Hunter was grateful for the rain just then. It hid his tears well. What Grayson had done seemed like a simple gesture, but he had done more than keeping him steady. He was keeping him grounded.

"Thank you." He reached for the railing. Grayson let go of his shoulders, but offered his arm. Something in Hunter's eyes suggested he could use some support in more ways than one.

It wasn't necessary, but Hunter took it anyway. He'd take advantage of Grayson's kindness, if only for a moment longer.

Once they had finished climbing the stairs, the rain lessened to a slightly lighter amount. Hunter took a moment to look at the dark, soggy campus. The once intimidating buildings looked worn and welcoming.

The Howard dormitory sat only a few feet away. The next closest dorm was another ten-minute walk and across the green--The Fox building.

"Well, that's me." Hunter said, squeezing some of the water out of his hat.

Grayson nodded. "Mmhm." He gave the Howard dormitory a pensive glance, as if he were trying to figure out its secrets. The rain had finally stopped.

"I guess I'll..." As Hunter turned to walk towards the building, Grayson fell into step with him again. "See you around?" They were both headed to the front door.

Grayson frowned as he pulled his wet t-shirt away from his stomach. "I don't have anywhere to hang this in my dorm. Is the laundry in Howard still open?"

"Yeah."

"Great. I just want to throw this stuff in the dryer for a minute."

In the blink of an eye, Hunter found himself in the basement laundry room. The room was small despite the large number of students living above--121 to be exact. There were only four washing machines, three chairs, three dryers, and two folding tables. Hunter leaned against one table, next to the heater that their bags rested on. He watched as Grayson lifted his shirt and began pulling it over his head. Was this weird? He asked himself, his eyes darting away quickly. Grayson was only trying to get dry. What was Hunter doing down here anyway?

"Uh..." Hunter looked at the door. "Do you want me to go get a towel, or...?"

"Hm?"Grayson looked back him over his shoulder, arms still raised. "No, I'm good."

"Oh? Okay." He found himself watching Grayson's reflection in the mirror. More voyeurism. Control yourself. He chided mentally. He was glad this was happening now and not a week before. There was no telling how bad his behavior would be closer to a full moon. But why? the less scrupulous side of his mind asked. If he's going to put on a show, you might as well watch. He kept his eyes on the mirror. Broad shoulders and a nice torso? Definitely his type. Guys like Grayson Lee were the reason he had watched soccer since junior high.

Grayson tossed his sneakers in one dryer, and his socks and shirt in another. He looked down at his soaked jeans.

Do it. Hunter thought, watching Grayson via the mirror again. Wow. The minute I get away from Colton and the pack, I turn into a total creep. Go figure.

"Are you going to throw something in too?"

Hunter blinked at that question. Clothes. Dryer. Of course. "Oh..." Standing half-naked with another half-naked guy in an empty basement? "Yeah." Apparently, that was happening.

He lifted his shirt and hoodie over his head. They snagged on his sunglasses, and he was stuck in a wet clothing cocoon. He heard Grayson laugh. "Ah. Great."

"Do you need some help?"

Hunter tugged to no avail. "Ugh...no..I just..."He felt Grayson tugging at his shirt. Perfect. Now they were undressing each other, in a basement, all alone. Would every meeting they had be fraught with strange, sexual tension?

He heard the flapping of a set of flip-flops enter the laundry room, just as Grayson pulled the shirt over his head. A girl with a small cloth hamper of clothing and laundry related supplies regarded them with a sleepy stare. Her eyes snapped open as she assessed the situation. "I can come back--" She said, starting to turn away.

"No, you don't have to do that!" Hunter insisted, perhaps sounding a little too panicked.

The newcomer still seemed reluctant to wash her clothes, but quickly flip-flopped her way over to an empty machine. Hunter tossed his clothes into the dryer and looked back at Grayson, who had adopted his pensive look again. They stood in front of a table in awkward silence.

Hunter crossed his arms over his chest and tried to appear nonchalant. "So...What are you studying?"

