off with some stretches, push-ups, and chest dips. But like most people I ultimately ended up at the bench press. It was fairly busy the morning, maybe other freshman finding their way around and trying out this gym. Nevertheless, I managed to get the last free bench press and did a couple of warm-up sets and then added more plates for a hard set. Just as I finished I was feeling pumped up and warm, focussed on looking at myself.
"Cody?"
Confused, I turned to the voice. Towering there was Tanner.
"Oh, shit bro it is you!" He nudged my shoulder and grinned. "Didn't know you were here!"
"Small world! Yeah just doing my last sets, you?"
"Yeah just came over to finish with some presses. Was gonna ask someone else to share until I saw you though. You wanna spot each other?"
"Sure."
I got up and moved around to the weights at the other side to him as he was looking at the bar.
