by D. J. Manly
“I … ah … it won’t be necessary,” Alex said, beginning to walk. Tony walked along beside him.
“Why’s that?”
Alex laughed slightly, then paused to look at Tony. “He’s way out of my league. He wouldn’t give someone like me a second look. No point in wasting my time. Besides, I’m not here for that.”
“You could be right, but you’re pretty cute.”
Alex blushed a little. “Tony, I…”
“We can be friends, can’t we?”
“Sure.” Alex nodded. “I can always use a friend.”
“You and me both. Okay, friend, how about sharing a cup of that shitty instant coffee with me?”
Alex nodded with a grin. “You’re on.”
* * * *
Tony turned out to be a lot of fun. They sat up talking far later than they should have that night, and he introduced Alex to many of the other workers. However, when Tony stood with him at the door to his room, it became uncomfortably clear what was on his mind. “You can pretend I’m Jacob Williams if you want,” he teased.
“Ha, ha.” Alex poked him in the arm.
“He spoke to me once.”
“Who?”
“Jacob Williams, stupid.”
Alex grinned. “Oh yeah? What did he say? Kiss me, you fool?”
“I wish.” Tony took a breath and leaned back against the wall. “I was cleaning the shower room, and he had just come out of the shower with nothing on but a towel.”
“You lie.”
“No, it’s true, and he said, ‘we need towels in the locker room.’”
Alex laughed. “How romantic.”
Tony laughed, then propelled himself off the wall. He looked Alex in the eye for a moment. “I won’t push, but just remember, Alex, I find you…”
“Yes, I know,” he said, shoving him away. “Me too. Go to bed before you get us both into trouble.”
“’Night, Alex.”
Alex turned around, his key in the door. He watched Tony disappear around the corner, then went into his room.
* * * *
The meeting Mark had the next day with all the maintenance staff made Alex aware of how busy he was going to be. It was far more difficult to clean now that the buildings were filled with people. The good news was that he was working with Tony; the bad news was that he was responsible for washing the floors just about damn near everywhere. He had a huge ring of keys suddenly, and he didn’t know how he was supposed to figure out where they all went. “Don’t worry,” Tony told him, “I’ll help you out. In a few days, it will become second nature.”
He was becoming fast friends with Tony, although given the reason Alex was working at Jupiter, he wasn’t sure how Tony really felt about him. He decided he’d eventually talk to him more about it, but he wasn’t prepared to yet. He was ashamed of what he did, and he deeply regretted going off the deep end like that, but Mark kept telling him “put it behind you,” and that’s what he was trying to do.
Jupiter fascinated him and he was beginning to see an entirely new world in front of his eyes. When he walked into the main building the following morning, there was music everywhere. Students were singing in some rooms, playing musical instruments in others … even in the hallway. He went to his closet and pulled out his cleaning cart. He checked the piece of paper he had shoved into his pocket where he’d written down which areas he was supposed to clean, and when. He wasn’t to interrupt classes or disturb the students, and Mark coordinated everything to correspond with that.
Suddenly he heard someone somewhere begin to sing a song he knew, one he and Manny had sung on many occasions. A piano suddenly chimed in, and Alex found himself humming along. He was carried away for a moment, weighed down in a distant memory. It was sadness which had overcome him when Tony came walking toward him, keys twirling around his wrist. “Hey,” he said. “You lost?”
Alex nodded. He was lost, lost without his big brother. “I loved him. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“What?” Tony blinked.
“Ah, oh shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was talking out loud. I’m sorry, Tony. What were you saying?”
“Are you okay?”
“Sure. I wrote all this stuff on a list, now I can’t read my own writing.” He laughed.
Tony grinned. “No worries. You start in the auditorium.”
“Auditorium?” He sighed.
“Yeah, is there a problem?”
“No.”
“Remember, there’s no regular class in there now but there might be some people rehearsing. They have a big show at the end of the term, and they use the auditorium often. So, just be as quiet as possible. Empty the garbage, and sweep around the upper level, but leave the stage alone for now if they are rehearsing. You can come back and do it later. Do you have a copy of the schedule?”
“I had one, but…”
“Here”—Tony passed him a folded paper—“I don’t need mine. I have mine memorized, same as last year.”
“Thanks,” Alex said, taking the paper.
* * * *
Alex pushed his cart along the hallways of Jupiter, pausing to glance into the offices of various professors. “Drama, Coaching, Ballet, Modern Dance, Ballroom, Writing, Producing, Directing, Music-Voice, Music-Percussion…” It went on and on. Finally, at the end of the long hallway, he paused, hearing voices repeating practiced lines.
Quietly he opened the door to the auditorium a little wider and slid his cart inside. He knew this place, of course. It was where he had broken props and ripped costumes in two. The windows he’d broken had been repaired already; new curtains hung at the stage.
“Is that all you think I am … what’s between my legs?”
Alex grinned, squinting at the stage. There were two people onstage: a woman and—Alex suddenly realized the male voice belonged to none other than Jacob Williams. There were three other people in the auditorium. One was on his feet in front of the stage, a clipboard in his hand, and two others, both females, sat in the front row.
