Look Out For Me (ManXMan)

Chapter Five

Matt made it home by midnight that night. He threw all his clothes into the bathtub to worry about later. He also drove very carefully to not get any cake on his seat. Lucas offered Matt a shirt of his, but Matt refused. Things were a little awkward between Lucas and him now, but Matt somehow knew that wouldn't last. Things would only go right back into place as if nothing ever happened. He forgot what he dreamt about before he opened his eyes to the morning light.

He felt lighter somehow, though he wished he could have stayed in bed longer. He lifted his head so that it reached the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window, catching the warmth. He let it spread from his palm down to his forearm. Today was going to be a day for open windows. Only the lucky ones who didn't have to work would be able to enjoy the weather, but Matt wasn't about to complain.

As far as the schedule went for Matt today, he had laundry to take care of. The laundromat was easy to walk to, especially in such nice weather. He'd likely bring a paperback novel, one of Kyra Cross's newest releases that he never had the time to start. He wasn't due to work until 2 in the afternoon.

Matt was in luck because it was just past 9 in the morning. He got himself together in under an hour, first by taking a brisk run, followed by a quick breakfast. He threw his clothes from the bathtub into the basket with the other dirty clothes so he could shower. He watched the rivets of red from the strawberry in the cake run down towards the drain along with his sudden embarrassment of last night, before he started to wash himself properly. He finished in record speed before throwing some clothes on.

The laundromat was usually empty, which meant plenty of alone time to read without interruption. The sounds of the dryers and washers would help drown out any other distractions. Which is what he looked forward to, plus the front door was usually wide open. That meant he could get as much enjoyment from the weather possible before daylight savings time. They still had weeks to go, but Matt wasn't going to take it for granted.

It just so happened Fate decided to fuck with him, beautiful day be damned.

Mel was tossing whites into one of the washers.

It was a simple light brown colored building. It used to be a video rental store, then a place that sold cheap cheap cell phones. Now it was a nameless laundromat, a boring rectangular shaped building. Washers were lined up in neat little rows in the center, some of them back to back. The dryers also sat in neat little rows but against the back wall. Only a few were on the right wall mixed with a few mostly unused washers. Those washers had Out of Order signs on them. They were never fixed.

To the left wall, a few ATM machines, a couple of coin machines and some retro gaming booths Matt never got around to trying out for himself.

Of all days, Matt could have used the apartments smaller, more isolated and dank laundromat. But no, he had to come to this one, the only other public laundromat because the weather was too beautiful to be ignored.

Just how the hell was he was supposed to get anything done when the man wore a pair of blue jeans and suspenders. Suspenders! No shirt. Just a muscular body, a lot more skin, not much left to the imagination. Matt wondered if Mel just walked off a strip show to get some laundry done. Even strippers had to do laundry too.

No wait, Andrea said he was a bank teller. Unless he had a second job that not even she knew about.

Surely there could've been something about this man that she might've even missed.

Matt knew he couldn't stand around by the front door gawking in wonder like an idiot. He also wasn't going to chicken out. Dammit, he had some cake stains to battle. He also thanked the heavens for having worn a black shirt, because a white shirt would've been either too ruined or take a lot more work. At the suddenly jump his heart gave, he entered the building suddenly nervous to make his hands almost start to shake.