Page 23 of As The Shifter World Turns

23

LOCKED OUT

Archer

“It’s so good to be home.” I stood in front of Sunshine Manor as Micah got my bag from the trunk of his car.

“Archer.” Ivor raced down the path and gave me a hug. “I missed you and I’ve got so much to tell you.”

“We’ll catch up tomorrow. I’m beat.” There was a hint of sadness about my fellow wolf shifter and I regretted my outburst as soon as the words left my mouth. “I’m sorry. I’d love to sit on the roof and hear all your news.” I gave him another hug. “Tomorrow. I promise.”

“Looking forward to it. You’ll appreciate having a clean apartment.”

“Huh?” I thought back to dirty clothes I’d left in the hamper and maybe even the unmade bed. It’d been weeks since I’d been in my place but I didn’t expect anyone had gone in and cleaned it. Daire did have a set of master keys but he would have asked permission to invade my personal space. He was good like that.

“There was a cleaning company here today. They were in your place ‘cause they passed me as I was coming down from Neil’s apartment. And I assumed you’d lost your keys because a locksmith changed the lock.”

Cold fingers of dread crawled over me as I listened to Ivor. This was home. Not just my physical home but also where Micah lived. Opposite me.

“What? This is some BS.” Micah came up behind me.

Ivor’s face paled and his lower lip trembled. “Sorry. I thought you’d given them instructions to do what they were doing. ”

“It’s not your fault,” I told him. “Daire’s the one that runs the place.”

“Where is he?” Micah asked as he peered through the door of Apartment 1A.

Ivor shrugged. “He’s at the nursery. Been working a lot of hours. When he’s not in class, he’s there. Really likes it, I guess.”

“I’m glad but he can’t neglect his duties here,” Micah fumed.

“His parents were here today,” Ivor informed us. “I hid when I saw them getting out of the car but they didn’t knock on our door and went upstairs.”

His last words rang in my ear as I left my bag where it was and raced up the stairs two at a time. “Archer,” Neil poked his head out the door.

“Talk tomorrow, Neil,” I yelled. “I’ve got a situation,” which made me sound like a detective on my way to investigate a serious crime.

When I made it to my door, there were boxes and bags piled on the floor. I peered in one. My stuff. The ball of nausea in the pit of my stomach expanded. I jiggled the handle. Locked. Tried my key. Didn’t work. “I paid my rent while I was gone.” I tugged at my hair. Daire was my friend. If there’d been a fuck up with the payment, he would have gotten hold of me.

Micah got his phone. “I’ll sort this out. I’m part owner of the building. A very small part.” I paced the floor until the phone rang out. “Damn. Daire’s not answering. I like the guy. He’s one of my best friends but man he’s spaced out sometimes.” The phone rang. “Daire,” Micah shouted, “What the hell’s happening with Archer’s apartment?”

I put my ear to the phone as Daire replied, “Nothing.”

“Wrong. The lock’s been changed and Ivor said your parents were here earlier.”

Humans, my wolf shrugged. It didn’t matter to him where I slept, though he preferred to be near Micah.

“Fuck!” That wasn’t good and Micah put his arm around me. “I’ll call you back.”

Micah let me into his place and went and got my bag. He made us coffee while we waited for Daire to phone. When he did, we both jumped. “Yeah,” Micah yelled. “I’ve got you on speaker.”

“Oh, man this is partly my fault.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“I had dinner with my parents last week and mentioned you’d moved away for work. They took it to mean it was permanent. And Father’s assistant's kid, a hedgehog shifter, was looking for a place, and he told him there was an empty apartment at Sunshine Manor.”

Micah white knuckled the phone. “I thought they were staying out of Sunshine Manor business.”

“Yeah,” Daire sighed. “They were. They are. But I’ve been so busy, they thought they were doing me a favor by renting the apartment.”

“I have a contract, Daire.”

“I know,” he sighed. “And so does he. ”

“Not good enough,” Micah added. “Sort it out and quick.”

“Yeah, will do.” The call ended.

Having no idea what I was supposed to do, I went back to the landing and studied my possessions piled on the floor while Micah knocked on the door of my place. Except it wasn’t mine. Not right now and maybe not ever. “No one home,” he said, though that was obvious. Unless the guy was doing an Ivor and hiding after listening to our loud conversation.

“What are you doing?” Micah had picked up two boxes and put them in his living room.

“Putting them here for the moment. We have no idea who this guy is. I don’t want your stuff lying around.”

“Okay.”

“And you can stay with me too.” He paused. “And while this is a shitty thing to happen, maybe it’s a sign.”

“Of what?” I snapped. “Sorry. I’m pissed at Daire and his parents and some poor hedgehog who thought all his dreams came true when he got an apartment in Sunshine Manor. Or perhaps he hates that it’s old and the pipes are noisy and the floors creak. I don’t know.” My voice was rising and getting close to shriek level.

Micah enveloped me in his arms and his unicorn aroma wrapped itself around me too. “Is it time to take the next step in our relationship and move in together?”

Yes . That was my wolf.

“Not now.” Once again, I’d blurted out what was in my head too fast and his face fell. “What I mean is, it should be a happy occasion where we celebrate with our friends and family. Not because we’re forced to.”

