As soon as I got home, I went upstairs to shower and change. Then I searched for my housemates and found three of them in the kitchen. Yolanda and JoJo were seated at the table, and Lark was on the counter. They were all still in pajamas, and I said hello as I poured myself a cup of coffee.
“I’d almost forgotten what you look like, Casey,” JoJo teased.
“Work’s been crazy. I actually spent the night before last at the hospital.”
“And last night with Doctor Koenig, I assume,” Yolanda said, before taking a sip of coffee.
“Theo, and yes.” I turned to Lark, who’d just taken off the hood on his red Santa onesie, and exclaimed, “Oh wow, look at you!”
He’d dyed his hair a rich shade of dark brown with subtle caramel highlights and had it trimmed into a flattering, chin-length style. The color did great things for his complexion and his dark eyes.
He seemed uncertain as he asked, “Does it look okay? I used the certificate that came in your gift basket to put my hair back to its real color.”
“You look beautiful,” I told him, and a huge smile spread across his face. “Did you decide blonds don’t actually have more fun?”
“I just couldn’t do it anymore,” he said, with wide eyes. “Every time I bleached my hair, my scalp felt like it was burning off. I don’t know how JoJo can stand it.”
“By getting drunk before I go to the salon. Follow me for more beauty tips.” She grinned and raised her mug in a toast.
“That’s sound advice.” I added milk and sugar to my coffee and turned away to grab a spoon. When I turned back, I discovered Lark was holding a can of whipped cream and dispensing a tall swirl onto the top of my drink. It would have hurt his feelings to tell him I didn’t actually want that, so I just said thank you.
“Wait, there’s more.” He reached into the pocket of his onesie and produced a handful of red and green sprinkles, which he rained down over the top of the whipped cream mountain. Then he smiled at me and said, “It’s Christmas. Everything needs to be festive.”
“Festive is definitely the word for that,” I muttered, as I carried the cup to the kitchen table. When my back was to Lark, I picked off the red pocket lint that had come with the sprinkles.
I sat down beside JoJo and wondered how I was actually supposed to drink my coffee now that it was under a Matterhorn of whipped cream. Meanwhile, Lark said, “I’m excited about meeting your boyfriend tomorrow, Casey. I’m also super excited we’re finally getting a tree! We need some Christmas spirit in this house.”
“I’m looking forward to getting the tree too, but Theo can’t make it. Also, we’re not calling each other boyfriends yet,” I said. Meanwhile, JoJo plucked a fast food straw from a cup of odds and ends on the table, peeled off the wrapper, and slipped it into my mug at an angle, to avoid as much whipped cream and pocket sprinkle as possible. I mouthed “thank you,” and she grinned at me.
Lark was so upset that you’d think someone had just told him reindeer couldn’t fly. “Your boyfriend-no-matter-what-you-call-him can’t miss this! Can we reschedule getting the tree for when he’s available, Yolanda?”
I started to say, “It’s not that he’s busy. He just…” Yolanda watched me closely to see how I was going to explain the man she only knew as Doctor Koenig. After a moment, I went with the truth. “The idea of meeting a bunch of my friends and family at once was intimidating to him, so he decided to sit this one out.”
Lark’s expression turned sympathetic. “Aw, he’s shy. I get scared too when I’m around a bunch of people I don’t know. That’s why I like being a cam boy so much more than when I worked as a stripper. I’d always get nervous before I went onstage. It wasn’t the part where I had to get naked that was hard for me, it was just being around all those strangers.”
He looked so vulnerable all of a sudden, so I impulsively got up, crossed the kitchen, and gave him a hug. When I let go of him, he said, “Thanks, Casey. What was that for?”
“For being a nice person with a lot of empathy.”
He smiled at me and asked, “Would it help if I went and talked to your not-although-actually-yes-boyfriend so he knows we’re not scary?”
“Thanks for the offer, but I think it’s best to just give him a little time. He’s been on his own for quite a while, and I don’t want to overwhelm him with too much, too soon.”
Lark nodded solemnly. “You’re a good guy, Casey. I’m glad you’re taking care of him.”