by Andrew Grey
“You might as well go home,” Bull said to both Kevin and Jeremy. “Harry and I need to stay, but if you could get Zach and Tristan home too, I’d appreciate it.”
Kevin had had a few drinks, but that had been hours ago now. He offered to drive, so they all piled in his old Taurus and he made the rounds, getting everyone home before going to his own small, crappy place.
For the past few years, Kevin had lived with one of his friends, but when Tristan paired off with Harry, that had left Kevin on his own, so he’d moved from the place they’d shared to a small one-bedroom apartment he could afford on his own. For Kevin, there were things more important than his apartment, and those were his computers. Once he arrived home, he went to the bedroom, which doubled as his office and work space. He logged in and checked his e-mail for anything urgent. Thankfully there was nothing other than a note from his father, which could wait until morning.
Knowing everything was okay in his little world, he undressed, putting his stinky clothes in a plastic bag and getting them out of the room. Then he hopped in the shower to get the smell of smoke off him before climbing into his twin bed. There hadn’t been a need for anything bigger with Ken gone, and this way he had more room for his electronics. Kevin turned out the lights and tried to go to sleep, but it was hours before he was able to drop off.
KEVIN WOKE to knocking on his front door. He got out of bed and had the presence of mind to put on a robe before opening the door partway to see who was banging at this hour of the morning. “Mrs. Vertebedian.”
“I heard you come in late last night, and since I made baklava, I thought I’d give you some.” She offered him a plate, and he took it gratefully.
“I love you,” he whispered, and the old lady giggled. “That’s so thoughtful.”
“You know, you shouldn’t stay out till all hours. I know it’s what you kids do, but did you see there was a fire at one of those places? I know you like to go out dancing and hunting for boys, but you should be careful.”
“I was there,” he said and stepped back from the door, letting her in. Kevin had met her the day he’d moved in, and she was sweet, but very lonely. “How about I put on a pot of coffee and get dressed? Then we can sit down and eat ourselves into a delightful sugar coma, and I’ll tell you all about it.” He started the coffee and then padded to his bedroom and closed the door before pulling on clothes. When he returned, the apartment smelled of coffee, the scent enough to revive him a little. Kevin got two mugs, filled them, and handed one to his guest.
“Was it as bad as they said on the television?” she asked. Kevin placed milk and sugar on the table, and she began adding what she wanted. Lord, the amount of sugar she added was enough to turn him diabetic.
“I don’t know. I haven’t watched. The fire itself wasn’t a big deal. I put it out with the hose at the club. But someone was trampled in the panic, sort of a friend of a friend.”
“I suppose you would know him.” Kevin didn’t correct her. She didn’t need to know that there wasn’t a secret gayboy handshake or that every gay man didn’t know every other one. It wasn’t worth the explaining, and she hadn’t meant anything by it.
“It was really sad. His boyfriend was there and lost track of him during the crush.” He sipped from his mug and closed his eyes briefly, letting the caffeine start to work its magic.
“I’m sorry, dear.” She sipped loudly and added some more milk before tasting again. Apparently it was to her liking now. “Did you say you put the fire out? Then you’re a hero.”
He shook his head. “I did what anyone would have done. The fireman said I did a good job, though.” Kevin didn’t mean to sigh, but he did. He leaned closer. “He was really cute and Scottish, I’d guess. His accent….” He rolled his eyes and held his breath, then blew it out. “Like buttah….”
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t know. In my mind I’m calling him MacDreamy Hotness, and let me tell you I’d love to see what he has under his kilt.” He cackled and Mrs. Vertebedian did the same. From her stories, she’d been a high-stepper in her youth. “But I got to see him in his fireman’s pants and a T-shirt. That was enough to start a fire.” He reached for one of the pieces of baklava and bit into it, humming at the numminess. “No one can make these like you.”
“Thank you, dear,” she said, beaming, and then she ate one herself. “I used to have lots of people to bake for, but now they’re gone.”
