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The Life of Another - Chapter 12

© Jake Atkinson

P.O.V. - Roger

The dorm was alive with people. A sharp contrast to the solitude I had enjoyed earlier, and I unconsciously tensed as Nick and I wound our way through throngs of milling students and out the main entrance. Cold Spring air swirled around our ankles as I pushed the door open and the invigorating, fresh scent of it propelled me ahead of Nick as I trotted down the stairs onto the main path.

From behind me I heard Nick call out "Hey come on, it's around this way."

Lost in thought, I hadn't noticed when he veered off. With an acknowledging nod and smile, I followed. The combination of wet, brown grass and crusty snow made for easy travelling despite the lack of a proper sidewalk and I reached his side in little time.

Nick looked back as I caught up and said "It's only about a ten minute walk from here. Bea and I found it during our first semester. We've been at this school for a couple years and we both like to go exploring. A few other people have found it but only Bea and I have this." He held up a key with a twinkle in his eye and it was obvious he considered it a substantial prize.

I wagged my tail at his sense of excitement and felt myself relaxing now that we were away from the crowded dorm. We hiked over a modest rise as I swiped a response. "I can't wait to see what it opens. What's way out here anyway?"

Nick pocketed the key and said "A lot of the land that the school owns hasn't been developed. The property covers a couple thousand acres I think."

I nodded at the vague response and we crested the hill only to start down the far side. Our path, such as it was, wound down the slope under barren trees until we reached a stream at its base. The Spring thaw had it running at a fair clip and I was apprehensive about crossing the slippery rocks we seemed to be heading towards but Nick turned and lead us along the bank as he continued to talk. "There's a hunting cabin left here from almost a hundred years ago. Someone fixed it up in maybe the forties but no one uses it now that the school owns the property. It doesn't have power but Bea and I stashed some lanterns and other camping gear in it."

We arced to the right and followed a tributary around into another valley where we came upon the cabin. It was set midway up the rise and looked solidly built despite its age. The rock and mortar chimney matched the foundation while the wooden walls blended well with the shake roof. Nick stepped lightly up to the door and unlocked it, taking the time to remove his shoes and set them neatly on the porch before entering. I was glad to see that I wasn't the only person on campus that liked to be tidy and fastidiously followed his example, placing my shoes alongside his.

As I entered and shut the door, Nick was pulling a second chair over to the hearth. The atmosphere left me feeling like I was part of a secret club and I revelled in the moment despite feeling somewhat childish. With a smile of thanks, I took the seat across from Nick and started to type. "This is really cool! How'd you get the key?"

"I've been sworn to secrecy!" he replied as he fired up a propane camping heater. "Oh and sorry it's not a real fire but the smoke would be a dead giveaway. This little guy heats up the place pretty fast though."

P.O.V. - Nick

Roger swiped at his tablet to respond and it intoned "Really, this is awesome. Oh before I forget, I need to be back by five-thirty. My Aunt wants to go out to dinner tonight. Anyway, so about the bus... which one do I need to take to get to the closest Penny-Mart? And how much is the bus anyway? I've only got twenty-six dollars until the first of the month."

Geez, that's almost three weeks away. Hmm, I wonder how I could help him without embarrassing him about his finances? I took off my coat as it began to warm up and replied "It's a dollar fifty. When you get off make sure to ask for a transfer slip. It's good for an hour so if you shop fast you might be able to catch the return bus for free. Take bus #184, it's slower because it has more stops but it will let you off right at the corner by Penny-Mart."

Roger removed his jacket while I talked, folding it carefully and placing it on the mantle, before spinning the chair around and straddling it. He rested the tablet on the chair's back and perked his ears as he swiped, his tail waving with an 'I've got a secret' flair before the artificial voice spoke. "Cool, when's the first bus on Sunday? My Aunt's flight leaves early in the morning so I'll be free after that."

