Page 25 of Holiday Wishes and Tentacle Dreams
Satisfied MP wouldn’t starve, Doren surveyed the kitchen. Now that they were inside, they noticed the pizza wasn’t the only detritus. There was a sink full of dirty dishes and a layer of dust over everything.
Maybe Jake hadn’t cleaned since arriving two weeks before? He’d said something about a cleaning service, but they must nothave come yet. As Doren stood there pondering, a soft, sweet sound drifted down from the second floor.
Snoring. Jake was in bed, gently snoring.
Doren grinned and got to work. The sound made them giddy. Throwing out the pizza and recycling whatever parts of the box they could, Doren wiped down the kitchen table before heading over to the sink.
Maybe they were lucky. In the depths, there were no dishes and very little cleaning. Occasionally, they’d have to wipe the algae off a stone carving they liked. So this wasn’t a chore for them. They could count on one hand the number of times they’d done dishes in their life.
They whistled as they turned on the hot water and attacked the problem head-on. It didn’t take long—maybe half an hour—but Doren couldn’t help but sway their hips to the tune playing in their mind.
They were happy. The thought of making Jake’s life easier warmed Doren’s whole body. Doren wanted this, wanted to be on Jake’s side, wanted to help and support him.
Once the dishes were drying on the gleaming metal rack, Doren moved on to the rest of the house, digging out the cleaning spray and a rag and tackling the dust. The house wasn’t awful, but a couple of weeks of accumulation wasn’t nothing.
A creak sounded from the stairs behind Doren as they were dusting off the intimidating mahogany bookcase filled with nautical-themed novels. They turned to find Jake inching down the steps, a look of confusion on his face.
His brown hair was wild and unkempt, and he wore a pair of cotton shorts and…
No shirt. Jake wasn’t wearing a shirt and, holy shit, he looked glorious. Fine brown hair covered his chest, and his pecs and upper arms were developed deliciously. Add to that the perfect belly and his thick thighs, and Doren was a goner.
“Um, hey?” Jake squinted at Doren’s handiwork.
“Hello, Jake! You weren’t answering the door, and Miranda Priestly was begging for her food. I was concerned she might go hungry.”
“Oh! Oh…” Jake’s expression was one of confusion and disbelief. He kept staring at the kitchen table, then the sink, then the rag in Doren’s hand. “You, uh, you’re doing my housework?”
“I didn’t wish to wake you, but I was here and available to help. I hope…did I overstep my bounds?” A little jolt of fear ran through Doren. They’d wanted this to be ahappysurprise.
“You’re…that’s such a nice thing to do,” Jake said. Then, to Doren’s horror, Jake’s eyes welled with tears. Soon water streamed down his face, and he gripped the bannister, his eyes squeezed tight.
Doren’s throat tightened at the sight. The one thing they didn’t want was for Jake to be sad. Not thinking about it, they ran to the man and wrapped their arms around him, encouraging Jake to rest his head on their chest.
The gesture seemed to break Jake, who was now sobbing full out. Doren pressed their nose to Jake’s hair and whispered.
“You’re okay. Whatever is wrong, we shall find a way together. I give you my promise. I will be your stalwart companion. You are not alone.”
After a few minutes, as Doren continued to whisper soothing words, Jake calmed down, although it took him a while to come back to himself. He finally opened his eyes and stepped away, a shocked expression appearing on his face.
“I’m so sorry. I forgot I didn’t have a shirt on.” Jake’s face flushed a dark pink, and he wrapped his arms around himself as if to hide from Doren.
Doren grabbed both of Jake’s hands and squeezed them. “Jake. You are beautiful. Every moment I have my body against yours is a gift. I promise.”
Jake’s expression screamed doubt, but Doren held their gaze steady. They were determined for Jake to believe them. Jake nodded slowly, the self-consciousness receding somewhat but not leaving his eyes completely.
“Will you tell me what’s wrong?” Doren asked.
Jake let out a big sigh and, keeping one hand in Doren’s, continued down the stairs to sit the two of them on the large couch in the living room. He spoke softly, his eyes glued to the floor.
“I, uh, wanted more time before I explained everything. More time before I ruined things.”
Doren reached out and touched Jake’s cheek. Jake pressed into his hand but still didn’t raise his gaze. Their heart hurt at the despair pouring off the man.
“Jake, nothing between us has been ruined.”
“Maybe…” Jake cleared his throat and blinked a few times. He breathed in and clenched his jaw, seeming to find the courage he was searching for.
“I’m ill. Major depressive disorder. I, uh, haven’t been doing very well for a long time. I’d hoped the geographical change would snap me out of it, for a little while, at least, but I was being stupid. I should have known. Change always makes things worse for me, not better.”