The following short ficlet, featuring Kyle and Dice of The Frat Brat, was included in the anthology created for the 2015 GayRomLit Retreat. Happy reading! <3
The Good Ones by Nico Jaye
The Good Ones © 2015 Nico Jaye
Bending for the piece of paper that’d been slipped beneath his door, Kyle picked up the flyer of frat announcements and tried not to look at the section reminding them of next week’s Spring Formal. The fancy evening would be held at a San Francisco art gallery and have an actual sit-down dinner that year. He’d always attended Delta Sig’s formals with a friend as his companion— sometimes girl-space-friends, sometimes boy-space-friends—but never with an actual date.
A small smile curled on Kyle’s lips.
Until very recently, he’d never wanted to bring one.
As the only out gay guy in their chapter, taking a date to a frat formal seemed like an invitation for scrutiny. Even more, he’d never wanted to raise any questions about his intentions— or raise anyone’s hopes related to them.
“Hey, whas’dat?” Dice’s voice was muffled as he spoke into the pillow. Kyle’s smile grew into a grin. As Dice spoke into his pillow, Kyle told himself giddily.
In the morning light streaming through the attic window, the skin on Dice’s shoulders glowed golden, and his black hair was tousled, providing a stark contrast against Kyle’s light blue sheets. After that particular afternoon earlier in the month, Dice had been sleeping over a lot since the “punishment” that’d changed Kyle’s life for the amazing.
“Nothing,” Kyle said, aiming for nonchalance. He set the flyer on his desk and turned to the bed to slide back under the covers. There was still an hour before he had to leave for class.
Dice leaned in and tugged Kyle closer. “Announcements?”
“Uh huh,” Kyle said, ducking to cushion his cheek on Dice’s bicep. He could squeeze in a nap. Maybe a little one.
“Anything big?”
“Uh… Not really.”
Dice said nothing for a moment. “Nothing about the formal?”
Kyle froze. “There… was something.”
“Are you not planning to go?” Dice watched him closely, an inscrutable look in his dark eyes.
Kyle’s mind buzzed to life. He’d been avoiding anything to do with the formal because he wanted to go with Dice. However, he also knew it’d only been ten days since Dice’s confession, and with midterms to swim through, there hadn’t been much opportunity to make their— relationship? liaison?— known around the house. Kyle didn’t want to push Dice beyond where he was comfortable. Perhaps Dice planned to lay low until after the formal; maybe Dice wanted to wait until the semester resumed after spring break before going public.
“I was planning to go,” Kyle said slowly, sitting up. “Are you?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“Who—” Kyle cleared his throat. “Who are you taking?”
“You.” The expression on Dice’s face made the ‘you idiot’ silent, but noticeable.
Kyle’s jaw dropped. “You— To the formal?”
Dice’s brows furrowed. “Do you want to go to the formal with me? Were you gonna go with someone else?”
“No! No, that’s not it. I mean, yes, I want to go with you. Yes, I’d love to go with you.” Kyle scrambled as the words seemed to spill out of his mouth. “I just… I didn’t know if you’d be okay with that. We haven’t really told anybody…”
“I’m more than okay with it if you’re okay with that being our first actual date,” Dice said with a small smile. His look turned teasing a moment later. “Besides, do you think the guys haven’t noticed I’ve spent the last week up in your room? I’m guessing they know I’m not helping you with your homework.”
“Ten days,” Kyle said automatically. He coughed. “I mean, not that I’m counting.”
“You have, and that’s so fucking adorable,” Dice murmured, tugging Kyle closer to press a kiss to his lips.
Kyle sighed against Dice’s mouth. He’d never get tired of his kisses.
Dice whispered against Kyle’s lips. “Formal. You and me.”
Kyle nodded.
When Dice pressed Kyle into the mattress, his hips rolling to rub their cloth-covered bulges together, Kyle sighed again and pushed up into Dice’s warmth, loving the feel of being surrounded by him.
Kyle had another fifteen minutes before he had to get ready, anyway.
***
The next week and a half flew by in a flurry of exams, papers, late nights at the lab, and tumbling into bed to messy kisses and maybe a quick handjob or two before falling asleep to do it all over again in the morning. With no chance to plan for more, Kyle knew he was lucky he had a fresh suit from recent interviews, and Dice, a business student, happened to keep one handy, too.
