Date: Sat, 3 Feb 2007 20:01:56 -0800
From: Seiji Kan <kanseiji@gmail.com>
Subject: In a Moment - Chapter Two (Gay/College)

This work contains elements of sexuality between teens over 18, adults
and includes homosexuality in prevalence. Please exercise proper
discretion. Do not read this if it is illegal for you to do so or if
the subject matter will potentially offend you. The author assumes no
responsibility for misuse or misconduct associated with the
dissemination or viewing of this work. Any characters, representations
or events should be assumed to be purely fictional with any possible
resemblance to the real world being entirely coincidental or otherwise
such that it may be treated as innocuous. This work is copyrighted by
the author, who retains all rights and priviledges. This work should
not be reproduced without the written consent of the author. Please
direct all feedback and comments to kanseiji@gmail.com. Thanks for
reading.

This story is based heavily on the events and characters of From Where
I Stand. Though the author endeavors to make this an independent,
standalone work, it may still be beneficial for readers to have read
FWIS or to refer to it at their own discretion.

Check out the latest updates and leave comments at
http://inamomentstory.blogspot.com

[ in a moment ] by kanseiji

Chapter Two - Looking Both Ways

"Hey Jase!" Chris gleefully answered into his phone. There were few
circumstances that could have prevented him from being happy about
hearing from Jase.

"Hehe, hey there. How are you doing?" Jase giggled into his phone as
he walked across a small street.

"I'm good. So what are you doing right now?" Chris asked as he sat
back in his chair, having dropped everything else to talk.

"I just got done with class and I'm heading to get some food. How's home?"

"Eh, it's Boston, what can I say? It's not quite home without you though..."

"Aww...yeah I miss it...and you, hehe. So are you doing something
right now or are you free for a bit?"

Chris took a quick look at his computer's clock before answering, "I'm
free for a bit...don't have class for another hour or so."

"Okie...well I guess I'll just have to talk to you then...such a
bother," Jase let out, dripping with sarcasm.

"Haha, well I wouldn't want to get you down."

"Hehe. So are you just in your room then?"

"Yeah...I was thinking about taking a little nap. This getting up
early for class thing is starting to wear on me."

"Chris...it's only the second week...and your class is at 9 a.m."

"Yeah I know...somehow it's just harder to get up in the morning in
college than it was in high school."

"I swear if Adam wasn't there you wouldn't get up at all, haha."

"Hey now, I got up before him!"

"Yeah but I think you're only getting up because he's around."

"Hehe, yeah maybe...we keep having to motivate each other to go to class."

"Well at least you're doing that...my roommate is worthless."

"So are you two getting along ok?"

"Yeah I guess...he's just kinda there, y'know? Oh god...it's so
annoying though...he's got this delusional idea that New Jersey is the
best place in the world."

"Um...isn't New Jersey a hole?" Chris remarked with Massachusetts pride.

"Haha, yeah well. It's probably not that bad, but honestly...he acts
like the world wouldn't exist without it. ANYWAY...so much for the
bonding with the freshman roommate thing. I guess I'll just have to
live with the fact that we won't be starting some super successful
business and making millions together."

"Heh, bummer. Just invest in my restaurant, hehe."

Chris and Jase talked on for close to the hour that was available. In
some senses, they hadn't known each other for very long. They had
grown up scarcely a mile apart, gone to the same schools and still
managed to not really meet until the middle of high school. Both had
played on the soccer team and Jase had a marked interest in Chris from
very early on...there was just something about the shy, reserved
Chinese boy that was alluring to Jase.

****

Though in the beginning they had hardly exchanged three words, Jase
took it upon himself to break through Chris's shell a little. He
persistently asked Chris to hang out after they had practice, but
Chris always seemed to have an excuse or just declined...he was never
rude, just shy. Chris had very few friends up to that point...in fact,
one could say he only had one friend in the form of his neighbor
Justin. He and Chris had met very early on and became practically
inseparable. There was a closeness with the two that was hard to
compete with, so Chris never made much of an effort to branch out and
make friends.

Jase however, didn't give up and after Justin had coaxed Chris into
socializing more, soon enough, Chris had taken Jase up on an offer to
hang out. Jase had become a little fixated on Chris by then...partly
because of the aura of mystery that surrounded him, but also the quiet
focus that he exuded in what he did. There was definitely a lot of
wishful thinking as Jase pursued Chris since he didn't know if he was
gay or not...he just hoped.