The female on stage said something Alex couldn’t make out, then laughed. “That last line of yours threw me, Jake. Sorry. Can we start again?”
“Get your mind off what’s in between Jake’s legs, Cassandra,” one of the women called from the front row. Laughter erupted again.
Alex smiled then told himself that he’d better get to work. No one noticed him so he guessed he wasn’t disturbing anyone. He took out his broom and began to sweep, his eyes on the stage. Jacob Williams’s deep, male voice was intoxicating, and his beauty even more so. He absently picked up the metal garbage can, still watching Jacob, and quietly emptied it into his own trash bag. Then he put it back down, but not in the right place. He went to sweep again and his broom came into contact with the metal garbage can. Just as Jacob Williams said, “You say you love me, why don’t you—” Alex hit the garbage can with his broom, and it went crashing down the aisle toward center stage. Alex froze, his eyes closed. Shit.
Everyone stopped, their eyes on Alex as he came scrambling down the steps after the can, mumbling that he was sorry. By the time he arrived at the landing, Jacob Williams had jumped off the stage and picked up the trash can. “Here you go,” he said, meeting Alex’s eyes with a grin on his face.
Alex swallowed. “Ah, thanks. I’m sorry, I…”
“No problem.” He shrugged.
Alex was just about to walk back up the steps when the young woman on the stage spoke up. “Hey,” she said, peering at his name tag, “aren’t you that guy who vandalized the drama department, broke some windows and…?”
Alex’s jaw dropped. “I…”
“Cassandra,” Jacob said, “let’s get back to it, okay?”
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t feel secure with those kinds of people around,” she mumbled.
Alex looked down at the floor, his fingers tightening on the garbage can. “I’m sorry for the noise,” he called out, “it was an accident.” He prac
tically ran up the stairs, grabbing his cart at the top and pushing it out of the auditorium. In the hallway, he paused, thankful that it was empty. He took a moment to swallow the humiliation. Did everyone know? Well, at least now he was certain of one thing, Jacob Williams did. And for some reason he couldn’t explain, that’s what bothered him most of all.
* * * *
Later that day, Alex told Tony everything. Tony was very sympathetic. “I’m sorry about your brother,” he said. “That’s got to be tough.”
Alex nodded, suddenly changing the subject to talk about what had happened to him in the auditorium. “I felt so stupid,” he said.
Tony laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Who was there?”
“Jacob Williams, of course, and some horrible girl called Cassandra.”
“Cassandra Field, red hair?”
“Yes. Fire red.”
“Her mother is a professor here in the music department. That’s why she probably knows about you. She thinks she’s something. She’s had eyes for Williams for a long time, but she doesn’t seem to get anywhere. I’m pretty sure he’s gay … at least I keep hoping,” he said with a laugh.
“It doesn’t matter now if he is or not. He knows why I’m here, not that it would have made any difference. Guys like that … well … I’m not in their league.”
“Hey, don’t sell yourself short, Alex. You’re a doll. I’d grovel at your feet if you’d let me.”
Alex laughed. “Go to bed, Tony. And thanks for the ear.”
“No problem. Things will be all right, Alex. Just give them some time.”
As hard as Alex tried, he couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about what that girl had said, about how she didn’t feel secure around people like him. And about Jacob Williams, who handed him that garbage can without blinking an eye.
Finally he gave up and went for a walk around the campus. It was surprisingly quiet for this time at night. It was not unusual for some of these students to party well past midnight, even with classes looming the next day.
When he rounded the corner near the dorms and saw Jacob Williams walking in his direction, he almost turned and ran the other way. But it was too late; Jacob had seen him.
He lifted a hand. “Hello, Alex.”
“How do you know my name?” Alex asked him suspiciously.
“It’s on your shirt.” Jacob pointed to his name tag as he leaned against a tree. He didn’t look as if he was in a hurry to move on.
“Oh, yeah,” Alex said uncomfortably, looking around.
“Looking for a way to escape?” Jacob asked with a laugh.
“Why would you say that? You know I can’t leave here.”
“I didn’t mean escape Jupiter, I meant escape me.” Jacob met his gaze.
Alex cleared his throat. “No, I, well, I have to get back. I’ve got an early morning.”
“Want to go for a walk?”
Alex blinked. “What?”
“A walk? I always go for a walk around this time, right before bed. You can join me if you like.”
“Join you?” He laughed.
“Suit yourself,” Jacob said, moving away from the tree.
Alex hesitated, then turned and followed him.
Jacob seemed to know Alex was behind him because he said, “It’s pretty down by the lake.”
“I probably shouldn’t be going down to the lake with you this time of night.”
Jacob laughed. “You’re supposed to be the dangerous one, remember?”
“I’m not.”
“You’re not what?” Jacob asked him, taking a path off to the right that led down to the water.
“Dangerous.”
“Oh.” He stopped and gave him the once-over. “Too bad.”
Alex narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He laughed. “Nothing. Relax, Alex. I won’t bite you.” He began to run, then suddenly Alex realized he was taking off his clothes on the way.
“What in hell are you doing?” Alex looked around him, trying not to focus on the fact that Jacob Williams was now stark naked.
