Page 19 of The Not So Super Hero

B ailey fidgeted in the passenger seat. Since he was desperate for a free place to stay, he did his absolute best to be quiet.

However, that didn’t prevent the twiddling of his thumbs or bouncing his legs.

As if his head was loose atop his neck, he leaned it left, then right, then back, then forward, and spun from side to side.

He pressed his glasses further up his nose prior to tinkering with his seat belt.

From what they passed, Zane didn’t live far from campus.

The drive took about fifteen minutes, then they entered the parking lot of Zane’s apartment building.

Zane didn’t say a word the whole ride, nor did he say anything while exiting the car.

Bailey stumbled out, grabbing the few belongings he had.

Zane was halfway to the door. Bailey fumbled after him.

They went up the elevator and, as they were stepping out, Bailey realized that he really was staying at Zane’s.

It felt surreal, something that couldn’t or wouldn’t happen, yet there he was, following Zane as if it were natural.

The custodian hesitated outside his door, turning enough to peer at Bailey over his shoulder.

Smiling, Bailey waited patiently for Zane to open his door, or maybe ask him to leave.

It had to be awkward; allowing someone into his place who had never been there, especially when he was forced into it.

Bailey wasn’t sure what he should do. Stand there and wait or say something like thanks or I can leave if you want me to.

In the end, he said nothing and waited in nerve-racking silence.

Sighing, Zane finally unlocked the door.

He walked inside, allowing Bailey to follow.

The atmosphere in the studio apartment was tense, to say the least. Goosebumps broke out across Bailey’s arms. He removed his shoes, leaving them next to Zane’s in the entryway.

He examined the apartment, his curious nature taking hold as he tried to glimpse at whatever he could.

A small and simple kitchen greeted them, enough for a single person with four cupboards above the stove and a fridge sitting right next to it.

A slightly ajar door to the right revealed a small bathroom.

To Bailey’s surprise, a couple of pictures adorned the walls in the living area. One revealed a slightly younger Zane, somewhere in his teens, with a very cheerful Chris at a cookout. Zane had the smallest of smiles on his face, struggling to play the annoyed teenager. It wasn’t working.

The second picture was of Zane’s high school graduation.

The overly large graduation gown flopped over his tall figure.

He donned another small smile, diploma in hand, while Chris had his arm around Zane’s shoulders like it was the proudest moment of his life.

Bailey smiled, admiring the picture a while longer.

“I don’t really have much,” Zane said. He opened the fridge to show beer and condiments. The freezer had a single frozen pizza and a mostly empty bag of chicken nuggets.

“That’s fine. We can order some food, my treat?” Bailey suggested. Zane shut his fridge and nodded. Not surprising. As if Zane would pass up free food.

Bailey stepped further into the studio apartment.

Zane had a futon pressed against the wall and a massive TV mounted across the room that Ryan would swoon over.

There was also a dresser with a couple books and a TV stand holding a couple of gaming consoles.

Other than that, the apartment was fairly empty. Bailey had no idea where to sit.

“So, do you want to order food now?” Bailey asked.

Zane fell onto his futon, sinking into it while flipping on his TV. Bailey couldn’t work up the nerve to sit beside him, so he stood there awkwardly while glancing back and forth between Zane and the TV.

“Sure, there are a few places to choose from in the top drawer,” Zane responded, gesturing towards the kitchen.

Bailey sat his belongings down, then grabbed options from the top drawer.

He asked Zane which he would prefer and received a shrug in response.

Bailey ordered two pizzas. He wasn’t sure what to do while waiting.

He had no reason to ask or speak of anything else.

Zane wasn’t much for small talk, or any talk for that matter, so what the hell was he meant to do?

Watching TV would be fine, but that felt like a wasted opportunity. He was in Zane’s apartment! The wicked custodian had let Bailey into his evil lair and he was expected to not speak or investigate? That was torture!

Bailey scratched at his slightly throbbing head.

He got a huge whiff of his armpit, which was pretty rank.

Gagging, he realized he had been packing his things all day.

He needed a shower, however; it felt odd to ask to use a stranger’s bathroom.

It was hard enough using one at school, let alone Zane’s!

Bailey yet again found himself standing awkwardly.

“What are you doing?” Zane asked.

“Uh, can I use your shower?”

