Holy shit. That's all I could think when he walked through the door. Ho-ly shit! He sauntered in, one arm on his red backpack strap, the other smoothing the front of his indigo shirt. His hair was black and wavy, fluttering softly in the little bit of relief the space heater provided. He was muscular, the material of his t-shirt was stretched taunt over his arms and chest. His light blue skinny jeans perfectly outlined his thighs, calves, and I'm assuming ass, though I got caught staring before he turned.

"Hey, yo, Jack," my friend and table-mate, Felix nudged me. I hadn't realized my mouth was hanging open and I had quickly shut it, my teeth clacking as I did. A few classmates snickered, and the black-haired-model-of-a-man looked down, blushing pink as he walked passed our table in the front of the class. I felt like such an idiot! I'd never looked at anyone like that- let alone a guy! It'd been easy to hide in high school, but college is way different. It's so much easier to be yourself because everyone seems so open. You're an Atheist? Cool! I'm not- but oh well! You're into violent slam poetry? Awesome! Wanna catch some lunch later? Hey, you like tan, muscular, gorgeous men? Well too bad! He's probably not into skinny, loud, Irish guys. I sighed and rubbed my eyes, turning back to the front of the classroom.

"What's the matter," Professor Somoas asked me, "never seen a new student?"

I just shook my head. He was joking, of course, but I wasn't in the mood for it. Not only was this new guy the sexiest person I'd ever seen, but I was a little confused as to how he even got in this class, considering that we'd just gotten back from Christmas break and we'd already learned half the syllabus. It's not like he could just catch up- science labs are hard to do on your own, no matter how attractive you are.

"Well, since Jack has already established this- we have a new victim- er, student. He comes all the way from America!" I rolled my eyes at the professor's lame attempt at a humorous introduction. But from America? What the hell is he doing here? "Go on, introduce yourself," Professor continued.

"My name is Mark," his voice was almost unbelievably deep, and it made me want to sit up straighter. "I come from Ohio, and I plan on majoring in bio-med engineering." Oh god I hoped to see him in my residence hall. The dorm across from mine was a double, but only had one occupant, so it was likely he'd end up in there. The very thought of seeing him in the communal bathroom after a shower or early in the morning with his hair all messy and his lips swollen from sleep made me shiver, at which Felix gave me a weird look.

"You okay there?" He whispered as more and more students piled into the lecture room. I nodded and he narrowed his eyes. "Right, 'course you are, Sean," he said, using my real name. "Totally gawking at the new guy is okay now."

"He just confused me, s'all..." I mumbled, reaching down beside me and pulling out my laptop.

"Confused you?" He followed my lead and opened his brand new Mac Book his girlfriend had given him as a gift. "Like, how?"

"Think about it, Felix," I breathed, keeping my mouth in a relaxed position as I stared straight forward. "It's the middle of the year, and this guy has a lot of catching up to do if he plans on passing this class."

"So you stare at him like he's some kind of circus clown?" He chuckled, catching the attention of our professor.

"Something funny, Kjellberg?"

"No, no sir," Felix said politely, pretending to be taking down notes.

After class let out, I headed back to my dorm with Felix. We didn't share a room, but we might as well- we were always together. "So what was up with this morning?" He asked, kicking at the edges of snowdrifts as we passed.

"I already told ya," I exhaled, watching little white wisps of my breath leak out into the frigid air.

"You don't think I believed that, do you?" He offered a sideways smirk.

Before I could respond, my name was being called. "Hey! Wait! Jack!" I spun around carefully, hoping I wasn't standing on a patch of black ice. It was him. Only now that we were outside did it strike me as odd that he was without a coat. He ran up to me, fearless and huffing. His hair was already messed up and his cheeks were red, emphasizing his glasses that shone in the midday winter sun. "It's Jack, right?"

"Uh, yeah," I played it cool, trying to act like I wasn't having a mini heart attack. Felix just grinned and walked off, waving silently at me as he did.

"I'm supposed to ask you about what I've missed," he panted. "And I'm supposed to tell you that you're to sit by me from now on."

"Wait- what?" I blinked. "Where'd you get this information?"

"The professor- look, do you have any other classes today?" He looked at me with hopeful brown eyes, his lips set in a sort of cheery crooked smile.

"Uh, not for an hour or two, why?" I almost wanted to step back, he was standing so close.

"Because I'm kinda lost," he admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck and gazing out at the campus around us. "And I can't find my dorm. All my stuff is there, and I'm freezing."