He knew. In the time he’d lived here, he’d only seen her have visitors a few times.
“Have you been to the senior center lately?” Kevin knew she went like clockwork, but it gave her something to talk about. He reached for another pastry, then curled his nose. He sniffed and followed the smell to the door of his apartment. When he opened it, smoke wafted in. “Call 911,” he told his guest and raced down the stairs. He found Mrs. V’s door open with smoke billowing out. It was white, and he didn’t see any flames or black smoke. He thought about going in but pulled the fire alarm in the hall instead and raced back upstairs.
“We need to get out.”
“They’re coming,” she said. “Where is the fire?”
Kevin didn’t answer. He hustled her out of the door and down the stairs. She didn’t move quickly, stopping to gasp when she realized the smoke was coming from her apartment. Others hurried past them, carrying bags and other small things in their hands.
Sirens rang out as he stepped from the building. Mrs. V coughed and Kevin gasped for air. Being in a fire twice in less than a day was apparently more than his lungs could take. He managed to make it to the grass before his legs collapsed and he gasped for breath.
The sirens screamed and people rushed around him. A mask was placed over his mouth, and he looked up into a familiar face.
“You again?” MacDreamy Hotness said with a smile. “Just keep that in place. It’ll help you breathe.”
Kevin nodded. “What happened?”
“An oven fire. It’s all right, just smoke. The fire was only in the oven.”
Kevin pointed to Mrs. V, who wandered around a little helplessly. MacDreamy got someone to help her, and that was a relief. “She must have forgotten. She came up to see me and must have forgotten she had something in the oven.” He felt bad.
MacDreamy put the mask over his mouth again. “Just breathe and get the smoke out of your lungs.”
“All right.” If MacDreamy kept looking at him with those kind eyes, he’d sit still the entire dang day.
“They’re clearing out the building and opening the windows to get the smoke out.” There was a breeze, and it wasn’t long before smoke puffed out the front windows of the building, driven by the wind. “Feeling better?”
Kevin nodded again. “I’m okay.”
“Just breathe and stay quiet. You gave us a scare.”
“My head is clear and I feel much better,” he said, removing the mask. “Thank you.”
“I certainly hope this isn’t going to be a habit—you showing up at all my fire calls.”
“To be precise, you’re showing up to all my calls, and I think I like it. Hopefully I won’t have to be in a fire to see you again,” Kevin said and blushed something fierce. He hadn’t meant to be that provocative or forward. His mouth had engaged before his brain. But he liked it when MacDreamy Hotness smiled at him.
“Let’s get this area cleared of people,” another firefighter said. “The building should be safe to reenter soon, but the apartment where it started is going to need to be cleaned.”
“I better go,” MacDreamy said and turned away to help control the gawkers.
After a few hours they were all allowed back inside. To his surprise, even Mrs. Vertebedian was able to go. She didn’t have a stove. That seemed to have been carted off, which was probably just as well, but at least she still had her home.
Kevin kept his windows open all day, and the landlord put fans in the hallways to get the smell out of the rugs and things. After all the excitement and the fact
that he’d been up late and hadn’t slept much, he tried resting in the afternoon.
“Okay, Mrs. V,” he called when he heard a knock and went over to open the door. He had expected her to ask to use his stove. The woman cooked all the time. It was her thing, and being without a stove must be driving her crazy, so he’d figured she’d wander up. He pulled open the door, but it wasn’t Mrs. Vertebedian.
It was MacDreamy Hotness, and this time he was in jeans and a T-shirt that left much less to the imagination than those baggy fire pants had.
“Did I do something wrong?” Kevin asked, looking around. After the past couple of days, he half expected his apartment to burst into flames.
“Of course not. I wanted to make sure you were breathing okay. You looked pretty wiped out when we found you on the grass.” He smiled, and what a smile it was: perfect teeth, a glint in his eyes, and dimples, even.
“I’m okay. I was going to lie down for a while.” He covered a yawn. “Sorry. I’m a little tired.” He wondered why MacDreamy was here. “Was there some other information you needed?”
