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Nick

D ad: Enjoy your day, Nicholas. Happy birthday. Sorry I couldn’t spend it with you, but will make it up to you soon.

Dianne: Happy birthday. :)

Rhys: Happy Birthday. Hope you’re having a good time with your Dad.

Schultz: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! LOVE YOU, MAN!!!

Jessie: Happy birthday, Nick. Have a good year.

There are a few other messages from my teammates, classmates, old friends, as well as Coach. Jessie sending me a message throws me into a loop, but I completely forget about it when I scroll through the rest of notifications and find out Caleb has sent nothing.

He did mention he went out with friends last night, and I wonder if he’s fighting a hangover. While a text from him would have made my day, I don’t hold it against him.

Caleb was upset that I’m spending New Year’s Eve and my birthday alone, but it’s not that bad. I can turn up my music as much as I want and not feel bad for it, and Stella Café’s open without its usual line of customers.

There are a few other people who didn’t head home, and a guy from down the hall—someone I took a class with last semester—invited me out with his friends last night and we had a blast. They’re not my usual crowd, but we sang karaoke until the early hours of the morning and ate a ridiculous amount of junk food.

I should probably spend an hour or two in the gym today, though I’d rather binge my shows in my room.

In my empty room.

Which feels so lonely without Caleb in it, despite me mentally complaining about having a new roommate only months ago.

No. Stop it, Nick.

I’m used to being alone. Dad asked me to come to New York with him, but I didn’t want him to think about shuffling his busy schedule around to spend time with me. So I lied to him and said it was fine, and that I’d stay with Rhys.

Then I told Rhys I was with Dad.

Caleb was the only one to figure out all the lying and wasn’t happy about it. I could practically feel his grouchiness seeping through the phone. Despite him being a grump, though, I can’t deny I miss him. I contemplated calling him or FaceTiming him a few times, only to stop myself. He’s spending time with his family, and I can’t disturb that.

Yawning, I glance out the window. It snowed this morning and the quad’s dusted with white. The sun’s probably going to set soon, and I’m sure people are getting ready for tonight’s festivities. If I started moving, I can probably make it to the city’s annual ball drop. Might have to wrestle my way through a crowd, but what else is there to do?

I’m searching for the details on my phone when the door slams open.

“Shit!” My entire body jolts and I drop my phone in surprise. Fumbling, I sit upright and gape at Caleb.

His cheeks are pink, and he’s got the most adorable dark blue beanie pulled down to his ears, and I’m momentarily distracted by how it makes the green in his eyes stand out.

Caleb grins widely at me, as if my mind still isn’t reeling, attempting to figure out if he’s a damn apparition.

“What are you doing here?” I squeak, self-consciously pulling down the ratty shirt I have on.

“Surprising you for your birthday. At least look happy about it.”

I stare at him, baffled.

“C’mon, Nicky,” Caleb says, striding over to me and tugging me up. I yelp and almost lose my balance, but Caleb’s relentless and I get up on shaky feet. “Let’s do something. Are you really staying in on your birthday?”

“I was going to the ball drop,” I say defensively, as if I didn’t only think of that five minutes ago.

“Okay, so let’s go together. If you’re a good boy, I’ll even let you kiss me when the clock hits twelve.”

My face heats. “Caleb!”

He snickers and pushes me towards my closet, and I press my palm against my chest, trying to get my pounding heart to calm down.

Caleb keeps talking behind me. “Kinda wish I brought something thicker. Just when I think it can’t possibly get any colder, the universe fucks with me.”

I snort. For someone who spends all year on ice, Caleb’s a bigger baby about the cold than I ever thought. I lean down and grab a wrapped present from the bottom of my closet and toss it at him.

“What’s this?” he asks.

“Your Christmas present.”

His face falls. “Oh, shit. I knew I was forgetting something. I didn’t get you anything for Christmas, or for today—”

“It’s cool.” I grab clothes from my closet and stand up taut, watching him. I want him to open it with me around, and he finally gets the hint and tears the wrapping apart. Inside it is a thick scarf that’s the same color as his beanie. “I noticed you wear that color a lot.”

