Jessan sat up, rubbing a hand over one eye, and cast about for a clock, the one he had seen before. There was none; it must have tumbled off its precarious perch on one of the many boxes. That explained how Felipe could have overslept. He reached for his discarded jeans and found his phone, which blinked six-fifteen at him. It was no wonder he was so groggy. He got up and pulled his clothes on, certain he was moving underwater the entire time. He wanted nothing more than to collapse back into Felipe's warm bed and pretend he wasn't getting ditched, again.
On their way out of the apartment, Jessan nerved himself. "Can I get a ride, at least?"
Felipe turned frantically wide eyes on him. "Oh shit, oh Jessan, I am sorry like hell, any other day I wasn't already running late but I can't, okay?"
"Okay," Jessan agreed, trying to swallow down his discomfort. He was being hustled out like it was the walk of shame, and there wasn't even a coffee store in a five-block radius. Walking out the other day had taught him that.
Once again, Felipe took off running after he'd locked the door and delivered a kiss in the direction of Jessan's face, though closer to his ear. He waved a hand over his shoulder as Jessan stood and watched him go. "Call me later, all right?"
Jessan gaped. He wasn't sure if it had been a reflex invitation, or a taunt. Either way, he missed his chance to respond until Felipe was out of sight.
*~*~*
The storefront door of Go Big Comics jingled and Jessan looked up, squinting glumly as he tore his attention from the latest issue of his current favorite Japanese manga. He took refuge in manga after getting disillusioned with the lack of diversity in American comics, though Marvel seemed to be trying to bring it back. He set aside the volume with a sigh when he saw who it was.
"Hey, if you're here to browse and not buy, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Jessan grinned as he said it to soften the delivery.
"Oh, you get out." Cory gave him a playful wave. "You know I'm not here to browse or buy."
"Yeah, you read comics online, you dirty pirate." Jessan made a face. "Confess. You're actually here to live vicariously through me."
Cory made a show of studying the racks of comics, the shelves overstuffed with figurines and model kits, and faced Jessan with his hands on his hips. "Yeah, that must be it."
Jessan snorted and rolled his eyes. "What are you implying? This is the life." He extended his arms wide.
"So, how'd it go?" Cory approached the counter and leaned an elbow on it, chinning his hand, the model of attentiveness.
"It went great," Jessan said, and shook his head when Cory started to smile. "Until he kicked me out this morning, again. Then asked me to call him, when he hadn't given me his number."
"An oversight," Cory predicted. "What was with this morning; did his girlfriend come home and catch you in bed?"
"Very funny." Jessan's voice was flat. "No, he said he was running late."
"So he was running late." Cory shrugged. "You are over-thinking it, Jess. As usual."
Jessan sighed and cast his hands up. "I don't know."
"You like him," Cory said. He widened his eyes, batted his lashes.
Jessan imitated Cory's shrug. "I like the sex. Won't know if I like the guy unless I get a date, but…"
"But you're not the type to chase him down." Cory's chin wobbled on his fist as he nodded.
"If it's meant to be, we'll settle into it," Jessan said. "Otherwise it's sex without strings attached. Most guys around here don't seem to want a relationship, I guess."
"I guess." Cory echoed his tone. He gave Jessan a silly grimace. "How will you know unless you ask him?"
Jessan summoned up a smile and plastered it on. "Third attempt's the charm?"
"That's the spirit." Cory straightened and waved a hand. "Listen, I did stop by with an ulterior motive."
"Oh, here it comes." Jessan's lips twitched upward. "And I'm guessing it had nothing to do with my personal life."
"Nope, that was all small talk." Cory gave him a cheerful smile. "You know the new Who season is coming up."
Jessan had only one response to that. "You know I have a countdown on my blog."
"Well, your Whovian marathons are legendary, you know?"
"I know." Jessan was more than a bit smugly proud of that fact.
"So, how about holding another marathon? With the new season coming up?" Cory clasped his hands together. "I'd be happy to fundraise for beer and refreshments."
"My friend, all you had to do was ask."
