Yes, another new story, but fear not, I have not abandoned any of my works in progress. I'm just taking a little hiatus. Hopefully posting some new stuff will help me kick the muse's butt in gear to get new material out all around. In the meantime, enjoy the new one.

# # #

September 1983, Ann Arbor, Michigan

"Julian!" The female voice rings out across the student union, and I lift my head in response. My friend Kay is making her way through the crowded space, dragging a man with her.

I groan internally. Ever since I came out to her back in the spring, Kay has made it her mission to fix me up with every queer within a hundred miles. It's been hit or miss, more miss than hit, but that doesn't stop her from trying. I figure it's her way of accepting me. Her reaction could be worse, I suppose.

She finally makes it to my table and stands in front of me, practically quivering with excitement, clutching the guy's arm as if she were holding on for dear life. "Julian, this is Greg. He just transferred here from Johns Hopkins."

I nod absentmindedly. "I'd love to chat, but…" I gesture expansively at the open textbook and papers scattered everywhere.

Kay huffs irritably. "The semester just started. You can't possibly be that busy already."

"I am." I snap, glancing at the awkward, gangly man who still stands next to her. I find myself softening just a little. He's cute despite being nothing but arms and legs, light brown hair sticking out in waves all over his head.

He manages to pull away from Kay's death-like grip to lean over the table, his serious eyes studying my open book. "Endocrinology?"

"Yes." I answer. "And I have a quiz tomorrow, so if you don't mind…"

Kay lets out a sigh. "Fine, but only if you promise to come to my party Friday night."

"Sure, whatever." I wave a hand in their general direction and return to my work. Kay's party will be so crowded that she won't even notice if I don't show. And I have no intention of showing.

I vaguely overhear conversation between Kay and Greg, the other man muttering something about having to get to class. He soon leaves, and Kay plops herself in a chair across from me.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" I ask her irritably.

"In a few minutes." She replies airily. After a brief pause, she leans forward. "So, what do you think of Greg?"

"Kay." I sigh patiently. "Would you please stop trying to fix me up? I'm really too busy for that sort of thing."

"I didn't bring him over for you." Kay laughs. "He's in my infectious diseases class. Isn't he just adorable?"

Adorable? I'm not sure that's the word I would use to describe Greg. "I don't know. He doesn't really seem like your type."

Kay waves a hand around dismissively. "He only looks like a total nerd."

"I didn't say that." I tell her. "You just tend to prefer more, you know, athletic types."

"Well, he does play lacrosse, whatever that is." Kay shrugs. "I guess that's athletic."

I shake my head, checking my watch and gathering up my things. "I've got to go."

"See you Friday?" Kay asks hopefully.

"Maybe." I answer. "If I'm not up to my eyeballs in class work."

"Julian." She all but scolds me. "You can't just hide out all weekend. Get out, live a little."

I shove everything into my backpack and close it up, heaving it over my shoulder. "I'll let you know."

I hear Kay sigh behind me as I leave the student union behind me and start toward my next class. It's a nearly perfect day, that odd time between summer and fall that comes all too rarely in Michigan, and I find myself slowing to a lingering stroll.

"Where are you headed?" An already familiar voice breaks into my reverie.

"Class." I answer, startled. "Renal systems."

Greg nods. "Same here."

We fall into step, crossing the campus together, and I sneak a look at his profile. I must admit, he is cute in that nerdy sort of way, and he moves gracefully despite his gangly limbs.

I still don't quite understand what Kay sees in him, but what do I know? There's no accounting for taste, I suppose.

We finally make it to the lecture hall, finding a pair of seats and sliding into them. I pull a tape recorder out of my backpack along with my textbook and notebook, preparing for the lecture.

Greg seems almost unconcerned, leaning back in the seat as best he can and stretching out his long legs and crossing them at the ankles. I can't help but smile a little at the red and white Nikes on his feet. They look brand new, and I wonder if he actually uses them for jogging or if he just thought they were cool.

"Nice shoes." I lean over and whisper to him.

"Kay told me about you." He frowns and whispers back, making a limp wrist gesture.

I huff irritably and settle in my seat. After a few moments, I lean over and whisper again. "Kay told me about you, too."

"Then quit flirting with me." He answers sharply. "It's not cool to flirt with your friend's boyfriend."

I sigh and flip open my notebook to the previous day's notes. So much for trying to make friends with this guy.

I spend the rest of the class concentrating on the lecture, making notes and underlining key phrases in my book. A heavy sigh from beside me makes me turn my head.

"This guy's an idiot." Greg grumbles. "Must have cut his degree off the back of a cereal box."

I can't help but snicker, even as I'm a little appalled by Greg's assessment.

A few minutes later, he leans over toward me. "I'll bet he's not even a real doctor. You know what they say, right?"

"What's that?" I ask quietly.

"Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach." He smirks slightly. "And those that can't teach, administrate. Explains a lot, don't you think?"

It does, I have to admit. I nod and smile slightly in response. Maybe there's more to Greg than I thought.

