"What?" He sat up and looked at Des.
"Don't move," Des whined, pulling him back down and half-draping himself over Othello. "It's a long story I'll tell you in the morning. Now sleep."
Othello chuckled and held him tightly, listening to Des's soft snores as he drifted off to sleep.
Des groaned sleepily,wrinkling his brows as he slowly opened his eyes, expecting to wake up in his bedroom. Seeing the familiar dark red made him recall he'd shown up at Othello's place, needing somewhere safe to collect his thoughts and sanity after everything he had dealt with the day before. He was aboutto close his eyes and drift back to sleep when the scent of coffee reached his nose.
Othello,he thought, sitting up in bed. So it wasn't a dream. Des had sworn he was dreaming the night before when he felt Othello's presence. Giggling, he pushed the covers off and got out of bed, not even caring about his state of dress, and ran to the kitchen, stopping only for a second to watch Othello, who was standing at the stove with his back to him. Des hurried over, circling his arms around Othello's waist and burying his face in his rigid back.
"You're awake."
He hummed, feeling Othello's deep baritone voice vibrating on his face. They had only been separated for a day, but it felt like years. Lately, they hadn't been spending that much time together. Othello was always busy with family things, and Des was occupied with school, commissioned work, and now his mom. He just needed one day with his lover without any interruptions. Thinking of Ava, Des knew he had to meet with Erin later to discuss how to deal with his father.
"What's with all the sighing?" Othello asked.
"I was thinking about my mom," Des answered, pressing his cheek against Othello’s warm skin. He didn’t want to let go, but he knew he would have to eventually.
"That's a first. Holding me makes you think of a woman, and your mom at that." He chuckled.
"It's not like that," he told Othello, pouting. “I hoped to spend the day with you, but I have stupid errands." He went to say more, but his cellphone rang, and he knew he had to answer it because it could be his mother. Yesterday, after he returnedto his apartment, she’d fussed over him. It was cute for about an hour until it became intolerable. He wasn't used to Ava's affection, and so when she fell asleep on the couch, he escaped to Othello's apartment.
"Are you going to answer that?" Othello asked.
"I don't want to. It's my mom," he whined.
"I really need to hear the story as to what's going on, but you need to get that; it might be an emergency."
"Fine," he groaned, releasing Othello and hurrying back to the bedroom to get his phone. He was surprised to see that it wasn’t his mother but Mr. Ricci, which caused Des to furrow his brows.
"Why is he calling me so early in the morning?" Des mumbled to himself. Des did not like Cassio Ricci. If it wasn't because he was trying to get his name out there as an artist, he would have told the man to fuck off.
Cassio Ricci always seemed to find Des wherever he was, as if he had a tracker on him. First, it was the time he bought him dinner, then at the grocery store, and the other day, it was the cafe Des liked to frequent. It was very annoying. Not to mention the sly touches or the flirting, which Des ignored or politely told him how much he loved his boyfriend. Des always smiled when he said Othello was his boyfriend.
"Everything alright with your mom?"
Des looked up when he heard Othello's question. "It wasn't her. It was a client. I missed his call. I’ll return it later."
Othello nodded. "Breakfast is ready. Go clean up."
"Okay." He threw his phone to the bed and then ran to the bathroom, grabbing his towel as he went for a quick shower.
Othello smiledand was about to head back to the kitchen when Des’s cellphone rang. He was going to ignore it, but that thought went out the window when he saw Cassio Ricci’s name on the screen. Othello frowned and reached for the ringing device. His finger hovered over the decline button, but it instantly moved over and answered the phone.
“How the hell did you get this number?” Othello growled.
Ricci chuckled, and it irritated Othello more than it should have. “It seems the little dove is keeping secrets.”
Between the business card, the videos, and now the phone call, Othello didn't have an explanation, and his curiosity was beyond piqued.
“Stay away from Des,” Othello snapped. “I know what you’re trying to do, and it won’t work. Keep ignoring my words, and I’ll make sure you pay dearly.”
Ricci laughed loud and hard as if Othello were a comedian. “I’m not afraid of you, Moor. Besides, I can’t stay away from your little doctor. He’s quite intriguing. In the beginning, I was going to use him to get you, but now, I want him for myself.”
“You really want me to put a bullet between your eyes.” Othello wanted to growl or smash something but held it together. “Heed my warning, Ricci. Come near Des again, and I’ll kill you.”
Othello hung up before Ricci could utter another annoying word. He threw Des’s phone back on the bed and went to the kitchen to grab his own cellphone, which rang as soon as he picked it up. Gratiano’s name flashed across the screen.
“Do you have time to meet tomorrow?”