Thursdays were dead shifts at Go Big for Jessan, so after Cory left, he didn't have much to do besides catch up on inventory and rearrange figurines in the counter display case. He and his boss had an ongoing gag for who could best hide a pair in compromising positions. Jessan draped a Knifehead atop the back of a toppled Crimson Typhoon, sniggering as he did. The two lent themselves to the position; neither of them could stand by themselves out of their box anyhow. He turned to other busywork chores, but made his way through the list way too fast. The shop was so slack, he found himself pulling out his phone several times and eyeing the Atelier Geek job listing with wistful eyes.
By the time he made it to his second job, the prospect would not leave his head, and Marina picked up on it immediately.
"You're moping," she told him within seconds of poking her head into his cubicle.
Jessan covered his mouthpiece with a hand and leveled a critical look at her. "Yeah, so?"
"Did you apply for that Atalily Geek job yet?"
"It's Atelier." He almost strained his eyes trying not to roll them as he corrected her pronunciation. "And no, not… not yet."
Marina folded her arms, about one second from stamping her foot. "Why the hell not?"
Jessan hissed. "Lower your voice, I think Darnell is right around the corner."
"I don't care; I'm going to promote above him and show him the error of his ways. What's up with you, Jessan?"
"I'm going to host a Whovian marathon." Jessan knew she wouldn't be thrown by the blatant change of subject. "What weekend is good for you?"
Marina brushed that aside like literally swatting a fly. "Doesn't matter. Can I bring a friend? Whatever you pick, I'll make the time. Which is what you should be doing, for that Uber Geek job of yours. Get it together, Jessan. You want to find out if you'd like working there, right? Whether it would be a good fit? You need to be more assertive if you want to get what you want out of life."
Jessan looked past her, reflecting over the previous few days.
She gave him an arch expression. "Or would you rather go clubbing tonight?"
Jessan gripped the arms of his chair so tight, his knuckles paled. "I'm going to do it." He squared his shoulders. "I'm going to make it happen."
"Sure… but what is 'it?'"
Jessan raised a hand to point an imperious finger. "That's enough, get back to work. Talk later."
Marina's eyes were mischievous as she retreated. "Hope that's not the only thing you'll be doing later."
*~*~*
Most nights, when Jessan returned home so tired he nodded off at his keyboard, he would catch up on his blogs, play a minimal amount of Minecraft—enough to say he'd logged in and been there, water the plants, make sure his shit didn't get stolen—and shuffle off to bed before he faceplanted. That night, he hit up the fridge, cracked open a soda, and sat in front of his computer marshaling the determination to overcome the mountain of 'do not want.'
It had been long enough since Jessan had applied for a job that he was daunted, at first. He had to pull together all the various bits and pieces of information the application was asking for. There were references to secure, dates to look up, and a college transcript to unearth and scan. He was happy to note that he qualified for higher than entry level, at least, based on education as well as experience. A mountain of groundwork was necessary before he made a single pass at the essay questions that they wanted him to answer as part of the process.
He pulled on a pair of fingerless glov
es, blowing on his hands to warm them as he stared at the screen, the sole glowing point of light in his dark room. His roommates were long since asleep and he had to keep things quiet and dim to evade the complaints they would otherwise heap upon him.
Why do you want to work for Atelier Geek?
Jessan began to pick at the keyboard, but as he made his way past initial, defensively sarcastic responses such as I want to get out of the hellhole cubicle farm I work in, and the attractive pay would let me hold down one job instead of two, he found himself teasing out answers that would actually be presentable. There were few things besides streaming television bingeing or endurance gaming that could keep him up past his already-scandalous night owl's bedtime, but once Jessan committed to the plunge, he worked on his application for over two hours. It was well past the time that would allow him even a scant night's sleep by the time he saved his work and sought his bed.
He had a smile on his lips when his head hit the pillow. He had a lot to run past Marina, if she had the time. Somehow, he suspected she'd make sure she had it, for this.