And I like how it matches your eyes.

“Aw, Nicky, thank you.” He wraps it around himself snugly and gives me the warmest smile ever, and my heart once again races.

Damn it. I thought I already got it to calm down. He watches me the entire time I’m getting ready, and because my heart won’t shut up, I lean into the feeling. Caleb’s eyes widen when I cup the back of his neck and kiss him, and when I pull away, he cocks his head at me and smiles.

“Thank you,” I say.

“Of course, golden boy. Now hurry.”

After I’m dressed and all ready to go, we take his car as close as we can to Roosevelt Plaza and walk the rest of the way. There’s already a crowd, as expected, and live music’s playing. I can’t stop glancing at Caleb. That he’s wearing my present makes me way too happy.

Because of the crowd, we can’t get as close as I’d like, though at least we have a good view of the tower. I’m sure we’ll be able to watch the fireworks from here, and honestly, I’m just glad that Caleb’s with me.

“Your sister was actually all right with this?” I ask him.

“Yeah. It was her idea.”

“Seriously?”

Caleb nods at me and presses his shoulder against mine, and I automatically wrap an arm around him. He studies my expression for a moment and I’m not sure what he’s searching for, but his eyes flutter and he smiles, and I resist the urge to lean in and kiss him.

I really, really want to kiss him, but we’re in a crowd, and that’s not something we’ve done before.

The night passes by quickly. Caleb sings along loudly with the music and has conversations with strangers around us. A young girl beside us complains to her mom—who’s already carrying another child—about not being able to see the ball because of the crowd, and Caleb offers to lift her on his shoulders. The young girl’s enthusiastic and watching them makes my heart speed up again.

Caleb and I are similar in being a people pleaser, except that while I do it to not be a burden, he does it because it makes him happy. He goes out of his way for others, and not for the same reason I do. It comes naturally to him, and even if he can be rough around the edges sometimes, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as selfless and genuine as him.

He’s… larger than life.

And he’s here with me. On New Year’s Eve.

Once the little girl’s satisfied, Caleb puts her down and she thanks him. The girl rushes back to her mother, squealing. He turns to me and lifts his eyebrows when he catches me staring, and I smile sheepishly and tuck my chin to my chest.

“What’re you staring at?” he asks.

“Nothing.” Before he can complain about my answer, I link my fingers with his. Caleb lets me, and he squeezes his hand against mine. “You said you didn’t get me a present, but I think you being here is the best one I could get.”

He huffs a laugh and leans in, his breath warm against the shell of my ear. “Actually thought of what I can give you. When we get back, you’re going to fuck me.”

What? My dick twitches and I choke on air.

“C-Caleb!” I sputter, stepping away from him with wide eyes.

Caleb grins as if he didn’t cause my universe to topple around me.

“Now I don’t want to wait for the ball drop,” I grumble, and he bursts out laughing.

And when the countdown finally starts, Caleb finds my hand again and intertwines our fingers. He shouts along with the rest of the crowd but keeps his eyes on me, all soft and honest, and I don’t know what to do with the way my chest cracks wide open.

The crowd chants, “Three… two… one!”

Lights explode above us, and everyone cheers, and I watch as the colors illuminate Caleb’s face. I can’t take it—with my free hand, I cup his face and press my lips against his.

God. I don’t care that we’re in public. Everyone else is absorbed in their own world, anyway, and what is it to them what two men do in a sea of strangers? All I care about is kissing Caleb and feeling his lips under mine, all warm and intoxicating.

“Happy New Year,” I say against his ear.

“Happy birthday, Nicky.”

“Not my birthday anymore, technically.”

“Does that mean it’s too late to give you your present?”

“Caleb,” I groan, and he laughs and yanks at my hand. We don’t finish watching the fireworks display, too excited to get back to the solitude of our dorm instead. I don’t think either of us was watching it at all, to be honest.