The wooden rungs of the chair's back framed his crotch perfectly and it was beyond distracting. His subtle smile hinted that maybe he was well aware of it too. "Uh... I usually don't get up that early on Sunday but I can help you find the bus website when we get back into wifi range. Er ah... if you wanna sleep in too, we could go together." That's it! I have to at least peek at how he's feeling! ... Eep, I shouldn't have looked! I squirmed with embarrassment, totally unaccustomed to anyone's impassioned attention let alone a person I had similar feelings for. Oh my god! did I just ask him to Penny-Mart for our first date?!

Roger had been typing while I thought, the tablet's synthetic voice breaking my concentration. "Yeah, that'd be perfect. I can get my morning workout done and be ready whenever you are."

Still distracted by his bulging jeans, I fought to bring my attention back to his face. Eye contact time, up... up... there. Stay above the shoulders! "Yeah, uh ok. How about ten-thirty?"

He nodded and tapped at the screen. "Ok, always helps to have a guide the first time around."

Nervously excited by Roger's rising passion, I leaned back in the chair and shifted my paws forward in an attempt to relax and look casual. "It's no trouble. I've been wanting to get off campus anyway."

His eyes twinkled playfully in response and they danced around the interior of the one room cabin before coming to rest on something in the corner just behind me. "Everything is really clean. You guys take good care of it. Hey is that an inflatable mattress?"

A sense of mirth animated his features as I said, "Oh yeah, it's a double. It has one of those little battery powered pumps too."I've seen that look in his eyes before! He's up to something.

Roger looked at me with perked ears and a slight lift to the corner of his muzzle as he swiped at the screen. "Nice, what an amazing place to have so close. You could bring a friend for the night and, ya know, play cards." His tail stirred the air softly behind him as he added "You ever play cards?"

Woah, hey I know what that rippling, glowing pattern means! "I uh, I used to play Magic the Gathering when I was younger." I was practically wringing my hands with embarrassment and tried to think of an excuse to get up and move around. I'm certainly not going to blurt out that I'm a total dating n00b let alone what he's inferring!

Before I could work myself into a fit, he let me off the hook. With a quick series of taps at the screen, the tablet said "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It's just that you're so cute when you're embarrassed! I'll try to be a good Wolf, I promise."

The gently rippling light waves were gone from his fur and he seemed suddenly self-conscious, like a cub caught stealing a cookie. I cleared my throat and said "Oh heh, it's ok. I mean uh... I'm not usually very forward about stuff like that." I grinned and shifted in the chair as he typed a response.

"I didn't mean to put you on the spot. In fact, I've been wanting to apologize about lunch. Not just the scene with Melina but... I don't intend to be so aggressive. Like I've said before, I've been having some impulse control issues. Guess that's why I'm stuck seeing the counselor every day for awhile." With his sheepish grin and his eyes rolled up to look at me, he conveyed the very essence of an apologetic puppy. But maybe one who wasn't quite as sorry as he knew he should be.

My heart warmed at the display and I replied "That's not really fair, I mean you wouldn't have done that if it weren't for Kyle."

He responded by tipping his head to the side and smirking in an agreeable way before pausing to press his hands into the small of his back. He groaned and stretched while still straddling the chair, his muzzle rising and his eyes closing.

Does he know what that looks like?! I'm getting a little stiff too, but not there!

He grunted and strained until his spine suddenly released a loud -crack- after which he sighed with relief before finally bringing his hands forward to tap out a reply. "True, it wouldn't have happened had they not been jerks in the first place, but I did over do it. It's ok though. Turns out Ms. Thurlington isn't so bad. That reminds me, she said I need to join at least one club."

He yawned nervously as I responded "I like Ms. Thurlington. When I first came to the school I spent some time with her too. What clubs are you considering?"

As he started to type his response, I noticed the gray patterns in his fur were beginning to strobe rapidly with subtle, blue light. Wow, that's new! I wonder where that's coming from? I focused my talent momentarily. Geez, he's really anxious. What could be so stressing about choosing a club?

With a final swipe, the tablet replied "I went over the list and well, uh... I don't know why this is so hard to say..."

I interjected "Why? I mean it's just a club, most only meet for an hour a week. I kind of noticed you don't like crowds. Maybe I can help you find a small one. Josh and Matt are in the anime club and they're easy guys to get along with."

