Afterburn by E. Davies

Author:E. Davies [Davies, E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: E. Davies

17

Liam

You can’t cook for me. I’m having you over!

Liam leaned on his kitchen counter as he texted Dylan, shaking his head. Therapy was over, but Dylan had another hour left in his shift. He’d been about to start supper, and when he’d texted Dylan to make sure he didn’t have any allergies, Dylan had told him not to cook.

Therapy had been easier this week. He didn’t feel so much like he was peeling up layers of himself for a stranger to pick through and judge. It wasn’t exactly easy still, but his body hadn’t thrown flashbacks at him and shut down from stress, either.

Now he knew the term for those weird moments he sometimes had—flashbacks. Gary had taught him that they didn’t have to be reliving memories visually, like they were usually shown on TV. They could show up in other ways, like when he couldn’t stop shaking, when he’d interpreted accepting sexual attention as wanting it.

You had me over at the station :) My turn.

Liam laughed and rolled his eyes.

I can’t believe I’m having you over to cook your own meal. My mom would kill me.

Dylan just sent a kissing emoticon and a wink, and Liam snorted with laughter.

Fine LOL. At least let me get groceries. Need anything?

Do you have food in your kitchen?

Liam laughed again and went to crash on the couch with his phone.

Of course.

Then I’ll find something. Gotta go work. See you soon. xox

Liam shook his head and sent back a quick xox to Dylan before he put his phone away. Even via text message, Dylan was strong-willed. It was one of the things he liked about him.

“In that case…” He hauled himself off the couch again to tidy up the living room, making sure his little apartment was straightened out.

It was hardly a big place—a one-bedroom, in fact—but it was his own, and it was gorgeous. He loved the hardwood floors and the airy windows, the little Juliet balcony, the kitchen island, and the ceramic bathroom floor. It was breezy in the summer, which helped keep it cool, and the corner location meant he got plenty of light even in the winter.

Not that winter here was anything like Boston. Every now and then, he missed the pretty first snow falling on the historic buildings downtown, but that got old after the first two or three snowfalls. No more digging their way to hydrants or medical calls for slip-and-falls on steep, icy driveways.

Instead, they had wildfires. Oh, well. Win some and lose some.

At last, there was a knock on the door and he cast one more quick look around the room, then strode to answer it and let Dylan inside.

“Hey.” His date looked adorable—had he run home to change? He was in a different shirt now, a dark navy collared shirt with a yellow floral pattern.

“Hi. Looking good,” Liam told Dylan with a smile. He was a little embarrassed he hadn’t thought to change since therapy, since he hadn’t been doing any deep cleaning on the house—just tidying.

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