“No. I’ll take a shower,” I say. “Shower with me?”
He hesitates for a moment, and I expect him to refuse. But he surprises me by nodding and guides me to the bathroom.
Griffin helps me into the tub and watches me as I clean myself. I offer him a hand, urging him to join me. He didn’t turn the lights on when we entered the bathroom, so I didn’t either. If it’s what he needs to feel safe, I can handle it. I can see the outline of his body thanks to the light that filters through the open door. His two cocks are still erect. I try not to stare at them, even though that’s all I want to do right now. Not because I find them weird. Quite the opposite, actually. I want to touch them so badly.
As soon as he’s under the water, Griffin pulls me to him possessively. He nuzzles my neck, breathes me in, and touches my entire body. I melt into his arms. Who knew he could be so touchy?
Right as I’m about to offer him a blowjob, he gets out of the shower and waits for me with a towel. I guess we don’t have to rush things. I still have a few days to show him how good it can be to be with me. How free he can be with his body.
Once dry and clothed, we go back to the living room to finish the episode. I fall asleep in Griffin’s arms. Later, he walks me back to my bed. And before I have time to ask him to sleep with me, he has disappeared down the passageways.
He won’t make it easy, but I’m willing to work for it. I fall asleep with a smile on my lips.
11
Gandalf.
“Do I miss the world from before the Rise? Yes. I miss the music. I miss going to the cinema on Saturday nights and going out to dance and eat. I miss the comedy shows. But I don’t miss the people. It was harder back in those days to truly know people. Your kind neighbor could hide the darkest secrets and a twisted mind. Now that the world has changed, people show their true selves. The mean ones will attack you on the road, and the kind ones will share their meager meal with you. The lines between good and evil are easier to see.”
Extract of a handwritten journal, by Thomas MacKoy, 2056.
Breakfast the next day is the same as every day, and yet entirely different. That thing between us is growing. It’s taking so much space in the room with us, I can almost see it.
I reach for the peanut butter just as Griffin does, and our hands touch. His eyes widen slightly. Delight courses through my body, leaving behind a tingling sensation. He pulls back, but I get a hold of his hand and intertwine my fingers with his. His gaze softens as I lean over the breakfast table to kiss him. He reaches for me, and his hand circles my throat possessively. I moan, desire surging. My mind does a quick logistical calculation on how we can have sex on the breakfast table without breaking the precious jars of peanut butter, jam, and honey.
I seem to share a mind with Griffin as he pushes our plates and hoists me on the table just as Beet says, “Griffin. Sorry to interrupt whatever this is, but I’ve found Gandalf.”
We both freeze.
Gandalf?I give him a quizzical look.
Griffin’s smile is blinding as he pulls away from me. “An old friend,” he explains. “You need to meet him.”
He grabs me by the waist and puts me back on my feet. I try not to let my disappointment show.
Whoever this Gandalf is, he better be an actual wizard with magical fireworks to make up for the interruption.
Griffin leads the way to the main hatch and jumps out into the desert. Butterflies take flight in my stomach when I realize that he’s holding a hand for me to help me down. We both know I’m capable of getting out of theBeetleon my own without falling on my ass, but we’ll take any excuse to touch.
Griffin walks with purpose, yellow dust rising at his every step. He stops abruptly and knocks onnothing. Or at least, nothing that I see. The desert distorts in front of my very eyes. Another kind of camouflage, I realize with awe. A withered hand appears and pulls the shimmering tarp aside, revealing an old man with a long, white beard and round sunglasses.
“Griffin! I knew I would meet the devil sooner than later in these parts!” says Gandalf, with a smile that’s missing a few teeth. His face is dark from too much sun, and his skin is turning into old leather. He’s wearing cargo pants with numerous hand-sewn pockets, army boots, and a blue shirt.
To my surprise, both men hug. Gandalf looks extremely frail compared to Griffin.
“Gandalf, this is Helios,” he says. “A new… friend of mine.”
I grimace. I know it might have been too soon to call me his lover, but still.
“Nice to meet you,” I say. “Are you a desert wizard?”
Gandalf laughs. “You could say that! I’m a traveling merchant. My real name is Thomas, but everyone prefers to call me Gandalf. For obvious reasons.” He strokes his long beard as he says that. “Come on, I’ve been brewing some tea as soon as I noticed theBeetleon the horizon.”
We follow him under the strange tarp that shimmers like liquid light. He has set up folding stools and a small table in the shade under his vehicle. Hisfloatingvehicle.
“Is that…?” I point at the sand-colored, wheel-less machine.
“A hovercar, yes,” says Gandalf. “Military-grade. I found it in the desert two years after the Rise. I had to learn how to repair it over the years, but she’s still going strong.” He pats his vehicle with affection.
