6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Avery

I had a surprising lack of shit to pack.

Since Myles had said I could use the bedframe and mattress in the spare room, I didn't bother with my piece-of-shit ones. Chloe and Xavier had helped me get the dressers and nightstand into the back of Xavier's pickup truck earlier today. Myles pitched in with the unloading, which wasn't a hardship to watch. I crammed my boxes into my car, which I was driving over to my brand-new place. I was shocked I didn't have more to transport, but that was the result of moving three times in the past six years. My folks still lived in the suburbs outside of the city, and they had most of my belongings in storage for when I "finally" settled down.

Look, houses didn't grow on trees.

Though, truth be told, a house wouldn't change the fact that I'd never fit into the heteronormative culture they were most comfortable with. They loved me, showed up when I needed help, worked with me when I'd come out as bigender, and did their best to alternate pronouns.

Sometimes it just hurt to see how excited Dad got about his fishing trips with my brothers. How Mom lost her mind over when my older sister, Darla, got pregnant with my niece. My parents could easily relate to my siblings, whereas I was the black sheep without trying. Growing up, I'd been social and loud and managed to find my circles. However, I'd always liked aspects of being a girl and a boy, and that had never changed.

Luckily, my new home would be a place where I could fit in. On my first visit, I'd figured out that Myles was trans, not just from the cock on the bathroom sink but also the T-patches he'd left on the counter. Game recognized game. I took a mild dose of estrogen to develop the lovely A-cups I was rocking, but not enough to cause drastic changes on my masc days. From the moment I'd arrived at the place and met him, I'd felt comfortable, and that in and of itself was a rarity.

My heart thumped a little harder as I turned the corner onto my new street. It didn't hurt that my new roommate was stupidly hot, but there would be zero sleeping with him. The last thing I wanted was to wreck my new living situation with a simple screw turning into a messy situation where feelings got hurt.

If I needed to get my hole filled or my dick wet, I had apps for that. Or I found plenty of interested parties at the club.

Still, the idea of being all up in Myles's space 24/7 planted some fun fantasies in my brain.

I pulled up in front of the pretty bricked building I'd get to call home for the near future, relief pouring over me. Sabotaging my old landlord with rubber ducks had been a coping mechanism for the constant frustrations of not having hot water for a few weeks, of not having working plumbing some days and then waiting for ages for the landlord to fix it. I turned the engine off and rested my hands on the steering wheel.

My boxes glared at me from the back seat, mostly an assortment of kitchenware, far too many clothes for every gender day, and knickknacks. My textbooks from acupuncture school lived at my practice, as did a fair amount of my belongings, so maybe I did have a more permanent fixture in my life—though it was a rental too.

I hopped out of my car, grabbed one of the boxes of clothing from the back seat, and made the trek up the steps. I would need to shower something fierce tonight with the amount I'd sweated. My preferred types of cardio were of the carnal variety or involving a killer set at the club. Maybe Myles would take pity on a dainty dame like me and help carry some of these boxes up.

When I reached the door, I knocked with my elbow. Myles knew I was coming, so hopefully, he'd be able to hear it.

A thump followed a yelp, and a second later, the door flew open.

Myles stood in the center, his dark brown hair tousled, blinking at me with those gorgeous blue eyes. His hoodie matched his vibe perfectly, and his jeans showcased those long legs.

"Can I get that for you?" he asked.

I chewed on my lower lip. "My car's full of them."

"Set me to work."

Oh, thank fuck. My body was cranky as shit, all creaks and groans.

"My car's unlocked." I batted my lashes. "It's the green Honda Civic. Feel free to help haul up anything in there." Was I laying it on thick? Yes, but I also had exhausted Xavier's and Chloe's help earlier, and moving was a bitch.

Before I could say another word, Myles hustled down the steps. Warmth rushed through my veins at the sight of him in motion, his jeans framing his ass perfectly. Before he caught me staring, I shifted the box in my arms and headed inside. The place burst with heat, a direct contrast to the fall chill, which would quickly get extinguished from carrying a few more boxes.

