I was struck both by how beautiful he was, and how isolated he seemed. This apartment was totally silent, cut off from the outside world. The thought of him all alone here, day after day, was thoroughly depressing.
When I left the doorway, he looked up at me and smiled. He’d brought back the sketchbooks and rearranged them and the art supplies, so there was room for a second person at the table. But I climbed onto his lap instead and buried my face in his shoulder as I wrapped my arms around him.
I pretended my clinginess was due to the early hour and grumbled, “The only time I’m ever up at seven is if I’m still awake from the night before.” In truth though, I just wanted this morning to be better for him than all the others, and to me that included cuddling.
He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my hair as he said, “I guess you get used to it after a while.”
“What time do you have to be at work?”
“I try to get there no later than eight. That way, I can take care of paperwork and anything else that needs my attention before my first appointment at nine.”
“So, the early morning schedule is your own doing.” When he nodded, I asked, “How often do you swim?”
“Seven days a week.”
“You’re incredibly disciplined.”
“I try to be. You obviously are too, since you’re in great shape,” he said.
“I work out by dancing in place during my six-hour shifts at the club. This is my signature move.”
I climbed off his lap and shook my ass with one arm raised over my head, and he chuckled at that. Then he got up and said, “I made you some oatmeal, and there’s coffee if you’d like some.”
“Yes to the coffee, hell no to the oatmeal. Oops, where are my manners? I mean, hell no but thank you for the offer. Wait, do you have cream and sugar?”
“I have oat milk, but no sweetener. Sorry. I wasn’t prepared for a guest.”
“No worries. I can grab a properly sugared up coffee later.”
While he cleaned up the breakfast dishes, I went into the living room and retrieved the huge bag of Funyuns, then returned to the kitchen, sat on the counter, and tucked into them. Okay, so I normally wasn’t immature enough to eat something like this for breakfast, but I wanted to make a point with Wes—it was okay to break the rules sometimes.
There was a clean white mug sitting beside me, presumably left out for my coffee, so I wiped my hand on my jeans and pulled my phone from my pocket. After I cued up some music, I put the phone in the mug, which amplified the sound and made it less tinny. I’d gone with Carmen. I was already totally invading Wes’s world, so I figured this wasn’t the time to push his musical boundaries.
He glanced at me and grinned, but when he saw what I was eating he said, “Really?”
“They’re made of corn, so it’s basically like eating a vegetable.”
“How is that made of corn? It looks like a preserved onion ring.”
“Here, try one.” I held a Funyun out to him.
Predictably, he turned me down with a polite, “No, thank you.”
“Come on. Just one. Succumb to peer pressure.”
He grinned at me and adjusted his glasses as he said, “I’m good, thanks.”
“You’re missing out.” I popped the hoop of fried yumminess into my mouth and crunched it up with an exaggerated, “Mmmmm.”
Wes continued to resist my snack temptation as he finished up in the kitchen. Then I gathered my things and accompanied him out of the apartment as he asked, “Would you like me to call you a cab?”
“No, thanks. I’d like to walk with you, and then I have a project to work on before I meet you for lunch, assuming you still want to do that.”
“Definitely.”
The morning was cool and foggy, so I pulled up my hood and took a deep breath when we reached the sidewalk. Our path followed the edge of the bay, and it was nice to be so close to the water. The air felt fresh, and the cry of seagulls made it seem like I was someplace far from home.
At one point, we encountered a man sitting on a bench, who appeared to be homeless. He watched us as we approached and exclaimed, “Funyuns are the bomb!”
I gave him the bag and said, “Right? They’re awesome,” and Wes slipped him some money.
He called after us, “Thanks, purple kitty and other dude.” I’d forgotten about the ears on the hoodie again.
Once we reached the Embarcadero, I gave Wes a hug and said, “Have a good one! I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“See you soon.” He smiled at me and tugged one of my cat ears before heading for the stairs.