“Movie room in five.” Joel peeks his head into Zeke’s room and then dashes away.
“Your room looks so sad.” Everything Zeke owns, save a change of clothes for tomorrow, is packed in boxes. He’s not officially moving his things out until he knows where he’s going and gets a place, but the room is as good as empty and tomorrow he’ll be gone. “Now that you and Wes are moving out, who’ll move in?”
“I’m not sure. It’s weird to think about a new group of guys moving in.” He zips up the last bag and tosses it on the floor. “I guess that’s it.” He takes a long look around the room and then extends a hand. “Ready for movie night?”
Everyone else is already there when we walk into the movie room. Nathan, Wes, Blair, Katrina, and Joel are all crowded inside. Joel has a bottle of champagne in hand and pops the cork, claiming it’s cause for a classy celebration. When he drinks directly from the bottle, I have to laugh. Classy celebration isn’t really their style anyway.
Joel wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and passes the bottle to Zeke. “For our last movie night—”
Zeke groans. “For the last time, I’m not dying.” But he’s smiling as he takes a long drink and then hands the champagne to me. Before I can bring it to my lips, he leans in and kisses me, giving me a hint of the sweet liquid he’s drunk.
When we’ve all had our celebratory drink directly from the bottle, Joel holds the bottle up and everyone goes quiet.
“It’s been a wild three years, two together in this house. You guys are more than roommates, more than teammates, more than friends.” He pauses and looks like he’s fighting back real emotion. “We’re brothers and I’m going to miss the hell out of you two.” Clearing his throat, he turns to the TV. “In honor of our la— our final movie night as roommates, I thought we should take it back old school. Top Gun.”
There are exactly enough chairs for all of us, but Zeke pulls me onto his lap, and I curl up so every inch of my body is touching him, soaking up every bit of him I can. I’d been told that movie night was sacred and that talking was strictly prohibited, but there’s no stopping the laughing and quoting the movie at nearly every scene.
I’ve seen the movie before so I spend it watching Zeke’s reaction to the film.
“This one is your favorite?”
He nods proudly.
“Why do you like Tom Cruise so much anyway?”
“My dad liked Tom Cruise. He’d always say, ‘When I’m directing Tom, then I’ll know I’ve made it.’ Tom became an ideal in my mind. Even after my dad left, maybe more so, Tom represented something – achieving my goals, I guess. Plus, he’s awesome.”
“Did he ever get to direct Tom?”
Zeke shakes his head. “No.”
“Do you talk to your dad often?”
“Not since he left. He tried a couple times – once recently after we won the tournament, but I never call him back. He made his choice to have a career instead of a family. There’s no going back from that. He was right, you can’t have both.” He shrugs off the importance of that statement and my stomach knots.
But when Zeke leans in so his lips hover near my ear and sings along softly as Maverick serenades Charlie, I push thoughts of anything but the present and enjoying this night far away.
After the movie, he says his goodbyes to the guys, and we head upstairs. I’ve never given much thought to the difference between having sex versus making love, but I think it’s the latter we’re doing as Zeke undresses me, kissing me so sweetly, and taking his time bringing us both to orgasm.
“I’m going to miss you,” he says when we’re lying together afterward. His flight is early in the morning, so there will be no time then to say our goodbyes.
“Me too.” I turn so we’re spooning and wrap his arm tightly around my waist. “Thank you for… well just thank you. These past few weeks have meant so much to me. I’ll never forget them, or you.”
He squeezes me playfully. “You sound like Joel. I’m not dying. I’ll see you when I come back to get my stuff. Plus, there’s always phone sex.”
I laugh, but purely for his benefit. I don’t feel anything but sad that he’s leaving, and I can’t tell him that or it sounds like I’m not excited for his future.
“Before I forget, I got you something. It’s waiting at your apartment for you.” He yawns and not a minute later his breathing evens out.
I don’t know how long it takes me to fall asleep. I lie as still as I can so I don’t wake him and cry silent tears.
The next morning we’re both bleary-eyed as he drops me at my apartment before his flight. He jogs around to the passenger side door and opens it for me. I wrap my arms around him tightly and lean up on my tiptoes until he gets the hint and picks me up so I can wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him like it’s the last time. I hope it’s not.
“Stay out of trouble without me,” he calls as he gets back in his car. I watch him drive away and then walk into my apartment finally letting the loud sobs wrack my body. It’s so stupid. I don’t even know why I’m sad. Casual fun isn’t supposed to end in heartbreak.
Inside my room, I stop short at the pink bike with a big red bow stuck to the basket, just like I said I wanted. A card pokes out of the basket and I grab it and sit on the bed, reading through the sobs: Someday I’m going to buy you a cherry red convertible. Until then… Zeke