by Ana Ashley
Home. Was this the place he grew up in? Did he ever go back, considering his mom was in Boston? I turned my head to look out of the window at the moving landscape.
Home. What did it mean to me? All of my life, home had been the palace, the one place where I could be myself without judgment from others. The place that had seen generations of my ancestors walking those corridors; talking, arguing, laughing, strategizing, and this would continue far into the future.
I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep until I felt a hand on my arm.
"We're here."
"Where's here?"
"Chester Falls, Connecticut."
I got out of the car and stretched, letting out a long yawn. Jetlag was definitely catching up with me.
The brick building in front of us was stunning. It looked like a factory that had been repurposed into apartments. It wasn't quite finished yet because a lot of the windows still had protective plastic sheets covering them.
James stared at the building like he wasn't expecting it to be there.
"Are you okay?" I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder.
"What? Oh yeah…okay."
"Right…well, if this is the place, shall we go in?"
"Yes, let's."
I picked up one of my suitcases, James picked up the other, and we walked the short distance to the entrance of the building. It still looked a little like a construction site with planks of wood making a ramp leading to the main doors that were wide open. Now this was somewhere no one would think to look for the prince of Lydovia. It was perfect.
From the side of the building came a guy carrying a number of rolls of fabric.
"Hey, I hope one of you is James; otherwise, I've got my schedule all messed up," the guy said as he laid the fabric rolls on a plastic sheet just inside the doors.
He had an easy, relaxed smile, which, despite my tiredness, I couldn't help but mirror.
"Hi, I'm Tristan," he said.
"Kris," I said, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you, and thanks for helping me out."
He indicated for us to follow him inside.
"We're still doing a lot of work before the apartments are ready, but we have a couple that are fully furnished and usable."
Tristan took us up two flights of stairs and then along a corridor to the other end of the building. I noticed some of the original features had been kept intact, such as brickwork and the long lines of light fixtures along the corridor.
"The building is gorgeous. What did it used to be?" I asked.
"A textiles mill," both James and Tristan said at the same time.
"Ah, you're a local man, I take it," Tristan said to James. "I moved to Chester Falls for this job a few months ago. Best decision of my life."
The way Tristan's face lit up made me wonder if he'd found more than a new job in this town.
James's cellphone rang as we got to the apartment, so he excused himself after asking me to meet him back at the car.
It didn't take long to get a tour of the one-bedroom apartment.
"It's very basic, but everything works. I'll be around most of the time, but I also live in town, so if you need anything or there's a problem, call me, and I'll be here in ten minutes."
"How far away is the town?" I asked.
Tristan walked to the balcony in the living room and pointed out the small river that flowed alongside the building.
"That down there is the Chester River, if you walk a mile and a half in that direction, you'll be in town. If you look over from the corner of the balcony, you'll see the town hall clock tower."
"Got it, thanks."
"I think that's everything. You have my number if you need anything." He started walking toward the door before I stopped him.
"Tristan, you didn't ask any questions about me. Why? You could have told me to get a hotel in town. "
He looked at me with that easy, friendly smile.
"I know who you are. I mean, you're like a real-life gay Prince Charming." He chuckled. "But you're also a person, and I'm doing a favor for a friend of a friend. That's all."
I nodded and followed him out.
I found James leaning against the car. He had his arms crossed over his chest and he stared off into the distance in the direction of town.
"There's enough room if you want to stay and don't mind sharing a bed. I'll be the little spoon." The joke snapped James out of whatever state he was in.
"Thanks, but I should go back. If the press thinks you're at my place, I should be seen there without you." He went around the car to the driver’s side door. "I'll come back to get you when it's safe for you to return to my place."
James’s car soon disappeared from sight, leaving me wondering why he’d seemed so shaken up as soon as we'd arrived in Chester Falls.
I didn't bother having a second look around the apartment before going straight into the bedroom. It was larger than I'd expected. The king-size bed was covered in a plush throw and decorative pillows and invited me to dive in for a nap.
When I woke up again, it was dark outside. I pulled the cord on the bedside table lamp and the room flooded with warm light.
Maybe tomorrow I could go for a walk by the river and explore, but for tonight, I just needed some food, so I got up from the bed and hoped there was somewhere nearby, perhaps a store or restaurant I could go to for dinner.
Would I be recognized? James hadn't advised me on what to do in this situation, and that made me a little nervous. I picked up my cellphone to call James but noticed it didn't have any available signal, so I placed it back on the bedside table. I was never on my own in public. Even when I went out with friends, there was always a bodyguard in the shadows looking out for me.
I shook my head, thinking of all the times I'd wished for this exact moment when I could pretend to be a normal person. I had my chance now. It was like I'd finally climbed the wall and managed to get to the other side where the regular people lived.
My suitcase was bursting at the seams with a variety of outfits. I opened it and took out my most casual pair of jeans and a T-shirt—the one with the Harvard university logo I'd worn so much that the once deep red was now more a faded pink. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, there was nothing about me that screamed royalty, status, and wealth. Excellent.
