It was tiny, mostly taken up with two cramped desks, chairs, and filing cabinet. Despite the lack of space, it was clean and orderly, to the point of it being near ridiculous. The lights snapped off from overhead and the only light was the gray overcast coming in through the window behind the computer chair.
“Oh, thanks,” I said, starting to turn around.
“Thanks,” someone mimicked nearly the same time as me.
Beside the door was a massive gray bird on a perch. “What the hell?”
Calvin shut the door behind him as he entered. “What are you doing here?” he asked forcefully.
I glanced back at him, then to the bird once or twice. “Nice parrot. Yours?”
“Answer the question.”
“Jesus, am I being interrogated?” I asked, looking up and pushing back my sunglasses.
Calvin didn’t appear to be in a good mood. “I asked what you’re doing here, Sebastian.”
“I heard you already,” I remarked while pulling my regular glasses from my coat and putting them on. “I have something to show you.”
“And you decided it would be wise to come here?”
“I… thought it would save you time,” I replied slowly. I took a breath, steadying myself. “I know you’re angry about yesterday.”
“This isn’t about yesterday.”
“Not about that part when I told you to screw yourself?”
Calvin narrowed his eyes. “What do you need to show me?”
I handed over the bag. “Your bird looks sick,” I commented when Calvin had taken the offering and I looked back at the parrot.
“It’s not mine. And he keeps pulling his feathers out.”
I made a face. “Poor bird.”
The parrot cocked his head to the side and stared at me.
“Whose is it?”
Calvin looked up from the bag’s contents. “What?” He sounded on the verge of exasperation, which was a complete turnaround from his bedroom demeanor.
“Wrong side of the bed this morning or what?”
Calvin cleared his throat. “Sebastian, you came to my place of work unannounced.”
“You do the same with me.”
“I’m a cop. It’s different.”
“What the hell? If you’d rather not investigate the ongoing harassment I’ve been receiving, I’ll deal with it myself.” I grabbed for the bag, but he held it out of reach. “Why are you being such an asshole this morning?”
“I’m not.”
I snorted. “Then this is just your attitude prior to coffee?”
Neither of us moved, but the sudden tension coming off Calvin was palpable. It was as if he were building a brick wall right in front of me. Keeping me at a distance. A safe distance.
It was like a lightbulb turning on. “You’re afraid someone will peg you as gay for just being around me, aren’t you?”
