Kitten

by Jack Harbon

  “It’s okay. I deserved it.”

  “Kinda.”

  They stood together, hugging in the rain, shivering against one another. Try as he might to not feel something, there was a spark of warmth in Kit’s stomach. Finally, they parted and Roman looked him over. “What happened? Why were you crying?”

  Part of Kit wanted to tell Roman right then and there. He wanted to see Roman Hulk out and kick his father’s ass. He knew Roman would do exactly that, too. Jaylen had only touched Kit and Roman nearly broke his finger. If he found out what Dorian was asking of him, he’d do much worse.

  “Can we talk about this somewhere where it’s not pouring?” Kit asked.

  Roman nodded and waved his hand at a taxi pulling around the corner. When it stopped at the curb, Roman helped Kit inside. He pulled the younger man into his arms, offering a bit of warmth despite being wet from the freezing rain.

  For most of the ride back to Roman’s home, neither of them said anything. Kit couldn’t even muster up a joke. All he could do was lean against Roman, shivering from the cold. He stroked his hair softly.

  “We need to figure this out,” he said. Kit suspected he was talking more to himself than anyone else. “I’m sick of this shit.”

  “You’re sick of this,” Kit smirked.

  “I mean—”

  “I’m just teasing. This person is fucking with everyone, not just me.”

  “Maybe not, but it’s clear they’re targeting you. When you can, I want you to change all the passwords and make sure everything is secure.”

  Kit nodded. “I’m always careful with those things. I’ve got all kinds of numbers and shit in my passwords. I’ve even been staying up to date with updates, like with the calendar app. I didn’t want to lose all your shit like the email said.”

  Roman’s hand in Kit’s hair stopped, and he tilted his head. “What email?”

  “I got an email saying that I had to update the calendar app on my tablet, otherwise I might lose all the things that I’d planned.”

  Roman shook his head. “I’m in my email every single day, I didn’t get a single one about updating that app.”

  Kit looked out the window in confusion. He clearly recalled being told he had to update just in case he lost all of his information.

  “Do you still have the email?”

  Kit reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He navigated to his mailbox, then handed it over. Roman mumbled out the words, shaking his head again. “No, I didn’t get anything like this. You said you downloaded this on your tablet?”

  “Yeah, a few weeks ago.”

  “Then that’s probably how this person got access to it. Through this update that you downloaded. Your tablet was compromised, and they were able to transfer the money into your account.”

  Kit’s face fell. “I keep all my information on this thing. My bank account number, the company card number, all of it.”

  Roman nodded solemnly. “They knew what they were doing. They knew they could pin this on you.”

  Kit had never felt stupider. He’d fallen for the okeydoke, tricked by a spam email that would’ve cost him a job had it not been for the fact that Roman recognized the dates matching up. He wanted to knock himself upside the head and throttle whoever had tricked him.

  “I’m such a fucking idiot.”

  “No,” Roman said, “This person is just a whole lot smarter than us. But they’ll fuck up. They’ll do something so simple, so stupid, and we’ll find out who they are.” He tightened his grip on Kit, and the younger man simply nodded, leaning against him.

  When they made it to Roman’s place, Kit started up the shower and leaned against the opposite wall, letting his head hang. He wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate to ask or not, but he really needed a massage to help alleviate some of the tension in his back.

  Roman entered the bathroom with two fluffy towels and laid them down on the counter. He met Kit’s eyes in the mirror and smiled solemnly. “You can tell me what happened at the restaurant when you’re ready,” he said.

  “I don’t want to think about it right now.”

  Roman nodded. “Your parents?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, they’re not here. Out of sight, out of mind.” Roman peeled his clothes off and tossed them into the basket by the door. When Roman discarded his pants, Kit finally looked away. He didn’t want to seem like a creep.

  “You’re getting in too, right?” he asked.

  Without a word, Kit removed his clothes and stepped into the water alongside Roman. He hugged himself and stood to the side, allowing Roman to slip under the stream first. Roman’s hands ran through his hair and over his body, lathering himself up. He looked back at Kit.

