by T A. McKay
Now sitting on the bus I’m glad the day is over. I'm going home to run a bath with lots of bubbles and then with a glass, or bottle, of wine I'm going to lie in it until I my skin wrinkles. I can almost feel the heat of the water on my body already and it makes me restless to get home.
I get off the bus at the end of my block and walk quickly towards my apartment building, texting Roman as I move. I'm about half way up the street when I hear a commotion ahead of me. I look up and see the road filled with fire trucks and police cars. My heart beats a bit faster when I realize that something bad has happened. I pick up my pace and arrive at the side of the police barricade. I push through the crowd of people, trying to get to the front to see what’s happening. I finally get through and my heart sinks to my stomach when I take in the sight in front of me.
There’s smoke spewing out of the broken windows of my apartment building. The entire floor where my apartment is located is on fire, and even though I can’t see my place from the street, I'm not holding out hope that it’s avoided the flames. Firemen stand on the sidewalk pointing hoses at the windows, the water destroying any glass that’s survived so far, as they try to put out the last of the flames.
I'm struggling to breathe as I watch everything I own go up in flames. I hear a crash from the building as one of the floors collapses in front of us all as we stand and watch. I can hear the firemen shouting orders, telling the people inside to evacuate and that the building is no longer safe.
An hour later the last of the flames have been put out and most of the people have wandered away since the action is done. There are maybe five or six people still here with me but unlike them I have no place to go. I spoke to Miss. Rose, my downstairs neighbor, and she told me that the new tenants in the apartment next to mine had gone out and left a candle burning in their bedroom. Somehow it had fallen onto the bedspread which caused the fire, and since no one was home it wasn’t noticed until it was too late. Thankfully the fire alarm in the main corridor had gone off and everyone managed to get out.
But now I'm standing here, still in shock, with nowhere to go. I spoke to a police officer earlier and he said they could help organize me a place to go, but I told him I was fine and that I had friends to take me in. Now I just need to call Roman and ask him to come get me, but I can’t seem to get my brain to work like it should.
As the night draws in and it gets darker, I know I need to move so I can get to Roman’s before it gets too late. I grab my cell and call him, grateful that he answers on the third ring.
“Where have you been? I messaged you back hours ago.”
I don’t know what to say to him, the words are stuck in my throat.
“Grey, are you okay?”
“It’s gone. It’s all gone.” It’s the only thing I can manage even though he won’t be able to understand what I'm trying to say. Who would guess that this would happen?
“What are you talking about? What’s all gone?” There’s worry in his voice, so I take a deep breath and make sure I explain it all.
“The apartment. It’s all gone. There was a fire. God, Roman. What am I going do? I have nothing left. It’s all gone.” I sound hysterical by the time I finish speaking but I don’t care. I don’t know what I will do. I'm officially homeless.
“Fuck. Just stay there, we’ll be there in about thirty minutes. Shit, I wish we didn’t live so far away. We will be there soon, Grey.”
I hang up the phone without answering and sit on the sidewalk, dropping my head into my hands. Everything I owned was in there. All my clothes, my computer, my furniture, fucking everything. I always complained that my mom wouldn’t let me bring my childhood stuff here with me when I moved, but now I'm glad she didn’t or that would be lost too.
I start to think of the logistics of living with Roman and Trey. I don’t want to invade their little love haven, but I don’t have many options other than that one. Everything I had in the apartment can be replaced eventually, as soon as my insurance company pay out, and I'm sure I can borrow some clothes from Roman to get me through the next few days until I can go shopping. I have a few spare uniforms at work, plus the one I'm wearing so that won’t be an issue. The only thing that is going to be a problem is the distance between the guys’ apartment and the hospital. It’s a good forty minutes in a car and getting the bus will take at least an hour. I don’t even know if there is a bus that goes between the two. Fuck.
I'm pulled from my panicking when a car pulls up next to me. I know that not enough time has past for it to be Roman, but I look up since it’s stopped really close. I see a dark grey Porsche, and even from my place sitting on the ground, it looks amazing. But as lovely as the car is, I want to go back to my well-deserved pity party.
“You looking for a ride, big boy?” I freeze in place when I hear his voice. Oh for the love of god, this cannot be happening. After the embarrassment of last night and my epically bad day, the last thing I need is for him to be here.
“Roman called and asked me to pick you up. Come on, sexy, get in the car.”
Suddenly I’m very tired, and as much as I want to tell him to go fuck himself, I just want to go to bed. If Nathan can get me there quicker I will let him. I mean, after this day nothing else can really go wrong.
Chapter 8
Seeing Grey sitting on the side of the sidewalk looking so damn defeated did strange things to my heart. I wanted to get out of the car and run to him so I could sweep him up into my arms and hold him until he felt better. That's why I made sure I stayed securely in my seat.
