“You about done?” Josiah asked from the bedroom.
“Yeah, sorry.” Denny ran his fingers through his hair and deemed himself ready.
He stepped out, just to bump into Jo who was digging through his backpack he’d left on top of the dresser by the bathroom door.
“Shit, sorry,” they said in unison, then chuckled.
“I forgot to bring my clothes in,” Denny explained his attire.
“That’s why I was getting mine before you decided to tackle me,” Jo said dryly, but he was grinning a little.
“Yeah, yeah….” Denny squeezed past Josiah and smiled at the scent of sun and the hint of woodsmoke—and a little weed too. He rounded the bed and waited for Josiah to grab his clothes and go into the bathroom before putting on some boxer briefs. He rarely wore anything to bed, but it was a courtesy to not sleep in the nude while having company.
Then he went to the living area and got under the covers on the uncomfortable couch.
The shower turned off and a while later Josiah emerged from the bedroom wearing a tank top, the ink on his forearms glistening where water droplets hung on to the colorful skin. He looked rumpled already, because he’d toweled his hair and didn’t care about fixing it at all at this hour. Denny smiled fondly.
“Good night,” Jo said, checking that he was doing okay on the couch.
“Night.”
Before he fell asleep, Denny wondered why they both had such damn bad luck with relationships. He knew he was used goods, but he was a decent man. What he didn’t get was that Josiah, who was perfect on paper, couldn’t find a man who loved him like he should be loved. If only there was an easy solution for their relationship problems.
Denny felt surprisingly refreshed. He woke before Josiah, so he used the bathroom, got dressed in sweats and a T-shirt, and went to make breakfast.
He’d gotten all sorts of stuff, knowing that they’d—well, more Denny himself than Jo, but still—need to eat to soak up the alcohol.
He’d managed to drink a cup of coffee and eat a piece of toast by the time Josiah stumbled out of the bedroom.
“Coffee?” he croaked.
“Yup, and I’m just putting bacon in the oven. I’ll make some French toast and scrambled eggs too.”
The sound Josiah made next was little bit lewd as his stretch turned into a pleased groan.
“We need to come here more often, I’ve missed your weekend breakfasts,” he said as he scratched the hair below his belly button.
Denny looked back to the bacon he was placing on the tray and smiled. “Yeah, well, now that neither of us has a significant other, maybe we can do this more often.”
“Deal.”
Jo went to the bathroom and by the time he got back, Denny had everything but the French toast ready.
“Start eating, I’ll finish these and join you.”
“Want another coffee?” Josiah asked as he went to pour himself some.
“Yeah, sure. How does the weather look? Do you want to eat outside?”
Josiah poured more coffee into Denny’s mug and then meandered to the windows with his own cup clutched in his hands.
“Looks okay, but let’s eat inside. No carrying stuff that way.”
“Whatever you say, dear,” Denny teased, and got a low little chuckle in reply.
When they sat at the table, stuffing their faces with the nice breakfast, Jo asked, “Did Dave like French toast?”
Denny smiled wistfully. “Yeah.”
