Finding Me In You

Chaper 1

Entering the Portland University campus, James Hart walked up the stairs hastily, while looking at the information about his dorm room and the timetable on his phone, squinting his deep green eyes through the black slim glasses.
"I really should have printed this stuff out." he said shaking his head and walked up to the dormitory building numbered 6C. His heart was beating faster than usual, it was pointless to hide how nervous he was. Meanwhile, a tall boy with slightly messy, browns curls and honey-brown eyes had already found his dorm room and was unpacking his big, vintage, brown suitcase in which he had managed to fit most of his stuff. He had a separate one for books though. He was settling in, humming a melody and mentally preparing himself to the following college year. James dragged his suitcase up the stairs, clearly struggling. He was never the sporty type, in fact, he was always that kid who'd be the last one standing during a dodgeball game and get hit by a myriad of red balls flying in his direction. Finally getting to the 3rd floor, he headed towards the room that he would be living in during his college years.
"Hopefully my roommate isn't a dickhead." - he mumbled, the wheels of his black suitcase rolling behind him. While searching for the number C13 on the doors, his head was turning from left to right, making his sandy hair to gently sweep to the sides with each turn. His messy hair stopped moving and so did the suitcase, as James stood in front of a wooden door, labeled C13.
Kieran Martin was almost done unpacking, he was eager to quickly settle in and explore the campus. He was excited to visit the library he had heard so much about. His mother went to the same college, according to her, the library was truly something worth seeing and well, spending the majority of his time in, in Kieran's case. He was decorating the room, hanging up maps and diagrams of mechanics he was fascinated by on the walls. He slid the suitcases under the bed, placing his books wherever he could. He made the place look surprisingly cozy and  homey in no time. Proud of his work, he plopped down on the bed crossing his long legs and putting one of his hand under his head, quickly texting parents that he had settled in with another. James pushed open the door to his dorm, surprised to find half of it already filled with posters and books. He noticed a brunette laying on the bed and prepared himself for the hell that meeting new people was. James entered the room, looking at the boy in front of him.
"Hey." he mumbled out.
Kieran snapped his head up, gazing at the undeniably cute boy standing awkwardly in the doorway. His sandy hair and glasses complimented his bright face that was speckled with freckles. Kieran got off the bed quickly and put his hand out to the stranger politely.
"Hey! Kieran." He said in his usual, relaxed, somewhat deep but musical voice. James was taken aback by how warm and welcoming the boy was. His eyes widened slightly but he shook his hand, smiling a small smile.
"I'm James."
'His hands are so warm...' James felt himself heat up a tad bit and pulled his hand away, hoping to stop the strange thoughts. Kieran smiled back at the boy who had introduced himself as James, letting him enter the room. Exhausted from the long trip, the newcomer dragged his suitcase to his side of the room and belly-flopped on to the bed. Then he remembered that Kieran was there too, causing the embarrassed light haired boy to hide his face in his hands as he contemplated on what to do next. Kieran chuckled slightly at the sight of a  dark sandy head that was desperately trying to become one with the bed. He brushed it off and asked casually, not letting the atmosphere become uncomfortable.
"Long ride?"
James sat up crossing his legs and nodded.
"I'm from Colorado." he explained.
"Colorado..." repeated Kieran, leaning  on the desk that was now covered with books and crossing his arms.
" It's a beautiful state form what I've heard. How did you like it
there?"
James shrugged.
"I don't know...Most people there are racists, homophobes, but the state is rather pretty, I guess." he said, feeling, for some reason, extremely intimidated by the sweetly smiling boy sitting across him.
"Where are you from?" he asked, shrugging the strange feeling off and putting his chin in his palm in interest, cocking his head slightly.
Kieran couldn't help but smile due to the cute pose the boy was in, his dark green eyes centered on him, gazing up with interest. Brunette bit his lip looking down at his timberland boots, and run his hand through his curls, getting them out of his face.
"Seattle. I already miss the place." He said casually and walked over to the window, curiously looking out. James felt something flutter in his stomach as the brunette bit his lip. In the time Kieran was walking over to the window, James cursed internally, trying to act as cool as he could master.
"I see..." he said at last. The effortless character of the boy slightly irritated him, but he couldn't help but admit that the brunette was a pleasant companion.
Looking out at the backyard of the campus, Kieran's warm, honey brown eyes darted through the scattered groups of students. He walked away from the window and grabbed his brown coat, swiftly putting it on. He turned back into James' direction and asked in a chill voice, that could still somehow sound welcoming and somewhat enthusiastic.
