Page 40 of So Worth More
I went to him and drew him into a hug. “Look, it’s still early. Pack a bag for a couple of days, you can come stay with me. We’ve got time to go to my place and shower before work if we’re quick about it.”
He stared at me, astounded. “You want me to come stay? Just like that?”
“Absolutely. I told you, I’m all in now. I love you and want you with me. You can’t stay here. December weather and no heat at home don’t mix.”
His mouth dropped open. “You love me?”
“I do.”
“I love you too, Will.”
His lips slammed into mine before softening their brutal assault into a tender kiss. Just when we were in danger of getting carried away, he shivered and I pulled back.
“We need to get you somewhere warm.” I told him softly.
“Could you help me pack, please? I really want a shower, and I imagine you feel a bit gross.” he gave a laugh and made a face.
Scrunching my face as I realized how crusty I felt, I gave him a nod. “Shower for sure.”
Together, we packed quickly, stuffing a weekend’s worth of clothing into a bag while Andy put a call in to his landlord. The older man assured him he would do his best to get it fixed as quickly as possible. It seemed it was just Andy’s apartment that was having issues with no heating or hot water.
“You know, these things come in threes,” he mused. “At least, that’s what my mom always said.”
“Mine says that, too. Let’s hope it’s already happened and you missed it.”
It’d be a relief to get into my building where it was warm. The car journey wasn’t long enough to properly thaw us out after so long in the cold of Andy’s apartment.
While in the car I remembered the promise I’d made to Gem. “Sweetheart, do you still have Gem’s number?”
“Uh, I think so. Why?”
“Go text her and say; hashtag Andill has set sail. She’ll want to have coffee with us soon, if that’s okay with you?”
“Andill?”
“She ships us, remember? That’s our ship name.”
Laughter burst from him. “That’s amazing! Love it!”
We didn’t have to wait long for the reply or demand for a coffee double date. Gem wanted us to meet her new man.
“D’you think Henry would mind us meeting up with Gem?” Andy wondered.
“Dunno, we could run it by him first before we set it up?”
“Good idea.”
The distance between our apartments wasn’t much but the freezing weather outside made me grateful for the car. Parking in my assigned spot next to Alex’s car in the guest slot, I led Andy up to reception. At the attendant’s desk, I greeted the person on duty, offering them my I.D and asking them to allow access for Andy as my partner. Notifying them that he’d be staying, I asked if it was possible to get a key made.
Andy looked shocked when he was told he’d have a key by the end of the day. Maybe I was moving too fast for him, but I didn’t want to go slow now. I was prepared to show him that he was at the center of my life. Everything was just about making him happy.
“Will,” He started to say.
I turned him to face me, so he could look me in the eyes and see how serious I was about this. “All of my life is open to you. You need somewhere to stay, my place is yours. I want you to be able to come and go as you please. It’s important to me, so please? Take the key when it’s ready?”
Nodding, he wrapped his arms around me and took a juddering breath, pushing down the emotion I’d seen welling in his eyes.
We took the elevator to my home on the sixth floor, my arm wrapped around him the whole time as he got himself together.