  “Kit…”

  “I know, Roman.” He didn’t need to hear it again. He knew that he was sorry. He knew that he felt bad about what he’d done. Roman had said it plenty of times already.

  “Tell me what I have to do. Anything. Anything at all, Kit, I swear to God.”

  “I don’t know… You just have to show me,” Kit said, pulling his eyes from the tiled floor. “Convince me that you’re sorry. Because words don’t do anything if your actions don’t match.”

  Roman thought for a second, then stepped closer, backing Kit against the wall. He placed a hand on either side and looked down at him. “Can I tell you something?”

  “What?”

  “I cried a lot when you were gone.”

  Kit had a hard time believing that. That must have shown on his face because Roman continued,

  “I did. At first it was because I thought that you were the one who really did this. Then it was because I ended up not being bothered by that. I’d never felt that way before. The fact that I could look at someone that—I’d thought—had hurt me, and still want them in my life… It’s a scary feeling, Kit.”

  He didn’t need to tell Kit that. He’d already experienced that feeling way too many times in his life.

  “I was scared that I could be hurt by someone and still want them back. Common sense tells you that you pull away from pain, but I wanted to embrace it and bring you back to me. And then even worse, that turned into me realizing that I’d royally fucked up and I’d lost you forever.”

  “You didn’t lose me forever,” Kit said, rolling his eyes.

  “It felt like it. It was like I’d finally replaced the hole my ex left and you were gone all of a sudden. I couldn’t sit around and wallow in that. I took it upon myself to go look into this ‘evidence’ that the tech department found. It didn’t dawn on me before, but you said it in my office that day. It was very convenient that the one time this scheme was messy, it was connected to you. The timing also correlated with you not getting any of my calls. Those two things don’t happen by chance.”

  “Which is what I told both you goofy bitches,” Kit grumbled. “This person probably got into my phone, too. When I tried reading through our old texts, they were all deleted and your number was blocked.”

  “I’m sorry, kitten. I should have listened.”

  “Yeah, you should’ve listened to me over Ari. Ari didn’t dry hump you in your office, I did.”

  Roman cracked a smile. “I know.”

  “So…you really believe me? No bullshit, you’re not just saying that?”

  “Kit, I’m going to figure out who the fuck tried framing the man I love if it’s the last thing I do.”

  Kit blinked in surprise. For the smallest of seconds, he considered pointing out what Roman said, but he held his tongue. He’d known Roman felt this way about him for a long time now. He wouldn’t have put up with Kit’s bratty behavior and spoiled personality if he didn’t love him.

  “What are you gonna do when you find out who it is?” he asked, looking up at him and dragging his fingers over Roman’s abs.

  “I’m going to kick their ass. They’re going to wish they’d fucked with someone dumber than me—which, I know, probably doesn’t exist.”

 
; Kit laughed and placed a finger over his lips. “Shush,” he said. He leaned in to replace his finger with his mouth, kissing Roman slowly. Though it was only a kiss, the rush to his head was unparalleled. He molded himself against Roman’s body, closing the small amount of space between them.

  “Promise me we’ll talk about any other problem,” Kit said, breaking their kiss after a moment.

  “I swear.”

  Kit looked into his eyes, searching for a hint of deception. There was none. “Okay. Now, take me to your bed and show me just how sorry you are.”

  30

  The Best Parties

  “I’m scared, Romy.”

  “Of?”

  “Of everyone thinking that I’m some Joanne the Scammer type bitch or something.”

  Kit sat in the bathtub with his back against Roman’s chest, his knees held close. Monday morning had come much faster than he’d anticipated, and now he was seriously regretting not enjoying the weekend. Over the past two days, he and Roman had talked about everything. Their goals, their future, and how they’d made it a whole week without seeing each other. Roman admitted he’d nearly broken down and called Kit—even when he still thought that he’d been the one stealing. He was too far gone into this relationship.

