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He regretted the rash decision to move, with no plans for where to stay. It would have been the smarter thing to do, but Ashok was not a planner, preferring to do everything last minute.
“Look, I’ve no idea what your money situation is and I’m not asking you to tell me, but if you need to stay longer, you can. It’s no bother, actually. Finding an affordable place around here can be a nightmare. I was lucky to get this place when I did.”
Ashok had to admit, it was a nice place, and he was pleasantly surprised by Hayden’s offer, considering their first meeting. It’s what he would have done had the roles been reversed even though he still thought Hayden was a complete prick.
His surprise must have shown, and he thought Hayden was a mind reader at his next words.
“I know I was a complete prick earlier. I act first and think later. My mouth often gets me into trouble.”
Ashok’s mind ran riot, imagining what his mouth could do. Clearly, he wasn’t so tired as to not have dirty thoughts about the man sitting across from him. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his dick rubbing against his lace underwear.
Hayden tilted his head, a bemused look on his face. Had he been staring again? Ashok needed to change the subject quickly.
“I don’t want to trouble you. It’s bad enough I turned up virtually unannounced, but if you point me in the right direction, I’ll start looking tomorrow and be out of your hair as quickly as I can.” It’d be nice to have somewhere to stay for a couple of nights before he had to move again.
“No rush, seriously.” Hayden threw his napkin onto his plate, having finished both his food and his coffee.
Ashok stood, collecting his own plate, and walked over to the sink. He didn’t hear Hayden come up behind him and reach around to grab a tea towel from the drawer.
“You wash, I’ll dry.” There was that cheeky grin again, and Ashok smiled involuntarily. It really was a cute smile.
He filled the bowl with hot water and handed the items to Hayden to dry as he washed them, glancing at him every now and again. Was it his imagination, or was there some tension in the air but not like before?
Ashok was so inexperienced in the way of relationships it was hard for him to see what could quite easily be right under his nose. His ability to trust had been well and truly destroyed.
They worked silently and got through the task in no time, but afterwards he was tired and just about ready for bed, even though it was only seven thirty.
“Can I get you some tea? I have black, green, Earl Grey, Lady Grey. Whatever you’d like. I thought we could go through a few things.”
Ashok was bone tired, but he could stay up for another half an hour and have a drink with Hayden.
“Green tea would be fine.” He liked to look after his body, avoiding any unnecessary toxins. The pizza tonight had been a one-off for him.
He watched as Hayden moved around the kitchen with ease, humming as he went. Gone was his earlier grumpiness, and Ashok settled a little. He took his phone out of his pocket. Damn it, he was almost out of data, and if he was going to use his laptop to look for a place, he’d need the Wi-Fi code.
Was it cheeky to ask for it?
“I’ve left the tea bag in the cup, not sure how strong you like it.” Hayden placed a mug in front of him and took the same chair he was in before. “Do you want to stay home tomorrow or come with me to the coffee shop? You could stop by the studio, watch a few lessons.”
“I’d not really given it much thought. What time will you be leaving the house?”
“I usually leave around eight thirty. Angela opens up at about seven for the early morning commuters, and I close up. Suits us both. Mind you, the studio won’t be in full swing until the afternoon. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea.” Hayden bit his lip, and Ashok watched, mesmerised by the action.
“I could do with grabbing a few things from the city,” he said quickly. He’d left behind some of his things. “Is there somewhere I can get a laptop charger? I forgot to pick mine up when I left.”
“There’s a retail park just outside with a computer place on there. I can take you if you’d like. How about I leave you here in the morning, then come pick you up later and drop you off? I can tell you how to get to the studio and make your way there when you’re done. You can come home with me if you don’t mind it being a little later.”
It sounded good, but he didn’t want to put him to any trouble. Hayden was being far too accommodating. He wasn’t used to people other than his mum being so nice.
“I don’t want to be a bother. I could get something to cook for tomorrow evening, if you’re sure it’s OK for me to stay for a few days.” Ashok wasn’t in the mood to look for somewhere else right now. The upheaval of leaving home, especially his mum, had left him feeling a little depressed. The last thing he wanted to do was find a place where he’d be sitting on his own, night after night, alone with his thoughts.
“It’s no bother. I’ll swing by and pick you up around one. Angela and Bonnie can manage without me for an hour. I’ll drop you off. There are a couple of supermarkets if you want to grab something for later. I can give you some money.”
Ashok shook his head. “It’s fine. I know what I need. Are you OK with Indian food?”
“I love Indian food. You’ll get no argument from me.” Another genuine smile from Hayden. Ashok was confused, not sure how to deal with this.
He was feeling a little more relaxed, though, and his eyes drooped, tiredness slowly creeping in.
