Page 13 of Leather and Longing
“Nothing.”
The innocent tone didn’t fool Paul for a second. “Uh-uh. Out with it.”
“Well, me, Mark, Sam and the gangmighthave lined up a few guys to invite with you in mind.”
Paul groaned. “I wish you’d all stop trying to set me up.”
“We’re not,” Taylor came back swiftly. “We just wanna get you laid.”
He groaned. “My cock’s trembling in anticipation.”
“It’s for your own good!” Taylor responded.
Paul rolled his eyes. “Hanging up now.”
“Wait!” He caught Taylor’s hurried shout. Paul put the phone back to his ear. “Don’t give up on Adam, okay? From what you’ve told me, it sounds like he’s really going through it right now. Yeah, I get that he’s a pain in the arse, but think for a minute, Paul. How wouldyoube feeling if you were in his shoes?”
That was a sobering thought. “I really don’t know,” Paul confessed after a moment.
“You read those links I sent, right?”
“Yeah.” The brutal way Adam had addressed him had forced everything Paul had learned from his mind. “You’re right, of course.” Adam didn’t need people running out on him. He needed people he could rely on. Paul sighed. “Guess I’ll be going back tomorrow, then.” Another day of being insulted and ignored to look forward to.
In the words of the song, things could only get better.
He hoped.
Chapter Six
Three days later,and things were certainly no better, but they weren’t worse, either. Paul supposed he should be grateful for that. At least Adam had curbed his acerbic tongue, to the point where there was virtually no communication between them. An uneasy routine had developed. Paul arrived early, did the shopping, prepared meals and drinks, and kept out of Adam’s way. A funk appeared to have descended over the writer: every time Paul saw him, his shoulders were hunched over, and he was almost huddled in his armchair.
In spite of the way Adam had lashed out at him a few days ago, Paul was concerned. After reading the articles supplied by Taylor, he had a fair idea of Adam’s progress through the different stages following loss of vision. Paul had judged him to be either still in the withdrawal stage, which would fit with him pushing away all those who came into contact with him, or else he’d already begun to succumb to depression.
Either way, it wasn’t good.
He walked into the library to collect the bowl from Adam’s lunch. When he saw only half its contents had been eaten, Paul’s stomach clenched. If Adam wasn’t eating, things were definitely getting worse.
Adam was oblivious to him: he’d fallen asleep in the armchair, his head lolling against the back. Paul gazed at him, taking in the drawn, pale face, the drool at the corner of his mouth, the hands clenched even in sleep. It was then he noticed the blanket tossed onto the floor beside the couch. Blankets—in August? He glanced around, glad of the opportunity to take a good look while Adam wasn’t aware of it. Between the window and the chair, he saw a pile of clothing, folded T-shirts, sweatpants and underwear.
Why in here? Why not in his room?
On a whim, Paul crept out of the library and up the stairs to Adam’s bedroom. The room lay as untouched as it had the day of his interview: dust coated the bedside cabinets and chest of drawers. The adjoining bathroom hadn’t been touched since Paul had cleaned it on Monday. The tiled floor of the shower was bone dry. The hand towel beside the basin was as Paul had left it, the last time he’d washed his hands.
There was a mystery here.
Paul crept downstairs and over to the small cloakroom near the library. He hadn’t used it thus far, assuming it would be primarily for Adam’s use. He peered around the door.
Mystery solved.
The basin was covered in water and there were smears of soap and toothpaste everywhere. The mirror was covered in water marks. The tiny room was a mess. Paul stood in the doorway, his mind putting all the pieces together.
Adam wasn’t sleeping in his own bed: he was sleeping on the couch, with a blanket for when it got cold.
Adam wasn’t using the bathroom: he was using the barely adequate facilities of the downstairs cloakroom.
Adam was keeping a change of clothing in the library.
Conclusion: Adam hadn’t ventured upstairs since Paul had started working there.