Throughout the rest of the lecture, Greg continuously challenges our professor with questions that I never would have thought of. It's obvious to me that the guy has a lot more going on upstairs than I thought, and I have to rethink my earlier assessment.

Finally the lecture ends, and I gather up my things to shove them in my backpack, turning off the tape recorder. Greg is unfolding himself from the chair that's far too small for his frame, rising to his full height and stretching his arms over his head. His t-shirt rises as well, exposing a little of his stomach.

I manage to look away, hurriedly cramming my tape recorder into the outside pocket of my backpack. If Greg is really Kay's boyfriend, I don't want to create any trouble by getting caught checking him out.

"You can look, but don't touch." Greg tells me mockingly, and I glance up to see a teasing glint in a pair of bright blue eyes.

"Yes, yes." I snap back. "You've made things perfectly clear."

He nods firmly, studying me. "See you around."

With that he's gone, disappearing into the crowd leaving the lecture hall. Suddenly I hope Kay keeps him around. I'm just starting to find him interesting.

# # #

Friday night finds me at Kay's door, the music blasting through the open windows as I stand on the porch debating with myself. Her parties are always wild events, or so I've heard. I've never had the nerve to attend one.

The door flings open, and there's Kay, a wide smile on her face as she all but drags me inside. "It's about time. What kept you?"

"I had work to do."

She rolls her eyes at me. "You always have work to do. You need to kick back and have some fun."

She drags me by the hand and starts dancing with me to some nondescript New Wave song, and I can feel myself loosen up a little. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"You want something to drink?" Kay yells in my ear. "There's a keg in the bathtub."

"Sure." I tag along behind her, shoving my way through the crowd until we reach the bathroom. She grabs a cup and fills it, shoving it into my hand.

"Now, get out there. Mingle. Make friends."

I can't help laughing a little. "You don't know me very well, do you?"

"Just go." Kay pushes me out the door and back into the madding crowd, and suddenly I feel very alone.

I end up in a corner of the living room, nursing my beer and watching the ever-growing crowd. There is a certain entertainment value in watching a bunch of drunks trying to sing along to 'Come On Eileen' and failing miserably.

Someone crashes into me from the side, nearly spilling my beer. "Christ, watch it." I snap.

"It was a chain reaction." Greg's voice answers, slightly slurred. He and I meet each other's eyes. "Oh, it's you. Kay's friend, right?"

"Right." I answer back. "Julian."

"Julian." He repeats, looking thoughtful. After studying me for a moment, he speaks again. "I'm going to burn one out back. Come with me."

"Are you serious?"

Greg rolls his eyes. "You're wound up way too tight. You need to relax, and I need to get away from this damn crowd. Are you coming or not?"

"Sure." I follow him through the crowd, finally making our way out to the porch, ignoring the snide remarks that are a natural response to two men leaving the house together.

Greg leans against the porch railing and pulls something out of his pocket. A flash of light highlights his angular face, followed by an acrid smell as he lights the joint and passes it to me.

I take a long hit, coughing as the smoke hits my lungs, nearly choking when I try to hold it in. Greg lets out a short laugh. "First time?"

"Hardly." I answer. "I just don't do it much. No time."

He looks down at me and takes the joint from me. "You should make time."

"Come on." I scoff. "You're in med school. You know how tough it is."

"It's not that tough." Greg rolls his eyes and takes another hit, closing his eyes and tilting his head back before releasing the smoke in a long plume.

"Maybe not for you." I tell him, taking a shorter hit this time. "I have to kill myself to get anywhere with it."

"Then why do it?' Greg looked at me with a curious expression.

"It's all I've ever wanted to do." I answer.

"And if you fail?"

Something clutches in me at that question. It's a question that's haunted me my entire college career. "I don't know." I let out a little laugh. "Guess I'd better make sure I don't fail."

Greg shakes his head. "All work and no play makes Julian a dull boy."

"Maybe." I shrug. "But I'll be successful."

We fall into silence, passing the joint back and forth. The music continues to blast out of the house, and I can hear people singing along.

Greg merely rolls his eyes. "When are they going to play some real music?"

I snicker, the pot having its desired effect on me. "And what do you consider real music?"

"Not this shit, that's for sure." Greg grumbles, taking a final hit before extinguishing the joint. "Been on a Beatles kick lately."

I smile at the revelation. "My older sister used to listen to them all the time."

There was silence between us for a moment before he spoke again. "You know 'Hey Jude'?"

"Yes."

"You know who Paul McCartney wrote that for, right?"

I nod. "John Lennon's son, Julian."

Greg smiles, the first real smile I've seen on him, and it softens his whole face. It's beautiful. Suddenly he bursts into song. "Hey, Jude…don't make it bad. Take a sad song…and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart…then you can start to make it better." He glances over at me. "Although in your case, I guess it would be him instead of her."

I shake my head. Even though this is a college town, the men aren't exactly leaping out of the closet around here. Not that I blame them.

"I think I'm going to call you Jude from now on." Greg tells me, pushing himself off the porch railing. "See you in class."

"Bye." I watch him go, moving easily through the crowd. I'm not entirely sure, but I think there's a possibility that I've just made a friend. Kay will be thrilled.

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