Chapter 6 Under the Same Roof
Rules
Noah woke to the sound of someone knocking on his bedroom door.
He opened one eye and stared at the ceiling.
For a moment, he had no idea where he was.
Then he remembered the apartment.
The relocation.
The eight weeks.
Adrian.
The last thought was enough to wake him completely.
"You're going to be late," Adrian called from the other side of the door.
Noah looked at his phone.
Six forty-five.
He had set his alarm for seven.
He sat up.
"How do you know?"
"Because you've been sleeping through your alarm for five minutes."
Noah looked at his phone again.
The alarm was indeed going off.
He switched it off.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Noah heard Adrian walk away.
He smiled despite himself.
The man apparently couldn't let anyone sleep past a schedule.
Noah dragged himself out of bed and headed toward the bathroom.
He had barely closed the door when his phone buzzed.
A message from Marcus.
How's life with the human ice wall?
Noah smiled.
He woke me up at six forty-five.
The reply came quickly.
Romantic.
Noah laughed.
He's unbearable.
He put the phone aside and stepped into the shower.
Ten minutes later, there was another knock.
"Noah."
"Yes?"
"How long are you going to be?"
Noah looked at the clock.
"Five minutes."
"You said that five minutes ago."
"I've been in here for ten minutes."
"Exactly."
Noah rolled his eyes.
"Do you have somewhere to be?"
"Yes."
"So do I."
"Then perhaps hurry."
Noah smiled.
He had no idea why Adrian's irritation amused him so much.
Maybe because Adrian seemed incapable of being anything other than composed, and Noah had discovered that annoying him was one of the few ways to make a crack appear in that control.
He took his time for another two minutes.
When he finally opened the bathroom door, Adrian was standing in the hallway wearing a crisp white shirt and dark trousers.
His expression said everything.
Noah stepped aside.
"Your kingdom is yours."
Adrian looked at his watch.
"Twenty-three minutes."
"Was that an official complaint?"
"An observation."
"Sure."
Noah walked into the kitchen.
Adrian followed a few moments later.
The apartment had a small but well-equipped kitchen. Noah opened the refrigerator and found the groceries they had picked up the previous evening.
He reached for the coffee.
Adrian spoke behind him.
"That's mine."
Noah turned.
"The coffee?"
"The dark roast."
"There's another bag."
"I don't like that one."
Noah looked at the two bags.
"You don't like the other coffee?"
"No."
"Have you tried it?"
"No."
"Then how do you know?"
Adrian stared at him.
Noah smiled.
"That's what I thought."
He picked up the other bag.
"Fine. I'll use this."
Adrian started preparing his own coffee.
Noah watched him for a moment.
"Do you always measure it?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I like consistency."
"It's coffee."
"Exactly."
Noah shook his head.
"You are a strange man."
Adrian didn't look up.
"So I've been told."
Noah made his coffee and opened the cabinet.
He found a small speaker.
"Mind if I put some music on?"
Adrian looked toward the speaker.
"Yes."
Noah laughed.
"You didn't even think about it."
"I don't need to."
"Why not?"
"Because I have a client call in twenty minutes."
"And?"
"And I need quiet."
Noah stared at him.
"It's eight in the morning."
"Exactly."
"Most people listen to music in the morning."
"I don't."
"That sounds like a personal problem."
Adrian gave him a warning look.
Noah smiled and connected his phone.
A song filled the kitchen.
Adrian immediately looked at him.
"No."
Noah laughed.
"What?"
"Turn it down."
"It's not loud."
"It's unnecessary."
"You really don't like music?"
"I didn't say that."
"You just said it's unnecessary."
"At eight in the morning, yes."
Noah lowered the volume slightly.
"There."
Adrian looked at him.
"Thank you."
Noah took a sip of coffee.
"You know, you could just admit that you're controlling."
Adrian ignored him.
Noah smiled into his cup.
The morning continued in much the same way.
Adrian wanted the thermostat lower.
Noah wanted it warmer.
Adrian wanted the kitchen counters clean.
Noah thought they were already clean.
Adrian arranged the dishwasher in a precise pattern.
Noah rearranged half of it simply because he couldn't understand why anyone cared.
At one point, Adrian opened the refrigerator and found Noah's groceries occupying an entire shelf.
"You've taken over the refrigerator."
Noah looked up from the couch.
"There's still space."
"That's not the point."
"What is the point?"
"Organization."
Noah laughed.
"You organize food?"
"I organize everything."
"I've noticed."
Adrian closed the refrigerator.
Noah watched him walk away.
He was beginning to realize that Adrian wasn't simply organized.
He was dependent on control.
Everything had a place.
Everything had a schedule.
Everything had a reason.
Noah wondered what would happen if something happened that Adrian couldn't control.
The thought stayed with him.
By lunchtime, they had both settled into their temporary work routines.