"Why didn't you just wear your coat?" I rolled my eyes and started walking again, motioning for him to follow so he wouldn't get hypothermia.

"I moved in last week but I haven't actually slept here yet, I stayed with my family at a hotel in the city, and I guess I left my coat there because I just, I'm a mess," he huffs, ruffling up his hair so it looks like a bird's nest. I smirk at him, already enjoying his presence.

"You must be really forgetful," I muttered as we entered my residence hall.

"Not usually, I've just had a ton on my mind lately. It's not exactly a piece of cake to move countries."

"Mm, cake," I murmured involuntarily, leading him to my dorm. "I could sure go for some cake."

"Well, it's about lunch time, do you eat in the cafeteria here?"

"Sometimes," I pushed open my door and threw my backpack down on my bed. My dorm-mate wasn't there, which was a good thing. He's not too keen on having strangers around. He barely allowed Felix to visit. I sat on my bed and Mark just stood there, staring at his shoes. "Well don't be shy, damn it. Sit," I laughed, and he giggled quietly. "Do you know what hall you're in?"

"Uh, Meyers."

"Meyers?!" I shouted, my eyes bulging. Meyers was the richest hall for only the richest students. I stayed in Chapin, an average hall right above the laundry and mailing center.

Either he was blushing or his cheeks were still flushed from the cold. "Yeah, it's really nice."

"No fuckin' kidding, good on you. How'd you get in there?"

"Not really sure," he shrugged. "I just applied as a transfer and they told me I could stay there as well as get a full ride."

"A full ride," I echoed. So Mark wasn't paying a cent for this, and he got to live in the nicest dorms? Totally unfair. "Well, what do you like on your pizza?" I changed the subject.

"Uh, don't you wanna eat in the cafeteria?" I just stared at him, as if he'd asked me about my thoughts on alien politics. "I... guess not..." He mumbled.

"Sausage okay?" I asked, and he nodded. As we waited, I told him about how terrible the caf food was and shared horror stories of Felix's mac and cheese tacos that had to have been radioactive.

"So Felix is your boyfriend?" He mumbled, not looking up at me.

"Oh, hell no!" I laughed, clutching my stomach. "No, no, no!"

"Oh, sorry," he perked up.

"Don't be. A lot of people assume that, but it's only because I don't make friends much. Felix kinda claimed me; we're both majoring in astronomy. But he's got a girlfriend."

"And what about you?" He whispered, growing quieter for some reason.

"What about me? I don't have anyone. Just Felix."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks for agreeing to help me out. I'd be lost without you."

"No problem, dude. You seem cool. And even though this campus isn't too big, it's still a little difficult to find your way around."

His eyes wander a bit before settling on my Play Station that I'd just gotten over the summer. "Is that the new one?"

"Hell yeah!" I smile at him and go to turn it on. "What do you want to play?"

After a quick lunch and a few rounds of Mortal Kombat, I briskly walk with him to his hall. It was only a few minutes away, but I was sure my lips were turning blue. I let out a low whistle when we stepped inside the shiny new building. The whole bottom floor was a kitchen/living room combo with an LED flat screen and fuckin' cable. He pulled out his keys and showed me the attached tag.

"237D," I read. "Where's the staircase?"

"Stairs?" He raised an eyebrow. "I used the elevator when I moved in."

The next morning, I walked passed Felix to my new seat a few tables back. His eyes, sharper than mine, watched my every step. "The fuck are you doing, Jack?" He laughed nervously, spinning in his chair to face me. I eased in beside Mark, who already had his book open for today's lesson.

"Sorry, bro. Teacher's choice." I couldn't help but sneer at him. We'd been forced to sit there because we always bothered everyone when we sat in the back, but now I had the freedom to leave the dreaded front of the class. Poor Felix'll chew my ear off for this later, I thought. He turned around, grumbling.

Weeks passed, and Mark and I grew closer and closer. We played video games in my dorm, and worked on homework in his. At lunch, we would take turns ordering in and talk while we ate. I found out that he'd been born in Hawaii, but was actually half Korean. He told me that he moved here because he wanted to have a fresh start with his family. I told him about my band that eventually split up- but not before I won a drumming contest to meet the drummer of Trivium. We'd stay awake all night, just enjoying each other. He turned out to be a really cool guy, really goofy too. I almost forgot about my enormous crush on him. Almost.

