Chapter 11

The next day, Daniel met Jack at his home. Mrs. Foster had never hidden her dislike for him, but she tolerated him.

Jack's father was a close friend of Daniel's parents, a kind and understanding man. After the tragedy, he had even considered adopting Daniel, but his wife had refused.

"Am I mistaken, or is your mother even more distant with me?" Daniel remarked.

"It's because she found out you're gay," Jack replied nonchalantly.

"Ah, another homophobe," Dan mumbled to himself.

"It's time to go, Mom, Dad," Jack announced to his family.

"Goodbye, Mrs. and Mr. Foster."

"Goodbye boys. Be safe," Mr. Foster said, while his wife just kissed her son goodbye before heading back inside. The boys then left.

To get to the university, further away, where they were going to study, the boys had to use Jackson's car, a Porsche Cayenne, to transport their luggage and Dan's motorcycle.

"Where's your girlfriend?" Dan asked, glancing out the car window. Jack glanced at him before focusing back on the road.

"She'll join us in two weeks."

"Oh, she's going to the same university as us."

"Actually, she's pursuing the same major as us." Dan rolled his eyes, already annoyed at the thought of her being around.

"Great!" he replied sarcastically.

"Why do you hate her so much? I'm starting to think you really do like me as Joy said."

"And what if it's true?" Jack abruptly stopped the car, almost causing Dan's head to hit the bumper. "Are you out of your mind?!" Dan exclaimed.

"Don't ever say that, even as a joke," his friend said with a dark look.

"Why not? Am I that repulsive to you?"

"That's not the point. You're my friend. You're like... a brother to me."

"So, if you had a brother, would you sleep with him? Would you suck his dick?"

"For God's sake, Dan!" Jack exclaimed, hitting the steering wheel forcefully.

"Calm down. I don't love you, okay," Dan said calmly, calming Jack down. "And the person I'm in love with...no, forget it, you don't deserve to know." He said to his friend, lightening the mood and starting a new conversation during their journey.

"You really won't tell me?" Jack insisted.

"No," Dan replied categorically. "You'll just make fun of me." And Jack started laughing.

"But no... well, maybe... if this person is ugly."

"He's not ugly," Dan pouted. "He's just... older."

"An old guy?"

"Not at all," Dan frowned, resting his head on the car dashboard, while his friend glanced at him from time to time while driving.

"Oh. Is it Mr. Fury?"

"What?" Dan exclaimed. "That old pig? No. Not even in my worst nightmares."

"And...hmm..." Jack pondered. "Mr. Sam? No. The math teacher, I know he's not your type..." Then he fell silent as if he had an epiphany. "So what is your type actually?"

"Like you, but not you."

"What?"

"Oh. Sorry. I was thinking of a song lyric. What were you saying?"

"I was saying, what is your type of guy?"

"I don't know. I never really thought about it to be honest. I just want him to be nice but not too nice. I don't know... I want a mix of Baba Voss from the show See, played by Jason Momoa and Jason Statham."

"Bald and muscular!" Jackson said, laughing. "And why not throw in The Rock too while you're at it?" Dan raised an eyebrow before laughing along with his friend. They continued their journey in good spirits, until they arrived the next morning.

They didn't live on campus, but had rented a house located just a 15-minute walk away from it.

The house was simple, with four rooms: the kitchen, the living room, and two bedrooms side by side for the boys. Jack had chosen the one on the right, and Dan took the one on the left.

They had already divided the tasks before even moving in. Jack was in charge of cooking and dishes, while Dan was responsible for cleaning, sweeping, and laundry.

After unpacking their things, they settled into their respective rooms. About half an hour later, Jack knocked on Dan's door for grocery shopping.

"Do you know where the shopping center is?" he asked.

"No, but can't we use GPS?" Dan replied, rolling his eyes as usual.

They left the house and as they stepped outside, Dan asked, "Where should I park my motorcycle? I don't want to leave it outside in case someone tries to steal it."

"I did some research and this neighborhood is..." Jack tried to say, but Dan interrupted him with a meaningful look, as he already knew what Jack was going to say.

"Sorry, but I don't trust your research," he declared, crossing his arms.

"Okay, let's leave the car and take your bike with us. We will surely find a garage to park it," and Dan's face lit up. "But I'm the one driving."

"In your dreams. It's my bike, so I'm the one driving," retorted Dan.

They headed to the mall, then made their way to the market. As expected, it was Dan who was driving the bike. They almost got lost several times due to Dan's lack of direction, but eventually found what they were looking for.

As told, Jack was appointed as the head chef of the house, while Dan was in charge of the household chores.

Dan had Jack all to himself for the next two weeks, but he was constantly nervous and worried about Joy soon arriving. He didn't want to see her constantly glued to Jack like all the other couples. However, Dan was determined not to let it happen.