I opened the door of my apartment and stepped out, making sure to lock the door, my eyes focused on my hands. Even that small task, and the fact I had to remember to do such a thing, made me feel normal. I was certain I could look after myself without James around.
That was until I turned to leave and tripped on a small suitcase someone had left behind, right by my door.
"Oooh shit." The high pitch of my scream sounded foreign, even to my ears, as my body went down, but before I hit the floor, I was able to grab onto something to stop myself from falling all the way. The only problem was, the something was actually a someone who I'd dragged down and was now on the floor, on top of me.
4
Charlie
When I'd thought my day couldn't get any worse, I'd clearly underestimated the power of karma, god, the tooth fairy, or whatever it was that was hell-bent on screwing me over.
I'd forgotten to set my alarm the night before and had woken up just in time to get dressed, grab my suitcase, and run for the train, which was about the only thing that had worked out. If it hadn't, I'd have needed to buy a new ticket, which would have cost a fortune.
The first couple of hours of the journey home had been spent answering emails from my team, who had waited until I was off work to request time off, swap shifts, and ask all kinds of questions. Just as I'd replied to one of Frasier's emails about stock availability, my cellphone died. That had been a blessing in disguise. I'd deal with that later.
A technical malfunction with the train had brought the journey to a halt, so I, alongside all the other passengers, had been dropped off at the smallest train station in the whole of Massachusetts and left to wait for the next available train, wh
ich had arrived around lunchtime. By then I was bored, tired, and so hungry I'd considered asking my fellow passengers if anyone had any snacks they could spare. Not to mention coffee. Fuck, I'd needed coffee. Like, yesterday.
By midafternoon, I finally arrived at my parent's house where some of my family were also staying for the week.
I hadn't warned anyone I was arriving a few days earlier than expected because I'd wanted to make it a surprise. The first person I bumped into as I opened the door was Aunt Gina.
"Darling, it's been such a long time. Come here," my aunt said while pulling me into a Chanel No. 5 scented hug.
"Hi, Aunt G," I said, hugging her back. "I missed you too. I'll just drop my stuff in my old room and come down to see everyone."
"Yes, honey. They'll be delighted you're early. They were saying it was such a shame for you to miss the barbecue. Oh, did you know Rory is staying in your room? Apparently, he's having some renovations going on at his place. Hope you don't mind sharing. Oh look, there he is in the kitchen."
I straightened my back as Rory looked in my direction and smiled. He came over and helped me with my suitcase, which was good because I failed to move an inch with the slow realization that I was going to have to share a room with my ex. The ex no one in my family knew was an ex—or gay for that matter.
As soon as we got inside the room, I found myself pinned to the closed door with Rory's mouth on mine. Rory tasted of mint and beer, which was an odd combination, but one I'd been so familiar with when we'd been together. I felt my body responding until my brain caught up and I pushed him away.
"What the fuck, Rory."
"I'm sorry, Charlie. I…you…I couldn't stop myself," Rory said apologetically.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
Rory's neck reddened as he looked away from me.
"You asked to share my room with me?" My voice had an unattractive pitch, but I didn't care.
"Because I wanted to spend some time with you. I miss you…I miss us."
"No," I said with as much determination as I could muster. "You miss the convenience of being able to jump into bed with me while my family is none the wiser. I'm not a doormat, Rory. Maybe I was innocent once and believed you when you told me you were in love with me. Finding out that you, the person who was meant to love me, were sleeping with other people while I was away at college put things into perspective."
Rory didn't even try to deny it or find some kind of excuse like saying he'd done it because he was angry with me. Not that it would have made a difference because it had hurt all the same. I had, in the five years since, been with other guys, but none had hurt me as much as Rory because I'd been forced to keep everything that happened between us a secret from my family. I'd had to stay away while Rory had kept his place of adoration with my family just because he was my brother's best friend.
I grabbed my suitcase and opened the room door.
"Where are you going?" Rory asked.
"To find another place to stay."
"Where? Don't tell me you're leaving your parents' home for a hotel."
I didn't like the look of defiance and victory in Rory's eyes, so I simply said, "I'll find something."
I only heard Rory behind me saying something along the lines of "you should be so lucky" and "no vacancies" as I dragged my suitcase back to the front door where I bumped into my mom and dad.
My parents couldn't have looked happier to see me, so I agreed to join them for coffee in the lounge. We caught up with news of the wedding activities over the following days as the coffee settled nicely in my stomach, causing me to relax for the first time since I'd woken up that morning.
I still needed to find somewhere to stay, so I told my parents my boyfriend wouldn't be happy knowing I shared a room with another man, albeit a straight one. It was a small lie, but one that would save a lot more questions being raised, even if I left them open-mouthed at the mention of a boyfriend. Shit.
After hours of walking around checking the few hotels Chester Falls had to offer, I still hadn't found a place to stay. I hated that Rory had been right; there were no vacancies.
I sat on a bench in the town square considering my lack of options until a familiar face looked over toward me from across the square and then the person waved. I picked up my suitcase and went over to greet my friend and old college roommate, Ben.