Grey’s always seemed so strong, but there are moments when he doesn’t think anyone is watching, and it’s in those moments you can see the pain in his eyes. The first time I saw it was when we were packing Roman’s things up so he could move in with Trey. We were all joking around and Roman said how much he was looking forward to moving, but despite the smile on his face, I could see the pain rip through Grey. I don't think anyone would notice if they didn’t know to look for it, but now that I do, I see it more. The strange thing is that he hides his feelings from Roman. They’re so close to each other and I thought it would be obvious to Roman that Grey was hiding sadness inside. I couldn’t imagine keeping anything from Trey, okay, maybe I will keep last nights phone call with Grey a secret, but I tell him the important things. Grey seems to be the type of person who likes everyone around him to be happy, even if he isn’t.
Tonight he isn’t hiding his pain very well, but I doubt he’s trying very hard. His eyes are red, which I'm sure isn’t just from the smoke, and he looks tired. He just stares at me for a few minutes before he pushes himself off the ground and walks towards the car. I unlock the door as he reaches it and he climbs in, sinking low in the seat.
“Hey. Are you okay?” I know it’s a stupid question, of course he isn’t okay, but I need to get him talking to me.
“I'm okay. Just really tired.” His face is blank and I'm a little worried but decide that getting him to bed is probably the best thing for him.
“Let’s just get you home and you can sleep as long as you want.” I drive down his block and turn right, heading towards my place.
He turns to look at me with a confused look on his face, his head turning in the direction of Trey and Roman’s place. “Where are we going?”
Shit, I take it he doesn’t know. I thought that Roman would have called him to let him know what was decided.
“We’re going to my place. Sorry, I thought you knew. We all thought it might be easier for you to get to work since I only live four blocks away from the hospital. I have plenty of room so you don't have to worry about that.”
He just stares at me and I wait for the excuses to start as to why he can’t stay at my place. I’ll admit that when Roman called to tell me what happened and to ask about him living with me for a bit, I knew that the timing couldn’t have been worse. We haven’t even had a chance to talk about what happened last night and now we are going to be sharing the same air. I was close to t
elling Roman no, that there was no way that we would be able to be under the same roof without killing each other, but when I pulled up next to Grey, I was glad I hadn’t.
He sags back into the car seat as exhaustion takes over and closes his eyes. I sit at the junction until it’s clear that he isn’t going to be commenting on the arrangement. As happy as I am not to have a fight on my hand, it’s also a little worrying that he won’t argue. Grey fights for everything. Even in the nightclub when he did the wrong thing and put himself in danger, he still told me where to go and wouldn’t back down. This Grey worries me.
Deciding that he's probably just tired after everything that's happened, I put my car in gear and head home. When we get there he can settle in while I make him something to eat and then he can go straight to bed. I still have hours of work ahead of me, but for now Grey has all my attention.
I pull into my drive and cut the engine. I usually park in the garage but I decide to take Grey in through the front tonight. He doesn’t speak as he looks up at my house but his eyes widen. My house isn’t massive but it is bigger than one guy needs. I bought it mainly for the huge back garden, and this summer I’m determined to get the decked area finished so I can have everyone over for a BBQ. I’ve never had a garden before because I’ve always lived in apartments, so when I decided to buy I had to have one.
I climb out of the car and walk to the door, pausing to let a slow Grey catch up with me. I unlock the door and throw my keys in the bowl that’s just inside the door. “There’s a spare set of keys in there that you can use. Just take them as you need them.” I turn to look at him and he nods. I don't know how much to show him tonight. “Do you want to look around tonight, or should I just show you your room?”
I see his shoulders sag in what looks like relief. “Do you mind if I just go to bed? I’m so close to falling down. My day has been long and difficult.”
I feel terrible for him, especially since I know I called him and woke him up at a stupid o’clock this morning. I don't normally feel guilt, but I get the telltale sign as I watch Grey drag himself behind me. “About last night …”
Grey holds up a hand, silencing me before I can say anything else. “Please, Nathan. Not tonight. The last thing I need to add to my already high stress levels is talking about that embarrassing moment. Can I please just go to bed?”
I nod my head and walk down the hall towards the room I quickly made up before I left to pick him up. I point out the bathroom as we pass it, even though his room has an en-suite, and I also point out my office and bedroom just in case he needs me for anything. His bedroom is in between my office and the master bedroom, so if he does need anything I won’t be hard to find.
He walks into the room and starts stripping off without even looking around. He seems to be on autopilot now and even though I should leave him to get undressed, my feet refuse to move. Later I’ll pretend to myself that I was just making sure he made it to bed safely, but of course I know it’s because I want to see him naked.
He pulls off his uniform top, leaving him standing in a tank top, and my dick thickens painfully in my tight jeans. I knew Grey had tattoos because whenever he wears a t-shirt they peek out of the sleeves, but I didn’t know that he had so many. Well I say many, but the way it’s designed makes it look like one big piece of art all over his right bicep and shoulder. I can’t see all of it because it disappears under his top, but I want to see it all. It’s a mainly black design, but I can see the start of color as it moves across his shoulders and down his back. I want to walk over to him and strip him naked so I can see it all. My tongue suddenly desperate to trace the design.
While I'm fantasizing about how his skin would taste, he removes his pants and gets into bed. He doesn’t acknowledge me as he shuffles under the sheets and pulls them around his body. It’s like he's trying to shut out the world. I stand there for a few moments more before I turn off the light and pull the door over. I don't close it fully, leaving a small gap for some light to seep through, so if he does wake up, he won’t panic in the dark.
