This story is a translation of the Russian original, with names and vernacular made to sound as American as possible for ease of reading by an internatonal English-speaking audience. However, keep in mind that it's set in Russia, and make allowances accordingly. The Russian original was first published as a series of journal entries on a Russian gay meeting site qguys.ru. Please also note that English is not my native or even first foreign langauge.
THE DORM ROOM PART II
HE COMETH!
"Owww, it's torture to wake up at 7 AM after a long summer! But at least the academic buildings are a 5 minute walk away, which is the silver lining. Those in my morning class who live across town, I can only imagine what time they have to wake up to commute to campus on jammed roads, the poor bastards," that was the `positive' outlook that overcame me as tried to don a pair of jeans and a tee on the morning of September 8th. "On the other hand, they have privacy in their own apartments. To each their own."
I had to keep it quiet as not to wake up the sleepy head roomies. Mikey, as was his habit, slept curled up in his enormous comforter so that only the tip of his head peeked out. His, and his favorite teddy bear's...
"It sure is strange for an 18-year old dude to sleep with a teddy bear. That said, what business is it of mine, right?" I was determined to put a positive spin on it. Paulie, as if in a study in contrasts, slept with the comforter bunched up in the foot of the bed and his arms and legs thrown wide in all directions. "Hope he won't fall off," the thought flashed through my mind.
Silently closing the door behind me, I headed for the bathroom to shower and brush my teeth. "Now that I've thought of it, I really shouldn't be dissing my living arraignments. I have a suite, not just a cramped sunless dorm room somewhere, and the roomies are fun and great company."
Arthur, the third roommate, had joined the other day the dynamic duo of Mikey and Paulie. "If he wasn't a dorm rat, I would have bet my ass he had noble blood in his veins – a lord at the very least, or a prince, even. He is always keeping it together, fastidious, punctual, opinionated, and serious like no other. That he is! But... he's great company, well-read, knowledgeable, but not know-it-all boring the way nerds can be.
A motley crew, that's what we wound up having. Hmm, the only piece of puzzle missing is the Dennis. After the boys' brief stories of him, I've taken to calling him Shock & Awe. Wonder when he's actually going to show u...," the aimless canter of my thoughts had been rudely interrupted by the bathroom door handle's recoiling back from me just as I was about to grab it. "Hmm, what the heck..."
"Hi, you must be Vic. Nice meeting ya, I'm Dennis."
"Oh, D-denn-nis!" was my brilliant contribution to the conversation. I just verbalized the first thought that shot through my shaken brain as I took stock of the guy. Dennis was – maybe not exactly a younger deadringer for Apollo - but somewhere in that neighborhood, minus the expected I-am-better-than-thou attitude. As an added bonus, he didn't look the all-sex-all-the-time type – I couldn't stand those. He was just... beautiful. Blessedly tall, broad-shouldered, powerfully-chested, with nice guns of biceps on his arms – in a word, he was all that, but not too much... just right. His rather closely cropped blond hair was still wet, and Dennis was in the midst of toweling it off.
The movements must have made his oversized T-shirt - oversized on man-sized Dennis beggars belief, but that's how it was – slip off his shoulder a little, teasing me with the abridged spectacle of his beautiful tanned smooth chest. It may have been the damn post-shower freshness - or God only knows what else - that prompted me to think: this man can make just about anyone fall hopelessly in love with him.
It turned out it was just the first shot across the bow, so to speak, the bombardment to soften me up for the coup de grace. Dennis had finally finished drying up his hair and straightened up to take a good look at me, right in my eyes. And that all it took! When eyes like these are described, it's usually as bottomless pools or blue as the ocean. Yes, Dennis had big blue as the ocean eyes, but this was not it. They made you want to do anything for them, anything they could possible ask, without thinking, whether it was something you could – or even should – do. Just for them, anything. And it wasn't that they were forcing you to do that, not in the slightest; his was not a look that skewered you helpless, piercing your soul, extracting all your secrets and innermost thoughts. No, his was a gentle and tender look, a look that you would – completely voluntarily – open up and offer your all to, and then ask, how else may I be of service?
I must have been out of it for a minute, for Dennis had to wave his hand in my face, smiling at me with surprise.
"Did I scare you? Hi again!"
"I... aaa... aaa... S-sure, hi, yes, I'm V-vic. Nice meeting ya as well."
"Umph! I guess I stopped breathing for a minute. Why am I reacting to him this way? I'm even blushing, damn it."
"Okay, guy, you go on in the bathroom and do your thing, and then come out to the kitchen to help me make breakfast. A good way to get to know each other, what d'you say?
This was all it took for me not to shout out: yes, Sir, thank you, Sir!
Shower, toothbrush, toothpaste, sink... I must not have brushed my teeth for the recommended three minutes, but the smells coming from the kitchen lured me out. When I stepped into the kitchen, Dennis had already cut the bread, munching on a slice of salami.
"Ì-ì-ì. Good morning there! You are definitely looking more alive now!
"What a nice smile... Why am I blushing again?" was my terror-stricken thought.
"What do you want for chow?"
"Hmm, don't know. Whatchya making?"
"Well, the boys like to start a day with a ham grilled cheese. And Art loves his eggs over easy and oatmeal."
"Ha-ha, I've noticed that you all are one big happy family!"
"You know, that's the only way in a dorm, otherwise your classes will suffer. Plus, all the guys here are cool. Hope you'll fall in."
Dennis again gave me his patented warm smile, and startled me with his free hand's mussing up my hair."Umph, am I blushing again? What the..."
"Ah, Denny's back!" Suddenly, a tanned shadow - or should I say, a tanned jungle cat – jumped from the kitchen door and hung on Dennis, who didn't even loose his balance much, which wasn't such a surprise, considering the difference in size between bite-sized Paulie and Dennis.
"I sure am glad to see you, too; but you be careful there, dude, I'm holding a knife, as you can see." a fleeting reprimand in Dennis' look lasting no more than a second was all it took to treat us to a sight of an abashed chastened Paulie. "Good. Sweet to be back, too. Mike still sleeping?"
"Nope, he'll be right out." Paul mumbled.
"What's this? Why are your feet bare again? Go and put some shoes on, or at least warm socks. Every time I see, you are always bare!"
"Dennis, come on, man, don't be like that, pleeese!"
This is when Mikey appeared clad in his too-cute-for-words cartoon puppy jammies and huge Dalmatian slippers with big tongues sticking out the front. He rubbed his left eye for a second in his usual adorable way, and then threw himself at poor Dennis in a flash and was hanging on him right next to Paulie, screaming: he's finally back!
"Alright already, you two! Go wash up, I've made you sandwiches."
Paulie tore the itsy-bitsy jammied wonder away from Dennis and off they went.
"Just like little kids!" we said that together, which made Dennis laugh out loud. "What a beautiful laughter! So full of life and joy!" As I thought this, Dennis reached out again to tousle my hair.
"This is your grilled cheese sandwich. Could you pour out the tea, and I'll go and wake up the crown prince?"
After the entrance of a grumbling Arthur – "do you all have to be so loud in the morning?" – and the galloped return of the boys - I guess all that showering must have made them hyper – the five of us sat down and proceeded to wolf down the breakfast that Dennis'd made. Paulie and Mikey, as usual for them, put on their standup comedian hats – at the expense of Arthur – all the while pawing, hugging, and literally hanging off Dennis' neck, who didn't seem to mind at all. It just didn't seem out of place to me either. "First off, Dennis whips up a mean grilled cheese. And second, we are just like a family: Dennis the strict father, Arthur the grumbling mother, and the boys and I the three sons," was my take on the situation.
And that was how I met HIM.