Page 69 of The Locker Room

up and climbing into bed before anyone came and knocked on the door.

And it wasn"t like the time was a given.

North Carolina took its basketball seriously. Running in the

morning, weight training in the afternoon, and that was even before the

season began and they started practicing in earnest. The boys had signed

up for the same classes, but Xander"s entrance scores had been higher

than Chris"s, and they had ended up in different sections.

They had time for a quiet moment in the evening, most evenings,

the kind they"d shared when working fast food while in high school,

where Chris would sit back between Xander"s legs, and Xander would

nuzzle his neck while Chris talked. Sometimes, when his body hurt and

his brain buzzed, and too many people seemed to want his attention and

think he was important to talk to, Xander lived for those moments when

he wrapped his arms around Chris"s shoulders, and they could just be.

One Sunday morning in mid-November, they had the entire

morning to themselves. The next day was Veteran"s Day, and the entire

campus was closed down. Most of the freshman within driving distance

had gone home to their parents" houses, and those left were hungover.

(There had been one hell of a party in the main team dorm the night

before. Xander and Chris had made an appearance before disappearing at

separate intervals to sneak into their own dorm room and push the beds

together. Everyone had their own idea of a weekend off.)

It was Xander"s turn to explore Chris. They didn"t really keep

score, but Xander had one of his rare moments of insistence. Since Chris,

he said, carried the bulk of the conversation that made Xander so happy,

Xander owed him something entirely new and interesting in bed.

Chris, who was eyeballs-deep in calculus tutoring and choosing a

major, had given him a tired and appreciative smile. Sometimes, when

you were laying your burdens down, even the burden of sex was too