It was approaching the end of the semester, and Dillon worked his way off academic probation so he could get back on the team. But it wasn't all great news. His program advisor recommended but didn't require, that Dillon enroll in some supplementary courses during the summer break.
Dillon's parents had planned a summer vacation many months in advance, and they were ready to cancel everything, even the non-refundable parts, to stay home so Dillon could take the recommended courses and not fall behind in the new semester.
Ben being the sneaky little genius he is, told me all about the situation before he coyly asked what I thought about Dillon moving in with us for the summer. Of course, I could never say no to either of them, so that's the plan we hatched.
At the end of the semester, a day before Dillon's parents were leaving, we went to pick Dillon up.
I had met with Dillon's parents previously when he stayed with us for spring break, but I was happy to meet with them again. It was a pleasant meeting, of course. They explained to us that they were going on a cruise and wouldn't be reachable while they were at sea, but they'd check in with Dillon as frequently as they could. I reassured them that he'd be under my constant supervision since I had transitioned to a full-time work-from-home position. Dillon mentioned something about time zone differences and school schedules as an excuse for not being able to respond immediately, but he would check in when he could, too. Smart kid - already laying the foundation of an alibi.
It was Sunday afternoon when we went to pick Dillon up from his parents' house. He rolled out of the house with two large suitcases, his backpack, and his baseball duffle bag.
"You know I own a washer and dryer, right?" I asked jokingly, knowing full well that at least half of the things in his bags were shoes, costumes, and sex toys.
"Yeah, I know, but I don't want to be a bother," Dillon said shyly.
"If I thought you were a bother, you wouldn't be staying with us," I said as I lifted a suitcase into the trunk of my car.
His parents handed me an index card with all the names of the different places they'll be along with the dates and contact phone numbers.
"He'll be fine, I promise. And he's going to get straight A's. I've seen his course list, and I'll be tutoring him personally," I said.
"If he forgot anything, although I can't imagine he did," I began as I lifted the second suitcase into the trunk of my car, "Would it be okay for me to bring him back to get it?" I asked his parents.
"Yes, of course," said his mother. "We just don't want him unsupervised with us being on the other side of the world. Just be sure to set the alarm before you leave."
"Perfectly understandable," I said.
Dillon said his goodbyes, and we all got in my car.
We got back to my place and got out of the car. Everyone grabbed a bag and walked up to the front door. Dillon unlocked it with his key and made his way inside.
"My key still works," he said with a tone of surprise.
"Why wouldn't it?" I asked.
"I dunno, I just thought it was all talk," he said. "My parents don't trust me home alone. Why should anyone else?" He asked.
"Dude. You threw a party, and your parents literally had to remodel - I can understand why they're not down with doing that again," I said.
"Ugh, when is everyone going to let that go?" He asked.
"You parents? Probably when they're done paying off the loan they had to take out to fix everything. Me? Never," I said with a laugh.
"They're doing alright. Did you see all the places they're going? Kinda bummed to miss it, but I did it to myself," Dillon said.
We were all still standing in the foyer of my apartment.
"Okay, you know the drill," I said.
The boys kicked off their shoes by the door, and Dillon started to undo his pants.
"No! Not THAT drill," I said with a laugh. "Go put your shit away."
I was genuinely curious to see which room Dillon would pick. I knew he and Ben would fool around when they had a private moment together, but Ben wouldn't necessarily tell me those types of things first thing when he got home. Which is totally understandable. Everything was very casual, and after all, it was just sex.
Dillon went all the way to the end of the hall and went into my room.
"Nice," I thought to myself.
Dillon came back out for the rest of his bags and repeated the process.
"I'm going to unpack a few things," Dillon said from the end of the hallway.
"Go for it," I said. "There's room in the closet and dresser."
Ben crossed his arms and gave me a look that could only mean, "Really? You made room for him?"
"What?" I asked, "Is your room even suitable for habitation?" I asked.
"Of course not," Ben said. "I'm a free spirit."
"You're something," I said as I rolled my eyes.
Ben and I sat on the couch and turned on the TV. We had some idle chat about what to do over the summer and how we can both help Ben stay on track so he actually passes.
"Are we going anywhere else today?" Dillon asked from the end of the hall.
I looked over at Ben, and he shook his head while shrugging his shoulders.
"Probably not," I said. "What's up?"
"Just wondering if you guys were waiting for me to head out or something," Ben said.
"Nope. Take your time," I said.
After a long while, I heard my shower turn on.
"He's settling in fast," I said to Ben.
"Guess so," Ben said as he pulled his shirt collar away from his neck and gave himself a sniff test.
"You're fine," I said. "No need to join him."
"I was going to JOIN him," Ben said defensively. "I have my own shower, but I wanted to make sure I didn't stink."
"I'd tell you if you were stinky," I said as I nudged him playfully. "Don't make his stay with us weird. We can take turns."
"What if he doesn't want to?" Ben asked a little dejectedly.
"That's what this is about? Because he picked my room instead of yours?" I asked.
"Not just that, but kind of," Ben said.
"I'm sure it had nothing to do with who, and more with what," I said. "You know my room is bigger. Plus, I don't have a bunch of 'maybe' clothes all over the place, so it's a little more inviting."
"Yeah, I know you're right," Ben said. "But still, you two are going to be doing what you two do when you're in bed together."
"I mean, I can't say either way, but you're probably right," I said.
"Great," Ben said disappointedly.
"No one is stopping you from joining us. We've all slept in my bed before," I said encouragingly.
"Yeah, that's true," Ben said a little more happily.
"I mean, come on, it's a king-size bed. The two of us can be in bed comfortably and never touch. What's a third with some light touching?" I asked.
"Mmm... Good touch," Ben said as he envisioned it.