Page 19 of Must Love Christmas

That meant dealing with potential conflicts before they reached the boiling point.

“As we’re hanging out after work,” Simon said, “we could use the time to review flat-related situations.”

“Erm…sure, I guess.” Garen leaned against the fridge in an almost comically poor attempt at nonchalance. “What sort of situations?”

Simon rubbed his mouth, which had gone suddenly dry. Maybe he should just let the issue go, to avoid rocking the boat. But then his annoyance would build up inside him until he snapped. Better to address it at a time of calm camaraderie like now.

Besides, Garen was the one who’d insisted they live together instead of hooking up. He could have had Boyfriend Simon or at least Fuck-Pal Simon, but no, he’d chosen Flatmate Simon, so Flatmate Simon he would get.

“I noticed you cleaning the bathroom last night.”

“Yes!” Garen beamed at him. “Just like I promised.”

“The product you were using, it, erm…” God, he was about to sound such a prat. “I don’t know if you read the label, but cleaning and disinfecting is a two-step process.”

Garen looked at him blankly. “Sorry?”

“First you clean, as you did, which is great. Then you spray the surfaces again and let it sit ten minutes. That’s the disinfecting part.”

“Seriously?” Garen opened the cupboard beneath the sink and pulled out a white-and-green bottle. “It says right here, ‘cleans and disinfects.’”

“Check the instructions on the other side.”

Garen switched on the bright light above the cooker and examined the back label. “Oh my God, you’re right. It’s there in the small print. I should have known that from caring for the animal enclosures at work.” He set the cleaner on the worktop and gaped at it like it was a magical relic. “How am I just now learning this applies to humans, too? How did my parents not teach me?”

“Maybe they did and you forgot?”

“Possibly. I’m always forgetting things. My curling coach, Oliver, he uses sticky notes to remind him about important stuff. I keep meaning to try it, but then I forget.”

Simon opened one of the kitchen drawers where he’d stashed a few pens and paper products. He ripped off a bright orange sticky note, wrote “2 STEPS” on it, then stuck it to the bottle of cleaner. “Will that help?”

Garen blinked at the note, then offered a tight smile. “Yeah. Great.”

Uh-oh.Maybe Simon had gone too far. But if the alternative was living in an unsanitary flat…

Garen put the cleaner away under the sink. “Any other housekeeping tips you’d care to share?”

“Wow, yeah.” Simon scratched the back of his neck, relieved Garen was being so laid-back about it. “Where to even begin?”

“I’m joking,” Garen said. “I don’t actually want a tutorial on being a better adult.”

Simon’s stomach sank. “I-I’m sorry. I meant no offense.”

“Yeah, no, it’s cool.” Garen sidled past him without meeting his eyes. “I’m just gonnae go…elsewhere for a wee while.”

He retreated into his bedroom across the hall and shut the door behind him.

Shit.Simon went to Garen’s door and raised his hand to knock. Then he stopped. Maybe he’d done enough damage for one day. Maybe he should just leave Garen alone.

But why did everything have to be about Garen’s feelings? Simon had a right to be comfortable here too. If he had to put up with snow globes in October, the least Garen could do was disinfect the bathroom without whingeing about it.

“Simon, I can hear you breathing.”

“Sorry.” He rested his hand on the doorpost of Garen’s room. “I’m still getting accustomed to…everything. I don’t know how to live with anyone but my family.” Simon winced at how pathetic that sounded. He was twenty-five years old, for God’s sake. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

There was a squeak of mattress, then Garen spoke again, this time close to the door. “I’ll do better with the cleaning next time. And don’t worry about being pushy just now. The bright side to living with someone who forgets everything is that by the morning, I’ll have forgotten this thing, too.”

“Okay, sound.” Simon started to move away, feeling somewhat reassured.

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