“No. I didn’t come by to talk to you about the fire.” He stepped a little closer. “It isn’t very often that I get to meet a guy who’s a hero twice in two days. Well, not one as cute as you are.”
Kevin giggled and covered his mouth again. “I’m not a hero,” he said. The cute comment he wasn’t going to dispute because it was really nice to hear. “I just did what I was supposed to do. I only hope that part of my day isn’t always going to include a call to the fire department.” Although if MacDreamy was the one to show up, Kevin just might. “So you came here to see me? Was it to ask me questions or something?”
“Actually, it was. I was wondering if it would be all right if I took you out sometime.” He flashed a smile that would stop traffic, and for a brief moment Kevin wondered if this was happening to him. Before his friends settled down, they were always getting asked out. They were outgoing and good-looking. Kevin wasn’t. His features were average at best.
“Me?” Kevin asked, instantly feeling stupid. There was no one else here, after all. “MacDreamy Hotness is asking me out.” Kevin slapped his hand over his face and hoped like hell the ground under his feet would open up and swallow him whole.
“What did you call me?” he asked with a grin.
“I only made that up because I didn’t know your name, and with your accent and all, it just came to mind.” Kevin’s cheeks heated. He wondered how much longer he was going to have to endure this before MacDreamy Hotness decided he was crazy and turned to leave. At this point, Kevin gave him thirty seconds, tops.
“I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time.” He continued smiling. “I’m Angus MacTavish. At least that’s my real name, but I’ll have it changed to MacDreamy Hotness for you.”
Kevin’s cheeks heated even more. But at least Angus wasn’t upset. “I’m Kevin Foster,” he stammered.
“So how about it, Kevin Foster?”
Dang, he loved the way Angus said his name. “Okay.” He wanted to giggle, but that wouldn’t give the impression he wanted, so he managed to stifle it and ended up smiling like some sort of idiot. “Ummm, do you want some coffee or something?”
“That would be nice,” Angus said.
Kevin backed up so Angus could come in. Kevin immediately began fluttering around the apartment, touching pillows and wishing he’d thought about what the place looked like before inviting MacDreamy inside. Angus. His name is Angus. He offered him a chair and then fluttered into the kitchen. He started the coffee and put the plate of baklava on the table. “Mrs. Vertebedian made them for me. She’s the lady who set her stove on fire earlier. Poor thing, she came up here to give these to me, and I asked her to stay, and she forgot what she was cooking. So the fire earlier is partly my fault, and I feel really bad for her because now she doesn’t have a stove, and all the people in the building are going to blame her because everything smells like smoke, and it wasn’t her fault.” Had he really just said all of that without taking a breath? He needed to get a grip or Angus would think he was some twink version of the Energizer Bunny. Breathe. Take a minute and breathe, he reminded himself.
“Do I make you nervous?” Angus asked.
Kevin stared at him for two seconds and was off again. “Of course you do. How can you not? MacDreamy Hotness is in my apartment. I mean, I only saw you the first time last night, but….” He fanned himself. “Those fire pants aren’t very flattering, but they do leave a lot to the imagination, and then you took off your jacket—” He found himself staring at Angus’s chest and completely lost his train of thought, which was probably good because at least now he wasn’t rambling on like a complete fool. He abruptly turned away and went back into the kitchen. He needed to shut the hell up. This was embarrassing. He’d only just met the guy and he was already making a total fool of himself. He willed the coffee to hurry up. When he turned around, Angus was just biting into one of the sweet pastries.
“Dang,” Angus muttered.
“Mrs. V is awesome. She’s pretty much alone now, so when she cooks, I tend to be the recipient of part of the amazingness. That’s why the fire started, I guess. She needs someone to talk to, and we were having coffee.” He felt terrible.
“Things like that happen. What’s really important is that no one was hurt and everyone got out of the building safely.”
Kevin’s mind went immediately to Mario and Bradley.