All the while, Chris was also somewhat interested in Jase as
well...and was just as clueless about any mutual feelings. Despite
being oblivious to each other's feelings of affection, they became
fast friends and were soon spending a good amount of time together.
Things changed quickly enough soon after though.

Jase had been in the habit of keeping a journal since he was eight
years old. It was a suggestion from his therapist to help him get
through some dark times in his life. The early parts of Jase's life
weren't exactly what one would call a rosy childhood, and it was
remarkable that Jase hadn't suffered more from it. His father was an
abusive alcoholic and tended to take out his frustration on his kids.
Luckily for Jase, his older brother was on the protective side and
took to standing up to their father. After a tumultuous few years,
Jase's life shuffled around as his parents divorced, his mother
remarried and they had moved. During the course of all the changes,
Jase had felt an intense need for some stability and managed to find
some on his own by writing. He had talent to be sure, but it went
largely unnoticed since he reserved the "good stuff" for his own
personal journal that no one else read. It was in his personal
writings that he first confessed the feelings he had developed for
Chris...and the words written in that book changed everything.

Jase was overall a very well-adjusted and "altogether" kind of person,
but he did have a slight forgetful streak in him. During one occasion,
he had forgotten to pick up his little brother from school and dashed
off from hanging out with Chris to do so...and in the rush his journal
had slipped out of his bag unnoticed. It may have been fate...or
bookmark...but the journal fell open to a section of writing about
Chris...and Jase's feelings about him. Chris had picked up the journal
to hold onto it until he could get it back to Jase, but his name on
the page caught his eye...and he read some very deep thoughts.

Needless to say that when Chris returned the journal to Jase, some
revelations occurred and...well, they got together. Their romance was
a somewhat careful one due to their mutual inexperience, but it was
doubtless that they were in love. Through two years, that love had
only gotten stronger, but alas for the fairy tale, they were no longer
together...separated by reality. Chris was in Boston and Jase was in
Rochester for college. Neither of them wanted to strain what they had
by attempting a long distance relationship, especially during a time
where they should be branching out and meeting new people. Deep down
in their hearts, they knew that there was something special between
them and if the circumstances were right again, they would find their
way back to each other...but they decided not to push it.

****

One moment the sun was shining brightly on Jase's shoulders and the
next the shadow of a large building was cast upon him. He said his
goodbye to Chris on the phone and after a sequence of "I love you"
from the two, the call ended.

Chris sat for a moment to soak in the warm feeling that Jase always
left with him, before he had to dash out to get to class. He
contemplated ditching, but opted against it since it was a class he
shared with Adam and he also decided that it was a bit early to be
skipping classes.

The fickle New England weather had taken a turn for the hotter as the
blazing sun streamed down through a nearly cloudless sky. The student
populace in Cambridge had responded accordingly as hundreds of people
took to the outdoors in shorts, t-shirts and sandals. A quick glance
around revealed that few people's eyes could be seen as most were
sporting sunglasses or hats to fight back the bright light. Chris took
a quick glance at his cell phone and saw that he was running a bit
late...which was just an excuse to use his bike. Within a minute, he
was out of the door of his dorm and barreling down the pathways of the
yard toward his class. Chris had developed a knack for weaving in and
around the crowds on the campus and arrived at his destination within
a few minutes...with minimal casualties left behind him.

Steady streams of people were entering the lecture hall as Chris
ducked inside. It was relatively dark and it was even darker to Chris
due to his glasses...transition lenses were convenient and all, but
annoying when entering dark rooms from the outside. Chris did his best
to spy around the space and eventually found his mark as he caught
Adam waving him down. A hop, skip and a jump over a row of seats
later, Chris was nestled into a seat next to Adam in the increasingly
crowded lecture hall.

"You'd think more people would be ditching class by now," Chris
remarked at the filled room. "It looks as full as it did first day."

"Yeah...maybe the prof is scaring everyone too much for them to skip,"
Adam suggested as he looked around. "Actually I kinda thought maybe
you wouldn't show up. You looked pretty dead this morning."

"I was...and no telling whether I'll make it through the class awake, hehe."

