Forty-Two Stairs by A. F. Henley

Author:A. F. Henley [Henley, A.F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: M/M romance, contemporary
Publisher: Less Than Three Press LLC
Published: 2014-06-25T00:00:00+00:00

Sane men, Owen thought, did not hold conversations with spiders that had paused mid-trek across sun-drenched flooring to bask in the light, but there were worse things than insane. Besides, it had merely been a "good morning" and a "lovely day, isn't it?" It was hardly like he'd asked the little beast to stay for breakfast. Though the thought of breakfast was a pleasant enough idea that it gave Owen a reason to roll onto his back, and attempt to stretch the stiffness out of his spine. The alarm clock sounded at the same moment that Owen sat up, and he flicked the button from electronic screech to radio. Why he still bothered to set it, Owen couldn't say, but it kept him from lying around when he could be, at least, making the attempt to appear like he was still leading a grown man's life.

Musical inspiration followed him into the bathroom, and Owen sang along as he showered and shaved. He felt mildly elated, strangely peaceful, and he was smiling to himself by the time he got in front of the mirror. The hair he'd buzzed almost down to the wood the day that Eli had moved his stuff out of the house was starting to get some length to it again, and Owen scrubbed his fingers through it, grinning at the resulting mess. His eyes, once perpetually tinged with an offside yellow, and more often than not tracked through with the inflammatory response of capillaries dilating in distress, were clear and bright, focussed and alert. He felt good. Happy even. Like he'd finally got a decent night's sleep. Like he was ready to face the world again.

He smirked at his reflection. "You should find a job."

Owen switched from singing to whistling, considered winding the now-damp towel around his waist, but shrugged and draped it over the shower rod instead. He walked into the living space, as naked as the day he was born and without a single concern in regard to that fact. The breeze was cool and fresh, and even though the apartment was ablaze with the brilliance of sunlight, the sun was by no means high enough in the sky to be stifling yet.

It wasn't until he saw the flash of movement through his window that he dropped both hands to his crotch and crouched in an absurd crab-like fashion, stumble-shuffling the two steps to the window to peer out the opening.

Owen grinned and shook his head when he saw colour and a familiar form—he should have known that's who it would be. After all, who else would risk life and limb to pace the roof as if it were his own personal path of reflection?

Owen's smile faded when he noticed the tucked-in shoulders and the nervous hold of Sebastian's fist against his mouth, as if whatever was being mumbled was meant to be contained to levels heard by the speaker only. Concern deepened Owen's expression into an outright frown when Sebastian moved that hand to grab the end of the braid hanging over his shoulder and give it a sharp tug.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.