I sat back on my heels on the now clean floor and finally met his eyes.
"I'm afraid it might be cancer."
6
JOE
Preston was going to worry himself to death. He thought he had cancer, but I was pretty sure something else was to blame for all his symptoms. And if I were right, he'd just given me the reason I'd been looking for to start living and stop existing.
But first things first. Preston needed proof he was fine, maybe more than fine. With that in mind, I helped him off the bathroom floor. Then making sure everything was as clean as we could make it, I took his hand and snuck out of the bathroom.
"I can't go back out there. I'm a mess, and the dean is an ass on a good day. I'll get in so much trouble."
Preston's anxiety was ramping up again, so I stood in front of him, hands on his cheeks and thumbs under his chin so he would focus only on me.
"I'll get you out of here, and no one will see us. Do you trust me?"
I saw hesitation, which was justified. We had been familiar with each other for a few years, but he didn't actually know me yet.
After that first breath of doubt, Preston gave a slight nod. "I'm not sure why, but yes, I do trust you."
I took a chance, leaning down to kiss his forehead, then took his hand again to lead him down a side hall on the top floor, then down some back stairs until we were outside without seeing anyone.
When we were in the cool, quiet night air with not a soul around, his grip on my hands relaxed. "Thank you for getting me out of there." Preston's relief was palpable. I tugged his hand, and he followed me across the campus to my car.
"I did it for selfish reasons, too. You're not the only one who's damp and ripe at the moment." I got to my car, unlocked the doors, then opened the passenger door for him. "Hop in, and I'll take you home so you can get cleaned up. I need to stop by the store for something first, if you don't mind."
Preston nodded and gingerly slid into the car. I wasn't interested that we would be making a mess. Leather seats were easy to clean.
I drove quickly to the store, ran in for my purchase, and returned to the car in record time. In just fifteen minutes, we were pulling in to Preston's driveway. Once the car was in park, he was out of the car and walked toward the door. He stopped, turning in surprise, when I took out my gym bag from the back seat and followed him.
“I thought, if it’s not an inconvenience, that I might clean up here. Do you mind?”
Preston rolled his eyes and relaxed visibly. “Of course, it’s alright. I’m just sorry I didn’t offer first. I can’t seem to remember my manners around you.”
He unlocked his door, then walked through the house, flipping on lights. I knew the house's layout from when I brought him home, but I hadn’t stuck around to see the place. It was more comfortable and casual than I would have thought. His dark gray sectional was the only modern piece in the living room. The rest of the furniture looked vintage or antique. The overall aesthetic was comfort. He even had a solid-looking oak rolltop desk that was obviously well-loved from the piles of books and papers stacked neatly around it.
I stood near the front door until he waved me in to follow him down the hall I knew led to the bedrooms and the guest bathroom. “Come on in. The guest bath has towels and everything you could need. There’s soap, shampoo, and extra towels under the cabinet. I have two hot water heaters, so don’t worry about running out. It’s the one quirky thing about this house I didn’t change. I love having hot water for hours if I want.”
Preston’s nervous rambling was so cute. I wanted us to be close enough that I could just walk over and kiss him just because he was cute. I hoped we could get there soon.
After showing me all the things in the bathroom I might need, Preston squeezed by me and disappeared into his room at the end of the hall. I wasted no time stripping my clothes off and then stuffed them in a small plastic bag I found under the sink. They weren’t ruined, but they needed a serious sterilization. I sealed the bag as well as I could. The smell was beyond bad.
I turned on the shower to just shy of scalding before stepping into the scorching spray. Gritting my teeth, I took the body wash from the shower caddy and scrubbed every inch twice. The light vanilla and pistachio scent was heavenly. I made a note of the brand so I could get some for my mother for Christmas. After washing my hair and all my bits and pieces, I turned off the water and got out to dry off.
Had I thought about rubbing one out? Absolutely, I had. Guaranteed it would happen sooner rather than later, but today was about gaining Preston’s trust. Jizzing all over his guest bath would not have made the best impression. With that decided, I got dressed in my clean gym clothes and found the extra toothbrush in the cabinet. Even though I hadn’t been the one to blow chunks today, the whole situation had still given me the desperate need to brush and swallow a gallon of mouthwash.
When I was clean and dressed, and my mouth smelled like five kinds of peppermint, I left the bathroom and went to the kitchen. Even though he was feeling sick most of the time, he still needed to try to eat. I heard the water in the back of the house turn off and decided to make something for him to nibble when he came out.
Snooping in his cabinets and fridge, I found ginger tea and everything to make a grilled cheese. That might help settle his tummy.
When Preston came around the corner of the hallway into the kitchen ten minutes later, his face lit up in a sweet smile.
“You’re cooking?”
I picked up the skillet I’d used to cook the grilled cheese, slid the sandwich onto a plate, and set it before him on the placemat I found in a drawer. “Yep, I made grilled cheese. Hope that’s okay.”
“It’s great. I love grilled cheese. Is there enough for me, too?”