His finger dashed around the screen and the synthetic voice said "Yeah, that one sounds ok. But, I was thinking about joining G.L.A." The blue pulsing went from faint to pronounced and his eyes momentarily crossed as he noticed it strobing from the top of his muzzle. He grinned and folded his ears at the revelation that he was flickering and curled his tail under the chair.

Despite his earlier antics the choice surprised me. "Oh uh, yeah. I'm in that club, and you know Chris, he's in it too. Most of the time there's not even ten people at a meeting. It's a really neat group though." I tried to make it sound casual, like we were talking about the Spanish club.

His tongue flicked out to lick his nose and run along the side of his muzzle while he typed to say "Honestly, are you ok with it though? I mean I already horned in on your table at lunch and I don't mean to butt in. Is that why Chris was upset?"

I sat up straighter in the chair and my ears perked forward. "What? No, he's just moody. He's a Cat. You know how they can be. Besides, Kyle really made a scene when he left the school, even kicked a hole in the wall on the way out. Chris had to call security and arrange for a repairman and all that. He's had to take a lot of heat from those guys. But now that the older brother is gone we're hoping things might tone down, so maybe it all worked out for the best."

The glow in his fur was fading as he swiped at the tablet to say "Yeah, let's hope. So you and Chris aren't in a relationship or anything?"

I shifted my gaze to look out the window behind him and said "No, I'm not. Actually uh, I'm not dating anyone."

He quickly tapped at the screen to say "Cool. I mean, that's not cool but you know what I mean is... this is the part where I stick my paw in my mouth."

Even though I was feeling awkward too, I jumped in with "It's ok, I know what you're getting at. I uh, I think it would be great if you join our club! Chris is going to be shocked though, he was convinced you're straight. In fact, I think it's a safe bet a lot of people are going to be surprised." I got up from the chair and walked over to the window where it was noticeably cooler away from the heater. After glancing out at the stream I turned to lean and half sit on the edge of the high windowsill, my palms pressed against it's worn edges. "I'm kinda guessing you've never really been 'out' before?"

He shook his head no and got up from the chair to lean on the sill beside me. It was just big enough for the two us, the fur on our shoulders brushing together. He stared blankly at the floor, lost in thoughts that I couldn't read.

Moments passed until I finally broke the silence. "I won't lie to you and say its easy or it's no big deal. Everyone has different experiences but I think once the dust settles you'll be glad you did it. Joining the club is a good way to come out. A lot of the members have been there and we help each other through it. Some of the people that come aren't gay or lesbian, they're just friends like Bea. But they're still really supportive."

He nodded but his gaze was distant. Despite all the bravado I had seen from him over the last couple days, he looked really vulnerable now. Before I realized what I was doing, I put my hand on top of his and gave it a squeeze. He stiffened at first and I almost pulled back but then I remembered his Aunt's words about being patient with him and kept my hand there.

Roger took a deep, slow breath and his eyes refocused. After a moment passed, he smiled and leaned over his shoulder to lick the side of my muzzle and whisper "Thanks."

My heart beat fast and light as he pulled away, his scent lingering. The Wolf squeezed my shoulder with his free hand and stood from the windowsill, crossing the short distance to his chair where he picked up the tablet. As he was typing, I realized he was restraining a cough but it wasn't nearly as bad as it was just a night ago. The tablet intoned "I just remembered I have to report in with the doc before I meet up with my Aunt. Believe me, I'd REALLY like to skip it and spend more time with you but I'm already on the entire staff's naughty list."

The afterglow from his kiss left me light-headed and I had to replay what he said before responding. "Oh yeah, uhm sure. Besides it'll take longer to heal up if you don't take care of yourself. Just give me a sec to turn off the heater and stuff."

Roger nodded and pulled his hoodie on while I flicked off the heater and returned the chairs to their places around the table. When I turned around, Roger was holding my coat open for me. It seemed such a silly, formal gesture but my tail wagged as I spun and backed into it, shrugging it into place as he let go. I could feel his breath on my cheek ruff as I tugged the zipper up and the sensation had me practically skipping out the door.