The Welcome Ceremony had not been a total disaster. Sure, Alex might have fallen princess-carry-first into a hot German exchange student, first responders had to be called to check on him, and he had both Luna and David all over him until he went home on the afternoon (who then proceeded to chew out Jaime in private); but the audience had found the whole ordeal immensely entertaining.

“Oh, shut up, it’s been a five days, give me a rest!”

Alex was exasperated because gossip was the bread and butter of every institution. Let’s be honest, people don’t care about work or chores most of the time when they are part of an institution, they care about people’s lives in and OUT of said institution! And so, the rumor mill had gone overtime after the “tall and handsome fella” from the Welcome Ceremony had fallen into the “taller and even handsomer fella”, and people needed to know: who were this two? And most importantly, were they going to fuck?

“Hey! WHAT THE HELL?!” Alex yells. A classmate stares at him from the door. Besides Alex, he was the only other person in the classroom, everyone else had gone. “A bug bite, sorry.” The guy nods and goes away. Alex scowls at me.

He thinks I am being crude but, considering that he is actually decent looking, that he had been part of a showcase seen by most of the university, and Moritz (the German exchange student in question) worked as a part time model, well… the audience was bound to speculate. More so because an answer would tell interested parties if they were off the market.

“The guy has just been here TWO weeks, you said it yourself,” Alex mutters on his way out the classroom. 

He had just attended his first class of the semester: “Cultural Sociology”. It was his last elective course, another wonderful reminder that he was just a year away from graduating, so he was pretty stoked... until I started parroting about his dramatic fall. Again. All because he didn’t want to acknowledge what I had said the moment he fell: that he would see more of Moritz.

Alex still refuses to process the little nugget of information, despite the fact that he is fuming about it. As such, he decides to distract himself with a different problem, and continues down the hallway towards the stairs which were, of course, completely filled with “new fish” (as they called the freshmen). 

He didn’t get it: two buildings, with four floors each, and stairs on each side wide enough to understand that you should just follow your right when walking upstairs or downstairs to keep the traffic flowing... but, EVERY semester, the new fish decided to camp on each side of the stairs and TALK there. The hallways on each floor had perfect spaces for people to talk on: little balconies done so no one could clog the whole university by stopping for a chat. But no, you had 15 minutes to go from class to class and each fall semester you had to push some freshman down the stairs so you could get to the first floor on other side of the building in time.

This was Alex’s distraction from my current narration: the discomfort of passing through the new fish while stomping on as many of them as he could, for good measure.

It didn't help. He still wonders how Moritz fits in the whole tapestry that was this story.

***

“You don’t look happy,” Eva says. 

“He keeps talking, and making me wonder when will the guy pop up,” Alex says stabbing his poke bowl imagining it is me. He doesn't care much about volume now, the cafeteria is filled to the brim and people are too busy complaining about the Tim Horton’s line. The semester had officially begun.

“Oh? 'Curled, tall and handsome', you mean? Are you expecting to see him? I hope he is not gay, because I have half a mind to give him a special thank you for saving you,” Eva winks for effect.

“Come on, Eva. We are eating!”

“Be thankful I only winked, I could have been way more graphic,” she retorts. “Anyway, this is good. We know the narration has a purpose now, which has to do with that tall glass of water called Maurice. Just prepare yourself for the meet up!”

“His name is Moritz. I told you. And what if I don’t want to meet the ‘tall glass of water’? I just want to focus on passing my courses, getting my paycheck and preparing for my first thesis seminar next year! I don’t have time for a random German messing with my plans,” Alex takes a mouthful of rice. Instant regret. He shouldn’t have ordered the poke, the sauce that came with it was always too chipotle-y and made everything too spicy. He swallows. “A random fling seems like a bad choice.”

“Ah-ha! So you do want a fling, I am glad, I was starting to think you were going all Virgin Mary on me. I mean, I saw his arms flex as he carried you, I too would like to be flung into a bed by’em… just imagine,” Eva sounds extremely thirsty, and Alex can't blame her in good conscience. He had just remembered the mention of the word Moritz and model in the same sentence, and the guy for sure looked the part: tall, squared chin, a hooked nose covered in freckles, heavy lidded hazel eyes, full lips, big hands, huge arms; and that had just been his first contact, he wondered what else the guy was packing? Maybe a fling wouldn’t be such a bad idea...

