WHEN THEYopened the door to the apartment, Jasper took it in as though seeing it for the first time, as Rob was.
He was both pleased and a little embarrassed by the view. He didn’t know he’d be having a visitor, so the place wasn’t exactly tidy. The fact was, he’d pretty much promised himself hewouldn’tinvite Rob home—not this soon anyway. So much for good intentions!
He wished the apartment were cleaner. There was an empty Popchips bag on the table, along with a now-gone-flat glass of some purple-colored soft drink. The table surface wore a furry layer of dust. Inside the hearth of the decorative fireplace, Stan had stacked issues ofEntertainment Weeklyand a few empty boxes from game software. A pair of Stan’s shoes, loafers for Christ’s sake, lay between the couch and the coffee table. Jasper tried not to breathe it in, but the place had a faint odor of perspiration and something else, maybe corn chips? He shuddered.
In spite of all this, the little place did have its charm. The hardwood floors gleamed. Washed-out sunlight came in through the large windows facing Fargo Avenue, outside of which one could take in the budding trees. The crown molding and other vintage touches, like the frosted-glass wall sconces above the fireplace and built-in cabinetry, made the place feel homey and warm.
Warm in the metaphorical sense. “Shit. It’s cold in here. You cold?” Jasper didn’t wait for Rob to answer. “Heat’s included in the rent. But it’s supposed to be springtime, you know? So they shut off the radiators about a week ago, regardless of the temperature. Gotta love Chicago landlords and their cluelessness about local weather. Spring in Chicago means freezing days, rain, and then, boom, heat and oppressive humidity. Hello, summer!”
“It’s not so bad. And this place is really charming.”
“Ah, come on. I’ve seen your house. Literally like something out ofArchitectural Digest.”
“I probably shouldn’t say this, but it has been featured there—before I bought the house, mind you.” Rob wandered left, toward the dining room that had been converted into Jasper’s bedroom.
Jasper gave out a little gasp as he hurried after him. “Sorry.” He rushed to pull up the covers and smoothed them with a trembling hand. “So your place has been in a magazine and you’re gonna pull my leg and tell me this hole is ‘charming’?” Jasper chuckled. “Come on!”
“Yes, because it’s you. I love the retro flavor of the place.” Rob walked into the kitchen and eyed the old porcelain sink with the plaid skirt underneath and the walk-in pantry. He peered out the window of the back door to the big yard in the back, walled in by L tracks above. “It’s so urban and at the same time homey.”
“Are you patronizing me?”
“No, I’m serious!” Rob turned and checked the bathroom out next. He gave a low whistle. “That’s an original porcelain claw-foot tub! Look how deep it is. And the way it reclines! You must love taking baths. They don’t make tubs like that anymore, not even the luxury ones.”
“Yeah, but look at the sink and its two handles, one for hot and one for cold. You can never have just warm water unless you fill up the basin.”
Rob eyed him. “Can’t you just take a compliment? Maybe appreciate what you have?”
Jasper’s mouth dropped open. He thought he should be offended, but Rob’s observation was spot-on. Why couldn’t he let himself believe Rob found his home charming? It was. It really was. He knew it, so why couldn’t he hear it from someone else?
Because Rob was rich?
Jasper remembered when he and Lacy had first seen the apartment, shown around by the building’s property manager. They’d both loved it, the way the light streamed in, its spaciousness for a one-bedroom. Even its proximity to the L tracks, practically sitting on top of them, was quirky and kind of wonderful.
Jasper didn’t know what to say, so he changed the subject. “I need to get into something dry. I’m going to freeze to death in this wet shit.”
Rob nodded. He turned and walked into the living room. Jasper followed. “Grab a seat on the couch. I’ll make some coffee after I get changed. That’ll warm us up.”
He veered around the corner into his own room and quickly stripped down, feeling irrationally modest for once in his life, and changed into a hoodie and a pair of red-and-white-checked flannel sleep pants. He noticed his bare feet were bright red from the freezing lake water and rain and thought he was lucky not to have frostbite. He retrieved a pair of faded sock-monkey socks from a drawer and pulled them on.
Jasper poked his head back into the living room. “I just have to heat the water up for the french press.”
Rob nodded toward the closed door at the other end of the living room.
“Was that her room?”
Jasper caught his breath. It was almost as though Lacy might be behind the closed, white-painted wooden door, sleeping off a night of drinking. Oh, how he wished she was.
“Yeah. Of course.”
Rob stood. “Can I see it? I mean, if your roommate wouldn’t mind? I don’t want to invade his privacy.”
“I think it’ll be okay,” Jasper said softly. He moved to open the door, but something caused him to halt in his tracks. “You sure you want to do this? It was where she—” He let the unsaid hang in the air, like a wisp of smoke.
“I know,” Rob said. “I’d still like to see.”
Jasper moved to the door and placed his hand on the knob. “It’s mostly Stan’s room now. You’re not gonna see a lot of her in there.” He didn’t mention that he’d donated her bed, dresser, and chest of drawers to the Brown Elephant, a thrift store over on Clark. He swung the door open, and for a moment, he saw her lying there, staring at him with her dark eyes and grinning.
The image vanished as quickly as it had come. “Sorry, Stan’s even more of a slob than I am.”