*~*~*
Lunch for Jessan was early dinner for anyone else. A typical work day saw him finishing his hours at Go Big, grabbing a bite to eat at a sandwich shop or convenience store along his bus route, and heading over for the swing shift at the call center. Jessan counted himself lucky there was no dress code, because that meant he didn't have to tote a second set of clothes with him every day.
He paused halfway through the door to Johnny Jim's, startled by a face out of context.
"Felipe?" The name leapt from his mouth before Jessan could even think to back out of the shop, or consider a stealthy or smooth approach.
Unlike the casual clothes he'd shrugged into before bolting out of the apartment complex the other morning, Felipe was wearing dress pants, a crisp white shirt, and a tie with an elegant metallic paisley pattern. The overall look made Jessan's knees weak. He was a sucker for a man of color in a suit. He hadn't gotten a chance to appreciate the full effect the other day.
"Oh, hey!" Felipe grinned. "Funny meeting you here."
"Yeah, I… I work around the corner." Jessan gestured vaguely.
"Join me when you get your sandwich?" Felipe cocked his head to an inquiring angle.
Jessan gave him a smile and a nod. "Sure thing." He placed his order at the counter, and the speedy, gangly-limbed boy behind it had his sandwich ready before the smiling girl at the register had finished taking his money. They sang a snatch of "You're Never Fully Dressed without a Smile" from Annie when Jessan tipped them, and he lowered his head and took his drink cup around the side, face burning.
"Hey, slide in next to me," Felipe invited, patting the empty space beside him when Jessan approached.
Jessan bit his lip. That was intimate placement, more than anyone would offer a friend or one-night stand when there was a perfectly useable, unoccupied booth space across from him. He told himself he'd vowed to make 'it' happen, and Marina had reminded him there was more than one thing he wanted.
"You work around here?" Jessan asked.
"Nah, it's on my way to work. I love their sandwiches and this is one of the less slammed stores." Felipe picked up his sandwich. Their eyes met as Jessan unwrapped his. "What about you, where do you work?"
"Go Big Comics, and I'm actually on the way to my second job." Jessan inhaled the scent of fresh-baked bread before biting down. He was unadventurous, choosing the same salami and capicola loaded option every time, but it never disappointed.
"Oh that's right, you work two jobs; man, I thought my schedule was bad." Felipe took a huge bite of what looked like roast beef and cheddar, spent a moderate amount of time chewing, and his eyes remained sidelong on Jessan until he swallowed.
Jessan nerved himself. He didn't believe in signs, but he thought he could read the attraction between them well enough. Meeting Felipe by chance was an opportunity; he might not get another. "So, hey, can I get your number?" He picked at some of the lettuce hanging out of the end of his sandwich. "You asked me to call later, but… I don't have it."
The loud smack of Felipe's palm against his forehead was startling enough to make Jessan jump. "Are you kidding me? Ugh, the kids have me running wild this week."
"Kids?" Jessan repeated, his voice rising.
"Yeah, my little nieces and nephews—my life's not normally this crazy. And really, I haven't meant to kick you out of bed, I must have seemed like a total asshole loser. I was so glad to see you the other night to try and make it up to you, only to fall right asleep and have it happen all over again." Felipe turned such a remorseful expression on him, Jessan figured he'd probably forgive him for anything.
"That's all right." Jessan dared to add, "I was only worried you didn't necessarily want to see me again. And what with all the boxes, I didn't know, uh, if you'd even be there by the end of the week. Is that stupid?"
Felipe began to shake his head.
"For all I know, you might've been about to move out of there and it's not like I go to the club all the time, so." Jessan shut up when Felipe's hand covered his.
"That's not it, at all," Felipe said. "I want to get to know you. Not just sleep with you. But you're right—I might be out of that place soon. I just moved out from my family's house, love them but never want to live with them again, and I'm staying with a friend for now but not sure for how long. I'm kind of on his last nerve, I think; I'm too social and he's more of a hermit. Plus the whole dating thing. Living out of boxes sucks, but trying to date when I'm living with my family?" He pulled an expressive face.
Jessan laughed, but it was hesitant.
