Attraction - a fraudulent marriage

14. belong

"Great." I fled into the bathroom, only to back out again as I realized I hadn't unpacked my towels. They were in a box somewhere, standing in the middle of the living room as a proof of my invasive behavior.

I tried to keep my eyes on the task as I passed him where he sat by the round table, stirring his coffee again for some unknown reason. Okay, so maybe I couldn't help sneaking a glance.

All too aware that he was in the same room, I leaned over and rummaged through the boxes one by one. If I'd had any foresight whatsoever, I would have written something on each one of them for guidance, but I wasn't that smart apparently.

My ass was exposed, and damn if I didn't wiggle around with it a bit more than necessary despite my relative discomfort. I had to show myself as well as him that I was still the same. Because I was still the same flirt as ever. He just had this habit of making me forget my place.

He cleared his throat at one point which tugged at the corner of my lips. Maybe walking around in my underwear hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

"What are you looking for?"

Hah! It sounded as if he'd had enough of my teasing.

I stood up to my full height, giving him all the suggestion I could muster. "A towel." Another grin tried to escape as I thought of dragging him with me into the shower. Also for another day, most likely.

"You can borrow one of mine."

"Nah. I'm sure it's here somewhere." I leaned over again. This was fun.

I almost cursed when I found the towels I'd brought. Taking the bright pink one, I wondered if he would give me that look only he could pull off.

"Found it!"

As predicted, I received a stale stare paired with that small hint of a smile that seemed eager to escape.

I took my time in the shower, making sure to use as much as I could of Tom's body wash. It smelled heavenly and was of a much better quality than mine—which irked me until I remembered that it was a good thing that he cared about himself. I would take care of him too if he let me. I'd lather him up real good, spoil him with suds and roaming hands. Then I would rinse it off and make him dirty all over again.

I chuckled as my erection bobbed, wondering what Tom was thinking about while seated at the table. All guys masturbated in the shower so perhaps he took for granted that I had a bit of fun, but even if my dick begged for attention, it felt wrong to do it when Tom sat outside. If he'd been with me, that would have been another matter.

"Down boy," I whispered, knowing full well that I had myself to blame.

* * * *

The lack of sound in the apartment didn't hit me until I stopped whistling. I was half-way out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed and ready to face anything when the muted atmosphere caught me off guard.

Padding on bare feet across the dark floor, I felt the emptiness before I could confirm that he'd left. It was hollow and sore, almost painful.

His chair by the table stood alone, the cup was gone—replaced by a piece of paper.

I'm off. Don't know if I'll be back Sunday or Monday. Make yourself at home.

I read the note several times over, not because of his handwriting but because of the words. Make yourself at home was nice enough, but I wasn't sure this qualified as a note worthy to keep for future reference of his sweetness. He hadn't even had the courtesy of saying goodbye.

Scrunching the note in my hand, I noticed that he'd placed a key beneath it.

Home. I couldn't really relate to that.

* * * *

It took me no more than three hours to find myself in a bit of a state. The apartment without Tom felt entirely foreign. Despite my plates in the cupboard and one or two trinkets placed around the living room for decoration, it didn't feel like I belonged.

The solution was to run away, which I did, but in a much more dignified manner. I strolled down the street with the excuse of making myself familiar with the surroundings. It was a nice part of town, but less lively than the streets around Dante's flat. Thinking of Dante made me think about Chris, and I wondered why the hell I hadn't called him sooner.

I checked the time, making sure that it was an appropriate hour to call. Surely he would be up at noon.

"Hey," he replied, sounding as chill as ever.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I'm about to board."

"What? What did I miss?"

"Didn't I tell you I was going on the tour?" He sounded surprised. Maybe he had told me. It was more than possible. I'd had other things on my mind lately.

"Yeah. Sorry. Around the lakes, right?"

"Yes. How are you?"

The dreaded question. I knew it didn't require a truthful answer, though. "I'm good. Just bored."

"Sucks, man. You should have been here."

Thanks, Chris. Really. "It's all right. Have fun and I'll see you when you get back."

"Sure. Have fun in the city."

"I'm never really bored, you know that." I was the guy who was supposed to have fun all the time. Couldn't give him a reason to doubt that fact.

"I know."

"Say hi to the others." I regretted the words almost immediately. It would be crazy weird if Chris said 'hi' to Tom from me.

"I will," he replied just before I closed the call.

I stared at the phone, almost walking into a dude in the process. His shoulder bumped into mine, and I could hear him curse at me. It was ridiculous. Didn't he have more important things to be upset about? Was his life so free of trouble that a minor misstep was enough to make him angry?

The thought of the freaky four on tour made me strangely sad. I knew it was different with Chris. Of course he belonged with them. Chris and Dante were a real couple with more than enough reasons to spend time together.

Shaking my head, I thought about how awkward it would have been if I went with them.

I didn't belong. At least not yet. So, if I had to be alone instead, I would make the most of it. That included getting all my clothes into Tom's closet.

Surely, he wouldn't mind...too much.

A/N another piece of fan art from @mzblue222 <3 Also, I know there are not so many changes to the story yet, but we're getting there. Trust me on that!