Micah nodded and gave me a peck on the cheek. “But your things can stay here, right?”

I grinned. “Yeah. I’ll help you.” I returned his kiss. “And thanks for being so understanding.”

“That’s me,” he quipped. “Easy-going, calm, understanding, Micah.”

“You wish.” I slapped his gorgeous unicorn ass before picking up bags and hauling them into 3B.

Neil

I poured wine for Ivor and Archer and sat on the couch. “Has Daire sorted out the who lives in 3A problem yet?” I’d wanted to ask my old school friend. But when he dashed past me yesterday and his expression was more grizzly than Daire, I waved and kept quiet.

“Nope.” My friends clinked glasses with me and Archer drank half of his. He’d been turfed out of his place based on a misunderstanding. And Daire’s parents f-ed things up.

None of us had glimpsed the new guy and the only sign he’d been in the building was a door banging in the middle of the night

Archer was staying with Ivor and Daire. It was the least Daire could do after the mess he and his family made. But my friend spent most of his time in Micah’s place. I so wanted them to stay together and everything to work out. They both deserved a happy ending. We all did.

“I did it. Well, we did it.” Ivor took a big gulp of wine.

Archer almost spilled his drink as he sat forward. “And by did you mean, you and Ryder.”

“Mmmm.”

Oh no. He wasn’t all bubbly and excited, so something wasn’t right and I suspected I knew what it was. The one and only Kellan. Trust him to make a mess of Ryder’s life and now Ivor’s.

“It was everything I expected—and more.”

There was a but coming. I just knew it. But waited for Archer to say it. And he did.

“But?”

“In the middle of the night he was dreaming of Kellan.”

Archer’s mouth formed an O.

“What… what happened?” I asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

“He yelled his name.”

“Before, during or after.” That was Archer and I gave him a look.

“After.”

“Maybe you were half asleep and misheard,” I suggested.

“I was wide awake and crept out,” Ivor explained.

“You talked to him,” Archer said. But after glancing at Ivor’s face, he continued. “Or not.”

“What about work?” If Ivor had no income, that’d be a double whammy.

“I sent him a message the day after saying… no, not saying, lying that I’d sprained my ankle and had to work from home.”

“But what if he sees you?” I imagined the pair of them coming face to face on the porch and Ivor having to hop into his apartment.

“He did,” Ivor replied.

“What?” Archer took another mouthful of wine.

“I had to go to college and was waiting for the bus. I caught his eye, damn it and then the bus arrived.”

“But if you haven’t explained what happened, Ryder must think...”

Ivor finished my sentence. “It was a mistake and I don’t want to see or speak to him.”

“Poor you. I’m so sorry. And I guess poor Ryder if he’s...” Archer didn’t finish his thought.

“Yep. It’ s messed up,” Ivor added.

He was trying to be upbeat but his hunched shoulders and fingers clenched around the wine glass told me he was having a hard time. Not surprising when the guy you slept with still had a thing for his ex. While I was convinced Ryder cared for Ivor, I was peeved he’d slept with the wolf shifter if Kellan was still a huge presence in his life.

“We need more wine.” I grabbed another bottle and opened it. “On another note, my therapist is really cute.” There was silence from the living room and when I looked at my friends, they were staring at me, open-mouthed. “Don’t worry, I understand it’s unprofessional to fall for your therapist.” And quite common from what I’d heard. “I like him but I don’t like like him.”

Daire

“Can I help you?” The customer had been staring at indoor plants for what seemed like forever but I’d been so busy serving other people, I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him. And with all the crap flying around about Archer’s apartment, I was working the phones but avoiding Sunshine Manor. Micah was on my case and also my parents, especially Father saying how I’d embarrassed them.

But I stood my ground and pointed out they’d handed the building and the running of it to me and yet they interfered. They were kinda quiet after that.

And I was clawing back my identity after some fucker stole it. It was a lot.

“I guess. Do you have anything for someone that kills every plant he ever owned? I looked around but didn’t see a section for plant killers like me.”

My broad grin was genuine and my grizzly took notice of the guy. He growled and I was sure the customer could see him in my eyes. He was a cat shifter. Big cat but I wasn’t sure which one. “You must have missed the sign. Perhaps someone stole it.”

“Is there hope for me being a plant killer and all? Can I be rehabilitated?”

I steered him toward the back of the nursery. “Succulents. They’ll survive any amount of neglect. Trust me.”

He peered at my name tag. “Really, Daire? I'll hold you to that.”

“Please do.”

We chose a variety of plants and I went through the care instructions and gave him a pamphlet that had websites and even online forums for succulent lovers who were not gifted with a green thumb. After he paid and I helped carry the plants to his car, he held out his hand. “Wesley.”

“Daire.”

“Yeah, your name tag,” he chortled.

“Right. Come back any time if you have a problem, Wesley.”

He put up his hand. “I have a problem. ”

“That was quick,” I joked.

“My problem is there’s this cute guy at the nursery and I’d like to ask him out but I’m not sure how.”

My grizzly was clawing at my insides. I tapped my chin. “That’s serious. Perhaps we could meet for coffee when I finish work and we can discuss it.”