  Though he’d been embarrassed, Kit finally managed to tell Roman that he wanted his job back. He explained how he’d been interviewed by someone a lot like him, and how he was a hot commodity. If Roman didn’t make the decision now, he’d be working for them instead of Yellow Fall. He also told him that he’d need Ari to personally address him and clear his name. Roman didn’t hesitate to make those calls and get the ball rolling.

  “Kit, I promise, no one is going to think that. I already sent out the email that you’ll be coming back, and if anyone makes a smart comment about you, they’ll have to deal with me.” Roman wrapped his arms around Kit, sloshing the warm water. He kissed the part of Kit’s back that wasn’t covered in soapy bubbles.

  “Anyone that says anything bad about me?”

  “Anyone,” Roman said.

  “I hope Yolanda has some more job applications then,” he smirked.

  “She’ll leave you alone, Kit. Your name is cleared. Out of anyone, you’re the one that’s the least likely suspect. I can’t see you framing yourself. Then again,” he murmured, “I couldn’t see you as a thief, either.”

  Kit slapped Roman’s arm around his waist. “Fuck you,” he cried.

  “Mm, which position?”

  “We should finish getting washed up,” Kit said, glancing at his phone on the edge of the tub. The screen read 6:30.

  “I don’t want to get dressed, kitten,” Roman whined, clearly making fun of Kit’s pouty drawl.

  Kit rolled his eyes and stood up, bubbles running down his back and thighs. He offered Roman his hand, and he took it. Not without pausing to marvel at his backside, of course. Kit released the water in the tub, then turned on the shower, helping Roman clean spots he couldn’t get on his own. Ten minutes later, they were both cleaned and standing in Roman’s closet.

  “We don’t have time to run back to your place and make it to work on time, so you can wear any of the things I have in here,” Roman said.

  Kit felt his stomach do a flip. With Roman’s admission to Ari—and presumably everyone else at work—they no longer had to hide the fact that they were seeing each other. It may have been against professionalism, but it wasn’t illegal. That was good enough to Kit.

  He walked through the large room, looking at all of the expensive shirts and ties Roman had collected over the years. He grabbed a white button up that looked to be his size, pairing that with the slacks he’d been wearing at the dinner with his parents.

  Ugh, he thought.

  He’d tried avoiding thinking about his parents for the past two days, and aside from telling Bria why their father could blow him from the back, he’d managed to do exactly that. He knew they were going to have to talk in more detail about it later, but right now, he was perfectly content never speaking of his father again. For all he cared, he didn’t have one of those.

  Kit pulled on his outfit and looked himself over in the mirror. The shirt was still a little too large for him, but it wasn’t anything too noticeable. He fixed his tie and looked back at Roman. Roman sat on the bed, dressed, simply watching him.

  “What?” he asked, taking note of Roman’s small smile.

  “I’m just really happy.”

  Kit reached for his hand, lacing his fingers through Roman’s. “I am too.”

  “We should get going,” Roman said. He grabbed his coat out of the living room and gestured for Kit to follow him to the garage. They both buckled up and pulled out of the driveway. Kit called Mr. Hendon’s number and left a voicemail telling him that unfortunately he won’t be able to take the job. He wished the man good luck with finding the right fit for the job, then hung up.

  “I need you to stop at the coffee shop before we get to work,” Kit said.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Roman replied, waving his hand. Kit made a face, but didn’t say anything. If any of his coworkers got mad about their missing coffee, they could take it up with Roman.

  They reached the parking lot, and Roman paused to send a text. He held out his hand for Kit. For a second, Kit wasn’t sure what he was doing. He’d grown so accustomed to hiding their relationship that he couldn’t imagine holding hands with Roman as they walked inside. But here Roman was, waiting patiently for Kit to take it. After the disbelief wore off, Kit did.

  When the elevator doors parted on the sixth floor, all of Kit’s coworkers stood nearby yelling, “Surprise!” Barbie threw a handful of confetti into the air above Kit and Roman.

