Page 45 of Back Room Host

And yet so different.

It was like being back on the roof and looking down. But this time at Juri. And unlike back then, now I had the opportunity to do something. To help. I reached for my phone and got up from the chair.

“I’ll be right back,” I said and stepped out the door. I called Hector, my landlord. The man was a night owl, so I had no doubt he was still awake. And indeed, he answered after just two rings.

“Luca?” he asked, sounding like he’d just woken up.

“Yeah, hi, uh … sorry to call so late.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, kind of. I … wanted to ask if it would be okay for me to accommodate a friend of mine for two weeks. He needs help, and … Sara is at her parents’ house in Davos until mid-February, and you …”

“I’m here, but only sporadically. How much does he need your help?”

“A lot.”

“Alright, bring the stray to your place.”

“Stray?”

Hector laughed out loud. “Oh, come on, Luca. You’ve been living with me for two years now and have never brought anyone home. Not even that Matteo guy. And then something like this? It must be a stray cat you’ve picked up.”

“The cat is injured. Because of me. I have to help him somehow.”

“I wish you luck with your stray.” The innuendo was hard to miss.

“It’s not like that!” I protested, but it was futile. Hector was having a blast.

“Ciao, Luca, see you. And maybe I’ll get to meet your stray someday.”

“Yeah, see you. Thanks.”

When I returned to the examination room, the doctor was just applying a support bandage to Juri’s foot. He already had a splint on his left hand.

“You’re coming to my place,” I said, stepping up beside him at the examination table. “My roommate is away for the holidays, and my landlord is okay with it.”

Juri didn’t seem particularly happy about it, and I could sense him closing off from me.

“Let me make it up to you,” I pleaded. “There’s an elevator in my place, and I’ll make sure you get something to eat. Please. I have to do this. Let me be your host.”

In doing so, I sensed a strange feeling in my chest. When Juri twitched the corner of his mouth and gave a short nod of agreement, it was enough to relieve some of that inner tension.

Oh man … Where is this going to lead?

16

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Juri

What a nightmare! And I was right in the middle of it! And as if everything wasn’t already crappy enough, I was also in such excruciating pain that I felt nauseous. It was already three in the morning and all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep, but instead I was sitting in an Uber outside Erotic World, explaining to Luca over the phone what he should pack.

“I can’t find the cable,” he said on the other end of the line.

“Check under the bed,” I replied.

“Ah, here it is. I’ve packed the laptop. Headphones too. What do you need from the bathroom?”

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