Ben had come back to Chester Falls after college to run his aunt's bookstore, Bookmarked, with her. We kept in touch, but since I was rarely in Chester Falls, it had been a while since I'd seen him.
"Well, if it isn't the brother of the bride," Ben said teasingly as he gave me a hug. "It's been a while."
"Believe it or not, it's not the first time I've heard that today," I confessed.
He chuckled. "I can imagine. Come inside, I'm closing for the day shortly. So, what's up? Shouldn't you be home?"
I followed Ben inside Bookmarked. The store had had some updates, but somehow it still smelled as I remembered—paperbacks and something else that was unique and always reminded me of Ben's Aunt Jacqueline.
"Yeah, well my room has been temporarily taken over by Rory, so I haven't got a place to stay."
Ben's eyebrows drew together. "Ellie mentioned something about it, actually. Something about helping out with the wedding?"
It didn't surprise me that Rory had found a plausible excuse, but it still didn't solve my problem.
"Do you know if there are any new hotels out of town I could try?"
At that moment, a car drove around the side of the bookstore, which was not unusual since many locals often used the little spot to park when running errands in town, but it was the way Ben's whole body lit up that told me the person pulling up wasn't just another local.
Ben and I called each other occasionally, and since he was Ellie’s best man, we’d caught up recently, which was when he’d told me how he’d met Tristan and Ellie’s cunning role in getting them together.
"Man, you're so whipped," I teased.
"With a cherry on top."
As soon as Tristan came in, Ben walked over for a kiss. I had to look away because it felt wrong to watch such an intimate moment. As it was, the way Tristan had looked at Ben when he'd walked into the store was the stuff of fairytales.
"Hi, Charlie, nice to finally meet you," Tristan said without releasing his gentle hold on Ben.
"Babe, would you mind if Charlie crashed upstairs with us?"
"What?" I said. "No, thanks, Ben, but I can look for a hotel. I don't want to be in your way for a whole week."
"If you're looking for a place to stay, I can help," Tristan said.
"Really? You know a hotel nearby?"
"Not quite. We're doing some critical work at the Old Mill this week, so we don't have any appointments for the show homes. You can stay in one of the spare ones."
"Oh my gosh, Tristan, you're a lifesaver." I could have hugged him, but from the way Ben was looking at his boyfriend, I could tell Tristan would be well recompensed for his generosity.
Even as the sky darkened, I could see how much the renovation of the Old Mill had improved the surrounding area. There were benches and grassy areas with wildflowers. I wondered if the old path into town following the river was still there.
As it was getting late, Tristan showed me to the apartment door and left immediately as he had plans for dinner with Ben and his parents.
I took a deep breath as I let go of the handle of my suitcase to open the door to the studio apartment.
I'd lucked out in more ways than one, because not only did I have a place to stay for the week, but the apartment was also a picture postcard of country chic and looked very cozy.
It wasn't huge since it was a single room studio, but it had a nice bed and two windows that faced the back of the building. There was an interconnecting door to the next apartment, so I hoped my neighbor, who Tristan said had also needed a place to stay at the last minute, wasn't too noisy, or I'd be able to hear everything throug
h the thin door.
The first thing I needed to do was put my cellphone on charge. I dreaded to think what kinds of emails I'd missed. I looked for my suitcase and noticed it was still in the hallway and the apartment door was open. God, I really needed a good night's sleep.
Everything happened too quickly. One moment I was reaching out for the suitcase, the next, something pulled my arm, and I found myself being dragged down.
I closed my eyes, bracing myself for impact. I let out a curse when my forearm dragged against something sharp and then opened my eyes again when the landing was softer than I expected.
Dark brown eyes, so dark they were almost black, stared back at me. Warmth and a sense of rightness flooded my chest as I took in the face of the stranger, his defined jaw, perfect nose, five o'clock shadow, and those eyes.
I scrambled up, trying to get away from the man, but ended up kneeing him in the groin. The poor guy let out a harsh groan and folded in on himself on the floor.
"Oh shit, crap, oh god. I'm so sorry." For the love of god, Charlie. I was horrified. The guy squirmed on the floor for a few minutes, taking deep breaths, before he was able to get up.
"Do you go around kicking everybody in the balls?" He coughed.
"No, only guys who tackle me to the floor," I answered without missing a beat.
The guy laughed. "You could have bought me dinner first."
My tummy rumbled at the mention of dinner, and the guy laughed again.
"You keep laughing at me, and I'll show you my other karate kicks," I teased.
"Sounds like you need dinner."
"Sounds like you're offering to buy." I didn't know what was wrong with me. Two seconds ago, I'd kicked the guy, and now, I was flirting unabashedly. I was never that forthcoming. Ever.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Charlie, yours?"
"Kris."
I extended my hand to shake Kris's, and that's when I saw a trickle of blood. "Crap, I haven't got any Band-Aids. Do you think there's a first aid kit anywhere in the apartment?"
"Come with me," Kris said.
I pulled the toppled suitcase into my apartment and then followed Kris to the apartment next door.