“Going swimming,” he called back over his shoulder. “Come on, Alex. Don’t be chicken.”
“We could get into trouble for this.”
“I hope so.” He laughed, trudging into the water.
It was a hot night, and the water did look damn tempting. “Oh what the hell,” Alex said, laughing, watching Jacob splash around in the water. He stripped off his shoes and socks and then his uniform, and plunged into the water.
“Hey,” Jacob pointed at him, wiping his wet hair out of his face. “You left your underwear on.”
“So?” Alex taunted in return, feeling himself blush. “I’m not a nudist.”
“You’re shy,” Jacob accused, laughing, “a prude maybe?”
“I’m not a prude,” Alex protested as Jacob hit him in the face with some water.
“Are too,” he teased.
Alex made a grab for him. Jacob ducked out of his grasp.
They laughed like two boys, finally wrestling and struggling in the water. Jacob was strong, his muscles like tightly wrung cords. At one point, Jacob pulled Alex close to him and looked him right in the eyes. Alex could feel almost every inch of his naked body against his. He didn’t realize that he had a hard-on until Jacob Williams swam back to shore and got out of the water, shaking his hair.
The moonlight shining down on his naked, glittering flesh was indescribable. He was mesmerized, held prisoner by the other man’s beauty. Alex wasn’t sure if Jacob was simply immune to the effect his nakedness was having on him, or if he was deliberately taunting him. Jacob put his hands up into his hair suddenly, smoothed it back from his sublime face as he arched his back, which propelled his semierect cock forward in a sensational display of masculinity. Jacob’s chest looked as if it had been sculpted from marble, his nipples brown and stiff from the stimulation of the water. Alex couldn’t look away. He literally groaned as he came out of the water, his hand awkwardly in front of him.
Jacob dropped down into the sand, spreading out his limbs and placing his hands under his head. “You’re hard,” he said.
Alex began looking wildly around for his pants.
“You should dry off first. If I was you, I’d take off those shorts,” Jacob said.
“No, I…” Alex faltered. “Must have been the water,” he muttered. “It does that to…”
Jacob laughed.
“What? What are you laughing about?”
Jacob raised his head. “What are you getting all hot and bothered about? No biggie. Want me to take care of it for you?”
Alex’s eyes widened. He stared at him. “What?”
“Come on, Alex. Don’t play games.” He smiled at him faintly. “I see the way you look at me. It’s okay. I think you’re pretty cute. If you’d come closer, I could show you how cute I think you are.”
“Sure,” Alex sneered, “fuck the janitor, eh? You don’t even know me, rich boy.”
Jacob sat up all the way now. He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t know me either.”
“Oh yeah, I do. I know all about boys like you. You think I’m a bad boy; exciting, isn’t it?” He began to put his pants on over his wet shorts.
Jacob laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“A couple of things,” he said. “But right now, it’s you trying to do up your pants over those dripping wet shorts.”
Alex growled in frustration and stripped off his pants again. “Forget it,” he muttered.
“And you want to know what else is funny?” Jacob asked, reaching for his jeans.
“You’re going to tell me.”
“Only if you want to hear.”
“Enlighten me, rich boy.”
“Stop calling me a rich boy.” Jacob glared at him. “I’m far from that. And you’re far from being a bad boy. Actually, you know what’s funny? You probably haven’t done anything more than suck a dick or two. Hardly qualifies you as a bad
boy.”
Alex sucked in some breath. How could he know that? “You’d be surprised what I’ve … done,” he blurted.
Jacob did up his jeans. He took a few steps closer. “Oh yeah? Ever been rimmed?”
“Ah sure, a lot of times.”
“What was it like?”
“Hot, good, orgasmic.”
Jacob laughed. “You don’t even know what in the hell that is.”
“So you think I’m just the ignorant Spic janitor boy, is that it?”
Jacob sobered. “You’ve got quite a chip on your shoulder,” he said, pulling his T-shirt over his head.
“Just what did you invite me out here for exactly?” Alex eyed him.
“Truly, right now, I really don’t know,” he said, walking past him.
Alex stood there for a minute, stunned. He wanted to say he was sorry but he wasn’t quite sure what he should be sorry for. After a few seconds, he ran to catch up with him. “Jacob?”
Jacob turned around. “Yeah?”
“I had no right to judge you. You’re right. I don’t know anything about you, or about, ah … rimming. I’m sorry.”
“Would you like to?”
“Would I like to what?” Alex found himself smiling. “Know more about you, or the … ah … rimming part?”
Jacob laughed. “Both.”
“You do know why I’m here, don’t you?” Alex probed as they walked side by side.
“You did some shit. You’re working it off. Look, Alex, I don’t know why you did what you did. I guess you had your reasons. Are you planning on doing something stupid like that again sometime soon?”
“No.”
“Good, because I’d like to graduate.”
“What about that red-haired girl?”
“Cassandra?”
“Yeah, that one. She’s afraid of me.”
He laughed. “She’s a little superficial. She doesn’t mean anything by it.”
“I hear she wants to get into your pants.”
“Alex,” he mocked, “you shock me.”
He laughed. “I doubt that. So, are you two…?”