As it was, they looked pretty damn fine, and Kyle was proud to have Dice on his arm. Kyle had a thing for French cuff shirts, and combined with Dice’s charcoal gray suit and peacock blue tie, Dice looked fucking edible.
The guys, as Dice had suggested, were completely not surprised when they showed up hand-in-hand.
“Told you,” Tyrone said with a nod.
“You didn’t tell me anything.” Louis shook his head. “I was the one who pointed it out to you guys.”
“Whatever, man. It’s awesome because I pretty much have a single now,” Sam said, grinning.
“Shut up, guys, leave them in peace.” Grady elbowed into their circle. “Hey, go mingle. Talk to the froshes and sophs and make sure they don’t pregame too hard. Meet their dates, be nice. Be gentlemen,” he said, eyeing them all.
Kyle grinned slyly. “I’m such a gentleman, Grady, that I only like gentlemen.” He deliberately curled his arm around Dice’s waist.
Grady rolled his eyes, but clearly stifled a smile. “Yeah yeah, go on.”
After meeting some of the dates the underclassmen had brought along, they boarded the charter buses to downtown San Francisco. The modern art gallery boasted a wide corridor, concrete walls, and high ceilings. Long tables were arranged down the center for the catered dinner, and near the entrance, a DJ booth stood beside a space cleared for dancing.
After a quick browse of the gallery’s bold, abstract paintings, they took their seats. Kyle placed the linen napkin on his lap and leaned toward Dice. “Not too shabby for a first date, D.K.”
Dice looked over and grinned. “I’ll take you on a real first date now that exams are over, promise.”
Kyle hummed. “I’m liking this one so far…”
“With twenty-one other brothers and their dates along for the ride?” Dice’s voice was teasing, but his look was affectionate.
“Well, as long as one of those brothers is you, that’s all that matters.” Kyle smirked when Dice’s cheeks turned pink.
With the DJ’s low, easy beats in the background, the conversation over dinner was lighthearted now that everyone was relieved to have midterms behind them and spring break coming up. They were seated near Louis and his date, a peppy Alpha Beta Pi sister named Natalie, and a couple of less familiar sophomores with their dates. Afterward, the lights dimmed, the music picked up tempo, and Kyle tugged Dice toward the dancing.
“C’mon, just one. I know you’ve got moves.”
“I like to keep those secret,” Dice said, even as he allowed himself to be led onto the dance floor.
Kyle grinned and reached for Dice, pulling him in closer by the hips.
“Ugh, it’s such a waste.”
The high-pitched voice broke into Kyle’s Dice-centric bubble of awareness, and he glanced over.
A blonde girl he didn’t recognize was talking to a brunette and waving her hand in their direction. She swayed in her high heels as the brunette tried to bat her hand down.
“Such a waste, I tell you.”
Kyle’s grin faltered, and he tried to focus on Dice instead, only to find Dice turning to face the women.
“Excuse me, do you care to clarify?” Dice’s voice was steely, his diction precise.
Even though the brunette tried to shush her, the blonde blinked up at Dice. “Just… you’re so freaking hot, and that guy’s so lucky. All the good ones are gay,” she pouted.
Dice stared at her for a long moment. “Are you saying he doesn’t deserve me or some shit like that?” Dice asked, gesturing toward Kyle. “Besides being incredibly offensive— we have a lot of good ones at Delta Sig who aren’t gay— you’ve got it all wrong. I’m the lucky one, and he’s the one who chose me.” Dice narrowed his eyes at her before turning to the brunette. “Get her sobered up. Please.”
She nodded quickly and ushered the blonde away.
Kyle reached for Dice’s hand. “Did you mean that?”
“What?” Dice turned back to Kyle and laced their fingers. “Oh. Yeah. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Pulling Dice forward and paying no regard to the upbeat pop music, Kyle kissed him in the middle of the dance floor. Dice pressed closer, enveloping him in his arms.
Kyle tilted his head back to meet Dice’s heated gaze and grinned.
“Best first date ever.”
Read Kyle and Dice’s story in the free ebook “The Frat Brat” now available at your favorite ebook retailer.