If his narrator had not suggested it.

“No, uh-uh, not happening, Eva. I have a plan and I am going to stick to it as much as I can,” Alex says with finality, trying to take his mind off the gutter. “Even if I have this clown interfering,” he growls pointing at the sky. At me.

“As you wish. It is not like you can stop the interference,” Eva says. “And you told me you won’t try to work against whatever he says, so you are still bound to the story. My advice is just to at least prepare for possible scenarios, and if this is a love story, set in college, and you are the protagonist: it might involve sex!”

“You are as crude as him,” he says dryly.

He admitted he had been a bit promiscuous in the past, as way a to spite me and to just explore. If the narration was about to try and rope him with one guy for the rest of his life, them he’d better discover what his sexuality had to offer and how to enjoy it. But that was in the past, and something he didn't want right now. It had been fun... sometimes, but he didn’t need that kind of attention anymore, what he needed was to focus on his priorities: one of which was graduation. 

He was tired of studying. Curse the day he decided doing two careers at the same time was the best for him!

When Alex was little, he had decided that understanding me was his best shot at eliminating me (something on the way he had forgotten, and then Eva kindly reminded him). In his quest to understand and suppress the narration that followed him around, Alex had decided to study Literature; but then, he thought that such a career would not give him enough money to survive afterwards, so he thought Communications might be another good option. He could use any of them to pick me apart.

At first he was indecisive, Literature seemed a better fit to analyze narration but Communications was more marketable. It did not help that, in the long run, he fell in love with both. So when he finally finished with high school and it was time to enroll in one, as the advisor showed him both programs he asked something he thought stupid: “Can I do both?”

The answer had been yes. And so his life became hell… or it had been, had it not come with benefits.

Doing two careers was hard. Usually any career took around four years and a half. He is currently on his fifth year and he still has one year to go, so by now he could have been midway on his MBA. Besides that, he has been taking eight courses per semester: seven classes plus his theatre workshops, be it straight play or the fall musical. He had just been able to stop enrolling in the latter last year when, for his internship, the university had hired him as an assistant director, translator, stage manager and occasional pit singer for the theatre department; one of those intense "abuse the intern" gigs, but he loved it and money was always a good motivation to stay. 

Besides all of his duties, he still has to keep his GPA over a 3.7 to not lose his scholarship. His parents were well off, but not rich, and the university was even more expensive when you extended your stay by taking extra classes and exchange programs at every chance you got.

Everyone questioned why Alex kept doing it, sometimes even he himself questioned why. Until he remembered how little did I speak the busier he was. The same reason he had enrolled into the International Baccalaureate before college, while doing theatre, running himself ragged, and trying to keeping himself out of parties or social gatherings for the most part.

He thought that if he was too busy to move the story along, then I couldn’t interfere.

But he had just a year and a half left of college, and he couldn’t stall forever. He couldn’t pause life forever.

“You ok, love? You seem sad,” Eva had just placed her hand on his shoulder. “If you need me to be less crude, I can try.”

“It’s not that. Just a lot of noise,” he answers, waving his hand around.

Eva smiles, and gives him a few pats. Then her eyes shoot up and delight fills her face. “Well, it seems we have more noise, coming our way.”

“Snow White and the Green Giant! My favorite children, how have you been!” Alex felt the slaps in the back before he even heard or saw the guy. Carlos had finally made an appearance!

“Oh, how are you Charming,” Eva says, standing up. “You are finally done kissing all of France?”

“Hey, if you had seen the girl you too would have lost that flight. Besides, I hear that our Green Giant made everyone proud!” Carlos says turning to Alex. “Rumor has it, he even had time to play Juliet while performing.”

“Oh, screw you, Carlos,” Alex says half heartedly. Carlos was impossible to get mad at, he had earned his nickname by actually being a real life Prince Charming. “Glad you are back, fool, the theatre department was not the same without you. Are you ready for the auditions?”

“Oh, yeah! I was going to ask Eva and you to check my ‘First Impressions’, I think it’s great,” he says, while grabbing the nearest chair to sit on.