"Hey, I'm going to look around the place, maybe go out in town." He said as he was wrapping his grayish scarf around his neck.
"You wanna come?" His eyes moved to the boys' deep ones and stopped there, waiting for an answer. James' eyes widened, surprised by the sudden offer from the guy he'd just met.
"O-okay." he managed to stutter out, staring at his new roommate.
James quickly snapped out of his short trance and stood up from the bed, walking over to the door. Since he was already wearing his warm clothes he simply pulled on a black hat and glanced over at Kieran.
The tall brunette  smiled at the boy next to him and opened the door, walking out in the corridor that was swarming with confused students. They made their way through the crowd and appeared in an empty hallway. Two of them followed the path, while exchanging words about their lives. Soon they were in front of the large wooden doors, with the word 'LIBRARY' written in bold letters above them. Kieran could barely hide his excitement, his hand reached out to the door, and his fingers curled around the cold doorknob, turning it. The door opened and they both stepped into a ginormous, well lit room. It was truly mesmerizing, even for someone who took no interest in books. The architecture, the design and the size of the library was undeniably notable. The colossal bookshelves were on every side of the room and created sort of a maze in the middle. Desks and sofas were placed in almost every corner, along with bright green plants that created a pleasant contrast with the brown colors of the library. There were telescopes in front of the tall, wide windows. Kieran looked around the place, wide-eyed and made a mental note to check this heavenly room out thoroughly later, in his free time. James felt himself tense up at the large space in front of him. So many books... They intimidated him a bit, made him feel so small, so unimportant in this large space of knowledge. Growing up in a small town, he had never seen a place like this. Nonetheless, the sand-haired boy was stunned by the gorgeous library.
"Woah." he couldnt help but stare in awe.
After walking around for a bit they left and went outside in the cold. There were patches of snow on the ground, but most of it was just wet. Kieran put his hands in the pockets of his coat but didn't bother to zip it up. James snuggled up further into his jacket, his green eyes wandering around the snowy yard of the campus. James glanced over at Kieran, the eyes of the curly-haired boy enchanting and welcoming.
A confused frown appeared on the freckled face of the boy and he looked down at his feet feeling the calming sensation of the snow crunching under his boots. Kieran walked close to James, their shoulders brushing ever so slightly. Slowing down, the tall brunette run his hand through cold, fluffy snow on the railing, his delicate fingers leaving a trail. Slowing down his pace, Kieran quickly made a snowball in his hands, hiding it behind his back. Catching up to the sandy head with a black hat that stood out in the white surroundings, he threw it at his back, laughing at the startled reaction of the boy.
James jumped at the feeling of something smacking his back, some snow falling on his neck, going down his over-sized jacket. He shivered, looking at the tall boy who had his head tilted back, softly laughing, his cheeks dimpled and eyes closed. Mixture of annoyance and surprise ran over James' face and he returned the hit, picking up snow from the ground and rounding it in his cold hands. His hit was rushed but surprisingly precise, hitting Kieran underneath his neck, snow going down his jumper. Shivering at the discomfort, Kieran lifted his jumper and the shirt up, revealing a small part of his toned lower stomach. He brushed the snow off frantically, playful smile not leaving his lips. James' emerald, shaded eyes were focused on the brunette's abs until he forcefully moved his gaze over to the now not so interesting surroundings, trying to get snow out of his own hood. When Kieran was done riding himself of snow he approached James who was struggling to get the snow off of his neck. He stood behind the shorter boy, and touched his hands to move them away.
"Let me help you with that." He spoke softly, with a caring, polite tone.
Soft, cold hands went down the spine of the shivering boy whose mind was swarming with indistinguishable thoughts and feelings. Kieran's delicate hands moved swiftly, removing the melting snow from underneath the dark jacket. James' body cherished this alien feeling that sent pleasant chills down his spine, while his mind was desperately trying to rationalize his feelings, grasping different excuses from the chaos that his head had become. He felt Kieran's fingers softly brush off the snow from his bare, shivering back. James' face heat up, he felt his chest become heavier, making it harder for the sand-haired boy to breathe.
"Thanks." he mumbled when the soft hands parted with his skin, trying his hardest to conceal his shaky voice.
"No problem" said Kieran, stepping away from the flustered boy, assuming that his crimson cheeks were caused by the intense cold. As soon as Kieran stepped away, James was finally able to breathe. He sighed in relief and brushed a strand of hair behind his ears. He was so confused... and annoyed. The power that the tall, nonchalant brunette had over him irritated James.
