Thinking about Danny brought tears to his eyes that were quickly washed away by the falling water spilling out of the showerhead above him. For the first time in days, he let all his emotions ride over him as he sat down in the shower and cried. He cried for Danny, sure, but he also cried for himself—crying because he couldn’t be the grieving boyfriend in public.Hell, it’s not like Danny and I were boyfriends. Not really.
After finishing his cleanse, physically and spiritually, he turned off the water and toweled himself off. He ran the towel through his hair, leaving it a floppy mess on the top of his head.I can’t go out looking like this, he thought. But then he remembered there were no lurking paparazzi ready to snap his picture if he didn’t look cover-model ready. Ethan finished drying the rest of his body and hung up the towel Blayne had given him on the hook behind the door. He then brushed his teeth, just because.
He pulled on a pair of Armani boxer briefs and Under Armour shorts he liked to lounge around in. He applied deodorant and went to put on his T-shirt he’d grabbed out of his bag but couldn’t find it in the bathroom.Must have left it on top of my bag. Ethan slipped out of the bathroom and walked down the hall. He passed Blayne’s door as Blayne came out of the room and smacked right into him.
“Sorry,” Ethan said immediately, noticing Blayne’s hand resting on his chest. “I should have been watching where I was going.”
“No. It’s my fault. I didn’t look both ways before leaving my room,” Blayne joked as he removed his hand. “In reality, it’s neither of our faults. Sometimes, people accidentally bump into each other in a hall.”
“That they do.”
Ethan noticed then Blayne was also wearing a pair of Under Armour shorts and a T-shirt that said Pennington University. “Hey, that’s where you teach, isn’t it?” Ethan asked, pointing at Blayne’s shirt.
“Yep. And where I’m working on my doctorate.”
“Cool, cool,” Ethan responded, nodding his head. “Anyway, I need to grab my T-shirt. I left it in the bedroom.”
“I’ll get out of your way then,” Blayne said, stepping back into the primary bedroom’s door frame, moving his right arm in a sweeping motion.
“Thank you, kind sir,” Ethan said as he passed.
Ethan opened the door at the end of the short hall and saw his T-shirt sitting on top of the bag. He’d gone with the one he’d gotten from a friend who had been in theSpiderman, Turn Off the Darkcast when it had been on Broadway. He thought Blayne would find it kitschy and fun. He picked up the shirt and slid it over his head before letting it fall around his waist. It was oversized on him. He found the material really soft, which was why he liked to lounge around in it.
He moved to pick up his phone and found it dead.Dammit!Ethan searched through his bag, looking for his charging cable. Dammit again,he thought as he couldn’t find the blasted thing.
He grabbed the dead phone and walked out of the room and down the hall into Blayne’s living room.
“Blayne, do you have a Samsung Galaxy charging cable by chance?” Ethan asked as he walked into the room.
“Sorry, I’m an iPhone guy.”
“No worries. I’ll pick one up when we’re out and about.”
“Actually, I think my friend Kira is a Galaxy person. I’ll text her and see if she has an extra cable you can borrow or if she’ll at least bring hers over so you can charge tonight.”
“Thanks! I want to make sure I miss nothing important,” Ethan said. “You know, just in case.”
“Not a problem, Roy. I’m sure Kira would be happy to help.”
Ethan watched as Blayne picked up his iPhone and started composing a message. Blayne looked so cute, all focused on his phone. His T-shirt rode up just enough for Ethan to see the lower part of Blayne’s belly button. He noticed Blayne was pretty smooth but had a treasure trail leading into his shorts.
“What’s wrong?” Blayne asked suddenly.
“Oh, sorry,” Ethan said, diverting his eyes back to Blayne’s face. “I was lost in my head,” he lied.
“Kira said she has a spare in her office that she’ll bring with her tonight. She said you could borrow it until you can pick one up yourself.”
“She’s a godsend,” Ethan said.
“Wanna watch some TV?” Blayne asked.
“Nah,” Ethan said. “I don’t want to see what’s happening in the world. Being with you here is like an oasis away from all my life.”
“Ahh…” Blayne said, looking at him sympathetically. Blayne motioned to the couch. “So, tell me about what happened? If you don’t mind.”
“I can’t give you all the details because it’s only partially my story,” Ethan started as he sat down.
“Okay, I sense this is going to be a long one,” Blayne started. “Cocktail first?”
