Christmas Tree Wishes

Chapter 2

"Sammmmm!" Sam's roommate Lexi Fletcher was screaming his name even before she had closed their apartment door behind her. "Sam, are you here?!"

"Yes, Lexi!" Sam yelled back from the comfort of his bed, where he was trying to catch up on studying.

"Samm! I have the best news!" Lexi came dashing into his room, all five feet two inches of her. Lexi was Sam's best friend and they had been sharing an apartment for the past three years. She was an art student in every sense of the word. She had rainbow colored hair that was chin length on the right side and shaved on the left. She wore a Howl's moving castle tee-shirt, ripped jeans and flower patterned doc martens.

They had found each other at a gay pride rally on campus in first year and immediately became best friends. Lexi was the pansexual to Sam's gay. The Art major to his Nursing major. They had gone to everything from pride parades and rallies to football games and college parties together over the past three years.

"What's this big news?" Sam asked, closing his book to give her the full attention she would require.

"Best! The best news!" She landed on the bed in a flop that sent books flying.

"So sorry," Sam chuckled. "What is the best news?"

"I have scored us tickets to the LGBTQ Masquerade Party this weekend!" She leapt to her feet and started bouncing on his bed. Books were flying in all directions as Sam laughed at her excitement.

"How did you manage that?" he asked, picking up the fallen textbooks, now scattered across the floor.

"What?! No excitement?!" She laughed, picking up pillows and throwing them at him with perfect accuracy.

"I'm very excited!" Sam laughed, ducking the flying pillows. He grabbed one in mid-air and chucked it back at her.

"We have wanted to go forever! We need to plan our outfits! Like right now!" In a whirlwind, Lexi was out his door as fast as she entered, headed for her room across the apartment.

"You have to wear that gorgeous white suit hiding in the back of your closet!" She yelled over her shoulder as she hurried away.

Ah, the white suit. Sam loved that suit. He had very few reasons to wear it – well only one, really. He had bought it when his boyfriend Brian had asked him to accompany him to a work dinner, which had meant so much to Sam that Brian wanted him to go. He had felt amazing in that suit and being by Brian's side for the evening. It had been perfect. Lexi was right, he should wear it this weekend. Smiling, he reorganized his books and continued studying before she barreled back in with more ideas and plans.

Glancing at his phone, he looked over the text thread between him and Brian. They had been talking about trying things again between them. Brian promised that he was staying in the city now and that he wouldn't cheat on Sam again. Sam wanted to believe him because he loved Brian. But it had hurt deeply when Brian had cheated on him with some girl he just met and then followed her to the west coast for a week. Lexi would be so mad if she found out he was talking to Brian again. Sam dropped his phone back on the bed and tried to finish studying.

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Saturday night arrived with Sam standing in front of his mirror looking over his final outfit. He wore his white suit with its white waist coat, black shirt and black shoes. It fit his lean form like a glove. He had on a white mask that covered his eyes with feathers off the left side and silver glitter that continued off the mask and onto his cheeks. All the white made his bright blue eyes bluer in this light. He had spiked his short hair up in the front which might be a bit over the top anywhere else, but tonight he would fit right in or even be underdressed.