Saving Throw

Nathan Ferrer left his home state to escape the bullying that plagued his high school years. Just as he's ready to start his new life, one of his old tormentors shows up at the last place Nathan ever expected...table top RPG night at the local game store.

Will Raley still appears to be every inch the bully jock he was in high school, but to Nathan's surprise, Will apologizes. Not only that, but Will goes out of his way to befriend Nathan. Will is sunny, considerate, and fun to be with. It's not long before Nathan realizes they're both struggling with their growing attraction to each other.

...But Nathan still hasn't forgiven Will. Even if he does, he's not sure he can ever forget what Will did.

Contains: first loves, steamy first times, and a jock geeking out about board games.

EXCERPT:

The handwritten sign on the counter welcomed all new adventurers and beckoned them to please enter through the green door near the cash register. The sign also warned that adventurers would need to bring their own dice.
Nathan had rushed out of his first day of college classes in order to make it to the game store on time. There was homework to do, sure, but that didn't matter right now. More importantly, there were people to meet. New friends to make. Friends that would understand him and wouldn't judge him for his nerdy hobbies. He pushed open the green door and was immediately greeted by a guy covered in freckles.
"Hey. Are you here for the game?"
Nathan held up his blue dice bag.
"Great! I'm Les. A couple of our old players graduated last year so it's just me and Chad now," Les said, indicating the only other person in the room. Chad was short. Even shorter than Nathan. He also seemed to be incapable of expressing anything other than a scowl, which fit well with his entirely black wardrobe.
It was a disappointing turnout and Chad kind of scared Nathan, but Nathan was determined to see his plan through. Maybe some more people would join throughout the semester. And at least Les was nice. Maybe Chad would warm up to him after they got to know each other.
Nathan put on his best smile. "Nice to meet you guys." He introduced himself, then pulled a folder out of his backpack. "The sign said you're starting a new campaign, right? I brought some characters I made. I was kinda hoping to play a cleric though." He plucked out his cleric's character sheet and handed it over to Les.
"Looks good to me," Les said after he gave it a once over. He handed the character sheet to Chad who glanced over it, grunted his approval, and handed it back.
"We're starting at level one though so just scale him down and remove most of his inventory except for about one hundred gold worth of items," Les said. "Chad will be running this game. It's a campaign he made up last year and he's been dying to play it. I'll be playing Zangar the orc barbarian," Les said. He glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. "Well, there's probably no one else coming today. We might as well start."
As soon as they sat down, the door burst open and the sum of all of Nathan's fears walked in. He was just like Nathan remembered him. Tall and blonde with a sleek build from years of training with the high school swim team.
"Hey, guys. Am I too late to join?" The intruder's eyes fell on Nathan. "Holy shit," he said. "Nathan? Nathan Ferret?"
Nathan grimaced. "Ferrer," he corrected.
"Right. Right. I didn't know you were going to college out of state too. What a coincidence, huh?"
"Yeah," Nathan mumbled.
"Hey. You remember my name?"
"Yes."
The lengthy silence that followed was only interrupted by Les. "So what's your name and what would you like to play?"
"Will Raley and I wanna be a barbarian," Will said. He sat in the empty chair next to Nathan. There were plenty of other empty chairs in the room though, Nathan couldn't help but note.
"Oh. Sorry Will, but I'm playing a barbarian. Would you be alright with choosing something else?"
"Damn," Will sighed. He glanced at the character sheet in front of Nathan. "A cleric, huh?"
Nathan tamped down on the urge to grab his backpack and run out the door.
"Can I be a paladin?" Will asked.
After some talk, Les and Chad gave their approval.
"Hey Nate, can you help me make my paladin? I've never done this before," Will said.
Nathan looked at Will properly for the first time. "Seriously? Why are you here?"
"Because I want to play? Why else would I be here? The sign said beginners were welcome," Will said. "But I guess I should buy some dice first. Come help me pick some out." Will jumped out of his seat, dragging an unresisting Nathan behind him.