No Homo | zaylor ✓

bros

Taylor did not want to go to college. He didn't have much going for him in high school to begin with, but the idea of constantly being surrounded by drunken idiots was not exactly appealing to him. School was not enjoyable, mainly because he struggled academically. Music was all he knew, but even that he found himself struggling with from time to time.

But, as his mom had told him, maybe he just needed to come out of his shell a little bit. He had applied to many colleges and had just recently committed to a university that had accepted him.

The curly-haired high school senior sat on his bed as he scrolled through Facebook. Usually, he was anti-Facebook. But NYU, the college he had finally decided on, had the option of choosing a roommate through it. He did not want to have his roommate chosen for him, that would never turn out well. After his oldest brother had made the mistake of having his roommate chosen for him and ended up being stuck with an alcoholic pothead who only listened to Eminem, Taylor knew better.

See, he wanted to live with someone who had a major that was similar to what he would be majoring in: music technology. He continued to scroll, skipping every shirtless dude who was flexing his muscles in his profile photo. What was their goal in doing that?

He also wanted to dorm with someone who lived in Tennessee. Yes, he was picky. But he'd be living with them for at least a year, so why not be picky? He needed to have something in common with them. The more they had in common, the easier the months together would be.

Just as he was about to shut his laptop and give up searching for the day, a notification appeared. He had received a message.

From the second Taylor looked at the stranger's profile photo, he had doubts. The dude's picture was an awkward selfie. And to make matters worse, he had a mustache. Never trust a guy with a mustache.

Zac Farro: Hey! I'm attending NYU next fall and saw you on the page for the class of 2021. I've been looking for someone to live with next year and wanted to find someone else who lived in TN. I also wanted to find someone who is majoring in a music related topic like I am, which didn't seem likely. But being as how you live in Nashville and are majoring in music technology, it must be a match. Send me a message if you're interested.

Okay, maybe he wasn't too terrible. He wanted the same exact things that Taylor wanted, which definitely helped. Still seemed a little weird and Taylor would keep his guard up to make sure this stranger didn't have any ill intentions, but he could have been worse.

Taylor York: I've been looking for someone similar. Haven't had much luck so far. But to be fair, I haven't searched too much. I'm minoring in music theory and composition. Boring stuff, I know, but it'll hopefully help me in the long run. I'm glad you reached out to me. What are you majoring in?

Zac Farro: Music business. Do you play any instruments?

Taylor looked up at the acoustic guitar that sat in the dusty corner of his bedroom. Maybe it was time he started practicing that more.

Taylor York: Mostly guitar. But I can play other instruments too. I'm decent at drums. You?

Wow, very interesting conversation. He felt like he was talking to a distant relative who had not seen him since he was seven years old. All that was missing from the conversation was Zac telling him how big he had gotten since they had last seen each other.

No, that's not a sexual joke. Get your mind out of the gutter.

They went on and on about little things about one another. At one point, Zac was going to confess, as casually as possible, that he was gay. But when he remembered that this guy he was speaking to was a fellow Tennessean, he decided that maybe it wasn't a great idea. He knew how his peers were. It seemed like an important thing to know, but Zac would take note of how Taylor acted towards homosexuals before making any mention of his own sexuality. Besides, if Taylor didn't need to clarify his sexuality, why did Zac need to clarify his own?

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of boring small talk, they discussed meeting in town.

Taylor York: There's this little coffee shop I go to every Saturday, it's in downtown Nashville. If that's alright by you for meeting up, just send me your number and I'll text you the name of the place and the address.

Zac Farro: Sounds good. I have nothing going on this Saturday so we can meet there. My number is...

It felt like they were planning a date. Just a casual date between two bros. Both of them hoped that this would work out; neither of them wanted to continue the search for a roommate. Hopefully, it would turn out better than expected.

[A/N: listen I know this chapter is boring but it'll probably get a bit more interesting a few chapters in thx]