Once I brought the first box to my new room, which had been stripped of the granny chic decor, I pivoted on my heel and rushed back down the stairs. On the way to the door, I passed Myles, who carried two boxes that teetered precariously. I circled behind him and grabbed the top box before it could fall.

"Thanks," Myles said, his cheeks turning red. "The boxes aren't heavy, but dexterity's my dump stat."

"You play D&D?" I asked. What else did Myles do in his free time? His parents had mentioned he was a journalist, but he'd kept the rest of his personal life close to his vest in the handful of occasions we'd met and talked since I came to check out the place.

"I've played in a few games, but nothing steady." He huffed his way up the steps and deposited the box in my room. I followed suit, and we traipsed down the stairs together. We propped the door open and ventured outside.

"Are your articles what you're always working on over in the writers' corner at Randy's?" I asked, unable to stop the curiosity train from charging full steam ahead. We reached my car, and Myles snagged another two boxes, clearly not learning from past errors. I grabbed one with a wink, and we climbed the steps again.

Silence followed, but it didn't seem like it was from exertion, since he wasn't puffing hard.

I licked my lips. "Uh, forget I asked."

His shoulders tightened the slightest bit as we slipped inside. "So, did you know human blood contains traces of gold?"

I stopped midstride. Yes, he'd made it clear he wasn't comfortable talking about his work, but my brain had to process his question. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah, no lie. Trace amounts, obviously, so not enough to start harvesting bodies for blood or anything."

Amusement bubbled up. "Well, glad this isn't a ruse to start a gold-mining body farm."

"Please, like I'm subtle enough for ruses," he said as we reached the top of the stairs again to drop off more boxes. I'd sort them all later once we got through the heaps in my trunk. While I wanted to learn more about my mysterious new roommate and landlord, I didn't have to ask him. I could snoop around the house for clues. I had ways of sating my curiosity, and Myles had drawn mine from the start.

We made quick work of the rest of the boxes in my car. My breaths came out heavy, and sweat coated every inch of my body. A shower would be in prompt order. Myles didn't seem to be the chattiest person, but I'd seen bursts of liveliness, especially around his folks, where he was comfortable. Given that I could talk circles around the quietest clients at my clinic, I was determined to get him to open up to me too.

And not just because he was stupid hot and I liked watching his mouth move.

Ngh.

Clearly, going a few weeks without a hookup cranked up my libido because a parade of horny thoughts marched through my brain whenever I was around Myles. However, the whole process of packing up my old apartment and moving into the new one had consumed any extra time to get laid. Hitting the club and finding a fuck buddy would be on the agenda pronto. Otherwise, I'd keep fixating on Myles, and the last thing I wanted to do was scare away my new landlord. I didn't need a reprisal of the Rubber Duck Wars.

After we got the last batch of boxes in, I locked up my car and walked up the stairs. For some reason, going in without another box made the move feel real. Just a month ago, I had planned to get a place with Chloe and start a new chapter of my life there. However, the second she'd broken the news about her cross-country move to San Francisco, all this had slotted into place so perfectly, so quickly, the lineup of events felt a bit like fate.

My heart thumped a little harder as I stepped inside my new home.

Myles sat on the loveseat, his phone in hand. He looked up at me as I walked in. "I'm ordering takeout. What do you want?"

"A new spine. But in lieu of that, I'll take dumplings."

"Dumpling Express is the closest place." Myles typed away on his phone. "Any preferences?"

"Anything pork related, please." I slumped into the other couch, which was far too comfortable. I wouldn't be awake long tonight, not after hauling furniture in the morning and boxes in the evening. My muscles ached something fierce. "Please tell me you have coffee too? I'll be buying plenty for the house in the future."

"Coffee is nonnegotiable in this household." Myles placed his phone down. "If I don't have enough, I wither away into nothing. Also, order is placed. We should have dumplings in a half hour."

"Thank fuck," I said, hopping up. "I'll make us coffee, then."

"How do you have energy? You've been hauling boxes all day."

"Eh." I waved my hand back and forth. "Energy is stretching it. I've got years of hitting the dance floor for hours to give me stamina." I waggled my brows at Myles before heading over to the kitchen. The coffee supplies were next to the coffeemaker, and in minutes, I had a pot brewing.

