Donny opened his eyes. His lips quirked in a shy sort of smile and he patted Roland’s legs, pushing back and crawling over him to get out of bed.
“Are you leaving?” Roland asked, watching Donny’s every move as he stood and stretched.
“Yes.” Donny gathered his clothes off the floor.
Roland turned his back to Donny. He didn’t want to show even the slightest hint of disappointment, or worse— hurt.
“But so are you. Come on.” The bed dipped as Donny pressed a knee into it so he could reach forward and touch his palm flat against Roland’s back. “Let’s shower. We have some errands to do today.”
Roland looked over his shoulder at Donny. “We?”
Donny nodded. “We need to go to the grocery store, for one. And fill that prescription, for two. And you should probably get some more cat litter for Pete if you want him to be here, don’t you think?” Donny stood again and went into the bathroom.
Roland rolled onto his other side and watched Donny turn the water on in the shower and run his hand under the spray until he found the right temperature. Donny leaned back so he could see the bed out of the doorway.
“Come on in, Roland. The water’s fine.”
He disappeared behind the glass shower door, and Roland observed the lines of Donny’s body as he rinsed himself under the spray. This whole morning was new territory for Roland, and the thought of standing in the shower with Donny was both exciting and terrifying. He wasn’t sure he could do it.
Roland sat up and kept his eye on the shower door as the steam from the heat obscured Donny’s legs, then his hips and chest. When Donny’s body was nothing more than a blur behind the fog, Roland gathered the courage to go into the bathroom. As he placed one foot onto the tile floor, the door swung open, and a rush of steam filled the room. Donny stepped out and reached for a towel, drying himself quickly before wrapping it around his waist.
He ran a hand through his wet hair and smiled up at Roland. “You missed the fun.” He walked past Roland toward the bedroom. Roland stepped into the shower himself now, alone, and quickly washed. He conditioned his hair and rinsed it clean, then turned the water off and stepped out to towel dry.
After getting dressed, he found Donny in the kitchen, drinking a glass of milk.
“So, what’s on the agenda, boss?” Roland quipped.
Donny glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. “First, we get you some food for this house, and then we go fill your prescription, and then breakfast.”
Roland glared at Donny across the kitchen.
“We go fill your prescription,” Donny repeated, “and then go get litter and some better bowls for Pete, and we can go by my place and grab him. Assuming you still want to Pete-sit.” Donny looked at Roland across the room, his eyes full of trepidation he was trying to mask behind un-deserved trust.
“You’d really let me watch him again? After what happened?”
Donny finished his milk and rinsed the glass, dried it, then returned it to the cabinet. “Everyone makes mistakes, Roland.”
He looked up and watched Donny bend over to lace his shoes. Roland couldn’t make sense of the kindness Donny was offering him. He hadn’t done anything to deserve a second chance. He closed his eyes and wondered how many chances he would get before Donny grew weary of what life with him was like. Four chances? Seven? Twenty? Roland’s life hadn’t ever been easy, and it wasn’t going to magically start being easy just because Donny put food in his fridge.
Speaking of things in his fridge, Roland needed more vodka.
“So, are you home tomorrow? Because I work all day, and Pete could use some company.” Donny stood up straight and checked his pockets.
Roland wondered if he could buy vodka when he was with Donny or if he would have to go out later.
“I’m home.”
Donny smiled and gestured over his shoulder toward the door, “Great. Ready to go then?”
“Why are you doing this?” Roland asked bluntly.
“Doing what?”
Interfering. Meddling. Caring.
“Helping me.”
Donny looked like he was seriously thinking about the question, and he chewed his lip between his teeth while he formulated a reply.
