in a little basket that he tried desperately to balance.
The little hop from elevator to elevator at the nineteenth floor felt so smooth by this time, he’d forgotten that he was supposed to have an express elevator from the top floors to the bottom all along. (He hoped that one guy’s ghost wasn’t opposed to that, and that he’d forgiven his cats.) The doors opened at the fourteenth floor, and he checked his watch—he was about five minutes early, which was perfect.
He’d never realized that walking through a door was terrifying.
And, oh hell, someone he’d never seen before opened it—a tiny man in a bright-blue paisley shirt and red jeans stared blankly at him through fashionably thick-rimmed glasses.
“Uhm, Sean—?”
“ Sean! Prince Charming is here with coffee, get your ass in gear! ”
Zach’s hands started shaking from sheer nerves. “The entire fourteenth floor heard you.”
“Oh calm down!” With a little swish of his hand, the guy gestured Zach inside the apartment of chaos. Zach’s basket threatened to tumble, but the little man rescued it deftly. He peered into the mass of people moving, dressing, and (in one case) folding the hide-a-bed with deft movements. “Sean!” he snapped. “Man, stop mugging my boyfriend for toast, your guy here brought you breakfast. And lunch ! Now get him out of here before we scare the shit out of him.”
Suddenly five sets of eyes were turned toward Zach, and Zach tried to take inventory. Wendy was in the middle of fastening her bra, and she gave a little head bob before resuming dressing from the pile of clothes that sat on a battered recliner. The other girl—taller than Wendy but no less thin, with brown hair—actually had a bra on, and even slacks, but she was shirtless and in the process of putting one arm in a dress shirt while using her other hand to slip on a very practical black pump. The straight guy (he had to be; he was at the hide-a-bed) and was wearing boxers, and, well, yeah, he was decked to the nines with muscles and a hairy chest and a nice ass, but he had sort of a vacant expression in his eyes that indicated a complete lack of self-awareness.
And there, by the toast, was Sean, next to a shorter—but still taller than his boyfriend!—man who was wearing a Japanese silk robe and bunny slippers.
Sean turned to Zach with a dreamy expression and said, “You brought coffee? And fruit? And biscotti? Oh my God— marry me !”
“Okay,” Zach said, completely overwhelmed. “Sure. I’ll be just outside.” And then he made his escape, closed the door behind him, and leaned against it with a thundering heart.
Oh hell. Talk about a madhouse! He… he couldn’t. All those people, all in that tiny space, and they all….
“Hey!” The door opened behind him, and Zach moved enough to let Sean out. Sean had his satchel over his shoulder and the little gift basket in his hand. “You brought me coffee! And everything—that’s awesome ! Don’t bail!”
“People,” Zach said numbly. “You have more friends in that room than I’ve had in my entire life.”
“Ohmygod!” Sean muttered. “It’s like dating Rapunzel!”
That actually cheered Zach up. “Hey, we are dating. Excellent. Are you ready to go?”
“You made lunch too—and the bag matches the mug!”
Zach grinned, calming down a little from being faced with all of those people. “I did. I got them when we were shopping in Monterey—but my friends helped me pick them out.”
“See! You have friends!” Sean nudged him with an elbow and took a sip of his coffee. “Mm… that’s good, but, uhm, really sweet.”
“Too sweet?” Zach asked anxiously. Oh no. He made dessert coffee for someone who liked it black! The horror!
“I like it this way, but I’ll get fat really quick.”
Zach turned a little in the hallway as they waited for the elevator. Sean was wearing jeans, a black sport coat, and a neatly pressed white shirt with a thin red tie.
“You look
The little hop from elevator to elevator at the nineteenth floor felt so smooth by this time, he’d forgotten that he was supposed to have an express elevator from the top floors to the bottom all along. (He hoped that one guy’s ghost wasn’t opposed to that, and that he’d forgiven his cats.) The doors opened at the fourteenth floor, and he checked his watch—he was about five minutes early, which was perfect.
He’d never realized that walking through a door was terrifying.
And, oh hell, someone he’d never seen before opened it—a tiny man in a bright-blue paisley shirt and red jeans stared blankly at him through fashionably thick-rimmed glasses.
“Uhm, Sean—?”
“ Sean! Prince Charming is here with coffee, get your ass in gear! ”
Zach’s hands started shaking from sheer nerves. “The entire fourteenth floor heard you.”
“Oh calm down!” With a little swish of his hand, the guy gestured Zach inside the apartment of chaos. Zach’s basket threatened to tumble, but the little man rescued it deftly. He peered into the mass of people moving, dressing, and (in one case) folding the hide-a-bed with deft movements. “Sean!” he snapped. “Man, stop mugging my boyfriend for toast, your guy here brought you breakfast. And lunch ! Now get him out of here before we scare the shit out of him.”
Suddenly five sets of eyes were turned toward Zach, and Zach tried to take inventory. Wendy was in the middle of fastening her bra, and she gave a little head bob before resuming dressing from the pile of clothes that sat on a battered recliner. The other girl—taller than Wendy but no less thin, with brown hair—actually had a bra on, and even slacks, but she was shirtless and in the process of putting one arm in a dress shirt while using her other hand to slip on a very practical black pump. The straight guy (he had to be; he was at the hide-a-bed) and was wearing boxers, and, well, yeah, he was decked to the nines with muscles and a hairy chest and a nice ass, but he had sort of a vacant expression in his eyes that indicated a complete lack of self-awareness.
And there, by the toast, was Sean, next to a shorter—but still taller than his boyfriend!—man who was wearing a Japanese silk robe and bunny slippers.
Sean turned to Zach with a dreamy expression and said, “You brought coffee? And fruit? And biscotti? Oh my God— marry me !”
“Okay,” Zach said, completely overwhelmed. “Sure. I’ll be just outside.” And then he made his escape, closed the door behind him, and leaned against it with a thundering heart.
Oh hell. Talk about a madhouse! He… he couldn’t. All those people, all in that tiny space, and they all….
“Hey!” The door opened behind him, and Zach moved enough to let Sean out. Sean had his satchel over his shoulder and the little gift basket in his hand. “You brought me coffee! And everything—that’s awesome ! Don’t bail!”
“People,” Zach said numbly. “You have more friends in that room than I’ve had in my entire life.”
“Ohmygod!” Sean muttered. “It’s like dating Rapunzel!”
That actually cheered Zach up. “Hey, we are dating. Excellent. Are you ready to go?”
“You made lunch too—and the bag matches the mug!”
Zach grinned, calming down a little from being faced with all of those people. “I did. I got them when we were shopping in Monterey—but my friends helped me pick them out.”
“See! You have friends!” Sean nudged him with an elbow and took a sip of his coffee. “Mm… that’s good, but, uhm, really sweet.”
“Too sweet?” Zach asked anxiously. Oh no. He made dessert coffee for someone who liked it black! The horror!
“I like it this way, but I’ll get fat really quick.”
Zach turned a little in the hallway as they waited for the elevator. Sean was wearing jeans, a black sport coat, and a neatly pressed white shirt with a thin red tie.
“You look
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