Devil's Effect

Stolen Kisses

Mike stood next to the refrigerator, a plastic cup of water in his hand. Boxes of Jason's neatly organized belongings were stacked along behind the back of the couch, and several of his own boxes labelled "art" had joined them this morning. As his eyes roamed over the downstairs, thinking that it was more organized than he'd seen it in months, he saw his phone sitting on the table. It was silent. With Jason always near, he hadn't been on it much lately. He hadn't talked to Chester in a week.

The last message he sent to his ex-boyfriend was wishing him a safe trip to San Francisco. They'd randomly texted on and off before he went to Seattle with Jason to house hunt. Small, inconsequential things with deeper, tragic apologies sprinkled in. And then once he'd left for Seattle, there was nothing. Mike's shoulders dropped as he looked out over the loft. He'd be in L.A. for another two weeks living out of a suitcase. Everything else was going with Jason to the new house in Seattle when the company came to move it all for them.

The new house. Our new house.

Mike set his cup down and walked over to the windows. It was hard to believe he was leaving L.A., but the idea of leaving the loft itself wasn't too distressing. Everywhere he looked reminded him of Chester. He'd carefully folded the red and black blanket and packed it away to make the trip to Seattle, even though he knew it would probably stay in a closet somewhere. There's so much closet space. Ches would love it.

It was true he'd fallen instantly in love with the most unusual living circumstances he could think of - the upscale houseboat they'd gone to look at on a whim the second day they were in Seattle. Mike thought about all the built-in cabinetry, the light colored wood accents, and the pale blues, greens, and whites of the interior. There was space - walls and rooms - which he'd become unaccustomed to in the two years he'd spent at the loft. Jason would have his office, Mike would have room to paint, and the upstairs master bedroom had two entire walls of glass windows that could be opened completely to the outside air. Both levels had decks outside, and Jason had wrapped his arms around Mike's waist as they stood and looked over the water, murmuring in his ear about wine and the wind and the water. All Mike had to do was say yes, and Jason would write the check.

You're going to be so happy here, sweetheart, Jason said over sushi that night in downtown Seattle, his eyes sparkling in the overhead light. Living on the water will be so peaceful. Mike had smiled, nodded along, barely tasting his lobster roll as he thought about all the changes coming his way.

The trip was a whirlwind of real estate meetings, furniture and household goods selections, and touring the University of Washington campus. Every time Mike thought about school he had the same queasy, excited feeling. He'd finished his application, set a date for his music audition, and now they were just waiting for his acceptance. Jason didn't seem the least bit put off by the prospect of writing yet another check for his tuition, and Mike had to wonder just exactly how much money Jason had managed to squirrel away in the past few months. He'd never seen how much Jason still pulled in from YRS, and Mike knew the promotion was a substantial one, but Jason was spending money like he was still living in the house in the hills. Anything Mike wanted for the house, Jason quickly agreed to, and most of the time before Mike could stop to question the price or even do the math, Jason was arranging payments and deliveries.

Mike knew the utilities would be on when Jason got to Seattle next weekend. He'd spent the morning at the kitchen table with his laptop, putting all of it in his name while sipping his coffee and occasionally calling out to Mike as he finished taping up another box of his life. There were moments Mike was close to tears, thinking of when he'd moved into the loft, the way he and Chester had made trip after trip in their cars with his belongings, and how Dave had come to the rescue with his truck. Damn. I need to make sure I say goodbye to Dave. And Anna. I'll have to let her know I'll definitely be back for the wedding. It still seemed unreal that Anna was getting married, but Mike pushed that away, too. There were too many thoughts and memories trying to veer him from the current path. The path that included Jason, that included school and fulfilling dreams he'd had for years.