With one more look into the bedroom, I drag myself back to my office, determined to make some progress on this fucking website.
I pull the sheet up over my head in an attempt to block out the sun that's shining straight into my eyes. Snuggling further into the pillow I try to go back to sleep, but there’s a sudden noise that sounds like someone is banging against my bedroom wall. I sit up suddenly and look around. Panic floods me as I realize something is very wrong. This isn’t my room. Where the hell am I?
I look around and don’t recognize anything. The panic starts to rise inside me as I try to remember where I am. I hear a muttered curse from the room next to me and I stare at the wall, hoping that maybe if I stare hard enough I might suddenly be able to see through it.
I close my eyes and try to focus on what happened and where I am. When the memories start to come back I wish they hadn’t. The memory of my apartment burning is something I could have lived without. The knowledge of where I am hits me at the same time. I'm at Nathan’s house and apparently this is where I'm going to be living for the foreseeable future.
With that thought I look around for my cell phone. When I don't see it I get out of the bed and grab my uniform top. I can feel the weight of my phone in the pocket and I grab it, ignoring the texts on it from Roman making sure I'm okay and send him my own message.
‘Thanks for the heads up!! You could have at least warned me that Nathan was going to be my new housemate … did you not listen when I spoke the other night?’
I turn off my phone and throw it on top of the bed. I don't know why I feel so angry with Roman but I do, and I don’t want to speak to him at the moment. No doubt Nathan let him know I was here, so he knows I'm safe.
Opening the door I stick my head out into the hall and try to remember everything that Nathan told me, but it’s gone. I was so out of it last night, the numbness completely overtaking me when I got into Nathan’s car and felt safe, that I can’t remember where the bathroom is. I walk down the hall quietly, trying the doors as I head away from the room where I know Nathan is. Well I think it’s Nathan, but I'm sure I would remember if someone had mentioned him having a roommate.
One of the doors leads me to what must be Nathan’s room, and I hover a little longer than I should. It’s very much a guy’s room, with gunmetal gray walls and a huge TV that takes up most of one wall. The bed is also huge, but it looks comfortable with loads of pillows thrown onto it. That's something that surprises me; Nathan doesn’t seem to be the kind of guy who would accessorize. A blush heats my cheeks when think I about Nathan in that bed, on the phone to me, and I know it’s time to leave.
I finally find the bathroom and after using the toilet, and stealing some mouthwash I found inside a cupboard over the sink, I make my way towards the room I think Nathan is in. It’s silent as I come to a stop outside so I knock softly, hoping that if he's busy he won’t mind being disturbed. I hear him shouting from inside but I don't hear what he says. I risk going in, thinking if he didn’t want me to come in then he would’ve come to the door.
“Nathan?” I push the door open and look around until my eyes land on him. This is definitely his office: the desk he's sitting in front of has three computer screens on it and a laptop to the side. I don't know much about his job, but if he works on websites I suppose he would need more than one computer.
“Hey, how did you sleep?” I walk further into the room and turn to look at the pictures that decorate the walls as I answer. I know I should look at him, but the beautiful drawings catch my attention. I've never seen anything like them before, and I walk over to them as I talk. “I was sleeping really well until someone made a noise.”
“I'm sorry about that. I tripped over my fucking chair when I was trying to get more coffee. Too much coffee and not enough sleep tends to make me clumsy.”
The volume of his voice increases as I look over the framed pictures. I've never really been into vide
o games, but I recognize the images. They’re from Halo, and they are beautiful. They look like they’re painted but more delicate, dreamlike, and I can’t look away.
“Nice aren’t they?”
I nod my head and turn to find him standing right next to me. His eyes flicker over my body as he stands there, and it’s only then that I remember that I'm only wearing my boxers and a top. Shit, I should have put some clothes on, but unfortunately the only clothes I now own is my uniform, and that's dirty. I use my arms to cover my chest a little, hoping that he doesn’t notice my awkwardness.
“Do you want a coffee?” He walks over to the other side of the office to a huge coffee machine, the likes of which I've only seen in actual coffee shops.
“Yeah, that would be great. White and sweet please.”
He smiles at me and I wonder what I said. “Finally, someone who drinks coffee like I do. I get so sick of Trey going on about how I can’t taste the coffee through all the sweet shit I add. Grab a seat while I make you one of my favorites.” He points to a couch on the opposite side of the room to his desk. It has a pillow and a blanket on it and it makes me wonder why he doesn’t just walk to his room if he's tired.
I take a seat, watching him as he takes his time adding creams and powders to a mug before bringing it over to me. I know I should trust him, but there’s a part of me that is a little scared to drink what he's just handed me. I would put off trying it but he stands and watches me with an eager look on his face. I smile at his anticipation; he looks like a ten year old who has made something he wants his mom to try. I can’t deny him my reaction so I take a sip of the coffee. Flavor explodes across my tongue and I groan in pleasure. I don’t know what the hell he’s put in it, but it’s the best thing I've ever tried. “What is this? It’s so good.”
