The Right Move

Chapter 1-2

“So, you find out anything more about Chase?” Jorge asked before shoving a slice of pizza in his mouth—not an exaggeration, it was practically the whole thing.

Trevor watched with a mix of horror and fascination. Where did it all go? And how did Jorge do that without getting cheese, sauce, and pepperoni everywhere?

Jorge’s eyebrows flicked up in question, since his mouth was occupied.

“Huh?” Trevor replayed what Jorge had said. “What makes you think I’d find out more about Chase?”

Jorge gave an unimpressed stare as he chewed.

Shrugging, Trevor said, “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t offend him,” before taking a bite of his chicken parm.

Jorge swallowed. “Right.” How could he put so much disapproval and disbelief into one word?

“Okay, and I kind of wouldn’t mind talking to him again. Maybe I can prove how cool I am and we’ll become friends.” Trevor offered a smile as cheesy as Jorge’s dinner.

“Riiight.” The disbelief intensified.

“I was thinking with my d**k?”

Cue eye roll. “That I’d believe more than that other bullshit. Just remember that curiosity killed the cat.”

Trevor grinned. “But satisfaction brought him back.”

“Yeah? You looking to get satisfied by Chase?”

Heat flooded his cheeks at the not-unwelcome thought. “I wouldn’t say no, that’s for sure.”

“Ugh. You met the guy once and you’re ready to bounce on his c**k. What a stereotype.”

Trevor plucked a fry off his plate and threw it at him. It landed on a slice of pizza. “I’m not going to ‘bounce on his cock.’ I’m just curious about him. He’s a little weird, and weird is interesting.”

“I look forward to the dumpster fire, and I’m sorry I brought it up. We’re going to Kate’s tonight, right?”

A flash of black hair had Trevor thinking, Kate who?—which was an embarrassing thing to think about your first college friend—as his eyes were drawn to the cafeteria’s entrance. Chase was there, looking stunning in a purple polo and jeans. He glided through the entrance, skirted around a gaggle of freshmen, and made his way to the sparsely populated vegetarian bar.

Chase seemed to be alone—he certainly hadn’t arrived with anyone, and he hadn’t done the cursory glance around to find where his friends were sitting. Trevor smiled as excitement hummed in his chest. This could be his chance.

“Earth to Trevor.”

He cranked his head back to Jorge so fast that pain shot up his neck. His whole body twitched and he grabbed his neck. “Gah!”

Jorge had followed his gaze though, and seen what he’d been staring at. With a sigh, Jorge said, “I don’t suppose I should bother asking what you’re planning?”

“I was going to invite him to eat with us if he doesn’t have anyone.” He rubbed his neck and grimaced. “Just being friendly to the new kid.”

In reply, Jorge shoved more pizza in his mouth and continued to look unimpressed.

Trevor turned back to where he’d last seen Chase, and found him piling food on a plate. He waited, and then Chase left the serving station and glanced around. Chase didn’t skim slowly, like he was searching for someone in particular, but quickly, as if he’d immediately recognize what he was searching for.

Raising his hand, Trevor waved to catch Chase’s attention. It took a second, then those eyes snapped to Trevor. He motioned for Chase to come over. Chase stared at him. Trevor motioned again, nodding this time and smiling widely—welcomingly. Even at this distance Trevor could see Chase glance left and right, as if looking for a way out, but after another moment’s hesitation, he started toward their table.

Score.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Jorge said blandly.

Trevor ignored him.

Chase stepped up to their table, eyes flickering from Trevor to Jorge and back again, then to the four empty chairs at the table. “Did—did you want something?”

Trevor dialed back the smile, rather than risk blinding Chase with its brilliance. Or trigger his bullshit radar. “I was wondering if you didn’t have people to sit with, maybe you’d like to join us?”

Biting his lip, Chase glanced around the table again, as if it would suddenly be full of people. “Why?”

“You’re new here, right? Well, since this semester, anyway?” Trevor waited for Chase’s nod, then added, “So I thought you might not have anyone to share dinner with and I’d be a friendly neighbor—we’re dorm mates after all.”

Chase blinked. Then blinked again. “You want me to sit with you?”

Hell yes, Trevor didn’t say. “If you want!”

Another glance around, then Chase pulled out the chair on the farthest side of the hexagon table so there was at least a chair between Chase and them. Oookay. Then Chase picked up his spoon and started eating his chili—although if it’d come from the veggie section, Trevor wasn’t sure it really counted as chili. Didn’t that require ground beef?