Mark had these moments. His pupils would dilate as we held staring contests, he'd watch me with a small smile as I focused on a difficult part of a game, he always laughed at every joke I made, no matter how stupid. Sometimes, we slept in each other's dorms, and when I'd wake up, he'd already have been awake a long time. These little things made me wonder. What if he liked me back? The notion seemed absurd. But I couldn't get it out of my head. More and more frequently it seemed that my blue eyes would catch his soft brown ones on me. And instead of one of us looking away, we'd hold our gazes, ghosts of smiles on our lips. He quickly became my best friend. We did everything together except for afternoon classes. But I'd always wait for him outside his last one, and if not, he'd catch me outside mine. Felix came around less- but when he did it was always awkward. He stared at Mark and I like he knew something we didn't and it was seriously starting to make me uncomfortable. I'd never told Felix I was gay, but something told me he'd already known.

One day in class, we were having a free session at the end of a lecture. I was about to call Felix to join us, but he was hunched over his computer and had his headphones in. "So, Mark," I said slowly. "Do you feel caught up yet? In class, I mean."

"Almost. I still don't get some things, but I'm sure you'll have me understanding in no time."

"I wonder why Prof chose me. I'm far from the smartest person in class."

He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. "Maybe 'cuz you stared at me when I walked in."

"What? You think he's trying to play matchmaker?" I laughed, but he didn't. I frowned, wishing he would just look at me, smile, something. "Mark?"

"Hmm?"

"You alright?"

He nodded, pretending to study his pencil.

"You can tell me anything, okay?"

He finally looked up at me, a sad smile on his face. "I know, Jackaboy."

"So what's on your mind, then?"

"You," he whispered.

"Me?"

"Yeah," he turns his body to me, spinning in his chair, his eyes serious behind his glasses. "Why were you looking at me when I first got here?"

"Uh, well, you came so late in the year, I was just taken aback," I answered quickly, hoping he didn't see through me. He nodded and looked down again at his hands, folded on his lap. I frowned at him, watching as he breathed in and out, his hands rubbing together nervously. There was something more on his mind. Something that involved me and how I felt... "Did Mr. S really ask me to sit with you?" I scooted closer to him, our knees touching.

"Well, kinda," he admitted.

"Tell me what happened after class that day," I urged him, thankful that the surrounding students were way too loud for anyone else to hear our conversation.

"I went up to talk to him about getting the notes from the previous term and he told me to ask you, since you seemed so inclined to make my acquaintance. He laughed, and I was confused, but... Damn it, Jack..."

"What?" I asked gently.

He sighed and smiled up at me, his face flushed. "You were so attractive, I... I asked if I could have you sit by me for the year and... He said sure."

Flames engulfed me, my heart beat at a mile a minute. "Attractive?" I somehow managed to whisper.

He nodded. "Of course, when we started hanging out more, I realized you were super cool and funny. You became more than just eye candy."

I rolled my eyes, "what sort of candy would I be? Sour?"

"No," he grinned, "you'd be a jaw breaker. It takes ages for you to melt, but it's worth it."

I laughed heartily, "oh, Mark, you dork." I placed my hand on his knee and he stopped smiling. Our eyes met, and I leaned closer to him, breathing in his sharp cologne. His lips parted slowly, and his eyes fell shut- but then class was dismissed. I gasped and jumped back, my eyes scanning the room. Mr. S smirked knowingly at me.

"Come on," I grabbed Mark's hand and pulled him as fast as I could out of the classroom.

"Where are we going?" He breathed happily, tripping to keep up. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Felix wink at me, but I tried not to think about it as I lead Mark to my dorm. I fell back onto my bed and he kicked the door closed before pouncing on me, breathing heavy with a large grin. He positioned himself so he could look in my eyes, stroked my cheek, and suddenly our lips and tongues were battling, a Great War that could only be won by He Who Has No Need For Breathing. I wrapped my arms around him, playing with his curls at the back of his neck as his hips moved against mine. It was bliss. Absolute bliss. His body on me was like a magnet, our hearts beat as one as friction turned into fire. This felt so right, and I knew that we'd get to do this again. Perhaps we'd do it everyday after class, at night... Whenever we could.

A very loud cough pulled us apart. My eyes shot open, and my face went redder than the spaghetti sauce in the cafeteria. "H-hey, buddy," I croaked at my dorm-mate, who was sitting on his bed in the far corner of the room. Mark, even redder than me, hid his face in between my neck and shoulder.

"Next time you decide to have an impromptu make-out session," my dorm mate warned as he slammed his book closed, "go to your boyfriend's room."