"Did you take a nap?"

"Nope, Jase called," Chris informed, nonchalantly.

"Oh, ok."

Adam was never really thrilled that Chris and Jase still talked as
much as they did. As the class got started, Adam couldn't concentrate
much on the material. His mind just drifted around in his memories and
feelings. Every so often, he would glance over at Chris, just to see
what he was doing. He actually took some care in taking notes during
that class and didn't notice Adam looking over at him. Chris was
jotting away and his left hand had come to rest on the common armrest
between him and Adam. Their elbows were touching slightly, but the
contact was more from crowding than intentional. It took a bit of
restraint on Adam's part to keep from reaching over and putting his
hand on Chris's...he kept his hand in a fist and tried to let his
imagination fill the emptiness. Adam took in the view for a few
moments before looking away and returning the seclusion of his own
mind as the class went on. The darkened surroundings in the lecture
hall stirred some memories and he let himself drift away into them.

****

"What's on your mind, Adam?" Chris's question shook Adam from a slight daze.

"Huh? Oh, nothing...just spaced out a little."

"Ah, ok. Did you want to leave or something?"

"Nah, this is good...I mean unless you want to leave..."

"Heh, nah let's stay, this is nice."

Adam recalled that he and Chris were sitting in a coffee shop
listening to a band. The place was crowded, but they had arrived early
and managed to land cushy seats on a couch. Eventually they ended up
with Chris sitting with Adam cradling him slightly so more people
could sit down. Adam certainly didn't mind the close contact as they
enjoyed the atmosphere...and the company. Chris was somewhat
transfixed on the band and he only casually noticed that Adam's chin
had nuzzled into the nape of his neck. A generally warm and cozy
feeling permeated Chris as Adam wrapped him up in his strong arms.

It was just before the end of their senior year in high school. Over
the course of the year, the two had been spending a great deal of time
together as they both had light schedules...both had gotten ahead by
taking AP classes and summer school, so they had a lot of free time.
Chris had originally planned to see the live band with his boyfriend
Jase, but a conflict arose and he couldn't make it. It was actually
Jase that suggested to Chris that he could invite Adam instead. A
little disappointment had worked its way into Chris's mind toward the
beginning of the evening, but it had largely faded away as the night
progressed. He missed Jase, but Adam was a walking comfort zone for
him.

They both knew...the fact that they liked each other was no secret.
They just both knew that circumstances weren't conducive to them being
together. Chris was very much in love with Jase before Adam came into
the scene. When they first met, Adam was also carrying a massive crush
on Chris's best friend, Justin. Not long after, Chris and Jase even
set up Adam with a friend of theirs, which acted as Adam's jumpstart
into dating. From the very start though, there was always a link
between the two. Deep down, Chris thought they were a little like soul
mates...like they had known each other forever. Adam, on the other
hand, knew he was falling for Chris.

As they cuddled together, Adam could hardly concentrate on anything in
the surroundings. While Chris stared forward, Adam tried to savor
every moment of contact. Chris had rationalized earlier that there was
no reason for them not to act affectionate with each other...after
all, gay guys could do that without issue. Little creeping spots of
guilt had always plagued Adam though...he had grown up a
semi-religious person and though he didn't buy into his faith's
condemnation of his own sexuality, he did believe in the fundamental
wrongs of the "coveting thy neighbor's." Whether he liked it or not,
Chris was still with Jase at the time and Adam did everything he could
to make sure that his conduct remained what could be considered
strictly platonic...he just had to deal with the guilt in his head.

****

"Hey Adam? You ready to go?"

Adam shook out of his thoughts as Chris beckoned. "Huh? Oh yeah, sure..."

"Dude, did you just daze off the whole class?" Chris asked, a little
amused at Adam's confused look.

"Heh...yeah I guess I did," Adam replied, sheepishly as he fussed with
his hair a little.

"Haha, well I took notes this time so we should be good. Wanna grab
something to eat right now?"

"Um, sure. Oh wait! I almost forgot I have a section today," Adam
recalled as glanced at his watch. "Ok I'm probably gonna be late. Uh,
I'll catch you later, ok?"

"Hehe, ok, later!" Chris waved off Adam as he dashed away. "Man, that
boy is cute when he's running around," Chris thought to himself as he
spied Adam's slim form. Smiling at the thought, Chris found his bike
and rode off across the campus.

