Chapter Ten - No Walking In The Rain
Mike felt good, almost like laughing for no reason. One night sleeping next to Jared, and he was as good as new. His friend was good enough to be rented by the hour or sold in a bottle, and just as he thought that, Mike realized how weird that must have sounded. It was such a good thing that no one could hear his thoughts, or they would have believed him to be an absolute basket case. Jared would have gotten the joke, but Mike still chided himself internally just for thinking something that could be misunderstood.
"Mike, aren't you in a good mood today?" One of the janitors asked him and offered him a broad smile.
"Yeah, I slept so well."
"That's good, that's good. Young people today, always glued to their phones, they never sleep."
"I know," Mike said with a long sigh. "I often do that. Don't sleep, I mean."
"So, how did you manage to sleep so well?" The man asked him as he saw about his business. "Just so that you remember and repeat it."
"I slept with my friend," Mike said without overthinking.
The janitor straightened up, and Mike bit his lips. Of course, that sounded wrong. But it appeared his verbal blunder wasn't the reason why the janitor was so serious all of a sudden.
"Good morning, Mr. Armstrong," the janitor said quickly.
"Good morning, Danners. Do you have everything you need?"
"All here. I'm almost finished on this floor."
Mike turned in slow motion. He had said the wrong thing, and Ryan had been there to overhear it. Was the universe having an elaborate plot against him?
"Mike," Ryan said and nodded as he brushed past him without even looking down.
"Ry - Mr. Armstrong," Mike said automatically.
He needed to bite his tongue. He needed one of those medieval torture devices that sent a rusty nail through the victim's tongue so that they never spoke again against the regime, the church, planets turning, or who knew what else. This morning, he had a knack not only to think the wrong thing but also to say it out loud.
Guided by nothing but instinct, he took off after Ryan, his sneakers making squeaky sounds on the polished floor. "Mr. Armstrong," he said in a heartbeat, "I was wondering if you could spare a moment."
"I'm already late," Ryan said in a terse voice. "Can it wait?"
Mike could continue to be his usual self. He would say 'yes', and then he would spend the entire day, if not the whole week, torturing himself over the misinterpretation of his words. "It would only take a minute," he insisted.
Ryan stopped and eyed him carefully. "All right. Should I step into your office, then?"
"It's way down."
"Exactly."
"We'll take the elevator!" Mike said brightly.
Ryan appeared a bit surprised but followed him to the elevator. Mike could feel sweat coming off all his pores. What was he doing? Was he really stopping his boss from attending some important meeting only because his big mouth had run like a broken mill? Apparently, he was.
Fortunately, the elevator was empty when it stopped. Mike hurried to keep the door and invited Ryan inside. No, he wouldn't inhale Ryan's sexy cologne. Holding his breath was impossible, though. Cursing at himself, he followed Ryan inside and closed the door, probably using way too many moves to appear that he was still acting like a normal person.
"Well?" Ryan asked.
Mike was standing with his back at his boss, registering his presence as the elevator began moving smoothly. Everything at their company was top notch. The elevator had soft music in the background, and it smelled great. Well, not as great as Ryan, that was sure.
"I didn't sleep with Jared!" Mike blurted out.
"What?" Ryan asked, visibly irritated.
"What I said earlier, it's not true! I mean, I slept at Jared's house, in his bed, with him, but we only slept."
The way he said it, it sounded like he was digging his own grave.
Ryan sighed. "Why would I care, Mike? Do you have any idea what this looks like?"
Mike froze. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.
The elevator stopped, and he got out. He almost slammed the door in Ryan's face. "Sorry!" He exclaimed. "I had no idea you would get down -"
Ryan's eyes were menacing as they bore into him. Mike took a few steps back and considered, for a moment, to make a run for the server room and hide there. There was no need to do that because Ryan grabbed his arm and pushed him in that direction.
He could protest. He could ask Ryan what he thought about how that looked like now. But Mike remained silent. His curiosity involved other things. Ryan pushed him through the door to the server room and then closed it behind him.
"Mike," he said in a tone that brooked no contradiction.
"Yes," Mike replied in a meek voice.
"Do you want to drive me nuts?"
"Um, no?"
"No? Then why do you get me in close quarters with you? Do you think I'm some sort of robot once I put a suit on?"
"Um, no?"
"Is this your usual way of carrying a conversation?"
"Um, yes?"
Ryan let go of his arm and pushed both hands through his hair. "All right." He appeared to struggle with himself not to burst into ... something that Mike had no idea what could be. He didn't know the guy that well. "About Jared."
Mike stiffened. "He's just a friend, I swear."
"Do you usually sleep with your friends?" Ryan crossed his arms over his chest and looked at him with a quirked eyebrow.
Somehow, that looked a bit amusing. Despite himself, Mike snickered, then he pursed his lips, hoping Ryan hadn't noticed.
No chance for that. "Something funny?"
"No, just ... your eyes ... are funny," Mike managed to say with some difficulty. His tongue was like lead in his mouth. Pissing off his boss, aka his crush, aka the man who kissed like an angel, aka Ryan Armstrong who was now puffing through his nose like a dragon, was a bad idea for starting his morning. Yet, there he was, doing all that.
"Funny? Like funny how?" Ryan moved toward him, cocking his head and quirking that eyebrow even more.
Mike began laughing without controlling himself anymore. Oh, God, he was so going to get fired now. But, suddenly, Ryan started laughing with him. They stared at one another, laughing as they had just seen the funniest show on earth.
Mike managed to gain back his breath. "Ryan, I swear, Jared is just a friend. But when I'm sleeping with him, I sleep so well, that's all."
Ryan caught him in his arms. Mike had to look up and strain his neck a little. All right, now things weren't funny anymore. They were tense, and too much in a good way to be a good thing. "You don't know me, so let me tell you this one thing. It takes little to make me jealous."
Mike could swear he was blushing. He had to. His cheeks were on fire, and the tips of his ears were burning. He moved his eyes lower.
"Are you blushing?" Ryan's voice was deep and had the superpower to send a tsunami of sensations across Mike's body. The fact that Mike could also feel the other's hot breath on his face didn't help either. "So cute."
Mike looked up now after staring stubbornly at Ryan's chin. Their eyes connected. Ryan's eyelids dropped, and Mike wondered why. He wouldn't be kept in the dark long. Ryan's lips descended on his like summer rain.
It lasted little, though. Ryan pulled back with a long sigh. "Mike," he started with regret written all over his handsome face. "You're truly something. But I need to behave."
To say that he wasn't shaken would have been a lie. But Mike struggled to regain his composure. "Sure. I mean, I should, um, behave. Not pull you here first thing in the morning," he added quickly.
"You didn't exactly do that."
Mike exhaled. So, he was off the hook.
"But you did contribute to it," Ryan added. "I have a business to run. So, stop messing with my head."
"I'm not," Mike protested.
"Oh, really? Making me jealous the moment I see you doesn't count as that?"
"I didn't want to make you jealous. I didn't even know you were there."
"Ah, so you intended to keep it all from me. Your sleeping," Ryan made air quotes, "with Jared." Then, he laughed again. "I'm just pulling your leg. I hoped there was an explanation, and thank you for giving it to me."
"You're welcome."