Carlos folded the last of his t-shirts and zipped the duffel bag. He unplugged his phone from the charger and shoved his laptop in his bag. He went into the bathroom and put his shower gels, shampoos and toothpaste into a toilet bag.
He counted a few bills and slipped them into his wallet, and then the rest of the money went into his backpack. The Uber was already outside and he was going to be late.
He locked his apartment and gave his next door neighbor a key.
"There's some things that could go bad in the pantry. You can have those, I'll collect the rest of my stuff later," he yelled as he dragged the overstuffed duffel bag down the hallway, down the stairs and onto the cold and wet street. Carlos sighed. He hated the rain.
His phone rang, startling him. His mother. He hit Reject and climbed into the Uber. He entered his destination into the satnav, and then stuck headphones into his ears.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he repeated softly to himself and wiped his nose on his sleeve.
Logan was coming to pick him up later this afternoon and hopefully, he would find the letter.
Carlos hiccupped to hide a sob. He had stayed up all night and tossed and turned over his words to properly bring out his feelings in that letter. He just could not say it to Logan's face.
Yes sure, he understood Logan's motive now, he even felt like he forgave him...and he sort of believed Logan actually loved him.
He had even made peace with the fact that he maybe deserved everything; after all, it was nothing in comparison to what Carlisle had put Logan through.
But, Carlos realized with disgust, it wasn't love he felt for Logan anymore. It was pity. He felt sorry for Logan, and it was going to be infinitely awkward between them. No matter how hard he tried, he knew he was never going to stop looking at himself as the son of the man who had destroyed Logan's life.
The Uber driver yelled something and Carlos jumped.
"Sorry, what?" he asked, plucking his left headphone out of his ear.
"I said we're here," he replied tightly and lit a cigarette. "I don't fucking get paid enough for this."
Carlos smiled uncomfortably, thanked and paid him, with a generous tip.
But he had missed his bus. It was still raining, and the next one wasn't for a few hours. He had already blown $160 on a ticket, and he was not willing to wait.
He heaved his bag over his shoulder, pulled the hood of his jacket over his head and limped down the wet street. He had walked for close to thirty minutes and his feet were blistering inside his converse when a pick up truck pulled up a few feet in front of him.
The man inside whistled as he passed by and Carlos stopped.
"It's pourin' out there, and you're gonna catch a cold. Hop in, I'll get you wherever," the man said and leaned over to open the door.
Carlos shrugged. He climbed in and dropped the bag between his legs. The truck was warm and the seats were strangely comfortable.
"Thank you," he said with a smile and closed his eyes.
Even better, he thought. This way, nobody was going to be able to find him.
None of them talked for a while; the radio filled the silence between them perfectly. It was dark when they finally stopped for a toilet break and food.
Carlos stayed in the car. He wasn't really hungry and he didn't need the toilet. He didn't wait long; the man came back with a six pack of beer, pretzels and a cheeseburger.
He handed Carlos the cheeseburger with a bone melting smile and Carlos took it. He studied the man's features for the first time under the dim street light.
He had deep set green eyes under thick eyebrows, a slightly crooked nose and plump lips. His teeth were straight and he had a stubble beard which outlined his sharp jawline perfectly.
His brown hair was pressed down on his head from wearing a cowboy hat all day, and his skin was dark from working under the sun for long. Carlos ached to touch him.
He was quicker. He ran a calloused finger along Carlos' jawline, tilted his face upwards and kissed him.
Carlos guiltily leaned in and his body reacted instantly. He savored the beautiful taste of pretzels and beer on the man's lips. He kissed better than anyone Carlos had ever kissed before; Carlos did not think it was possible to come from just a kiss.
The man pulled away with a smile and sucked in a long breath of air.
"So, where are you headin', stranger?" he asked in his thick southern accent, his chest and biceps bulging in his faded t-shirt.
Carlos' phone rang. Logan. He turned down the volume and flipped it on the seat.
"Kansas," he replied, falling back against the chair.
"Well, isn't that a coincidence! That's where I'm from," the man replied, pulled Carlos into his lap and furiously crashed his lips against his.
Another completed book. I'm so damn excited! I don't know if you guys like the ending, or if you had something different in mind. Talk to me in the comments. Also, I think I might add a bonus chapter from Logan's POV. AGAIN, please tell me what you think!
But please tell someone about Gay for Pay, and I hope you had a fun time reading my shitty work.
Bye for now... I'll be back tho. Kisses.
P.S, I'm going to rehab, to get over my addition to the italic and ; button.
