Page 29 of Out of Nowhere

Shucking off his sweat-damp clothes, Dex stepped into the shower and reveled in taking his time cleaning up. Recognizing one of the bottles of shampoo as the brand Seo-jun used—something with a foreign name that arrived every few months in the mail because Seo-jun had never corrected the address—he flipped the lid and took a sniff, and then a deeper inhale. This.Thiswas what Dex smelled every time Seo-jun came near. It wasn’t cologne at all, but his shampoo. Dex was tempted to use it, the idea of smelling of Seo-jun all day appealing to him in a way he didn’t want to examine too much, but he didn’t want to use someone else’s product when his own shampoo was right there on the shelf. With a small sigh, he replaced the bottle and grabbed his own.

Ten minutes later, he walked into the main part of the locker room, a large bath towel wrapped around his waist.

“Dex.” Seo-jun came in from the hall. He was dressed in an ice blue T-shirt and a pair of work-out shorts. “I was looking for you.”

“Hey. Sorry. I ran early. I couldn’t sleep.”

Seo-jun nodded. “I may just workout in the gym, then.” His dark eyes travelled over Dex in the towel, raising goosebumps on Dex’s damp skin. “Is something wrong? Why couldn’t you sleep?”

Reaching for a smaller towel from the shelf, Dex began drying his hair with it. “My sister called before daylight. She was all worked up, claiming she’s not being treated well in the facility,and that the staff is talking about taking away her baby. None of it is probably true, but I really feel bad for her that she’s there all alone.” Just being in Seo-jun’s quiet presence soothed the anxiety Dex felt every time he thought about Anna and her issues.

“I’m sorry. It must be difficult for you to be so far away from her. Are you going to go there?”

Dex had been considering it. He didn’t trust his mother to have thoroughly vetted the facility, and, although he did think Tom had done his best, Dex didn’t know if Anna had given her father any reason to be concerned. Dex seemed to be her main confidant. Too bad he didn’t have access to her medical records. Every so often, he brought it up, and she always said she would think about it.

“Yeah. I think I’m going to ask Jase for a week off and fly to Fresno. Maybe meet a couple of my buddies who live in Carson City, Nevada, to climb at Yosemite.”

Flinging the towel he’d used on his hair in the laundry basket, Dex turned to the mirror to finger-comb the messy strands. When he glanced at Seo-jun’s reflection, he found him studying Dex with an intense expression on his handsome face. He was in no way prepared for what Seo-jun said next.

“Would you like some company? I mean, not with the Yosemite part, but in Fresno?”

Dex’s hand stilled in his hair and their eyes met in the mirror.

“You mean…you want to go with me?” Dex asked.

Seo-jun nodded. “I haven’t been to California in ten years.”

Dex turned around to face Seo-jun and leaned against the counter. “That’s right—you said you used to live in San Francisco.”

“If you’d rather be alone—“

“No,” Dex quickly interrupted. “I’d like it if you came with me.”

Feeling a little shy, Dex stood smiling at Seo-jun for a long moment before remembering he was wearing only a bath towel and abruptly straightening. “We can talk more about it later. I’ll go get dressed.”

As Dex walked out of the locker room, he ws sure he felt Seo-jun’s lingering gaze on him.

Chapter Eighteen: Seo-jun

Seo-jun knew it was a bold move to invite himself on Dex’s vacation. But he hadn’t liked the worry he’d seen flash over Dex’s face, and he hoped that by going with him, he’d be able to shoulder some of the responsibility that must be weighing Dex down.

You also just want to be alone with him,his mind accused. That was true.

After using the rowing machine in the gym for forty-five minutes, Seo-jun went looking for one of their three bosses. Glancing out the sliding glass doors, he spotted Logan swimming laps in the pool, so Seo-jun stepped outside and sat down to wait for him to finish. He handed Logan the towel that had been on one of the lounge chairs when he climbed out of the pool, water cascading down his toned body. Logan was in his early forties, but, having spent half his lifetime serving in the Marines, he had the body of someone much younger.

“Thanks,” Logan said, taking the towel and wiping his dripping face. “You waiting for me?”

“Yes. I wanted to talk to you about taking some time off to go with Dex to California,” Seo-jun said.

Sitting down, Logan rubbed the towel over his wet hair.

“Dex is planning a trip to California?” he asked, squinting at Seo-jun in the sun when he was finished.

Seo-jun nodded. “He’s worried about his sister and wants to visit the facility where she’s staying. I think he could use some support, so I’d like to go with him if you can spare us both.”

“I’ve noticed you and Dex have gotten pretty close over the past year or so.”

Seo-jun grunted softly, unwilling to discuss his relationship with Dex. He hoped the trip would solidify exactly what that relationship was, and, until then, he didn’t want his coworkers speculating. He needn’t have worried; Logan wasn’t the type to assume or to pry.

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