Page 48 of Can't Refuse Him
We collapse in a pile of limbs, sweat, and misplaced caution signs.
Silence. Breathing. The buzz of the overhead light.
Then —CLUNK.
A bottle of bleach rolls off a shelf and thuds to the ground by our feet.
“Sorry,” I say, chuckling. “That might’ve been me. Gripped on too tight.”
Oscar laughs, deep and full. “We’re gonna have to clean this whole place again.”
“Good,” I say. “I enjoy cleaning as long as you’re here with me.”
“You like me more,” he teases.
I kiss him. “Always.”
Outside the closet, the night carries on.
Inside, it is warm. Sacred. Ours.
There’s a rumour around the office that my new employee, the new janitor Eddy, is a reincarnated soul.
There’s another rumour that he hums to bins, and they hum back. That when he’s happy, the trash bags float into the cart. He makes even the mop buckets blush. But I knew it was because he still possessed some of his Grouch abilities. He can still communicate with the Rot.
But no one can prove it.
Except me, who watches Eddy go about his cleaning. We often sneak off on trips to the janitor’s closet when no one is looking.
All the employees know is that lately, the place shines more. Smells better. Feels lighter. And the Head of Cleaning Operations is finally smiling like he means it.
The finance department is always empty at night, except for two employees who seem to work overtime. I know them and just let them carry on, not disturbing them.
As I lock up the maintenance closet, I pass the breakroom and overhear a peculiar conversation.
“…I’m just saying, Chase, youcan’texpense blood bags under ‘client hospitality.’”
A sheepish laugh follows. “But Miles, they’re O-negative, very premium!”
I smirk.
The new accountant is fussy. The vampire intern is a complete himbo. Classic Geek and Jock trope. And judging by the way their voices tangle in the fluorescent-lit air, somethingmessyandundeniably deliciousis brewing.
I nudge Eddy with my elbow.
“Wanna place bets on who catches feelings first?”
Eddy grins, eyes glinting like a full moon on bin juice. “Opposites attract, who will cave first.”
We walk off laughing and never wondered if we were good enough for each other.
Sometimes you don’t need a second chance.
You just need someone who sees you.
Reallysees you.
And sometimes, miraculously, that someone crawls out of a bin.