“Is that any good? I’ve never tried anything from that section.”

Chase looked up, the spoon full of “chili” halfway to his mouth. “What?”

“The vegetarian options. I’ve never really tried them. Is it as good as the real thing?”

A smile flickered across Chase’s lips—not that Trevor was staring intently at them or anything. “Yeah, it’s good. You can tell it doesn’t have the meat because it lacks the umami, but if you don’t mind that, it’s just like the ‘real thing,’ as you say.”

“Do you mind it not having the umami?” Trevor asked, racking his brain for what that meant.

A considering expression on his face, Chase took a bite and chewed. “Sometimes. But when I do, I just go for the stuff with meat.”

“So you’re not vegetarian?”

Chase shook his head, and another smile made a brief appearance. “That area just has the smallest crowds.”

“Too hungry to wait long, eh?” Trevor grinned.

Across the table, Chase went eerily still.

“Sorry about Trevor playing twenty questions,” Jorge chimed in. Trevor nearly jumped in surprise. He’d sorta forgotten his friend was there. “He’s rude like that.” Jorge elbowed Trevor in the side. “Let the dude eat his lunch in peace.”

Trevor’s cheeks heated again, and he felt properly abashed. “Sorry. My curiosity got the best of me.”

Chase’s gaze darted between them, and then slowly his posture loosened. “It’s okay.” He took another bite of chili.

Trevor waited for Chase to continue. To answer the question—it wasn’t like it was a personal one or anything—but nothing. Right. “So you have class with Jorge?”

“Anthropology,” Jorge chimed in.

Chase nodded. “My humanities didn’t transfer over for some reason, so I had to take something.” He sent Jorge a bit of a teasing smile. “What are you in for?”

Jorge laughed. “Because I thought I’d taken a class that would fill the req., then was told it didn’t. Thankfully I frontloaded my courses early, so I’m not drowning in classes. Plus it’s pretty easy.”

Chase was nodding again, mouth open like he was going to say something, when suddenly two girls appeared to either side of him. They’d deposited their trays on the table before anyone could react, and the blonde grabbed Chase’s shoulder. “Hey, mind if we sit here?”

With the speed and grace of a gazelle, Chase levitated off the chair and leaped three feet back.

It might mean he was an ass, but Trevor felt a bit better about Chase’s reaction earlier that day. He turned a shark-toothed grin on the girls. “Sorry, could you find somewhere else to sit? We were in the middle of something.”

They glanced between Chase’s panicked expression and Trevor’s aggressive one, then the other girl said, “Sorry, were we interrupting.”

Trevor wasn’t quite sure who she was asking, or that she was even asking. It seemed more like an opening for Chase to invite them to stay than concern they were a bother.

Chase cleared his throat and summoned up a smile. “If you wouldn’t mind leaving us to talk, that’d be great.”

Disappointment flared to life on both girls’ faces. “Oh.” They shared a glance, then gathered their trays. Another pause, their wide eyes pleading with Chase, who was still standing where he’d landed. Despite the smile, his expression seemed stony. The blonde pouted. “You’re sure?”

Chase nodded, and the girls left. A second later he sagged into his seat.

Trevor glanced at Jorge, who shrugged, looking just as confused as Trevor felt. Slowly Trevor let his gaze track back to Chase. “You okay?”

Pink added a healthy glow to Chase’s cheeks. “Uh, yeah. I just, uh, don’t like being touched.”

“Like surprised from behind?” Jorge asked.

The blush deepened to red, and Chase stared down at his tray.

“Like, at all?” Trevor asked, unable to keep the incredulity from his tone.

Chase jerked his head up and down.

Oh wow. Wow. That was so much more than Trevor had been expecting. And it made him wonder what had caused it. Was it a sensory thing like kids with autism sometimes had? Had Chase been abused or hurt in some way?

Trevor couldn’t imagine never being touched by anyone. Ever.

“Um, okay. Good to know.” Jorge cleared his throat. “So did you start that anthro worksheet yet?”

It was an obvious change of topic, but Chase looked grateful and Trevor was relieved too. That didn’t seem like light lunchtime conversation, no matter what the cause. So he listened to them talk about their assignments, threw in a few complaints about his own workload, and spent the rest of lunch plotting.