Open Doors

Chapter 15

"Logan, have you seen Roman lately?" Patton was making lunch and realized that Roman had, once again, left his food in the fridge. It had been almost a month and Patton couldn't remember seeing Roman during that time. He knew their theatrical roommate was coming home, sometimes he would hear him come in late at night, but Roman always seemed to be gone before any of them got up. That wasn't like him.

"No, I assumed he has been very busy with his professional make believe. It was my understanding that when someone is pursuing a dream, you should be supportive. Should I have been checking in on him?"

"No," Patton shook his head. "I just hope he isn't pushing himself too hard. He said that one of his actor buddies has been bringing him dinner, so I haven't even gone and visited him. If he is bonding with one of his friends, I don't want to bug him."

"You could always take him some of your sweeter confections."

"Do you mean cookies?"

"Yes, that is one example."

"Of course, of course, I could take him dessert!" Patton smiled happily. "Even if it is a short visit, I can make enough for his friend too. I don't even have to wait until Friday. We should go visit him today. If you want to come." He suddenly realized he might be pushing Logan into a social situation he didn't want to experience.

"Virgil, after a long discussion about being careful with whom you trust, advised me that spending time with those who care about me is beneficial to my emotional health. Also, if Roman is overworking himself, it would be advantageous for both of us to be there."

Patton could just about see the wheels turning in Logan's head. He was glad to see Logan cared. "My kiddo convinced you of that? That's wonderful! Now if only he would take his own advice." Patton pouted a little bit, but it didn't last long.

"We can discuss that later," Logan knew that Virgil had his reasonings for his occasional isolation. "How about we begin the cookie making process?"

"Sure!" Being easily distracted, Patton dropped the subject, bouncing into the kitchen. He pulled all of the ingredients out of the cupboard. "Wait, we don't have enough sugar. I must have forgotten to put it on the grocery list."

"We can go purchase the necessary sugar and return to make the cookies. There is still adequate time in the day and Roman's practices always run late. I have no pressing work that must get done and the house is rather clean due to your consistent care."

Patton giggled. "Alright, let me get my wallet, do you want to drive there, or walk?" He was normally fine with walking, but they were working with a time table today.

"It would be more efficient if we were to drive. However, seeing as I do not have a car, you would need to be the one to transport us."

"I don't mind."

It didn't take them long to drive to the store. They had bought a bag of sugar and two jars of crofters at Logan's request. Patton liked the way Logan's eyes lit up when he examined the jars of Crofter's. It was the same as when he spoke about Space, or Sherlock. Patton was so glad they had both had the day off. It was pleasant.

That pleasantness was cut short as they made it back home. Something was amiss as they pulled up. Their front door was just slightly open. Had one of the other two come home? Normally, they were all careful about closing the door and locking it, Virgil especially. Logan held the bag of groceries in his hand tightly as he pushed Patton behind him. He opened the door slightly to see someone sitting on the couch.

"Hello?" Patton called out, not wanting to scare the person if there was an innocent reason for them to be here.

"About time someone came home, I was rather disappointed to come in to an empty house." The voice was smooth, deep, and gentle. Somehow, it still sent a shiver down Logan's spine. The man sitting on their couch didn't seem to be trying to hide. His body was twisted so that he was half leaning over the edge that faced Patton and Logan. He never looked up from his phone and it gave Logan time to assess this newcomer's appearance.