Undone Ch. 5 (the rest of it!)
Don’t adjust your screen. I’ve decided on a new title! This is the story formerly known as Fool Me Once! I’ll go back and edit the previous posts with the new title when I get around to it…
Finally, Lucas thought as he felt the last plug slip into the proper socket behind the computer tower. In the process of standing up he heard the sound of someone clearing his throat. The noise startled him, and he smacked the back of his already sore head against the desk as he emerged.
“Son of a . . .” he began to mutter, but was silenced at the sight of Julian standing just inside the hallway. The towel hung low around his waist, revealing a thin but toned upper body. Julian’s skin was evenly toned with a light tan that he could tell was completely natural, rather than the product of time spent in the sun or under an ultraviolet light. Lucas stared at him like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle–he sensed the oncoming danger in the back of his mind, yet was unable to move or even look away.
Julian shifted uncomfortably under Lucas’s gaze. He didn’t know what to make of the way Lucas was looking at him, whether he should be embarrassed, flattered, or some combination of the two. “I think you forgot something,” he said after a few awkward seconds.
Somewhere amidst the incoherent thoughts crashing through Lucas’s mind, Julian’s words connected. His jaw dropped and he brought a hand up to his mouth in horror and embarrassment. “Oh! I’m so sorry! I got a phone call and completely forgot what I was supposed to be doing. Adrian called to confirm the band meeting was still on for tonight. We’re having it here, by the way. I hope it’s not a problem for you. I’m really, really sorry.” He knew he was rambling, so he fell silent.
Julian gave him a nervous half-smile. He clasped his hands in front of himself and shifted on his feet again as he was subjected to Lucas’s scrutiny for several silent seconds. Finally feeling somewhat bold, he said, “I’m really flattered at the attention and all, but I’m kind of naked here. Just a little self-conscious, you know.”
“Right, right,” Lucas said. He forced himself to look at the floor. “Sorry. Clothes. Where are your clothes so I can grab them first?”
“Hefty bag. Passenger’s seat.”
“Got it.” Lucas nodded. “Be right back.”
#
“What the fuck was that all about?” Lucas whispered to himself as the front door closed behind him. “So you just saw a little more of your new roommate than you’d expect to see on your first day living with him. So what? Adrian never even bothered with a fucking towel anyway. What’s the fucking difference between this and that, or the guys in the dressing room at the gym?”
His heart was still pounding when he reached Julian’s car. He unlocked the passenger side door and took several deep breaths to calm himself. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the side-view mirror as he leaned in to grab the large black trash bag and swore again when he saw that he was blushing furiously. He took considerably more time than necessary pulling the bag out of the car as he continued to breathe deeply, and when he next looked in the mirror he was relieved to see that his skin had returned to its normal color. He sighed, shut the door, and started back towards the house.
“Here you go,” he said as he handed the bag to Julian, casually avoiding looking at him. “Just change in my room. I’ll start bringing the rest of your stuff in to your room. I promise this time,” he said with an embarrassed grin.
“Thank you.” Julian took the bag and headed down the hallway to Lucas’s bedroom to change. Lucas chanced a glance at his retreating form. The subtle muscles of his back were tense and defined from the burden of the bag, which was heavier than it looked. The towel hung low around his waist–too low. In fact, it seemed to be slipping even lower as Julian struggled with the bag, revealing two dimples, one on either side of a very suspicious hollow barely peeking out from underneath the towel. Lucas felt his face instantly redden again as he realized what he was doing: checking him out.
This realization occupied every square inch of real estate in his mind as he began unloading the rest of Julian’s belongings. He began to reason with himself. “He’s the first gay guy you’ve ever met. You’re intrigued. You’re just trying to figure out how a guy can be attracted to another guy. It doesn’t mean you’re really attracted to him.” This rationalization satisfied him, and he focused on the task at hand.
Julian joined him several minutes later, dressed in a pair of nice jeans and a forest green polo shirt. Together they made quick, silent work of the unloading. As they brought the last of the hastily-packed boxes and bags in, Lucas felt the need to break the silence with an apology. “Sorry about earlier. You kind of caught me by surprise.”
“Yeah, well, you can’t blame anyone but yourself, really,” replied Julian as he started organizing the clothes from the first bag. “If you hadn’t gotten sidetracked, you wouldn’t have seen me. But if you ask me,” he said before he could stop himself, “I think you liked what you saw.”
Shit, Lucas thought. Out loud he stammered, “D-did not.”
“Liar,” Julian chuckled. Inwardly he was baffled at why he was running his mouth like this. He felt like he was . . . flirting. Treading on dangerous ground, he thought. Talk fast. “I can appreciate a beautiful woman, you know. I just wouldn’t be attracted to her. Who’s to say a straight guy can’t do the same thing regarding another guy? It doesn’t have to mean anything.”
Lucas considered this, but shook his head. “I don’t know any guy who thinks like that.” He grabbed a handful of hangers from the closet. “But I guess it makes sense. And, okay, yeah, I couldn’t help but notice you do seem to take good care of yourself.” That was safe and true enough.
“Thank you,” Julian said, beaming. “I try to. And I was honestly flattered, but I can take a compliment like that without reading too much into it.” He took the hangers from Lucas and motioned towards the desk, where his own computer sat in pieces. “Since you enjoy setting them up so much . . .”
Lucas rolled his eyes and smirked, then reached for the box of wires and computer components. Together they unpacked and organized Julian’s new room for an hour and a half, then the doorbell rang.
“Guess the guys are here. You should come meet them.” Lucas closed the box he’d been unpacking and left the room to greet the guests.
Julian inwardly cringed. As he’d mentioned earlier that day (had it really been just that day? it seemed ages ago) he wasn’t good with people, especially strangers. Lucas, of course, had been a pleasant exception, but for the most part Julian suffered from mild social anxiety. He sighed, tried to shrug off the trepidation he always felt in these situations and headed into the living room to say hello to Lucas’s friends.
