Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

I t was the smell of bacon that woke Chris up. That in itself was surprising enough, the fact that he was warm and lying on something soft was even more so. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing even, feigning being asleep until he got his bearings.

He could hear someone in the other room, moving around, and then a curse.

“Fuck! How did you get so hot so fast? Stupid pan. You always ruin the first one, though, right?” Something metal opened and closed, and then the talking started again. “Okay, Mr. Pancake. Let’s get this right.”

Luke. That was Luke making breakfast, and he was on the guy’s couch. Which was why he was warm, more or less comfortable, and the snarling in his stomach was likely going to be assuaged soon enough.

He cracked one eye open, and then the other, confirming all that before sitting up with a groan. Okay, more comfortable than usual, but as a bed, the couch made a good couch. He wasn’t able to stretch out on it and as a result, he was a little stiff.

His groan had obviously caught Luke’s attention, because he appeared suddenly, spatula in hand, and wearing a pair of PJs with dancing Santas on them.

“You’re up! Good morning!”

“You’re a morning person?” He should have known.

Luke laughed and nodded. “Guilty as charged. Breakfast should be ready in ten. You want something to drink? Fair warning, I do have coffee, but it’s instant and if there’s anything else you’d like, I suggest that. I will make you the coffee though, if you insist.”

“Water’s fine.”

“Oh, we can do better than that. Milk goes best with pancakes, doesn’t it? I’ll put it out on the table along with your water. That way you can have both.”

Luke stopped and sniffed the air. “Oh, fuck!” He hightailed it back to the kitchen.

Shaking his head, Chris made his way to the bathroom. He had to piss like a race horse. He hadn’t gone last night. He’d just succumbed to the cushions of the couch and fallen straight to sleep. Once he’d done his business, he availed himself of the mouth wash, swirling it around and spitting it out. He did that twice before he was happy with the results.

He spent a moment looking at himself in the mirror. He thought maybe the bags under his eyes had eased some. Funny how a good night’s sleep could do that for you.

“Breakfast is ready!” Luke called out, and Chris’s stomach snarled again.

He reminded it he’d had not only several doughnuts the night before, but also popcorn and hot chocolate, so his belly had no business being so hungry. He blamed it on the smell of bacon and the promise of pancakes. He wasn’t going to have to worry about food for the rest of the day, and he appreciated Luke for that, more than he could—or would—say.

The tiny table in the kitchen was set with two plates. There were four pancakes each, and as many slices of bacon on them, syrup and butter in the middle of the table, along with a carton of milk. A glass of water sat next to one plate, along with an empty glass. The other plate had a glass of milk sitting next to it.

“Looks good,” he told Luke as he sat down, guessing his spot was the one with the two glasses.

“The pancakes are a little overdone.” Luke made a face. “I couldn’t get the pan the right temperature. There’s a bit of an all on or off situation with the stove.” He shrugged and grinned. “That’s what syrup is for, though, and the bacon is perfect.”

“They’re fine.” A little darker than optimal, sure, but not burned, though he would have eaten them just the same if they were. He waited for Luke to butter and syrup his pancakes before doing the same and digging in.

He wound up having a glass of milk after all, and by the time he’d finished every last bit on his plate, he was pleasantly stuffed and felt like he needed another nap. That would be rude, though, and Luke had been so nice.

“Did you enjoy the movie last night?” Luke asked as he got up and started clearing off the table.

Chris stood and helped. It was the least he could do. “It had a sweet ending. Here, let me do the dishes. You made the food.”

“Sure.” Luke passed over a liquid soap filled scrubby to him and grabbed a drying cloth.

Luke hummed a Christmas Carol as they worked, grabbing each clean dish or utensil, drying it off and putting it away. The job didn’t take long at all, even the pancake pan scrubbed clean pretty easily.

Chris signed inwardly as the last dish was finished. He’d been enjoying the warmth and comfort of Luke’s apartment, but he wasn’t going to outstay his welcome. “Well, thanks for the movie and your hospitality.”

“You’re not going, are you?” Luke asked.

“Well, I probably should…”

“We’ve got a few hours before we have to be back. We could watch another movie,” Luke suggested. “You know, just relax and have an easy morning. Besides, it’ll be warmer by the time we need to head back to work.”

As if nature itself was on Luke’s side, the wind howled around the building just like it had done last night.

Just this once, Chris said to himself, What could it hurt to be warm until it was time for work? He could get used to it. “I guess, if you’re sure.”

Luke beamed at him and bounced on his heels. “I’m sure! It’s more fun watching stuff with someone else than on my own. And we get along well, right?”

Luke put his drying cloth on the handle of the oven, then headed back into the living room and, after rolling the bedding up, threw himself onto the couch.

“What’s appealing to you this morning?”

Chris shrugged. “I’m easy.”

“No war or action movies, though. See, I remembered.”

No, no war or action movies. He couldn’t take the explosions.

Luke turned the TV on and started scrolling through options. There was a whole line of Christmas movies under the caption “Because you watched Miracle on 34th Street,” and Luke was scrolling through them.

“No holiday movies,” he grunted before Luke could stop at any of them. Luke turned to him with a pout. “Get enough of that at work.”

“There’s no such thing as too much Christmas,” Luke informed him, but he did scroll down to the next category. “Hey, have you seen A Knight’s Tale? It’s anachronistic as hell, but so much fun. And Heath Ledger is a hottie in it, rest his soul.”

“No.”

“Oh, you have to see it!”

Luke chose the movie and got it started, then grabbed one of the blankets that Chris had used overnight and put half of it over his lap. The other half was offered to Chris. He regarded it for a moment, and then took it, tucking it in around his legs. He really could get used to this, and that was far too dangerous. Just this morning, he promised himself. He’d have this day off from his life and then things would go back to normal.