Zane’s face stated how stupid he thought that question was. He opened his mouth as if to sass back before shaking his head. “Yeah. There’s a clean towel under the sink.”

“Cool. Thanks.” Bailey quickly grabbed a pair of sweatpants he packed and a shirt before scurrying into the bathroom. Once the door closed, he felt a tiny glimmer of relief.

Bailey got his shower while trying to ignore his thoughts that kept repeating that he was in Zane’s shower.

The body wash he was using was Zane’s. The shampoo he used was Zane’s.

The towel he used belonged to Zane. Everything was Zane’s.

By the time Bailey finished and got dressed, he smelled like Zane.

That certainly was not a bad thing, but he wasn’t sure if it was good either.

Bailey stepped out of the bathroom to find the delivery person had arrived.

Zane sat on his bed, legs crossed, while holding a paper plate covered in pizza.

Zane took a large bit, retreating so that a long string of cheese remained attached.

To say Zane looked like an idiot when he glanced at Bailey with slightly wide eyes and cheese hanging out of his mouth would be the understatement of the century.

He howled with laughter, watching Zane try to restore his dignity by turning away to remove the stray strand of cheese.

“I’ll kick you out,” Zane threatened upon deaf ears.

“You should have seen your face!”

“Just eat the damn food,” Zane responded.

Shaking his head, Bailey got himself some pizza, then took a seat beside Zane. He ate in silence. It wasn’t until he saw on his second slice that he realized they were watching Extraordinary.

“You like Extraordinary?” Bailey asked. Zane had on a duh face, which was the only answer he needed. “Right, I guess that was a dumb question.”

“I’m not changing it if you don’t like it.”

“I love Extraordinary.”

“Really? I can change it then.” Zane picked up the remote.

Bailey rolled his eyes. “You’re hilarious.”

Zane sat the remote back down. The two continued eating silently. Once they finished, Bailey got up to throw his paper plate away. He hesitated next to one of the framed pictures on the wall, the one of Zane and Chris at his graduation.

“You and Chris are really close,” he said.

Zane hummed. Bailey returned to sitting beside him, legs up on the futon. He tossed the blanket over his legs.

“How did you two meet? You don’t seem like the type to have gotten into trouble in high school,” Bailey joked, but seriously, Zane had to be too lazy to cause trouble.

“He’s my guardian,” Zane responded more honestly than Bailey expected.

“That makes sense. He seems really proud of you in that picture.”

“He was just shocked I didn’t drop out.”

“I don’t think so. You should give him more credit.” Bailey playfully elbowed Zane in the side, which successfully got him a signature heated glare. Maybe he was pushing it, so he decided no more physical contact.

“How long have you been in New York?” he asked.

Zane dropped his head as if he were overcome with sudden exhaustion. He gave Bailey a tired expression. “I thought I wasn’t going to even know you were here?”

“Yeah, but it’s awkward when it’s quiet,” Bailey replied, shrugging.

“It’s worse when you ask questions.”

“They’re perfectly normal questions. It’s not like I’m asking you when you lost your virginity.” And Bailey’s face went from pale to red in under a second. Zane’s smirk didn’t help, either.

Zane leaned towards Bailey, so his warm breath tickled his neck. “I could answer that if you’d like.”

Bailey’s palms broke into a sweat. His mind imploded.

His heart threatened to burst from his chest. A tingling sensation filtered from the base of his gut to every part of his body, invoking a shiver.

All he could do was sit there, motionless and in so much frantic turmoil that he couldn’t process whether Zane purposely made his voice sound seductive.

Thankfully, for Bailey’s sanity, Zane retreated with that same smug expression. He released a soft chuckle, then kicked Bailey, which only made the tingling sensation worse.

“With that reaction, you’re definitely sleeping on the floor,” he teased.

Bailey shot Zane his own glare that had to be pitiful considering how red his face was.

Zane stood up, asking if Bailey wanted a beer.

He sputtered out a no, since he wasn’t sure if having a beer after those comments was the best idea.

Zane grabbed himself one before retaking his seat.

He slouched into the futon, back pressed against the pillows and eyelids half mast.

“Have you been sleeping any better?” Bailey asked after Zane sat up as if he was trying not to fall asleep.

Zane shrugged.

“I can move if you want to lie down?”