Call me kitten (boyxboy love) ✓

5. Cheers to talking

Ash's place wasn't that far from work, so we walked instead of taking the bus and as we headed down the road a strange, elated feeling filled me. I had taken one step into the unknown, dared to do something I had never done before. Going to someone else's place. When meeting people, whether it was a friend or a date, I had always made sure we meet up at my own place, just so I could control the environment. Making sure I was surrounded by safety. To enter someone's home, even just for a cup of coffee, was huge.

"Well, if we are to get to know each other, I can start by asking you some basics," I said, fueled by my new-found courage. "Start easy. How old are you and what are your hobbies?"

"Oh, we're doing twenty questions?" Ash enthusiastically. "I'm 28 years old, my zodiac sign is Capricorn and I like candle lit dinners and long walks on the beach."

"Uhm... ok?" I managed to say, before realizing that he was joking. "Hell, quit messing around."

He giggled but continued.

"Don't know if I have any real hobbies. I like Japanese comics and anime, got some stuff that I collect. And I like computer games of course, like any geek do."

He did? I couldn't curb my enthusiasm and fired away a stream of questions about what comics he liked most and what game he has playing. And just like that our conversation was flowing like a river. Ash had surprisingly much in common with my own interests and we even shared the same favorite Japanese comic. I had always thought I was alone in liking that as a grown man, but apparently not. He had studied media in high school but never attended university, a fact that he quickly breezed over. I chose not to ask why that was, and continued with other questions instead.

"Can I ask what you are? I mean, are you homosexual or bisexual?"

He shot me a crooked smile and shrugged.

"No idea," he answered. "I'm sexual, that's the only thing I'm sure about. And I don't care, really. You like what you like, I'm not that into labeling people, you know. Are you? I mean, would you like to be labeled as an introvert game nerd? You're more than that, right?"

We had arrived at his apartment building, and he pushed the elevator button. I was thinking about his question. I had never even thought about labels before, but it was true. If you put a label on someone you put them in a corner that they might never get out of.

"I'm more than a label," I said. "Smart thinking about the sexuality thing, by the way."

"I have my moments," Ash said, and we stepped into the elevator.

His apartment was a huge three-bedroom flat on the seventh floor, overlooking half of the inner city. This did not come cheap. How could he even afford this kind of place? My salary was good, but even I would struggle to be able to have a place like this. With him working in the kitchen, it would be damn near impossible.

"Who'd you have to kill to get this place?" I said impressed as I stepped into the hallway.

"My mom," Ash answered, a chilling tone in his voice. "Well, I didn't kill her, she left me the place in her will."

Oh. Something told me not to ask any further questions about that either, so I just let him show me around. The kitchen was large and looked newly renovated, but you could still tell that a somewhat messy guy lived here. Dishes were stacked all over the counters even though the dishwasher was empty. Ash walked down the hallway, pointing to where the bathroom was and then he just continued into a room that looked like a living room. But on the way there he failed to point to his bedroom. I couldn't miss it, though, because the door was wide open, and I peeked inside.