“Huh, so ‘First Date’? And here I thought you’d have a Jeremy Jordan moment instead,” Alex says. “But I can’t watch, I am on the casting table, remember?”

“Curse the day you took that job, you gave me the best pointers!” Carlos pouts.

“I will join you later, I have to practice ‘I’m Too Pretty’ anyway,” Eva says. “I really want to be a Delta Nu, I deserve to sing ‘Bend and Snap’, and Lucía will have to pry it from my cold dead hands.”

It is funny seeing them speak like if they didn’t know most of the audition was rigged. “Legally Blonde” had been chosen because Luna and David already had a cast in mind, the department didn't have many actors, and the audition was just to scout new talents on arrival; only if they were really good would they knock the seniors off of their pedestals, but Alex doubted Carlos or Eva had to worry. Carlos less than anyone: not only was he talented and handsome, he came from a family of big time actors in Mexico City, and he was already a small celebrity in the theatre circle of the city. He was a good casting choice because he was bound to make tickets sale. Being one of the few guys on the theatre department and an actual triple threat couldn't be ignored either. 

And Eva, well, she was a triple threat and the most competitive girl. Besides, she just liked the stage, she would always be there no matter the role. 

Alex had missed having both of them at the same time. It had been a while. Only Angela was missing.

“Well, I guess Eva and I are set for the afternoon,” Carlos says with a smile. “What’s next for you today, Giant?”

“I have two classes left: a Literature Seminar and Political Marketing. But that is two hours away,” Alex answers, checking the clock. “Wanna hang and tell us about your escapades dans la France?”

Carlos' smile grows wider as Eva laces her fingers under her chin, the ceremonial position to start gossiping.

For the first time in a while Alex forgets about me. He still had one year and a half left to stall me, his friends were here, there were no Germans around, it was his first day back: all was perfect. Nothing could ruin the day.

***

He had thought himself safe. Internationals usually took electives, never the main courses.

“I didn’t expect to see you,” the guy says. His voice was soft, but carried a raspiness with it.

Holy shit, he was a tree. Alex was not small by any stretch of the imagination, but this guy was about two heads above him.

“It is a pleasant surprise,” he says. His lips were more kissable than he had originally imagined. The simple wire framed glasses made him look stylish, his hazel eyes had specks of green in them, and there was one stray glistening curl over his forehead that Alex was now dying to set in place. He wondered how soft it was?

Damn it, this was a nightmare, he was more attractive than he had given him credit for. He felt blindsided. Why hadn’t I warned him? Honestly: I had, he hadn’t listened.

“So, what do you do when not falling over people?” Was that tone flirty or jokey? If Alex were alone, he’d kick himself for wishing for the former, but no, he was right at the entrance of the classroom. German and him blocking the way for the rest like they were new fish. He needed to get in, people were staring.

“Well, I usually go to class, how about you?” Alex answers. He didn’t mean his tone to be biting, but he felt pressured.

The guy’s smile faltered and he quickly moved away from the doorframe. The rest of the students started pouring in now, whispering. Everyone had heard the rumors, and most people in this class knew about Alex's fall, now they wondered if the huge hunk of man following him to his seat was the other party in the rumors.

“Have I offended you? I was attempting to be... funny,” he says. Oh no, he was sad. It was like seeing a huge golden retriever with glasses pout. This was hell!

“No! No. No… sorry. I'm just surprised,” he extends a hand. “Alex. Nice to meet you. Again. I guess you are taking Political Marketing too, huh?”

“Nice to meet you, again, too! My name is Moritz,” his face lighting up like a sun, “and yes, I will be taking Political Marketing as well. What a fun coincidence, huh?”

“Yeah. Fun.” Alex was doing his best not to cuss. “Sorry about, the whole... falling over you.”

“Oh, I thought it was charming. Guys don't tend to fall over me like that, hahaha.” His smile was so bright, Alex thought he might keel over.

“I suppose so. Girls must be the usual for you,” Alex was trying to be snarky.  Keep him at bay. He would not follow along, this was dangerous. 

“Usually. But guys are more fun,” Moritz says nonchalantly and, the pinche culero, winks his way.

Alex expects me to say this will end quickly, but all I can do is warn him: Moritz has a crush. A big one. This is going to be difficult for him.