Page 3 of Holiday Wishes and Tentacle Dreams

He opened one of the kitchen drawers. Empty. All the drawers were empty. He swung open a cupboard to find…nothing. The bastard had taken the food! Sure, Phil had paid the last few times they’d gotten groceries, but he couldn’t leave Jake a few packages of oatmeal or something?

As he opened the refrigerator door, Jake let out a sob. Phil had cleaned it out. The fucker had even snatched the damnedcondiments.

Jake would be okay. He’d be fine.

Slamming it shut, he stepped into the living room. It was bare, other than a few fantasy books and Jake’s gaming system. Which was useless, since he no longer had a television.

Wait. Could he have…? Jake rushed past the space where their entertainment center used to be and into their bedroom.

It was gone. The bed was gone. The mattress was gone.

That dickwad! They’d bought those together. They’d split them fifty-fifty. Where was Jake going to sleep now?

It was all going to be okay. Jake let out a ragged breath. Everything would be fine.

Digging his phone out of his pocket, Jake forcefully tapped out a message to his now-ex-boyfriend.

Where is the fucking bed? I own half that bed.

The three dots appeared, and Jake waited for what felt like an eternity for Phil to respond. Finally, his message came through.

I figure that can cover all the groceries I’ve bought for you over the last six months.

As he read the words, Jake’s skin heated, and a headache bloomed in his skull. There was only one way to answer.

Fuck you.

Without hesitating, he blocked Phil’s number. They’d been living together for three years. Phil had professed tolovehim. Sure, Jake’s unemployment was frustrating, but this was ridiculous. He hoped he would never see the man again.

More than that. He wished Phil were standing in front of him. Jake had never hit anyone, but he wanted to now. Every molecule in his being desired something horrible and painful to happen to his ex.

He would be fine. Jake would be?—

With a hoarse scream, he punched the wall. His hand went through the drywall like a stone dropped into water.

Oh, fuck, no. That was bad. What was wrong with him? He wasn’t a violent person. And he couldn’t afford to lose his security deposit, especially not now. Their landlord was a jerk. He’d take any opportunity to bilk Jake out of a few thousand dollars.

Jake would have to patch it up. He sucked at that kind of thing. Home repair.

The drywall had crumpled as his fist hit it. There was almost no resistance. It might as well have been papier-mâché.

That was Jake and Phil’s relationship, and he’d missed it somehow. From the outside, it appeared strong and smooth. Not a crack in sight. To all their friends, Phil was the supportive partner, helping his boyfriend through a hard financial time.

But all it had taken was six months of money stress, and the whole thing had fallen apart. What kind of love was that?

A bad one. One he’d been stupid enough to believe in.

It washisfailing, after all. Jake had been oblivious, which made sense. He was the broken one. The one who had to take a fistful of pills every morning to control his depression. The one who’d screwed up every job interview he’d gotten. Phil had done the smart thing in leaving.

What would his grandmother say? “He wasn’t good enough for you,” or “Someone better is on their way right now.” Maybe, “You’re not a failure.” Which might be true if Jake were a normal person. But he wasn’t.

No, he was unemployed, mentally ill, and broke. It was all his fault. Who would want to be with someone like him? Hell,hewouldn’t want to date himself.

He also couldn’t afford this apartment without Phil, so he might be homeless. Failure was a justified title.

He was tempted to lie down on the hardwood floor and fall asleep. This was the bedroom, even if there was no bed, and his body drooped from exhaustion. He was about to lower himself down when he heard a soft meow from the doorway behind him.

Turning, an obnoxiously adorable sight confronted Jake. Miranda Priestly, their eight-month-old ragdoll kitten, stared up at him with her gigantic eyes.