Noah worked from the living room while Adrian took calls from his bedroom.
For a while, the arrangement was surprisingly peaceful.
Then Adrian emerged.
"You're working here?"
Noah looked up.
"Yes."
"I thought you were going to work from the client office."
"This afternoon."
Adrian glanced at the coffee table.
Noah had papers spread across it.
"You're going to leave all of that there?"
"Yes."
Adrian looked at him.
Noah smiled.
"Why?"
"Because I need it."
"Move it when you're finished."
"Fine."
Adrian walked toward the kitchen.
Noah watched him.
Something about the apartment had changed the way they interacted.
At Vantage, Adrian was his senior.
Every conversation had an invisible professional boundary.
Here, Adrian was simply the man who complained about coffee and thermostats.
And Noah was discovering that he liked that version of him.
He didn't want to admit it.
Not even to himself.
That evening, they returned from the client's office at different times.
Noah arrived first.
He changed clothes, ordered dinner, and settled onto the couch.
When Adrian came through the door, he immediately noticed the takeout containers.
"You ordered food."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I'm hungry."
"You could have waited."
"I didn't."
Adrian looked at the containers.
"There's enough for you?"
"And you."
Adrian paused.
"You ordered for me?"
Noah shrugged.
"I remembered what you liked."
Adrian looked at him for a moment.
"Thank you."
Noah smiled.
"You're welcome."
They ate together.
The conversation was easy.
Too easy.
Noah was beginning to realize that their arguments no longer carried the same edge they had in the office.
There was still friction.
Still disagreement.
But there was humor underneath it now.
After dinner, Adrian began gathering the containers.
Noah leaned back.
"Leave them."
Adrian looked at him.
"The dishes?"
"They can wait."
"No."
Noah smiled.
"Adrian."
"No."
"You really can't help yourself, can you?"
Adrian carried the containers toward the kitchen.
Noah watched him.
Then an idea occurred to him.
It was childish.
He knew it was childish.
That was exactly why he wanted to do it.
He picked up his empty plate and placed it deliberately in the sink.
Adrian stopped.
"Noah."
"What?"
"The dishwasher is right there."
"I know."
"Then why did you put it in the sink?"
"Because I wanted to."
Adrian stared at him.
Noah smiled.
"You said no dishes in the sink."
"I did."
"Exactly."
"Move it."
"No."
Adrian walked toward him.
"Noah."
Noah stood.
"What?"
"You're doing this deliberately."
"Maybe."
"Why?"
Noah shrugged.
"Because you need to learn that not everything has to happen exactly the way you want."
Adrian stopped in front of him.
There was a moment of silence.
Then Adrian said, "You're impossible."
Noah laughed.
"And you're predictable."
Adrian shook his head.
But there was something different in his expression.
Not anger.
Not really.
It looked almost like amusement.
Noah realized they were standing closer than necessary.
He looked at Adrian.
Adrian looked back.
For a second, neither spoke.
The argument had somehow lost its sharpness.
It felt lighter.
Warmer.
Almost playful.
Noah smiled.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're smiling."
"So are you."
Noah's smile widened.
"Maybe we're getting along."
"Don't push your luck."
Noah laughed again.
Adrian finally stepped away.
"Put the plate in the dishwasher."
Noah picked it up.
"Yes, sir."
Adrian gave him another look.
Noah smiled innocently.
As Adrian walked toward his room, Noah watched him disappear through the doorway.
He stood alone in the kitchen, still smiling.
Their arguments were supposed to be exhausting.
Instead, they were becoming something Noah looked forward to.
That realization should have worried him.
It did.
But not nearly as much as it should have.
The First Night
The power went out at nine thirteen.
Adrian knew the exact time because he had been checking an email when the apartment suddenly went dark.
The air conditioner stopped.
The refrigerator went silent.
The lights disappeared.
For a few seconds, neither man said anything.
Then Noah's voice came from the other side of the living room.
"Well, that's inconvenient."
Adrian looked at the blank screen of his laptop.
"Very."
Noah's phone illuminated the room briefly as he switched on its flashlight.
Adrian reached for his own phone.
No signal.
He checked the building's emergency notification system.
Nothing.
"Probably a local outage," he said.
"How long do you think it'll last?"
"I don't know."
Noah lowered himself onto the couch.
"That's very reassuring."
Adrian ignored the comment and tried the lights again.
Nothing.
He checked the circuit panel.
Everything appeared normal.
He returned to the living room.
Noah was sitting with his feet tucked beneath him, his phone beside him.
"What are you doing?" Adrian asked.
"Nothing."
"Why?"
"Because there's no electricity."
Adrian looked at him.
Noah smiled.
"See? I'm learning."
Adrian almost smiled.
Almost.
He sat in the armchair opposite the couch.
The apartment was unusually quiet.