Tamely Told

03: Stranger's Solace

I left my dorm in dire need of some fresh air. In the alley, a guy from the streets stood, sharing the same expression I sported. We locked eyes without knowing why. Then again, maybe we knew in our own oddly inexplicable way. We'd been each other's passerby all semester long. I called him Stranger because that was what he was. But given my family life, something in me wanted to believe he was more—or could be. He asked if I lived on my own, and I told him I shared a dorm with someone I couldn't stand. He told me he wanted a safe place to be himself more. I'd invite him to my dorm with one question: "What's it like to be loved?" He didn't know either, but he told me he wanted to learn after having been disowned by his own folks. My heart sunk, and I welcomed him. In my dorm, our eyes couldn't unfasten. I bit my lip, and he licked his. As if struck, he took my hand, his eyes still on me. His lips instantly found mine. Our breaths intensified, tongues dancing and noses pressing against the other. Our erect bulges frotted in sweet ache, calling to be released. We unzipped our jeans to let them out. Fondling, they became well acquainted. But a healthy future for us? We'd know soon enough. Why so sure? Because we relived this moment on our first anniversary, a year of love we'd never known to exist. Our future was pleasantly lit from where we stood. But he was still a stranger... my stranger. And I found the solace I'd yearned for in him.