One week. Alexander had just one week before he officially started his studies at the University of Oregon. Currently he was texting his friend Logan who was joining him at UO while also trying to finish pack his things. Today, he was moving to his new future residence and he was both nervous and excited. Excited because he'll be finally away from home and nervous because he was moving in with his sister's boyfriend. As a good will gesture to his sister, Brayden suggested the idea as he only lived about half an hour's bus ride away from campus and Alexander's parents quickly accepted the offer to save on the room and board expenses.
But what was really bothering Alex was the fact the he has had a crush on Brayden from the time they met two years ago and no one knows. Alex zipped up his suit case with a heavy sigh and placed it on the floor. He walked over to his standing mirror and grabbed the belt that was hanging over it. As he was putting it on he looked himself over in the mirror. Alex was 5'10'' with light brown hair and he currently has it tapered with his natural curls at the top. He has a boyish face which his sister compares to Tom Holland, and he even has the body to match.
That, he owed to his uncle. When Alex first came out at fifteen, his sister fully embraced him. Even though they are five years apart, they were always close. His parents on the other had didn't react so well. They didn't call him names or threatened to throw him out, but it could've gone better. As one of the plans make him "normal" again, his dad sent him off to his uncle for the summer in hopes that it would do the trick. His uncle owns and runs a gym but twice a week he would also use one of the studio spaces as a karate dojo.
Fortunately, his father's plan didn't work but surprisingly, Alex enjoyed his time with his uncle and when that summer was over, he would travel every weekend to train with him. His uncle even convinced his dad to set up a home gym in their basement. Alex ran his fingers over his chest as the memories came back to him. Then there was a knock at his bedroom door.
"Xan?", it was his sister Jessica
"Come in".
"Aren't you ready yet?" she asked as she entered his room.
"Yeah; I just have to put on my shirt." Alex took a plain black T-shirt from his bed and pulled it over his head. "Why are you in a rush?"
"I'm not in a rush."
"Yeah you are. The sooner we leave here, the sooner you get to see your boyfriend"
"This has absolutely nothing to do with Brayden." Jessica didn't even try to sound convincing. They laughed at her lack of effort.
Since Brayden lives about 2 1/2 hours away, Jessica and Brayden arranged to meet in person on weekends. Sometime she would travel to see him and other times it was the opposite. She would usually leave on Saturday mornings and come back the Sunday evenings. But since Alexander had decided to leave on Friday, this meant that Jessica would see Brayden one day earlier than usual.
Alex grabbed his suitcase and duffel bag from the floor. "Grab that backpack from the closet door please?"
"Sure." Jessica swung the backpack onto her right shoulder.
When they got downstairs, their mother was waiting by the door. Their dad was called into a last minute meeting at the firm, so he wasn't there to see Alex off.
"Please don't cry mom."
"I'm not crying", she said while wiping tears from her eyes.
Alex let go of his suitcase to give his mom a hug. "I'm only about a couple hundred miles away. And besides, you and dad are visiting next week."
"I know. It's just that you're 18 and all grown up now. It happened so fast."
"I know. But I have to go." Alex gave his mom another hug before going through the door.
"Be safe and tell Brayden hello for me."
Alex packed his things into his sister's Prius and waved at his mom while getting in.
"Are you ready?" Jessica asked as she started the car.
"Yeah, lets go." And Jessica checked her rear view mirror before moving off.
As they drove, Jessica played her usual road-trip playlist which mainly consisted of Dua Lipa, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. Alex is mostly an alternative type of person but he found himself tapping his foot while the music played. When his sister pulled over at a gas station to get some snacks, Alex took over the driving. Almost three hours later, they pulled up to their destination.
Brayden lived in a two bedroom townhouse in your typical suburban area. Jessica parked behind his Chevy truck in the shared driveway with the townhouse next door. While Alex took his things out of the car, Jessica went and rang the doorbell. After about a minute, Brayden opened the door. Alex looked away as he kissed his sister. Brayden then came over and greeted Alex .
"Hey Xanny," he said with his arm around Alex's shoulders. Xanny. Alexander never liked that nickname but from Brayden, he accepted it.
"Hey Brayden." Alex tried hard not to blush as Brayed smiled at him. Brayden was 6'1'' with shoulder length wavy black hair, emerald eyes and had a 5 o'clock shadow. His skin was an olive tone, showing his mixed heritage. His dad was white and his mom was Latina. He was wearing a white T-shirt that was one size too small, showing his muscles underneath, a black pair of jeans and black flip flops.
"Let me get that for you." Brayden took Alexander's suitcase and entered the house with Jessica behind him and then Alex. "Welcome to your new home away from home."
Alex's parents have been here before but this is the first time for Alex. The bottom floor was an opened plan. A wooden staircase was to the right wall and to the left was the living room with a four chair dining table after and the kitchen at the rear. There was a door at the back right head, which Alex assumed lead to the backyard.