"What's your major?" He asked turning to Kieran, trying to push the annoyance away.
"Physics and Engineering. Yours?" asked the brunette as they boys slowly headed towards the gates of the campus, getting closer to the town.
James was a little disappointed, even though he refused to admit it, he was hoping that he'd be seeing Kieran more often.
"I'm taking Criminology and Journalism." he answered shortly, looking off into the distance.
"Whoa... that's some serious stuff." said Kieran slowly, surprised by the boy's answer.
"What made you choose it?"
His reaction sparked a feeling of small victory in James, but soon was overpowered with cautious embarrassment.
"It's kind of embarrassing..." he mumbled, looking off to the side.
Kieran felt warm all of a sudden, looking at the blushing boy whose shyness he found rather endearing.
"Aw c'mon, tell me." said the curly brunette, teasingly bumping into the freckled boy with his shoulder.
Finally James gave in and took a deep breath, looking  at Kieran, unsure.
"I chose Criminology and Journalism so I can become a detective like Sherlock Holmes." he said, trying to sound as proud as he could, while he held his chin slightly up, in anticipation of Kieran's reaction.
'Are. You. Kidding. Me. This kid is adorable.' thought Kieran to himself, looking at the boy's face with an astonished look on his own.
"Sherlock Holmes huh? That's cool. Maybe I can be your Dr. Watson then?" He said offering the sandy haired boy a playful smile and adding,
"I love a good mystery, used to obsessed with Sherlock Holmes as a kid."
James' eyes lit up, he exhaled in relief, his embarrassment fading away.
Trying to conceal his emotions, and failing, he tried to mimic a chill chuckle, which translated into a nervous laugh. Kieran couldn't help himself and let out another one of his carefree, musical laughs, amused by James' behavior.
As the two approached the gates leading into the town, James' heart started racing. He'd never been to an actual city before. Living his whole life in a small town in Colorado gave him no sense of what the city was like, or the people there. His palms got sweaty and he felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. Trying to calm down, he took couple of deep breaths and clenched his fists, stepping forward. They left the campus grounds at last, and found themselves at a pretty street. It was getting darker and the tall street lights had been turned on. The trees with snowy branches had been wrapped with fairy lights that had a warm golden glow, complimenting the cozy, Christmasy atmosphere. Cars appeared on the wet, slippery street from time to time, and people were walking around, entering and exiting little boutiques and shops that were piled along the street.

James gazed at the street in amazement. It looked so cute and cozy. But it was also freezing cold. James hugged himself, rubbing his arms in a vain attempt to warm himself up. Noticing that James was cold, Kieran, gently grabbing his wrist, stepped forward, guiding James through the busy street.
"Cmon, let's find somewhere to chill for a bit, you are freezing." said Kieran as they crossed the street and walked over to a boutique. Kieran opened the little glass door that was decorated with black stickers that were in the shapes of musical notes. They entered the music boutique and the tingling feeling of pleasant warmth started to slowly spread through their bodies. Boys walked around the shop, that turned out to be much bigger than they thought. James and Kieran looked at the walls, covered in pretty, wooden acoustic guitars and ukuleles. Soon they saw a great selection of electronic and bass guitars that were in much bolder colors. James' green eyes darted around the place in wonder as he was starting to feel warm again. Suddenly Kieran halted, as he spotted a big, polished black piano that looked somewhat grotesque in the middle of other, more colorful musical instruments. The brunette approached the piano cautiously and took a seat. Rolling up his sleeves, he started playing the Turkish March by Mozart as his delicate fingers moved swiftly from side to side, hands moving abruptly when hitting louder notes. Kieran's body moved with the music, he looked so involved. You could see his curly brown hair jumping up and down, while his eyes were closed. He had a peaceful, euphoric expression on his face that clearly showed that the boy was in his element. James watched and listened to the beautiful music with his eyes wide open, his mouth slightly gaping. Several other costumers had circled around the piano, enjoying the performance, without making a single sound. Everyone clapped when Kieran finished playing. He bowed lightly and grinned at his tiny audience, mainly at the freckled boy with glasses.
It was getting late, so the boys headed back to the campus shortly after they left the music boutique. When they arrived, they were both exhausted from traveling and settling in, so the two found their way to their beds as soon as they entered their room. James wished Kieran goodnight and was soon left alone with the mess that his mind and thoughts had become. Too tired to try and understand himself, James gave up and quickly fell into a deep, peaceful slumber.