Tanner couldn’t help but let his eyes keep sliding sideways to steal a glimpse or two of Keith as they walked. The most important thing about him was his kind heart and he’d already demonstrated that he had that in spades, but Tanner was eighteen and couldn’t deny an attraction to Keith’s handsome face and large, muscular body. He had to admit, though, that none of that would really matter if he didn’t already like Keith so much.
Maybe we both did. Those words were like a sonnet to Tanner. He blushed and dropped his head quickly to hide his red face and smile beneath his long, blond bangs. The blond teen thought ahead to the future and wondered what their living arrangement would be like in the two-bedroom dorm. Would they be shy around each other or would they be like brothers or could he dare hope for something more? He looked over at Keith and wondered, could this mountain of a young man possibly be interested that way in other guys? He sighed. If he was interested in other guys, could he fall for me?, Tanner wondered. The younger boy, stretched a bit as he walked. He was muscular, but slender; his muscles were nothing close to what Keith had, in fact, he felt like a little boy next to Keith.
Tanner was actually glad that Keith had chosen the steakhouse, because that was what he had a taste for, a nice thick, juicy steak. It did throw him off, though, when the larger man held the door for him; Tanner was so used to being the man of the house and taking care of everyone else that he had to take a second to realize what was happening. “The steakhouse is absolutely perfect”, he answered with a smile, “…and you are a perfect gentleman”, he added, entering the restaurant ahead of his companion.
Once they were seated and given menus, Tanner was in Heaven; he was sitting face to face with Keith and had a reason to look him in the eyes as they spoke. While the big guy studied the menu, Tanner studied him, his cheekbones, his nose, his lips. When his roommate looked up again, Tanner quickly became interested in his own menu. “You know, in America, I think it’s just pot luck as far as what kind of food you get and the grade of meat. I think it depends on the price you pay and the restaurant’s reputation and what they want to represent to the public”, he shrugged, “I need to check it all out on the net. Being pre-med, I think I need to be much more conscious of what I eat, y’know?”