Chapter 21 - All-in for an Angel
All-in for an Angel
A bead of sweat rolled down William’s spine, tickling his skin like tiny spider legs.
He panted as he climbed the stairs to his apartment, breathing in the humid stench of mildew, dust, and old cigarettes.
As far as William knew, none of his neighbors smoked.
The heat wave seemed to make the ancient building sweat out ghosts from past generations.
He wrinkled his nose. He couldn’t wait to move out of this shithole.
Soon.
A smile tugged at his lips as he reached the fourth floor, his clammy skin tingling with excitement.
He opened the door, sighing with relief as he was hit by a cool, lavender-and-citrus-scented wall of air.
William had always survived summers with just a regular fan to cool himself off, but lately, he’d had to invest in an A/C unit.
A necessary improvement with Adathan around—who was a flesh magnet of the overheating variety.
Adathan stepped out of the bathroom wearing his favorite lounging outfit: William’s oversized cashmere sweater from the tournament, big fuzzy socks, and nothing else. “How did it go?”
William grinned. “She said I was the quickest study she’d ever mentored and offered me the manager role early. I’m starting in two weeks.”
Adathan gasped, pressing his hands to his face. With a brief squeal, he dashed across the apartment and leaped.
William caught him in his arms with a chuckle. He twirled them to the sound of their combined laughter, his chest light with joy. As soon as he slowed to a stop, his mouth was claimed by a delicious pair of lips.
Adathan ran his fingers through William’s hair as he gave him hungry kisses—one for every hour they’d spent apart. William returned them with equal vigor, their groans joining forces to compete with the noisy A/C unit.
“I missed you,” Adathan exhaled, catching his breath.
“Missed you, too.”
Adathan nuzzled his neck as William carried him to the lavender-scented bathroom, where a thick layer of bubbles awaited them in the bathtub.
William would have preferred a shower in this weather, but he kept it to himself.
They’d started taking baths together over the winter, and it had grown into a daily ritual—which was off limits, as far as Adathan was concerned.
Adathan wasted no time taking off the sweater and socks, and stepping into the hot water. He let out a sigh as he sat in the bathtub, smiling at William expectantly.
William bent down to kiss his forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
“Wait!” Adathan said, gripping his hand.
“Hmm?”
Adathan scooped some foam and placed it atop William’s head. “You forgot your hat.”
William chuckled. He straightened and glanced at the mirror as he left the bathroom—a man with a jiggly mass of foam on his head smiled back. There were days he hardly recognized his own reflection. Happiness suited him.
William took off his shoes by the door and grabbed the cold bottle of sparkling wine and the box of donuts from his bag. He fetched two stainless-steel tumblers and returned to the bathroom with his cargo. “I thought it warranted a little celebration.”
Adathan beamed. “Champagne and too much dessert?”
William had been tempted to get the same champagne they’d drunk at the hotel—until he saw the price tag, choked on his spit, and fled the wineshop. “Cheap sparkling wine and a box of donuts.”
“From Annie’s Delights?”
“Of course.” It was their favorite spot for a decadent date—the absolute best donuts in the city.
William’s heart melted every time Adathan squinted at the vast selection, tapping his index finger against his pursed lips as if he were trying to crack the code to a complex riddle.
When it came to making decisions, Adathan always took his time.
William would be lying if he said it didn’t occasionally annoy him, but he did his best not to let it show.
He could stand to learn from Adathan’s example. Why rush through life as if it were a race?
William placed his load on the spotless floor and served them both some sparkling wine. He stripped and tossed his clothes into a heap, then joined Adathan, who’d scooted forward so that William could sit behind him.
They clinked their glasses. “To your promotion,” Adathan said.
“To your cute little butt.”
Adathan nodded with a scholar’s seriousness. “It is very cute indeed.”
William smiled against his tumbler as he took a sip of the delightfully cold liquid.
Adathan leaned back against William’s chest and propped his ankles over the edge of the bathtub.
“What did you do today?” William asked, wrapping his free arm around Adathan’s waist. No email normally meant he’d been quite busy.
“First, I had breakfast with Rosanna. Then I went to the park to draw.” Adathan’s toes wiggled. “I saw a cute Boston Terrier with heterochromia.”
“With what?”
Adathan tilted his head back to give William a smile. “It means its eyes were not the same color. One was light blue, and the other was brown.”
