Dorrance was seated in the middle of his bed, books and papers spread all around him, when Kessex walked in after his last class of the day. Kessex kept his eyes on the floor, making his way to his desk and setting his battered leather satchel upon the seat of his chair as he dug out his Language textbook and the notebook with the homework assignment in it.

"Hi, Kessex," Dorrance said, and Kessex could feel the older mage's eyes upon him.

"Hello," Kessex said, hanging the satchel over the back of the chair and taking a seat at his desk. He opened his book to chapter seven and tried to read, but he could hear Dorrance rustling papers, could hear the creak of the bedsprings as Dorrance stood up, could hear the young man groan as he stretched. And Kessex could feel him step closer, resting his hands on the back of Kessex's chair.

"Whatcha got there?" Dorrance asked, leaning over Kessex's shoulder. Kessex couldn't move, could barely breathe, the faint, musky scent of Dorrance's body wash making his head spin. "Languages, eh? I got pretty good grades in that class, too, if you want some help, and I'm taking Astaniko this year. Si baroA Ki aA ko dh'lamar kh'isi. Si kexafA eh'nir Kur."

Kessex had no idea what Dorrance just said, but his voice, his accent, his proximity, his smell--Kessex grabbed his books off the desk and pushed his chair back, holding the books in front of his crotch to hide the sudden bulge in his jeans as he hurried past his roommate, muttering something about studying in the library. Dorrance caught up with him at the door and grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Kessex, please, don't leave," he said and Kessex stopped, staring at the closed door, his heart pounding. "What did I do? Please, I want to know. We've been roommates for a month and a half, and it's like you can't stand to be around me. You won't speak to me, you won't even look at me. I want to be your friend, but...What did I do?"

What did he do? Aside from being completely charming and gorgeous and wonderful, nothing, but Kessex could hardly tell him that. He stood, mouth dry and mind racing, trying to think of something, anything, any lie at all that didn't make him sound stupid, but every thought that flitted through his head was dumber than the last. Finally, Dorrance sighed and let him go.

"Didn't mean to bother you," Dorrance said, turning and walking away, back to his bed. Kessex opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. After a moment, he opened the door and stepped into the hall, pulling it shut behind him. He was shaking inside, a chill racing over his clammy skin as he headed out of the dormitory building and across the courtyard to the library.

That was just about his worst nightmare--being confronted and being unable to speak. The only thing that was missing was he wasn't naked. How was he ever going to face Dorrance again?