Felipe's eyes moved over his face. He wetted his lips with his tongue. "Can I see your phone?"
Jessan nodded and dug it out of his pocket, passing it over. Felipe's fingers moved nimbly over the display for a moment before he set it down between them, smiled, and picked up his sandwich. Jessan picked it up, aiming it at Felipe with raised brows, which made Felipe laugh and pull a comical face. It made a good pic, a memorable moment for sure, and Jessan stored it under the contact details that Felipe had entered.
"There." Felipe's hand touched his. "Now you can call me later."
Jessan looked at the display on his phone before tucking it back in his pocket. He yelped and half got up from the booth, beginning to wrap his sandwich with neat, hurried movements. "I've got to go—I can't be late."
"When can I see you?"
It was an easy question, but Jessan's brain stuttered over it as he stood, shifting from foot to foot in his urgency. He couldn't risk missing the bus that would take him out to the call center.
"Well, I'm having a Doctor Who marathon, probably this weekend," Jessan said slowly. "Not sure if that's what you had in mind, but I've got some things to do between now and then." In his precious little free time, he had to get someone to review his materials for Atelier Geek, and apply for that job. He would tell Felipe all of that later, he promised himself, when he called him.
Felipe gave him a thumb's up. "I'm in."
*~*~*
The next few days flew by for Jessan, who juggled all the plates he had in the air between one job and the other, applying for Atelier Geek's open position with Marina's enthusiastic backing, and pulling together an epic Doctor Who marathon with the blessing of his roommates, all three of whom had agreed to vacate the premises for the weekend. He had to pledge a great deal of things that would cost him later, but it would be worth it. Jessan's goal was always to outdo the marathon that had come before.
After putting in his application, the details of organizing the marathon gave Jessan something to focus on without fretting. He called Felipe late one night, and was surprised to get an answer.
"Not out clubbing?" Jessan put his hand over his mouth, wishing he could take the words back.
"Nah, can't go every night. Besides, the one partner I'd want to dance with seems to be busy right now." Felipe's voice was warm and teasing.
Jessan disso
lved into a grin. He fidgeted, pushing a couple of custom USB drives—one modeled after the Millennium Falcon, the other after Serenity from Firefly—across his desk. "We're doing the marathon this Saturday. I don't know if you're able to show up, but we're starting in the morning."
"You're watching a few episodes in the morning?" Felipe's voice went up with surprise.
"A few episodes?" Jessan blinked. "Felipe, we're watching, like, seasons."
"Oh, I thought you'd be watching a few of the previous episodes, you know, to get ready for the new season…" The shrug was all but audible. "You can tell I don't watch much TV, huh?"
All Jessan could do was laugh. "I don't know about that, but I know when you're a big fan of something like me, you don't dose, you overdose."
"Ah, so you're getting your Doctor Who fix this weekend?"
"Yeah, by the end of it we're all going to be high." Jessan shifted into a more comfortable position in his chair. "You don't have to come—it's pretty hardcore. But I'd like you there."
"Then I'll be there." Felipe's low voice was intimate in his ear. "And you're the host, so you can't leave, right? So you can send me out for anything if you need it. I'll show up early and stick with you the whole way."
Jessan bit his lip over an automatic protest of no, you don't have to. He smiled and tucked a braid behind his ear. "Thanks," he said instead. "That sounds great. And if you hate it, I'll make it up to you later—and I'll pay this time."
"There's no way I'd hate it, if I'm spending any amount of time with you."
That made Jessan clutch his phone and grin like such an idiot, he was glad they weren't doing Facetime right then. "Smooth." He said it like a fond accusation. "We'll see how you feel Saturday night."
*~*~*
"In order to watch the entire show before next season," Jessan said, holding his blue TARDIS mug aloft, "we'd need the TARDIS itself to get us out from the other side of the weekend with our sanity intact. So we're watching a selection of key episodes, and the entirety of Series Seven, and only the strongest and bravest of souls present past the finale tonight will get my most cherished accolade."
Satisfaction Guaranteed Page 42