Grayson looked down at him, his mind was clearly somewhere else. "Nursing." Was the slow reply. "For now anyway. I'll probably change it next semester. It's not my thing."

"What do you want to do?" Hunter queried and immediately regretted asking. It was a loaded question. Some people went to school for years before discovering what they truly wanted to pursue.

"Sports medicine." He looked at the ceiling. "I don't want to be a nurse or a doctor really, but I do want to do something that helps people. I want something hands-on. If my Mom has her way, I'll probably still end up as an M.D. but I don't want to be in school forever... Maybe I'll be a medical assistant..."

Hunter gave him an incredulous look. Nice, tall, and he wants to help people. Also, partially naked. What kind of dream is this?

Grayson stared down at him. Not sure how to react, Hunter clung to the topic at hand. "Uh...How about physical therapy? The physical therapist I know seems happy I guess. He's definitely helping people. I don't know how I could have made it through high school without him."

Grayson frowned. "Did you see him often?"

"Yeah. Like twice a week. At first, it was really painful. I have..." He paused to choose his words carefully. "An issue with bone and muscle structure. There was a point where I was stuck in a wheelchair and I didn't think I would walk again. Whenever I did try to walk, I got muscle spasms and migraines. My nerves were getting pressed down as well, so I'd get these shooting pains at random. It was either lay still or be in constant pain."

"How did you deal with it?" Grayson asked.

"Not well." Hunter watched the laundry tumble. "I gave up a lot. There were days that I was so doped up on pain meds that I couldn't feel anything at all. I hated that feeling. So I stopped taking them. I stopped trying to walk. But my therapist didn't stop trying. He tried to make things as easy as possible for me. It took a while, almost three years, but now I can walk much better. I still need to use crutches a week or so each month, and the pain comes and goes, but things are way better than before."

"Good." Grayson looked genuinely relieved. "I can't imagine what that was like." His gaze fell on the old checkerboard tiles that covered the floor. "But I'm sure it was really hard."

Hunter's shoulders slumped. "I guess. I'm sorry. Things got really serious out of nowhere."

"I'm glad." Grayson smiled. "I don't think we would have been able to talk like this anywhere else. I haven't been able to have a real conversation like this since I got here."

"Oh." Hunter tried smiling back, hoping he didn't look creepy. "I'm glad it was with me then."

"Me too." Grayson's voice lowered.

Damn, He could feel goosebumps on his neck. His heart thudded in his chest. The extra bass in Grayson's voice left him reeling.

Grayson stepped forward. "The clothes are done." He handed Hunter his shirt and hoodie. Hunter put his clothes on slowly, feeling like a jerk for eyeing Grayson like a piece of meat earlier. He tugged his head through his shirt.

Grayson slipped his sneakers back on. "Toasty."

Hunter was glad to be fully clothed once again. His jeans were still a bit damp, but they would be easily dried.

"What about you?" Grayson asked, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "What do you really want to do?"

"I want to teach. I didn't have the best grades, just a little above average, but when I was younger I liked going to school. It was the one place I was treated like everyone else. I think I'd like to teach History, or maybe English."

"You should be an English teacher." Grayson decided. "Just to balance out Lugosi's existence."

Hunter laughed. "I'd have to be a saint."

Dressed and drier than before they headed back up to the main hall. Hunter walked with him past the vacant welcome desk.

Grayson let out a defeated sigh. "Back to Marconi then."

"What?" From what Hunter had heard, Marconi was a townhouse originally used as living quarters for Redwood's faculty. Currently, it was used as another dormitory, but with larger rooms. It was also on the outskirts of the campus, nowhere near Hunter's place of residence, the Howard dorm.

"I thought you said your place was close."

Grayson shrugged. "I lied." He pushed one of the glass double doors open.

Hunter leaned against the frame. "If you wanted to talk, you could've said so."

"I suppose." Grayson stepped out onto the pavement. He looked back at Hunter. "But then again, I didn't come here with pure intentions."

Hunter's mouth dropped open. By the time he remembered how to talk, Grayson was already walking off.