“Half you, half me.”
“A perfect combination.” Adathan took a sip before resting his head against William’s chest again. “Then I came back here, and I had soup. It was so good.” He wiggled his toes. “You make the best soup.”
William kissed the top of Adathan’s head. It was no fine gastronomy; he just boiled whatever vegetables they had in some broth, then dumped it all into the blender. Adathan was easy to please, especially where soup was concerned.
“Then I visited Oliver.”
“How was he?”
“In an excellent mood! I helped him prepare his meals for the rest of the week.”
“What did you make?”
“A giant pot of butternut squash potage, a big lasagna, four chicken breasts with wild rice and asparagus, and two zucchini breads—I brought one back home.” He tilted his head back and whispered, “I put chocolate chips in ours.”
“You know the way to my heart.”
Adathan grinned. He gulped his wine and leaned over the edge of the bathtub to put his glass on the floor. “Chocolate or double chocolate?” he asked, opening the box of donuts.
“Chocolate now. Double chocolate later.”
Adathan handed him a chocolate donut and took a jelly-filled powdered one for himself. There was no better place to eat one of those than in the bathtub—that shit got everywhere.
William emptied his glass. Adathan took it from him and put it on the floor before relaxing against his chest again. His toes wiggled as he took a bite of his donut.
William followed his lead, letting out a faint groan as the chocolaty, yeasty goodness filled his mouth. He could hardly believe life could get any better than this. But it could, and soon it would.
“I’ve already started looking for a new apartment,” William said.
“Why?”
William chuckled as he took another bite. “What do you mean, why?”
Adathan’s toes stopped wiggling. “We’re happy here, no?”
“We’ll be happy wherever we live.”
“But . . .”
“But what?”
“This is our home,” Adathan murmured.
Annoyance bubbled up in William’s chest, but he kept his voice calm. “The new place will be our home, too. Nothing’s gonna change. We’ll have the same furniture and everything. It’ll just be bigger.” And better.
Adathan’s body stiffened in the way William knew too well. He got why Adathan was so uncomfortable with change, but it was an inherent part of life. They couldn’t just live here forever.
He carefully wrapped his arm around Adathan and said in a gentle voice, “I just thought it’d be nice to have an extra room, you know?
We could get a desk for you to draw comfortably, and a big, cozy chair for when you’re in the mood for reading.
” He nuzzled Adathan’s hair. “I could use it, too. It’d be nice to spend some quiet time together away from the TV.
And hey, we could have a bigger bathtub, too. That’d be awesome, don’t you think?”
“Can we stay here a little longer?” Adathan whispered. “Please.”
William closed his eyes, taking a moment to let his frustration wear off. He should have known Adathan wouldn’t share his enthusiasm about moving out. This was his own fault, really.
The fact that Adathan felt safe enough to go against William’s wishes was a reminder of what was at stake. His plea wasn’t about the apartment itself; it was about stability. Forcing him to move out too soon would be like pulling the ground out from under him.
Adathan had only assumed ownership of their extra set of keys two weeks ago, and he was still reluctant to get his own phone. He needed time.
“You really want to stay?” William asked softly.
“Yeah.”
“Okay. We’ll stay here a little longer.”
Adathan set his half-eaten donut on the edge of the bathtub and turned to face him. “Thank you,” he murmured, his misty eyes melting all remnants of William’s tension.
William shoved his last bite into his mouth and pulled Adathan close. He’d been looking forward to finding a better place to live, but what truly mattered was for Adathan to be happy.
Besides, Adathan had worked so hard to make this place livable. Everything was organized now, beautiful plants livened every room, and Adathan’s masterpieces hung anywhere they could fit.
William hadn’t realized it, but now he could see how his hurry to move might feel like he didn’t appreciate the home Adathan had created for them. “I’m happy here with you. I thought you’d like more space, but if you don’t, then we have no reason to leave.”
Adathan’s features relaxed, and a soft smile grew on his lips. “I love you, William.”
Warmth spread across William’s chest, but even after hearing these words a hundred times, his heart tightened with disbelief.
On bad days, he still had to fight his inner voice claiming it was just a script.
William now recognized that voice for what it was, though: a defense mechanism.
And thanks to Oliver, he knew exactly how to fight back.
“I love you, too,” William said, looking him in the eye. “So much.”