Twenty Over Thirty || manxman

II - The One & The Other

The next morning, James woke up to the sound of the Bee Gees playing out from his cellphone. He lay there in bed for a couple more minutes, allowing the song to finish playing before it would start over again. Once the music was shut off, he sat up out of bed and went into his bathroom. There, he showered yesterday away, relishing the heat of the water on his skin, and then brushed his teeth and went to stand before his closet after he was dry.

Given it was Friday, he had one day of work until the weekend was here, allowing him two free days to do as he pleased, which was mainly nothing, but being able to laze the day away, not worrying about clients and paperwork was a weekly comfort. When he was growing up, James had loved sleeping-in more than anything in the entire world, but now that he was an adult, those past pleasures were always put on hold for days like Saturday and Sunday. So, with a comforting weekend of no plans in his mind, James grabbed out his clothes for the day.

After he slipped into black slacks and a gray button down, James tugged on long white socks and stepped into his shoes. He brushed the few knots from his thick hair, and tied it back into a low tail at the nape of his neck. He stared at his reflection in the mirror in his bedroom, studying the edges of his visage as if from someone else's point of view. He looked good, didn't he?

Why am I worried about this?

James glared at himself in the mirror and stepped away. He was never the person to care much about what he looked like to others, so why all of a sudden did he care now? It's not like he had something to look good for. With a roll of his eyes, James opened the top drawer of his dresser and pulled out a black tie and fixed it beneath the collar of his shirt. Once he was all made up for the day, James grabbed his keys and the leather suitcase he lugged with him every morning, and headed for the door to leave.

When he stepped out into the walkway that divided his apartment from the one opposite him, James was about to head down the stairs immediately when he heard a sudden angered voice coming from beyond Kurt's door. "I don't give a fuck," the young man shouted, "I'm not coming back, and I swear to god, if you lead that psycho to me, I'll fucking kill him!"

Such a declaration of anger struck a prodding nosiness inside James. Last night, Kurt had come off as a rather calm guy, but clearly from the upset in his voice, it was verified that his neighbor was more than just the hot guy across the way. Curious as he was, however, James thought it wrong for him to stick around to eavesdrop on the argument.

Just when he made to descend the stairs, he paused and felt around in the pockets of his slacks. He'd forgotten his cellphone. Quickly, he went back into his apartment to retrieve the device. When he reopened his front door to leave, James nearly jumped when Kurt was standing on the other side. The young man was dressed in just a pair of black shorts that were a length shorter than most guys would probably prefer. They cut off mid-thigh and he was wearing a tight fit black muscle shirt. His arms looked even better now than they did last night with the proper morning lighting that cast over him, and the shadows of his faces were gone, now provided with the complimenting glare of the sun that brought out his handsomeness much more. His features were elegant and rough at the same time, his dark hair like expensive strands all draped precisely to border his looks.

Stop admiring him, James...

"Mornin'," Kurt said nonchalantly, and the angered tone that'd spewed from him before was long gone.

"Good morning," James said, "Did you have a nice first night?"

The young man shrugged and held out what he'd been holding in his hand. It was the Tupperware container from last night. "It was alright," he said. "The night, I mean, the food on the other was great. Best snap I've had in a while. Best meal," he corrected himself. "Got to remember I'm across the pond now, gotta lighten up on me usual speech now that I'm in the states. Anyways, you're a pretty good cook."