***

As soon we get back to our room, we rush to take each other’s clothes off. There’s a flurry of items getting discarded and when I’m down to my shirt and boxers, I realize that Caleb’s a lot slower than I am. I’m ridiculously eager to get him naked that I yank his jeans down, and his foot gets caught in a pant leg and he trips. Panicked, I try to catch him, and we both go tumbling on the floor. He ends up sprawled up on top of me.

“Jesus, Nicky, slow the fuck down,” he says with a laugh. He brushes hair away from my forehead and shakes his jeans off, only now left in his underwear.

I pout and place a hand flat on his abs, and he shivers when my cold hands hit his skin. He watches me with dark eyes, and I drift my hand higher, catching my blunt nails against his piercings. Yes. I’m so happy he has them on today.

His eyes flutter closed when I play with his piercings, tugging them between my fingers. His groin pressed against mine, I feel him harden, and he sucks in a breath when I lean in and nibble on a piercing. With my other hand, I continue to fiddle with the other one.

“Nicky,” he groans, entangling his hand in my hair.

God, he smells so good. I kiss up his chest and suck on his neck, and Caleb arcs his back and breathes heavily against my ear.

“Give me a second.” Caleb gets off me, and I audibly whine, and in the room’s dimness, I see the wicked smile he gives me. “Patience. And get up. We’re not fucking on the floor.”

I grumble something incoherent and sit on the bed, watching him search through his desk. A moment later, he holds up a small bottle of lube and a condom. He slips off his boxers and my breath gets stuck in my throat at the sight of his hard dick against his stomach. Swallowing, I get rid of the rest of my clothes as well.

It only now occurs to me I should have read up on how to do this. Yeah, I’ve watched some porn and searched around the net—but I never really absorbed much. I always ended up jacking off to the thought of fucking Caleb, or getting fucked by him, and never focused on what leads up to that point.

Caleb must sense my apprehension, because he smirks at me and pushes me back on my bed. “Don’t worry. All you have to do is let me ride you.”

He straddles my legs, and I blink up at him. Slowly, Caleb leans down and puts his mouth around my dick, and I buckle in surprise. He bobs up and down a few times, and heat pools in me.

Chest heaving, I meet his eyes as he sits up. He gives me another too smug grin, and he rips the condom packet open before gently slipping it on me. He’s so confident and I feel so out of my element, as usual, especially when he pours lube on me and pumps me once to spread it.

“Caleb,” I whine, pressing my hands against my eyes. “I want inside you.”

“Patience,” he reminds me, and when I peek between my fingers, he’s reaching behind himself. His throat bobs and he sucks in a breath, and it’s only then that I spring into action.

I snake my hand around him, putting my fingers next to his. Feeling around blindly, I can tell he’s got two fingers inside himself, until his knuckles—and that’s so fucking hot. “Teach me how to do it,” I say.

Caleb’s mouth parts and he stares at me as if he’s debating it, then he stops prepping himself and squirts lube unto my hand. The liquid’s cool and slick against my skin and I slip them inside his hole, the same way I think he was doing it.

His chest heaves as he mumbles instructions at me, and he keeps himself up by planting a hand on the bed next to my head. I think I hit his prostrate by accident once because he gasps and his lip wobbles, but then I lose the spot and can’t find it again.

It’s frustrating. I’m great at almost everything, and I want to be great at this too. There’s an obsessive need in me wanting him to feel good—so I crook my finger, searching.

“Fuck, your fingers are huge,” he grumbles, and I can’t help but beam at how out of breath he sounds. Still, I can’t find that spot. “Put one more in.”

“Where is it?” I murmur, crooking my fingers.

“What are you—oh, god.” Caleb chokes on a breath and he buckles, pressing his forehead against mine as a string of curses escape him. There. I finally found it, and I attack the sensitive spot mercilessly. He grits out, “Holy fucking hell, Nicky. Ease up or I’ll come.”

“Come.”

“Baby, no. Need you in me first. I’m ready. Take your fingers out.”

I listen, and he gives me one long, fervent kiss before sitting up. Caleb holds my aching dick and guides it to his hole, then he sinks down on me in one movement.

My hands fly up to his sides, and I swear I see stars.