"Why the club?" Myles asked. "Not that I'm a good gauge, since crowds terrify me."

"The frenetic energy, the flash of the lights, the swarms of people—all of it amps me up more than drains me." I shrugged as I settled on the couch. "It also lets me feel seen, even in a crowd. And as a middle child, I craved that more than anything."

"Only child here. I would love to be invisible, please, and thank you."

"Really?" I couldn't imagine being an only child. My birthday was the same month as Zack's, so we'd always shared celebrations. Family gatherings were loud and chaotic, and I bounced around from person to person, getting caught up on everyone's lives. Most of the time they didn't ask me in return because my life was so different from theirs. The whole suburb experience, looking to settle down with a white picket fence and build a family, wasn't on my radar. Not like I was averse to settling down—just not in the way that made sense to them.

"Yeah, all the attention means it's way easier to disappoint," Myles muttered, scrubbing his face.

I arched a brow. "I can't imagine anything disappointing about you."

He looked up, those blue eyes wide, and my heart did a barrel roll. Freckles dusted his cheeks, and the combination with his well-trimmed beard was ngh. The sweat stain in the middle of his tee and his arm hair poking out from the rolled-up sleeves were such a fucking turn-on. Maybe I needed to tone it down on the compliments, even if they were damned true. Everything I'd found out about this man so far fascinated me.

The coffeemaker beeped that it was finished, and I popped up, eager for the distraction. Otherwise, I was tempted to hop onto Myles's lap, which was the opposite of what I should be doing.

When I stepped into the kitchen, I wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt. Time to load up on caffeine and forget about my ill-timed crush on my new roommate. I fixed mine the way I liked it, easily finding the milk and sugar.

"You want any coffee?" I called, pulling down a mug.

"Please," Myles said, his voice a little throaty. A shiver rolled down my spine. I was in trouble if after one day of living together, I was having this much difficulty keeping it in my pants…or skirt, whatever.

"How do you take it?" I asked, the flirty tone slipping out.

Silence followed, and heat crawled through my body. I poured him a cup and carried it into the room along with mine. His gaze tracked me the whole time I set it on the table, and I all about incinerated. Something hungry burned in his gaze, something intense that had me ensnared. The idea of being someone's full focus, of being seen in a way I'd chased for too long…yeah, fucking tempting.

"So, you drink your coffee black?" I asked, breaking the quiet.

Myles shook his head. "Nah, I need it sweet." He pushed up from his spot on the couch and strode to the kitchen to get the sugar. I chewed my lower lip, watching his gorgeous ass flex in those jeans. Problem with a capital P. Goddamn. I didn't know what I wanted more—to fuck his ass or for him to fuck me. Though I had no idea about his preferences in the first place.

The doorbell buzzed, and I surged up, needing to burn this energy percolating through me. Forget the coffee. I was awake again.

When I opened the door, a guy from Dumpling Express handed over the bag, the savory scents wafting my way. My stomach rumbled, and I closed the door.

Myles spread a rumpled purple blanket on the floor next to the coffee table. "Bring the stuff over here."

"We're ignoring the perfectly good tables you have?" I plunked onto the blanket regardless. If I edged in close enough that our legs brushed, then that was coincidence.

"No one has picnics on tables." Myles scoffed. "It's your first night in the house. We have to make it a little special at least." He pulled containers of dumplings out of the bag and set mine in front of me. Napkins fluttered down on top, courtesy of Myles as well.

Amusement flowed through me like whisky warmth on a winter night. Charmed was the only way to describe how I felt. Myles sat there arranging his setup on the thick purple blanket he'd brought out, so consumed with the task. And my heart thumped harder, because I'd had partners I'd dated for close to a year who hadn't taken this much consideration.

Our knees bumped together, mine bare from the way my skirt rode up my thighs, and a frisson of heat rolled through me. My cock thickened to a semi, and I tried to ignore how that mere touch affected me.

When Myles glanced up, our gazes met, and electricity zapped through my veins.

Fuck, getting over my crush would be hell.