Chapter Twenty-Three
It wasn’t unusual forCold to come home late. Sometimes it wouldn’t be until the wee hours of the morning before he would return, carefully sliding into bed to fall asleep beside Jimmy.
He would always be freshly showered, but sometimes Jimmy could still detect a faint hint of smoke or some other troubling odor.
Jimmy never questioned Cold’s nocturnal activities, and he was always grateful for him to come home safely to their bed.
He worried about him constantly. He was fully aware of how dangerous Cold’s chosen profession was, and it was difficult sometimes to drift off without him. His heart always fluttered with joy and relief when he felt those strong arms curling around him.
That’s when he knew Cold was safe. He was home, alive, and Jimmy could fall right to sleep. There was one evening, however, when Cold didn’t come home as expected that was much more concerning than all the others before it.
Today was Jimmy’s birthday, and Cold had promised him a very special surprise at precisely six o’clock.
He rushed through his classes and hurried home to find a new suit waiting for him. He showered, got dressed, and spent the remaining time trying to get Jerry to tell him what the big surprise was.
“I’m sorry,monsieur,” Jerry had laughed heartily, “but if I tell you,MonsieurCold will certainly break my legs.”
Jimmy wasn’t sure if Jerry was kidding or not, but either way he wouldn’t budge.
When it was five minutes after six o’clock, Jimmy frowned. Cold prided himself on punctuality, and today was a very special occasion. He checked his phone to verify the time and see if he had any new messages.
Nothing.
Five minutes turned into fifteen and then an hour, Jimmy gnawing his nails down to the meat as he paced. He tried calling and texting, all with no response. Out of desperation, he frantically called Rowena.
Rowena immediately tried to calm him down and insisted that everything was fine.
“But it’s my freakin’ birthday,” Jimmy said. “I didn’t think he’d miss it.”
“Look,” Rowena said with a click of her tongue, “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s probably just busy. It’s not like he forgot!”
“Wish you were here,” Jimmy said with a sigh. “At least I wouldn’t be freaking out alone, you know?”
“I know, sweetie. But I wasn’t invited, remember?” She laughed. “Whatever he has planned for you, it’s super special. He wanted it to just be the two of you and all that romantic crap.”
“Yeah, well,” Jimmy mumbled, “scaring me like this isn’t exactly romantic.”
