Chapter 4 #2
Darcy bit his bottom lip. Spices were expensive. Sure, he’d have it for quite a while, but he might have to put something back, especially with the onions and tomato soup, too.
“I’ll help with the groceries, I swear. I’m hoping to make my grandma’s stuff at your place, so I totally should, you know?”
“You’re sure? I just don’t know if the spices are in my budget otherwise.”
Charma nodded. “I want to help. Well, I want to spend more time with you is the truth, and I hope that’s going to include meals, so I want to help, you know? It shouldn’t be all weird.”
“No, I know better than to turn down an offer of help with the groceries. Trust me on that.” It was less worrisome now that he was working, but he’d lived hand to mouth for long enough to appreciate every penny that got spent—his own or others’.
When they got to the drinks aisle, he asked, “Coke is my drink, but we can get something else as well if you’d prefer?”
“I’m good with Coke. I also like tea.”
“What about coffee?” he asked.
“From a fancy coffee place, sure—but I’m not big on just plain coffee.”
“Cool, I’m not into home brewed—I’m happy with my Coke as my caffeine source.” He grabbed the flat of 24. “I think that’s everything.”
“Chips?”
“Yeah I like munchies. Shall we each choose one?”
“Sure.” Charma grabbed the jalapeno cheddar crunchy Cheetos.
He liked those, but they got hot quickly, so he grabbed the plain ruffled potato chips as a foil. Then he grabbed some Doritos, too, because he noticed them and the Cheetos were on a buy one get one half off deal.
Then they headed for the checkout. They chatted as they waited in the line, and Darcy decided that shopping with someone else was way more fun than doing it on your own.
When they got back to Darcy’s place, Charma couldn’t help comparing it with his little basement hovel.
Which maybe wasn’t fair to his efficiency apartment because as Darcy had noted, it was clean, mold- and bug-free, and it had everything he needed, technically.
But it was small and it was three quarters underground so the tiny windows let in precious little light.
Darcy’s place was on the second floor and had big windows. And maybe it wasn’t enormous, but it was far roomier than his own place and didn’t feel crowded, even with both of them there.
He unpacked the groceries and watched where things got put so he would know. Darcy had been talking about them spending time together and cooking meals, right? He wasn’t presuming anything.
“What do you think about making your grandmother’s hamburger stuff for supper tonight?” Darcy asked. “I can form burger patties with some of the meat, and we can make spaghetti another night this week.”
“That’d be cool. It makes a big pot, and tastes better the longer it sits, so we can have leftovers for lunches.” Okay, maybe now he was presuming.
“That’s fantastic.” Darcy turned to look at him, and Charma had never seen anyone do the big puppy eyes thing like Darcy could. “Tell me you’ll stay for the weekend.”
He grinned. “I’ll stay for the weekend.”
Darcy fist-pumped the air. “Score!”
It felt good, that he wasn’t the only one wanting to spend more time—a lot more time—together. And maybe he wasn’t presuming too much after all when he had thoughts about sharing lunches in the upcoming week. Certainly, he would be for today and tomorrow.
“PB he wanted to make sure Darcy felt every moment.
“Oh, fuck,” Darcy muttered when Charma finally let go of his prize.
He looked up along Darcy’s body to his face, grinning when he found Darcy had leaned back against the couch, his eyes closed as he panted.
“So… good, eh?”
Darcy shook his head. “Good doesn’t even begin to cover it. You are amazing at that.”
Charma felt his cheeks heat a bit at the praise. “I just enjoy it. I think enthusiasm makes things better.”
“Can’t argue with the results.” Darcy raised his head off the back of the couch to smile at Charma, then let it drop back down again. “You wrecked me.”
“Sorry?”
“Nope. Not a thing to be sorry about. It’s just going to take a while before I can reciprocate because I can’t move right now.”
“Oh, I can wait.” He totally could. That had been about making Darcy feel good, not about doing it so Darcy would do it back. “We could watch a movie,” he suggested as he moved back onto the couch and curled up, his head resting on Darcy’s thigh.
Darcy managed to find enough energy to stroke his hair, then rested his hand on Charma’s head. It felt cozy and intimate. Charma was pretty sure he could get used to this really fast.
“Have you seen Atlas?” Darcy asked.
“Nope. Is it about the Titan who carries the world on his shoulders?”
“I don’t think so. It’s some future world thing with Jennifer Lopez. I haven’t seen it either, but it’s on my list.”
“Cool. If we don’t like it, we can always stop watching.”
Darcy gasped and Charma turned his head enough to look up at him. Darcy gave him a grin and then made a ‘pikachu surprise face’. “I’m shocked you would suggest that we DNF a movie. Just shocked, I tell you.”
“Butthead.”
Grinning again, Darcy nodded. “Yep. Now grab the remote, and I’ll walk you through putting the movie on. You should know how to use the damn thing anyway if you’re going to live here.”
Charma froze, his hand halfway to the remote. “If I’m going to live here?”
“Did I say that part out loud?” Darcy asked.
Charma nodded.
“Oops?”
“No oops, you aren’t denying thinking it.”
Darcy shrugged. “No, I’m not denying anything.
You live in a tiny underground bunker, and I’ve got more than enough room for two if we’re sharing a bed—and I would definitely like to share a bed with you on a permanent basis, and I really like you and I think you really like me and you’re staying for the weekend and I think it would be really great if you stayed for longer than the weekend, and in that case, you might was well live here.
That way instead of paying rent on the basement bunker—"
“It’s not a bunker,” Charma interrupted.
“Eh. Semantics. As I was saying, instead of paying rent for that hole in the ground, you could help pay rent here and then we’d have more money for things like better quality food, ordering in, and maybe the occasional new game and…
And the truth is that I really, really like you and I don’t care if I haven’t known you very long. Some things you just know. You know?”
Charma pushed himself up so he was sitting, looking at Darcy again. “I know. But I just want to be clear. You did just invite me to move in with you, right?”
“I did.”
“And I do. Will. Move in with you.” He leaned in and kissed Darcy again, shutting himself up.
They shared a long kiss, and when their lips parted, Darcy grinned at him, and said, “Cool.”