Chapter Nine
When Kyle returned to the room, Elroy turned on his side and pretended to be sleeping.
It must have been evident he wasn't sleeping because Kyle crossed to his side of the room and said, "I thought you were a top."
Elroy opened his eyes and turned. "Huh?"
Kyle kicked off his sneakers and climbed into bed. He rested on his back and said, "I had you pegged as a top, is all."
"Does it really matter?"
"Not at all. I couldn't care less."
Elroy smiled and said, "I'm versatile."
"I see."
Elroy hesitated for a second, then said, "Would you come over and rub my leg again?"
"You should have asked your friend with the big dick to do that," Kyle said, with a hint of indignation in his voice.
"Please," Elroy said. "It helps me sleep. Nobody does it like you."
After a moment of silence, Elroy heard Kyle get out of bed and cross the room. He didn't say a word at first. He waited until Kyle kneeled down on the floor and started to rub his leg lightly. Elroy smiled and yawned. Before he closed his eyes he said, "Thanks, man."
* * * * The following Friday night they both went to a liquor store this time, but not the same store where Jason worked. After the Jason incident, Elroy had noticed Kyle had been purposely ignoring him that week. Elroy had asked Kyle basic questions and Kyle had responded with little more than a grunt and a nod. Kyle hadn't been in their room much that week either. He said he'd been studying at the library because it was quiet there. But Elroy had a feeling Kyle was still angry with him about what he'd done the previous Friday night with Jason. Though Elroy wasn't even sure why he cared, it bothered him to think Kyle would remain angry with him and he wanted to make things right again.
So they went to a liquor store and Elroy asked Kyle what his favorite drink was. He knew Kyle didn't drink much and he wasn't fond of vodka. He found out that Kyle liked Southern Comfort and he bought the biggest bottle in the store. The smile on Kyle's face was worth the awkward confrontation Elroy had with the clerk at this other liquor store. At first, the clerk didn't want to sell them the booze without three forms of proper identification. Of course neither of them had that kind of identification. Even if they had had it, they were still underage and not allowed to legally buy alcohol. But that didn't stop Elroy from arguing with the clerk. And when his argument grew lame, he pulled out three one-hundred-dollar bills and slapped them on the counter. The clerk smiled, rang up his sale, and told him to have a wonderful evening.
When they left the store, Kyle said, "I guess you think you can get anything you want with the right amount of money."
Elroy smiled. "I've always found that to be the case." There was no need to apologize. He'd learned early in life that everyone has a price.
"I'm not sure I like that," Kyle said. "What about moral fiber?"
Elroy laughed this time. "Moral fiber is something we've been trained to believe exists, thanks to sappy TV sitcoms and bad writers. There's no limit to what people will do for a buck. There's a generation of people who have been sold a bill of goods that doesn't exist."
Kyle thought about this for a moment, then said. "I have limits. I won't do anything for a buck."
Elroy placed his palm on the small of Kyle's back and laughed louder this time. "Okay, let me rephrase that statement. There is no limit to what everyone but you will do for a buck."
This time Kyle laughed. "Thank you. I think that's much better."
They walked side by side, with Elroy's hand on Kyle's back, all the way to Harvard Yard. They talked about school, about a few professors they knew, and insignificant subjects that wouldn't cause any arguments. Kyle didn't seem to mind that Elroy's hand was on his back and that he was guiding him the entire way. When they reached the freshman residence and Elroy opened the door so Kyle could enter first, Kyle slipped inside as if Elroy had been opening and closing doors for him all his life. Things went so smoothly Elroy found it almost too good to be true. So when they reached the stairwell, his hand went down and he rested it in the middle of Kyle's ass. He wanted to see how far he could go.
Kyle continued to climb the stairs. He didn't stop, and he didn't flinch. Without turning, he smiled and said, "Please take your hand off my ass. I don't like it when people do that without my permission."
Elroy pretended to be innocent. "Ah well, I'm sorry. I didn't realize." He removed his hand from Kyle's ass and placed it on his back again.
When they were in their room, the first thought that popped into Elroy's head was to remove all his clothes. He figured if they were going to remain inside that night drinking and talking, he would get comfortable. He also figured he might wind up in bed with Kyle. But when Kyle saw him unzip his pants, he asked, "What on earth are you doing now?"