I'm Just Curious Too: Reconciliation

Chapter 1

The sweltering heat made for an uncomfortable rest by the time the alarm went off in the morning. A pale hand peaked from mauve covers to touch the screen of a phone before sliding the alarm into silence. The only noise that was present were the birds letting out sparse chirps. Fabien tossed the blankets off his bare torso and turned to lay on his back, his long hair sticking to his sweat-drenched skin. Summer was a terrible season and more so the worst due to a sudden heatwave.

"I made lunch. Yours is the blue lunch tin," Kiel said as he placed a glass of water on the bed stand beside Fabien's' head.

Kiel's' head was wet and dripping but that didn't seem to faze him despite the droplets trailing down his neck. Fabien turned his head and smiled up at Kiel.

"When did you decide to dye your hair blue?"

"I think it was around one a.m. and it couldn't look better," Kiel smiled back and moved to sit beside Fabien. With an arm on either side of Fabien, Kiel leaned over him, the drops from his hair falling on to Fabien. "When you're ready to get rid of your blond - I'm here. But for today, let's fishtail it."

Fabien reached out his hand to ruffle Kiels' hair but was met with a disturbing drizzle of water droplets to his face. Kiel laughed when Fabien grabbed his blanket to wipe them off. It was at that moment that a second alarm went off. Kiel moved off the bed after he patted Fabien's' thigh, lifting the blanket off the bed with him.

"We got to get ready. I've got an appointment a few minutes after opening," Kiel announced as he picked up his phone from the bed stand.

Fabien was Kiel's current roommate. The more accurate word would be a tenant. They moved in together three years ago after Mandy got serious with her boyfriend. Fabien didn't feel all too comfortable having the three of them in one house so he took it upon himself to move. Kiel was more than willing to take him. After all, they had reconnected the night that Fabien called him when he had run away six years ago. Kiel had been a high school friend who shared classes with Mandy and Fabien. A fourth leg if you will to their four-man team of Amanda, Lee, Fabien, and himself – Kiel. Kiel was also the first openly gay in their classes and one who had openly advocated for inclusion when the Americans made the bold move to march for it. "One small step for humanity" was his self-mantra and to say he won the case would be a lie. He did plant a seed and for him, that was enough.

Kiel peeled off his t-shirt and used it to wipe his hair. Fabien sat up then and looked over his roommate for a second. No imperfections touched the lightly tanned skin with toned muscles that were bare to Fabien. The consistent self-care that Kiel lived up to was something to envy and Fabien was always in the green with that. He shook his head and finally made tracks to the bathroom. It was a morning pleasure to have eye candy but Kiel was off-limits. Fabien valued him too much to destroy the rekindled friendship.

...

"Am I picking you up after?" Kiel asked as he reached to fix the stray strands that fell loose from the braid.

I picked my flask of coffee up and nodded, checking that I had all things in hand. Satchel, phone, coffee – all a go. It was then I looked at him and smiled. Kiel styled his hair with loose soft curls that hung lusciously above his ears in a bowl type of cut. He wore a black shirt and skinny navy blue denim jeans with a lighter wash of color on his shins, all neatly accented by his black Lee Cooper formal shoes.

I opened the car door and exited, waving at Kiel before walking through the gate of our offices.

Neon Solutions. The second home for me. After graduating, I was lucky enough to land a job in the field I studied for. I was the assistant designer and online marketing agent, which was thankfully fun enough to do. There were the odd jobs of sourcing materials and the like that I could do but the titled work was the aforementioned. Once I walked in through the door, the loud greetings of the reception staff had me burst into smiles. My workmates were the type of crazy that keeps one going. A real miracle during hardships. I responded with the same spontaneity before reaching the open office that I shared with three other workmates.