“Thanks for letting me know that,” Roman said.
But still, he stared. Ezra conducted a quick self-assessment. He’d changed out of his nice shirt and slacks into a pair of shorts and t-shirt to make moving more comfortable. The t-shirt was 100% cotton and light blue, an inoffensive color. The shorts were well-fitting and pulled up all the way to his waist without any rips or tears. He’d brushed his teeth recently, so it couldn’t be his breath. Ezra reached up to touch his hair. Not perfectly combed, but not too messy either. Perhaps he’d left a bit of ketchup on his face from lunch. He wiped his face self-consciously while Roman’s focus narrowed on his mouth.
“Is there something about my appearance that’s upsetting you?” Ezra asked. He’d learned that it was best to be direct.
“No, not at all.” Now Roman looked flustered as well.
“Because you keep staring at me,” Ezra persisted. He’d like to get to the bottom of this now, rather than be left to worry.
“I’m sorry, Ezra. I like looking at you. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Had Ezra made another blunder? Perhaps this sort of intense eye contact was normal, and he was the one being rude. He thought about a way in which to remedy his assumption. “It’s fine if you want to look at me, sir, but if you notice something strange about my appearance, I’d prefer you tell me straightaway. I try to be very tidy, but if I’ve got something on my mouth or crumbs on my shirt, I’d rather know it.” Ezra tried to minimize opportunities for others to make fun of him, and he would appreciate help in that regard.
“I will remember that.” Roman nodded and gestured to the pool. “Do you like to swim?”
Ezra had visited the beach in the Florida Panhandle a few times and found the sand to be quite unpleasant, working its way into all of his cracks and crevices and making his skin itchy and irritated. And there were things in the water that he didn’t care for, squishy things that sucked at his toes as well as sharp objects. He’d tried wearing netted shoes, which helped, but there was still the matter of the sea life that lived in the water. Ezrareallydidn’t like surprises. But swimming on its own, in a concrete structure without the threat of predators, that sounded appealing.
“It’s not currently part of my schedule, but I could probably make time for swimming,” Ezra said at last. Roman smiled, which put Ezra more at ease. The man was serious and a little bit stern, but when he smiled, he seemed much gentler and kind.
“We should probably talk about your schedule, since you’ll need to work outside of school hours,” Roman suggested.
They sat together at the kitchen table, Roman pushing aside stacks of menus so that there was a cleared space to work. The build-up of clutter in this house was really dire. No wonder Roman was seldom at home. How could he possibly relax in such a disorganized environment? But Ezra wouldn’t focus on that right now. He checked his calendar and mapped out when his work hours might be.
“Outside of daily chores, I’d prefer to clean on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays because I’m taking a summer class on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I like to get started on my assignments right away. I’ve also kept Mr. Reid on his regular Monday afternoon appointment. Saturday is for diversionary activities and Sunday is when I’ll do my deep cleaning.”
“Deep cleaning?” Roman asked.
Ezra could think of at least a dozen deep-cleaning projects off the top of his head, but he didn’t want to overwhelm the man. And Roman seemed sensitive about the disorderly state of his house.
“Deep cleaning is for projects that might take a couple of hours. For instance…” Ezra scrolled through his typed list and selected the most pressing one. “I’d like to deep clean and reorganize your refrigerator.”
Roman nodded, seeming to like the idea. “That should work well with my schedule, since I’m gone most weekdays, sometimes well into the evenings. Sunday afternoon is when I meet with my managers about the upcoming week, so I’ll be out of your hair then too.”
“Are there any cleaning products that are off-limits?”
“Off-limits?”
“Your oven is top-of-the-line, as are your other appliances, and I don’t want to harm their surfaces. I tend to stay away from products that are abrasive and smelly. I know several brands that are non-toxic and mildly scented that work very well.”
“Ah, well... I don’t know the answer to that,” Roman said. “I’ve never done a deep cleaning myself.”
“I can look it up online. I don’t see myself getting to that for another few weeks anyhow.”
Ezra had been taking notes on his tablet all along. His first order of business would be to sort the clutter into piles for Roman to review. If Roman was attached to a lot of it, he might then suggest a paneled shelving unit to properly store his belongings. Papers were easily crumpled and torn when left lying around and Ezra didn’t want his precious things ruined because of neglect. Perhaps he could also look into some collapsible file folders and bins for the items Roman might like to save, like the menus. And surely, they’d need to be categorized…
“The place is kind of a mess,” Roman said, interrupting Ezra’s internal processing. The man raised his arm to scratch the back of his neck, and Ezra tried not to focus too much on the bulge of muscle that rippled under smooth, bronze-colored skin and shifted with the movement of his hand. Objectively speaking, Roman was also quite swole.
“Do you prefer to be shirtless while at home, sir?” Ezra asked. If so, he might have to employ some of his calming techniques.
“I… sometimes, I guess. Would that bother you?”
“No. This is your home, and you should be comfortable. Is there any sort of dress code you have for me?”
Roman gave him another of his long, contemplative looks. “What you’re wearing is fine.”
Ezra would have preferred stricter parameters, but he would have to be flexible. After all, they were just getting to know each other.
“I hope you’re not too overwhelmed by all there is to do around here,” Roman said and glanced down at Ezra’s tablet to scan his notes.