Along the way, Chris decided he should probably get a little work done
before it piled up too badly. After stepping into the dorm, he quickly
concluded that it was way too hot and unpleasant there to work, so he
grabbed his laptop and a textbook before heading back out the door. He
paused as he came out to the yard again as he contemplated where to
work. A slight grumble of his stomach contributed to the decision as
he mounted his bike and rode off the campus. He soon found himself
back on the campus bearing a cheddar melt and a drink as he headed to
a white building on the yard. Chris had taken an occasion to figure
out all the buildings on the campus with air conditioning and Boylston
Hall was convenient to his dorm, so he frequented the cushy lounge in
that building.

As Chris entered, he reminisced over the personal history he had in
that building. It was there that he and Jase had gotten together a
couple years previous...it was there that he nervously returned Jase's
journal and scared the living shit out of Jase in the process. The
memory topped off nicely as Chris recalled the first kiss he shared
with Jase. The fondness of the memory seeped out of Chris's mind as he
smiled to himself. He found a corner next to a window and began to
sprawl out. The lounge was practically empty...unusual given how hot
it was that day...but Chris didn't mind as he munched away uninhibited
and started doing schoolwork.

A nearly complete state of obliviousness came over Chris as he dove
into his work while listening to music. It was nearly an hour later
before he took the occasion to look up and notice that the room was no
longer empty. A quick glance at his computer revealed the time and
Chris marveled a little at how things seemed to have whisked by around
him. Somewhat satisfied with the amount of work he had finished, Chris
sat back a little just observed the room.

Nearly every table and chair in the lounge had managed to fill while
he was possessed with studying. Most were involved in quiet, single
studying, but there were a few groups that looked like they were doing
homework together. Just as Chris was about to dismiss seeing if anyone
looked familiar, he spied a face looking his way from the far side of
the room. The two sets of eyes connected and the distant figure headed
toward Chris. As the form approached, Chris noticed something familiar
about the person, but didn't have any immediate realization as to who
was coming.

"Hey," the familiar figure started. "You're Chris right?"

"Um yeah...I'm sorry, I don't quite remember..." Chris stumbled out,
trying to figure out where this person knew him from.

"Oh no problem, I don't think we've actually met. I'm Ian, we have
math section together...along with like 20 other people, haha."

Chris felt a small wash of realization as the face clicked in his
mind. "Ah, that's it. Yeah it's a big section...I'm surprised you know
my name though."

"I just happened to remember the TF called you by name." Ian looked
around the room a little as he realized he had a few pairs of eyes on
him. "Um, do you mind if I sit here? I think everyone is giving me
dirty looks," Ian practically whispered out to avoid further dirty
looks for making noise.

"Oh yeah of course," Chris said as he pushed some of his stuff aside
on the table.

"Thanks man."

Ian started to pull out some of his own work to do as Chris casually
looked on. Chris was in the habit of half-checking out every living
thing he came across...kind of an immediate evaluation of whether the
person was worth a certain kind of attention. In his mind, Chris had
almost convinced himself that it wasn't shallow to do so...it was just
a first reaction. Ian managed to elicit more than a second look from
Chris. He was actually a little shorter than Chris...about 5'6"...but
looked more heavily built. There was nothing especially striking about
his appearance...he looked a bit like the typical sorta cute boy next
door...but there was a kind of subtle innocence about him that Chris
found interesting. Ian was flipping through a book and didn't notice
the examination, which ended just before he looked up.

"Hey, have you done the homework for math yet?" Ian asked quietly.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah I actually just finished it...it's not too bad."

"Ok...um, I may be asking you for help soon then," Ian chuckled as he
started looking over the problems.

"Hehe, yeah no problem." Chris wasn't especially motivated to start a
conversation, but Ian took the initiative.

"So, mind if I ask where you're from?" Ian asked casually as he worked.

"Oh, I'm from Boston."

"Ah, cool. I'm from Texas."

"Really? Whereabouts?" Chris asked, a little curious since he hadn't
met too many southerners.

"Austin. Have you been to Texas at all?"

"Not really...I flew through Dallas once, but that was about it. Do
you miss home at all?"

