“But Jinx really seemed like he needed looking after, he was trying to eat flowers and you didn’t trust him to find someone on his own?” said Sam. The young man, no demon, really hadn’t seemed to have the skills to survive on his own.
Tally wriggled back a little to look at him. “You are so sweet Sam. But you don’t need to worry about him. I’ll check on him in a couple of days, if he hasn’t shown up.”
“Okay,” agreed Sam. It was a strange feeling, being both terrified of Jinx and concerned for him. But it seemed that the word strange was becoming the motto for his life. He might as well get used to it.
He pulled Tally in close again and their bodies fitted together like two connecting jigsaw pieces. Sam fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Chapter 18
Thenextdayitwas pouring with rain. Sam knew that meant the bar would be fairly quiet. He was actually looking forward to it. They had had a great week so far, so a drop in takings wasn’t a big deal and having a bit of a break was going to be nice. Heaven knew he needed it. Maybe a nice chilled evening would give his brain time to catch up on everything that had happened. Some peace and quiet might help him to accept that the world differed vastly from what he had always believed. Help him to comprehend that the world was more dangerous, more magical, with more possibilities than he ever could have imagined.
He hummed as he worked and smiled fondly at Tally, who darted around collecting empties like some kind of over enthusiastic bumble bee.
Sam glanced over at the door as it opened and found himself staring straight into Danny’s eyes. Sam nearly dropped the coke he was pouring for Joseph and had to hastily put it down.
Danny walked towards him with his sinewy grace that always set Sam’s heart fluttering. He watched, completely dumbfounded, as Danny calmly climbed onto a barstool and gave Sam his soft smile as he lowered the hood of his coat.
“Hi,” said Danny, his sapphire blue eyes twinkling.
“Umm… Hi,” stammered Sam.
Danny looked good. He had done something different to his golden hair, and he was dressed more conservatively than he used to. It suited him. Even drenched through from the rain, the man looked good.
“Can we talk?” asked Danny.
Sam nodded and headed for the stairs to his apartment. Danny followed him. Just as Sam was about to turn and walk upstairs, he saw Tally standing motionless with a stack of empties in his arms, staring at Sam with a devastated, heartbroken look. Sam swallowed and turned away.
Danny walked into the apartment like he had never left. He sat down on the sofa and looked around, a bemused expression on his face. Sam shuffled awkwardly. He hadn’t changed a single thing since Danny had left. Not a thing in over a year. It was like a museum or perhaps a shrine.
Danny liked to redecorate, or at least rearrange the furniture every couple of months. He would think it was odd. He would definitely notice and it felt like far too intimate a thing to give Danny, that knowledge, that glimpse into Sam’s soul of just how much their break up had broken him. But it was too late now. Danny had seen everything.
Sam mumbled something about making a drink and fled to the kitchen. He made himself a tea and Danny his favorite, hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows. Sam didn’t like whipped cream, but he still bought a can every time he went shopping. He knew he needed to stop, but it was an ingrained habit now. A ritual.
He carried the hot chocolate over to Danny and handed it to him proudly. Danny took it with a little quirk of his eyebrow and a faint smile.
Tally would have beamed. Tally would have wriggled excitedly, dived in and got cream all over his nose and laughed. Why had he never made Tally a hot chocolate? He was an idiot. He was going to make him one later.
Gingerly, Sam sat down in the armchair opposite Danny and blew on his tea before taking a tiny sip. He stared at Danny, still not quite believing he was here.
Danny took a deep breath, “I guess I should come out and say it?”
His lilting accent still caused shivers down Sam’s spine. He waited with bated breath.
“I was stupid to leave you for Josh. I’m sorry, and I want you back.”
Sam slowly put his tea down, it sloshed over the sides. So many nights he had cried himself to sleep, hugging a pillow and dreaming of this. And now it was really happening. He and Danny had been good together. Sam had been in love. It had been a normal relationship that had grown from Danny being a regular at the bar.
There was no hell, no past lives, no crazy. It was real and normal and safe. Everything Sam wanted.
An image flashed across his mind of the look on Tally’s face as he had taken Danny upstairs. Sam winced and closed his eyes. More images played. Tally giggling as he spun around the pole. Tally standing in the apartment surrounded by a hundred stolen flowers. Tally staring deep into his eyes as he spilled. Tally threatening the biker with a knife for insulting Sam’s honor. Tally eating muesli like it was the world’s best cuisine.
Sam smiled, “I’m with someone else now.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Danny, his eyes wide with surprise.
Sam shook his head, amused at how clear Danny’s true opinion of him was. Danny thought of himself as a ten gracing Sam’s lowly three with his presence. Hell, it was probably only a three in Danny’s eyes because he owned a bar and an apartment. He had loved Danny but had always known the man was vain with a big ego.
Sam realized he could finally see the funny side of that. Sam knew he had many flaws, but he knew looks wise alone he was a good catch. Nevermind that he owned a business with a steady income. But he had still never matched up to Danny’s ridiculously high expectations.
