Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
DIMA
Dima has never lived with a roommate. Not in college, when he stayed with his paternal grandparents, nor during medical school or residency, renting a string of studios barely big enough for the bed he never saw. Val didn’t count, even during the times they lived together as adults, because Dima once changed his brother’s diapers. Sharing an apartment with Sipho in Cape Town didn’t count either, because they’d created a home together as partners. Val and Sipho were family.
Roommates, by definition, were not family. They were supposed to be stressful, a constant exercise in compromise. Yet sharing space with Jake came a million times easier than living with either his brother or lover.
Footsteps hit the stairs to the condo’s second level. By the time Jake poked his head into the condo’s supposed third bedroom Dima used as an office, Dima had saved his work. He greeted the young man with a smile. “Good morning, Jake.” He’d learned the first week that not smiling at Jake was impossible.
“Morning!” Jake clutched a giant travel mug, but he placed a steaming coffee at Dima’s elbow. He wore his weekend usual, tight jeans and a colorful graphic T-shirt. Today’s featured old-school Rainbow Brite, which fit his personality much better than the drab military uniform he donned the rest of the week. “I wanted to check whether you needed to add anything to the list on the fridge before I leave.”
“Not unless you used the last of the milk by spoiling me again.” Dima picked up the fresh cup and inhaled the vanilla sweetness mingled with the stronger notes of dark espresso. As he predicted, Jake brought him a latte brewed to perfection and doctored with one of the fancy syrups that had joined his plain sugar bowl in the pantry.
Jake wrinkled his nose. “What’s the point of having a machine that can make all the fun drinks otherwise?”
“Only weekends, Jake.” Otherwise, Dima needed to find room in his schedule to spend way more time at the gym to burn the extra calories. “I’ll keep it black on work mornings, please.”
“Fine.” Jake huffed in mock irritation. “Black like your soul,” he added with an adorable giggle that was a better hit than a triple shot of espresso.
“Exactly.” Dima maintained his stern expression, but his eyes shut in bliss at the first sip. Anyone would melt at the taste of such perfection.
“We still on for the next season of Unsolved Mysteries tonight?” Jake asked. “I was thinking of homemade pizza while we watch since I know we’ll want to mainline a bunch of episodes.”
“Good idea.” Dima had quietly become addicted to spending time with him. He loved sitting on the couch with someone else who appreciated his surround sound setup as much as he adored listening to Jake speculate about the subject matter. “It’s a?—”
He cut himself off. A casual night in wasn’t a date. It was two roommates splitting dinner while watching TV. Nothing more.
Though his mouth twitched, Jake didn’t call Dima on the slip. “Cool, I’ll add toppings to the list.” He plucked Dima’s empty coffee cup from earlier off his desk and left the office, calling over his shoulder, “Don’t work too hard, it’s Saturday!”
Jake didn’t have to tidy Dima’s mess, but he’d never once balked at doing a few extra dishes or asking whether Dima needed to add to a load of washing. He’d also accepted a few regular household tasks like shopping for basics, taking advantage of his access to the tax-free grocery on his military base. Jake made his life easier in a thousand tiny ways. Dima didn’t deserve to have such a sweet boy caring for him, even preparing his morning coffee since Jake left for work about ten minutes earlier.
Fuck, he had stop thinking of Jake as a boy. Jake may be younger, but he was Dima’s tenant. Jake used to date Dima’s baby brother. No matter the circumstances of their first meeting, Jake was off limits to Dima. Jake was not, and would never be, Dima’s boy.
The front door closed downstairs. Dima rose from his desk and crossed the hall into his bedroom, still nursing the latte as he sank to the edge of his bed. He’d returned to the U.S. with few mementoes of his time in South Africa, but the large framed print across the room of sunset painting the mountains over Cape Town never failed to soothe him with the reminder of better times. Earlier times, as in the picture of him and Sipho at his bedside, when he was much closer to Jake’s age and carried none of the black marks now staining his soul. He and Sipho might have happily lusted after Jake together, but too much time and too many issues separated Dima and Jake now.
Such as the difference in their ages and how Dima knew Jake’s name. He’d already carved one name into his heart. He’d have to be content with Jake existing on the outside. At least there, Dima was privileged enough to enjoy his smile.
And his untapped barista talents, as Dima drained the last of the latte.