Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 2

into a couple of plastic cups and set one in front of him. After swallowing pizza, he swigs half the cup in a single gulp.
    "Damn, boy, slow down. Save some for me."
    As he looks away, his countenance shifts to the quiet bashfulness I saw earlier. His cheeks might even be faint pink. He would hit me for saying it, but Heath faintly blushing is absolutely stunning.
    Where the hell has this Heath been and how do I keep him?
    Did I really just think that about Heath Drake? Christ, I need to get laid.
    He mumbles, "Sure, sorry."
    The feeling that something is wrong returns. I see glimpses of the Heath I call "CJ," but this attractive Twilight Zone alternate reality version is eerie and I hardly know what to do with him.
    We eat through a pie and a half and drink one of the two 2-liters in relative silence before calling it quits.
    "I… uh… thanks, Fleury. For the pizza and helping me clean."
    "Sure. Not that I had much choice on the cleaning if I want to live in that room."
    "Yeah. Uh, I can pay—" Something clicks in my mind. "—you back…"
    "Go swap loads of laundry and then we'll get back to it."
    Not waiting for an answer, I turn to put away the leftovers and wash and rinse the cups in the sink. He hesitates for a few moments before heading for the laundry room.
    He's a lot thinner than he used to be. I haven't seen any food but for some ramen. Paying me back worries and embarrasses him. Financial trouble explains all of those. It doesn't explain the state of the room, but it does explain not having any detergent to do the laundry or being able to buy more trash bags.
    Do I bring it up with him? God knows I wouldn't want to talk about it if it was me. So, I guess the answer is no.
    But there are things I can do. Like grocery shopping.
    The last of Heath's CDs disappears into a box as I walk into the room. I'm glad to see the surface of my desk.
    "I'm going to run to the grocery store since there's no food here. Is there anything you need besides laundry detergent?"
    "That's okay. Really. I can—"
    "There's no point in you having to make a separate trip, Heath. Just answer the question. What do you need? And what do you want to eat for the next few days until the rest of the guys show up?"
    He stares at me blankly. Maybe he has figured out I know too much. Maybe he needs to decide whether or not to accept the offer. He finally gives me a short list of what he'd like to eat and a couple of other items, like toothpaste and deodorant and toilet paper.
    "Okay. I'll be back in a while. Oh, do I need to pick you up some boxes to pack or organize your stuff?"
    "Um…" He looks around the room. "Sure, that'd be nice."
    "That's me, Mr. Nice Guy." He harrumphs. "What?" I ask.
    "You're fucking ruthless on the track."
    "All's fair in love and war." I smirk at him, "That falls under war, just in case you weren't certain."
    He throws a tennis shoe in my direction. I sidestep it.
    "Go to the damn store already."
    CHAPTER 2 – GOSSIP AND GLANCES
    Before the others arrive for the new semester, the days with Heath are actually pleasant. Now clean, the room is ten times better than it was when I first showed up. No trash, no crumbs, no dust bunnies. I'm not ashamed to bring anyone up to the room any longer. Maybe even pizza cutie might make it in here one day.
    Or he might not if Heath keeps flirting with me like he has been. Okay, flirting is a bit misleading. He's been taking sidelong glances at me when he thinks I'm not looking. And they're not the "what's wrong with this guy" kind. They're the "I can't keep my eyes off you" kind. I've seen the look before; I know it when I see it. It's completely flattering but also really disconcerting coming from him. He's never looked at me with anything but contempt before.
    And it has me thinking thoughts about him I really shouldn't think if we're going to room together and not kill each other this semester. I just know this rooming situation is going to go to hell sooner or later.
    It's too cold just yet to do early morning runs, so we run together in the afternoon, after we have lunch made from the groceries I bought. At night, we make dinner, watch TV, and play video games until early in the morning, and then sleep in until ten.
    In short, Heath and I have a really great time for three days. Right up until the rest of the team starts showing up just before the semester begins.
    "CJ" returns along with the rest of the team.
    Drew arrives first. Heath and I are getting ready for our