KISS Kollege

Ch 1: Move-In Day (Eric C)

I took a deep breath, looking at my brand-new student ID card in my hand, shifting my duffle bag to my other shoulder. This was it, basically. One swipe in the card reader and I'd step foot in my college dorm for the first time, which meant I'd officially be starting a new chapter in my life in about thirty seconds. 

Shaking my head, I swiped the card in the reader, and there was the click of the doors unlocking. Hands shaking a bit, I slid my ID into my pocket and picked up my other suitcase, pulling open the door before heading to the elevator. "Okay, room 319, most likely that's on the third floor. 3 for third, after all," I said to myself, wishing my parents hadn't sent me to go ahead and get started moving in while they finished some more check-in paperwork. The elevator chimed gently, doors sliding open, and I stepped inside with my luggage, doors immediately closing behind me. 

Hands shaking a lot more from a mix of equal parts nervousness and excitement, I pressed the button for the third floor, hoping that my room was actually on the third floor and that my roommate was chill. He had seemed fine when we talked over the summer, but an online personality didn't necessarily equal an in-person personality. The elevator doors slid open with a rumble and I picked up my stuff, stepping into the hall and following the sign that thankfully pointed to rooms 310-335. I moved about halfway down the hall before finding room 319, and since the door was open that meant my roommate was already there. 

Without giving myself enough time to be nervous, I walked into the room, dropping my suitcases and giving the other guy in the room a smile. "Hi I'm Eric!" I said cheerfully, sticking out a hand. he rose to his feet, shaking my hand with a smile of his own. "I'm Gene! It's nice to finally meet you," he said in a soothing almost baritone voice. "Damn you're tall," I said without thinking, and he laughed. "Yeah, that's fair. I like your hair," he said. "Thanks! It's been an 18 year commitment, I'm quite proud of the results," I said with a grin, before looking around the room. "So which bed and dresser and desk and stuff did you take?" 

"I took this bed obviously, since it's got my bedding on it, then I took the desk right at the end of my bed, I figured you could have the one between the beds. Then my dresser is closest to the door, yours is closest to the beds," he said, pointing everything out, and I nodded, starting to unpack my stuff. Gene seemed as nice in person as he had in online, and he was also pretty much exactly my type since he was really tall, which was what I loved in a man. But I didn't like him that way, at least not yet.

"Oh I brought a mini fridge, my parents will bring it up in a few minutes!" I said, looking up from stuffing my shirts in my dresser. "Oh okay sweet! I have a microwave we can share and stuff. And I got some food already. Not...a lot," he said, face going red, but I didn't bother to ask what he meant like that. "Alright perfect! I went to Target on the way here so I've got some food too, but my parents have it. They'll bring it up in like half an hour though so we can share that. And of course any food you don't want to share just let me know." "Alright perfect, that works," Gene said, giving me a faint smile. "Oh, I play bass so I have it with me, I'm not going to practice every day since I'm not in a band or anything but are you okay if I play sometimes?" he asked, and I nodded. "Yeah of course! I play drums mainly but I can play guitar too, so if you're okay with me playing that I might practice every now and then too." 

"That works, that works," he said. We lapsed into a brief silence that was quickly interrupted by a knock on our open door. We both turned to find a man who looked even shorter than me standing in the doorway, with his long blond hair held back by a bandana around his forehead. "Hey Eric, hey Gene! I'm Eric Singer, I'm your guys's Resident Assistant, aka your RA and local wet blanket. Basically I'm gonna be the one making sure that you guys are following all the rules, like our 10 pm quiet time, no smoking in the rooms, no fire hazards, no pets, no alcohol," he said with a wink. "And I'm also just here to help you guys adjust to college living! Any questions you've got about anything at all, like where classes are or how to register for them or anything like that, I'm in room 315 down the hall. I've got my name on the door, it's pretty easy to find. Also! Any issues or emergencies come grab me, be they medical or otherwise. Anyway, I've gotta finish my rounds and introduce myself to all the other freshies, catch you later!" he said, giving us a wave and walking off. 

"He seems chill," I said after a pause, and Gene nodded. "Yeah, he does! That'll be nice, it sucks to have like a super bitchy RA. At least, that's what I've heard. My mom never went to a college like this," he said, half to himself, weird look in his eyes. "Yeah. Is your mom still here? Or did she go home already?" I asked. "Oh, no, she went back already a few hours ago, she had to get back to work." "Oh nice, what does she do?" A fond smile spread across his face and he shrugged. "She's a nurse. She's busy but still wanted to come see me off to college. Your parents here?" he asked, and I nodded. "Yep! Working out like paperwork and stuff, but they'll be up eventually!" I said cheerfully. 

A few hours later, my parents had said their goodbyes and it was just Gene and I in the room, which meant it was the perfect time for me to do the thing I had been dreading most about heading off to college. Running a hand through my hair, I sat on the edge of my bed, looking at the carpeted floor. "Um...since we're roommates I should probably be up front with you," I mumbled. "Oh yeah? About what?" Gene asked, giving me a confused look. I bit down on my lip face going red. "Oh uh...okay well I'm gay. I mean not like I'm attracted to your or anything! I'm not, I just wanted to be honest with you," I said, before my face went even redder. "Not to say that you're not good looking or anything! I-I mean like you know, you are good looking but not like I like you like that or anything," I said in a panicked rush.

Giving me a gentle smile, Gene walked over and sat next to me, patting me on the shoulder. "Hey, Eric, it's okay! It's okay, really. I don't care about that or anything, but thanks for being honest with me, I appreciate it. I'm cool with you dating guys, just don't like sleep with any while I'm in the room," he said with a grin. I laughed, nodding. "Trust me, I'm not gonna do that. If I do end up dating someone I might like invite him over to hang out or anything but trust me we won't do anything." "Sounds like a plan. I won't bring any girls back to the room either. Anyway, want to go grab dinner from the dining hall? I want to try out the food here but I don't want to do it alone," he said.

Letting out a relieved sigh, I jumped to my feet and pulled on my shoes. "Yeah sure, let's go!" I said, heading for the door with him close behind.

So maybe college would be just fine after all.