"Haha, yeah kinda...but it's kinda nice to get away a little. Austin's
nice though if you ever find yourself around there."

"Yeah I've heard it's cool."

"Yup, very 'un-Texas-ish' in a lot of ways, hehe." It occurred to
Chris that Ian looked a little younger for some reason.

"Hey...weird question, but how old are you?"

"Haha, picked up on it huh? I'm 16."

Chris was taken by surprise. "Wow...whiz kid are you, haha."

"Heh, yeah well...I went to this special high school/college thing in
Texas. It got me ahead a couple years."

"Ah, cool. Sounds kinda like my brother...he went to college early
too." Chris's older brother Daniel had managed to spend only a year in
high school and graduated college early as well.

"Heh, yeah we're everywhere now. It's a bit weird though...I feel a
bit small I guess," Ian admitted.

"Well, I guess all freshmen feel that way a bit...we'll probably all
grow into it."

"I hope so...I won't be able to drink legally before I graduate though, haha."

"Hehe...yeah well, who waits anyway?"

"Good point. So do you know people already here? Like from Boston..."

"Yeah a few. Actually my roommate and I went to high school together."

"Cool...that must be nice to know someone. I haven't really met that
many other people yet. I mean I guess I haven't tried too hard, but a
lot of the people here seem kinda..." Ian trailed off as he searched
for the proper word.

"Snooty?" Chris volunteered.

"Haha, yeah I guess that works."

"Yep...I guess it's a condition with a lot of the people here. I'd be
snooty too if my family had like a five generation legacy."

"Yeah I suppose so. Still, it wouldn't kill them to be a little friendlier."

"Actually...it might," Chris joked.

Ian got a little laugh out of the comment. "Well at least you're nice
and down to earth."

"Haha, thanks. In reality I'm a sarcastic bastard." It wasn't a complete lie...

"Aw, well most interesting people are at least a little sarcastic."

"True enough. Oh hey, what's your major by the way?"

Ian smiled and answered, "That's a good question...when I figure it
out, I'll let you know."

"Hehe...any clues at all?"

"Eh, probably something in the sciences...you?"

"I'm starting to lean toward doing engineering actually...my mom keeps
telling me that it's the career guarantee major, haha."

"Hmm...that may be something to consider. I guess people have to work
eventually, haha."

"Yeah...not in a special rush to do that, but oh well. Um, I think
there's some kind of engineering major information session this week
if you wanna go."

"Oh? That'd be good...may as well take a look."

"Yeah...we can be homework buddies, haha."

"Ooo...perfect. Sometimes it's just good to have another brain working
on it with you."

"No kidding."

Chris and Ian both sensed that their extended conversation had started
to annoy some others studying in the room, so they settled into quiet
mode themselves. Later as they were leaving, the two traded contact
information and parted, each happy to have made a new friend.

****

The middle of the night wasn't exactly the normal time to be out
riding a bike, but Adam didn't really care. He had left the dorm after
he was certain Chris had fallen asleep. Like many previous nights,
Adam was having trouble getting to sleep, so he tried to blow off
whatever energy he had so he could at least fall asleep from some kind
of exhaustion. The streets in Cambridge were quiet and practically
empty at one in the morning, so Adam just let chance guide him along
as he was barely paying attention to where he was heading. He just
kept his eyes open and took whatever path seemed opportune at the
moment.

Before he knew it, Adam had been riding around the streets for over
two hours and still didn't feel like he could sleep. A little sore
from riding, Adam pulled over and dismounted his bike to take a look
at where he had ended up. He quietly chuckled as he looked over the
Charles River...from the Boston side. He barely remembered crossing
the bridge from Cambridge and marveled slightly at arriving in one
piece given the daze he was experiencing. After taking a minute to
lock up his bike, Adam just sat down along the river, listening to
music and enjoying the view.

"I guess this beats tossing and turning all night," Adam said aloud.

As he thought about it, Adam decided that he would just stay out until
the morning. It had been a while since he saw a nice sunrise and the
weather seemed conducive, so the idea had some appeal. On a thought,
he reached into his sling bag and rummaged until he found his camera.

Adam idly smiled to himself. "Cool...I can take a few shots...for Chris."

A small voice whispered in his head, "Don't push it." His smile faded
slightly as he put his camera down and faced east, waiting on the new
day.

*****