But Elroy laughed in his face again and turned back toward the stairs. He didn't want to get caught running around in a jock strap. He went back up to the room alone, without so much as a backward glance.
About ten minutes later, the door opened and Kyle walked into the room with some kind of scarf wrapped around his waist. The scarf had a bright green background with large yellow sunflowers everywhere. When Elroy saw this ridiculous sight he fell back on his bed and laughed so hard he doubled over sideways. "I got you," he said. "I didn't think you'd fall for it, man. Fuck, dude, that was too fucking easy."
"Ah well," Kyle said. He spoke with a clear, even tone. He glared at Elroy again and lifted one eyebrow. "You got me, oh yeah. That's right, Elroy. You got me good this time. I'm glad I worked this hard to get into Harvard so you could have me prance around Harvard Yard in nothing but a jock strap on one of the busiest days of the semester. Oh, yeah, you got me good. You don't know how wonderful it makes me feel to provide your personal entertainment."
Though Elroy noticed his serious tone, he still couldn't stop laughing. "You should have seen the look on your face when I shut the door, man. It was priceless."
Kyle removed the sunflower scarf and threw it toward Elroy's bed. It landed on Elroy's head, which only made him laugh harder. Kyle walked to his bed and pulled off the jock strap. Then he threw that across the room and it landed on Elroy's face. When that happened, Elroy laughed so hard his stomach muscles ached.
"I'm glad we're roommates," Kyle said. He opened his footlocker and pulled out a pair of gray sweatpants. "My only goal in this life from now on is to provide fodder for your entertainment. I can't believe how lucky I could get to have you as my roommate." Then he put on the sweatpants and slammed the lid so hard it made Elroy jump.
Elroy pulled the jock strap off his face and he stopped laughing. For the first time that day, he wondered if he'd gone too far. After all, this guy didn't seem like trouble. He was attractive in an unpolished way with that longish brown hair. He might be a good fuck on a cold winter's night, and he seemed smart enough in case Elroy needed help with any of his classes. He'd never been the best student.
So Elroy stood up and cleared his throat. He walked over to Kyle and extended his hand. "It was only a joke. I was just playing with you, buddy. Don't get mad, seriously. I promise I will never do anything like that again. I swear on my life."
"I'm not mad," Kyle said in the same sarcastic tone. "I told you. I live to do things like this. I love walking around in a jock strap in front of the entire student body and making a colossal fool of myself."
Elroy sensed his anger. But Elroy also knew how to turn things around. He'd learned how to master the art of the spin in any situation. "Stop worrying about that. You didn't make a fool of yourself. Look at the positive side."
Kyle blinked. "The positive side?" "Those people who saw you outside will never forget how hot you looked in a jock strap," Elroy said. He wasn't lying. The more he thought about it the more he wanted to bend this guy over the bed and bone him. "You blew them away, man. Trust me on this, I'm gay. You are one hot dude." He figured he'd get this out of the way, too. He'd learned in the past it was easier to admit he was gay right from the start. Though he had a strong suspicion Kyle was gay, he wasn't completely certain and he didn't want to get stuck with an uptight straight guy as his roommate.
For a second, it looked as if Kyle would never stop glaring at him. But when Elroy complimented him on his body, his expression softened and he looked into Elroy's eyes for the first time since he'd met him. "I'm curious about something."
"What's that?"
"Are you always this much of an asshole? Or is this one of those rare moments for you? I'd like to know for future reference."
Elroy spread out his arms and shrugged his shoulders. He sent Kyle a silly grin and said, "Oh, I'm usually an asshole."
"I figured as much." He almost smiled that time. He made no attempt to admit whether or not he was gay. This led Elroy to believe he was gay. The straight ones couldn't wait to tell gay guys they weren't gay. That seemed to be their rite of passage which they wore on their sleeves. They were open to gay men, and said they supported gay rights, but never got too close to a gay man for fear others might think they were, indeed, gay.
Elroy moved closer and said, "Don't be pissed, man. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other."
Kyle took a deep breath and exhaled. He sat on the bed and shook his head. "It's cool. I'll live."