Thankfully the coffee finished, and he poured two cups and handed one to Angus. “I never know what to say at times like this,” Kevin said as he sat down. “I mean, I sort of knew the guy who died last night, and I’m sorry that he’s gone and all, but would it be awful to ask how badly the club was damaged? Bull and Harry are friends, and….”
“Thanks to you, things are mostly just wet and smoke-damaged. The fire itself didn’t get much of a chance to get going. We gave them the name of a fire recovery company. They’ll come in and clean, and they have the equipment to get the smoke smell out of everything. They can even help with some of the building repairs.”
“I should call them,” Kevin said.
“They’ll need all the help they can get, I’m sure,” Angus said as he sipped from his mug. Kevin could feel him watching, and at first he shifted nervously, but then he started getting warm and tingly. It was nice being the object of Angus’s intense gaze.
“Do you know what actually happened?” Kevin wanted to lift the mug, but he was mesmerized by Angus’s stare. He turned away and began to fuss with the edge of the place mat on the table.
“Someone set the fire—that much is pretty clear. We’re not sure if it’s connected to any other incidents yet.”
Kevin’s phone rang and he started. He jumped up and snatched it off the coffee table. “Hi, Zach, how’s Bull?”
“He got home early this morning and went right to bed. It was bad, but not near as awful as it could have been. We’re all going down there in an hour or so to help start cleaning things up. There’s a company in there now, but I know Bull and Harry are going to need help.”
“I can meet you there,” he said, turning back toward the table. “What about insurance and stuff?”
“That’s who Bull was waiting on before he got home. So he’s all set there.”
“Is Bull still asleep?”
“Yeah. Harry called and he was going to the club to meet the restoration people. Bull sent him home last night.” Zach sighed. “They’ve been through this drill before. Remember when Eddie’s people smashed the place up?”
“Yeah. Just call me when you’re ready to go, and I’ll get over there. I have company at the moment, and then I can tell you about my morning. You aren’t going to believe this… or who’s sitting at my table right now,” he added in a whisper. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Thanks.”
“Does Bull know you’re doing this?” Kevin asked.
“You know how he is. Every time anyth
ing happens, he gets all big and puffy, telling me to stay home. He only wants to protect me, the big lug. But he and Harry need help, and we’re going to be there the way we have in the past. Bull and Harry may own Bronco’s, but we’re its heart and soul. They just haven’t figured that out yet.” Kevin could almost see the mischief on Zach’s face.
“Okay, but if he gets mad….”
“I’ll handle him.”
Kevin chuckled. “I bet you will.” They signed off, and he put his phone in his pocket. “The guys and I are going to the club to help clean up in an hour. There are four of us, and we’ve been friends a long time. The others are all married. I’m the last one.” He didn’t say he felt like the one nobody wanted. That wasn’t exactly true—Ken had been interested, but not enough for him to stay. It really sucked.
“What happened to put such a sad expression on your cute face?” Angus asked.
“I’m not cute. I’ve never been cute. The other guys are adorable. I’m just normal.”
Angus reached across the table and lightly caressed Kevin’s cheek with his fingertips. The touch was almost ghostly, and it sent a ripple of heat through him. “Why don’t you let me decide what I think is cute?” Angus withdrew his hand, and Kevin immediately missed it. Angus glanced at his watch and then stood. “I need to get to the station or I’ll be late for my shift. Please try not to get involved in any more fires today.”
“Okay,” Kevin whispered. He walked Angus to the door and said good-bye. He closed the door with a wide grin on his face until he realized Angus didn’t have his phone number. Kevin burst out the door and down the stairs, then ran down the walk. He got to the parking area just in time to hear the throaty roar of a motorcycle and see Angus, bent over the handlebars, zooming away.
AN HOUR later Kevin pulled into the small parking area next to the club, near a group of familiar cars. The acrid scent of smoke and damp assaulted his senses and made his eyes water as he walked inside. Men in coveralls were cleaning the walls and floors. Fans hummed everywhere, sucking air in through the front door and blowing it out the others.