  “You guys,” Kit whined, immediately taken over by a swell of happiness. When he left the job, he’d been sure that everyone that he considered a work friend was done with him. Seeing how enthusiastic they were to have him back made him emotional.

  “I’m so glad my baby’s back,” Barbie said, pulling him into a hug and rocking him side to side. “I missed you so much, Kit. No one else here listens to my boring stories the same way you do.”

  He laughed. “I can’t wait to hear all the boring stories you have left.”

  Barbie patted him on the back, then ushered everyone over to the cake on the table in the kitchen. Kit’s eyes went wide, and he looked back at Roman.

  “You didn’t have to do all of this,” he said quietly.

  “I didn’t. They did. This was Barbie’s idea.”

  Kit turned back to Barbie and watched as she cut into the chocolate cake. “Now, I know it’s only 8, but I told everyone to skip breakfast because we have it all here.” She gestured to the counters behind her that were filled with all kinds of breakfast food, from bagels to sandwiches to little boxes of cereal. “I’m only cutting you a piece because I know how big your sweet tooth is,” she teased.

  “Thank you, Barbie,” Kit said, unable to keep from cheesing again. It all made sense why Roman didn’t bother stopping to pick up coffee. His coworkers had probably asked for permission to set this up in advanced and he knew that they were going to be providing all the food and drinks anyway.

  Kit had never really believed anyone could make friends with people at work. He’d heard stories from Bria and Chad about being close with people, but this wasn’t exactly the best place to find his lifelong bestie. When one got fired, especially in his low-level position, that was generally the end of things. But now it made sense. These people genuinely enjoyed having Kit around. They didn’t get annoyed with him or only act nice to him at work. Logan, Patricia, Barbie, all of them seemed to care about him more than he’d ever thought they did.

  It felt like a family. A work family.

  Even Yolanda seemed less tense than usual. She didn’t have anything smart to say to him, and Kit would’ve wagered that was because he was no longer a suspect on his list. Having his relationship outed by Roman proved that there was no way he’d actually taken
the money; therefore, she no longer had a reason to suspect him. That by no means meant she went out of her way to be nicer to him than before.

  “Welcome back,” she said. Her words were short, but her tone was no longer angry. Still, she lacked any kind of warmth for him. Kit was completely satisfied with that. He didn’t need to be friends with Yolanda.

  Roman poked his head out of his office half an hour later. “Kit,” he said, waving him over.

  “Be back in a bit,” Kit said to Barbie and Logan, heading into Roman’s office. “What’s up?”

  Roman placed a large stack of papers on the desk in front of him, as well as a pen. Kit took a seat and looked it over.

  “What are these?”

  “The paperwork I had you initially sign back when you first started working here. Since you were let go, you have to redo all of that. But,” he said, smiling, “Once you sign on all those dotted lines, you’ll officially be a Yellow Fall employee again.”

  *

  For being back on the job, Kit didn’t get much work done. He suspected this was Roman’s doing, and that he was giving him a day to get readjusted before they went back to their usual roles. He wasn’t complaining, either. This gave him plenty of time to get caught up with his friends. Logan’s wife was well taken care of, which Kit was so happy to hear. One day his wife would bring the baby up to the office to meet everyone. Not only that, but Barbie’s financial issues had resolved themselves when her eldest son proudly announced that he’d gotten his first job.

  By the time the work day was over, Kit was sure he’d spent majority of the time chatting with his friends. He poked his head into Roman’s office while everyone headed for the elevator. “Hey, Romy, I have plans with my friends. I’m gonna catch a ride over to their place.”

  “That’s fine, I was going to stay here and work anyways.”

  “Cool,” Kit said.

  “Love you,” Roman said, flipping through his papers.

  Kit was still taken back by the coolness of his tone, but he said, “Love you too.” He headed down to the street and managed to get a taxi without much struggle. Usually the drivers had attitudes, but this one was sweet as could be. She told him all about her collection of cat statues, all the way to Chad’s apartment.