The next day...

Only 179 more days until I could change dorms. 179 more days until I wouldn't have to see him on a daily basis. Where I could simply pass him on campus and not have to worry about seeing him back in my room. Just 179 days until the true college experience would begin, one without Clark.

You can totally do this!

I wasn't convinced I could though. Humiliation wasn't the end of the world, no, but my foot was so far in my mouth now I wasn't sure it could be removed even surgically. Last night was the icing on the cake. Somehow that greek god had strong-armed me into confessing I was wrong all the time. We were only a week and I was already to the point where I woke up early this morning and snuck out. Of my own dorm room!

You are one sorry excuse of a person Nick.

My inner voice was 100% correct. I wasn't going to deny it.

Clark hadn't budged from his slumber, not even a little, but it wasn't like I expected him too. If avoiding him hadn't been my number one priority this morning, I too would have been dead to the world before sunrise. It was though, so instead of being tucked into my soft warm bed, I wandered the campus - in my pajamas of all things - until I ended up back where I started. In the dorm building with food in front of me as I ate in the mess hall.

My assortment of eggs, sausage, and potatoes weren't bad for five bucks but it was a key example of why college students we're broke and lived off instant noodles.

Con artists.

I secretly wished I had some idea of what Clark's schedule was like or when his first-class started. Since I had snuck out the last thing I wanted was to return to our room and he was still there. It was awkward enough, I didn't need nor want it to get any worse. He seemed like an early kind of guy. Maybe the overly punctual kind? He probably had already left for the day.

Or rather, I hoped.

After the entirety of yesterday, I had no idea what to say to the guy. My brain couldn't process anything in his presence. He had tried to be friendly but all I managed to do was rub his nose in it. Like being nice deserved punishment or something.

My mother was right about one thing. She did raise me better than this.

Fixing my mistake wasn't an option though. This wasn't a mistake I wanted to admit to just yet or frankly maybe ever. And it wasn't because I couldn't muster up the gonads to do so.

Do I really want to be friends with an attractive guy like Clark? I didn't know and that was the problem. Attractive guys were never trustworthy, at least in my experience. Add his origin of birth into the equation and it was a recipe for disaster. College so far was a disaster.

Without thought, I reached for the doorknob and stepped into our room only to be greeted by a sight that I knew would haunt my dreams for nights to come.

Taunt, naked, exposed flesh assaulted my vision without mercy. The kind that came in a nicely sculpted six-pack. Happy trail included.

Sweet baby Jesus! What had Joy been feeding this guy?!

With a brisk tug, Clark slid on his tee, obscuring my view. All before my hand managed to shield my eyes.

"Glad to see you're in one piece." He greeted, his back now turned to me.

My fingers instinctively gripped the bridge of my nose while my brain went into overhaul.

They are just abs, Nick! Tan, perfectly sculpted, straight out of a magazine abs... No reason to get your panties in a bunch!

"Excuse me?" I grumbled. It sounded tired and exasperated, both of which I was but neither of which he needed to know, nor did I want him to. All I wanted was for him to disappear as if he'd never been here.

His milk-chocolate orbs found mine from across the small space. They searched for clues but moreover gleamed with curiosity. A slow lazy smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.

"Empty bed. No note. Figured the campus lunatic gotcha." 

All...

I could do...

was stare...

Was he serious? He had to be kidding, right? Day two, with less than twenty-four hours of knowing each other, did not suddenly make him my keeper. How did I know for certain he wasn't the campus lunatic?! Was there even such a thing? His face was somber, almost serious.

Almost...

"You're an asshole." I snapped.

Clark chuckled and gave me his back once again. A back that no doubt was just as toned as the front...

Get your mind out of that gutter Boyer!

"Surprisingly, I have also been called that."

I couldn't help but scoff. Between my thoughts and his words, my mind was a disastrous mess. Someone had already called him an asshole? Didn't surprise me. He had a tendency to speak words that crawled under my skin and festered. Much like a splinter.

Just think of him like a splinter. A tall, toned thorn in your side.

Yeah, a thorn that I would now see half-naked any time I closed my eyes. For me, it was clear I was the one saddled with the disadvantage. I needed a plan. A foolproof plan that kept me away from him. If I didn't I was so screwed.

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Question for this chapter:
What is your most embarrassing moment?