Chapter Eighteen:Alexander Home
1430 Words
Alexander Hayes had never looked forward to the end of a workday.
He usually looked forward to the next meeting.
The next acquisition.
The next challenge.
His calendar was planned months in advance, every hour accounted for.
There had never been room for anticipation.
Until Adam.
He glanced at the passenger seat as he waited at a traffic light.
Empty.
Not for long.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Two weeks.
Two weeks of phone calls that somehow lasted longer than he intended.
Two weeks of messages asking ordinary questions.
Have you eaten?
How’s the painting?
What are you wearing?
The last question still made him shake his head.
He had never been interested in the little details of another person’s day.
He had certainly never wondered what someone was wearing while they painted.
Yet with Adam…
He wanted to know everything.
Not because the answers themselves were extraordinary.
Because they belonged to Adam.
That made them matter.
He still couldn’t explain it.
He didn’t know what he was.
He didn’t know where this was going.
He only knew one thing.
He missed Adam.
The penthouse had become unbearably quiet after Adam left each time.
The silence had started to feel… lonely.
Alex had never thought his home could feel lonely.
He had spent years enjoying the solitude.
Now it only reminded him that Adam wasn’t there.
He wanted more than one evening.
More than one dinner.
More than a few hours before saying goodbye.
He wanted to wake up and find Adam making coffee in the kitchen.
He wanted to hear him humming while sketching on the balcony.
He wanted to hear his laugh echo through rooms that had been silent for years.
He wanted Adam’s presence.
And that realization both comforted and frightened him.
⸻
His phone buzzed.
He had arrived.
I’m downstairs.
Less than a minute later, the entrance doors opened.
Adam stepped outside carrying a small overnight bag over one shoulder.
Alex watched him walk toward the car.
Without realizing it…
He smiled.
Adam slid into the passenger seat.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
For a brief second, neither of them spoke.
Then Adam looked at him.
“You know…”
Alex started the car.
“I could have come by myself.”
“I know.”
“You really didn’t have to drive all the way over.”
Alex glanced at him briefly before returning his eyes to the road.
“I wanted to.”
There it was again.
That quiet certainty.
No argument.
No lengthy explanation.
Just the truth.
Adam laughed softly.
“I’ve noticed something about you.”
“What?”
“You don’t leave much room for discussion.”
Alex considered that.
“I don’t?”
“No.”
Adam smiled.
“When you decide something, that’s it.”
Alex couldn’t deny it.
“I suppose that’s true.”
Adam shook his head with an amused smile.
“It’s oddly convincing.”
The drive continued with easy conversation.
Alex asked about the gallery.
Adam complained dramatically about a painting that refused to cooperate.
Alex listened more than he spoke.
He always enjoyed listening to Adam.
The passion in his voice.
The way his hands moved when he explained something.
The excitement that seemed to appear whenever art became the topic.
By the time they reached the penthouse, the conversation felt effortless.
⸻
Adam stepped inside and looked around.
“It still feels like a hotel.”
Alex smiled.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Adam picked up his overnight bag.
“So…”
He looked around awkwardly.
“Where should I put this?”
Alex answered without hesitation.
“My bedroom.”
Adam blinked.
“Your bedroom?”
“Yes.”
There wasn’t even a pause before Alex continued.
“You’ll be more comfortable there.”
Adam looked at him for a second.
As if considering whether to argue.
Instead…
He simply nodded.
“Okay.”
Alex watched him disappear down the hallway with the bag.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, seeing Adam place his belongings inside his room filled him with a quiet sense of contentment.
It wasn’t much.
Just a small overnight bag.
Yet somehow…
It made the room feel less empty.
⸻
The evening passed peacefully.
They ordered dessert after dinner.
Talked about books.
Argued playfully over which movie they should watch the next day.
By the time they were getting ready for bed, Alex remembered something.
“Wait.”
Adam looked up.
“What?”
Alex walked to the wardrobe and retrieved a small gift bag.
“I got you something.”
Adam looked genuinely surprised.
“For me?”
Alex handed it over.
Adam carefully opened the bag.
His eyebrows lifted.
“…Pajamas?”
Alex nodded.
“You liked the ones you borrowed.”
Adam looked back into the bag before smiling.
“They’re really nice.”
“They’re yours.”
Adam looked at him questioningly.
“So…”
Alex spoke with that same calm certainty Adam had come to recognize.
“Any time you stay here, you’ll have something comfortable to wear.”
“You won’t have to borrow mine anymore.”
For a moment, Adam simply stared at him.
Then a faint blush crept across his cheeks.
“You… bought these just for me?”
“Yes.”
Adam laughed quietly, shaking his head.
“You’re impossible.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“I love them.”
The words escaped Adam before he seemed to realize he had said them.
Alex smiled.
“I’m glad.”
A few minutes later, Adam disappeared into the bathroom to change.
When he came back…
Alex forgot what he had been about to say.
The soft beige pajamas fit Adam perfectly.
The color suited him far better than Alex had imagined.
Comfortable.
Elegant.
Warm.
Adam looked down at himself.
“They’re incredibly soft.”
“I thought you’d like them.”
“I do.”
Adam smiled.
“Thank you.”
Something about hearing genuine happiness in Adam’s voice made the purchase worth far more than it had cost.
⸻
Later, they climbed into bed.
Adam settled comfortably against the pillows before turning toward Alex.
“So…”
“What are our grand weekend plans?”
Alex smiled.
“I bought groceries.”
Adam laughed.
“That’s your exciting announcement?”
“For two days.”
Adam grinned.
“Go on.”
“We’ll stay in.”
“We’ll watch movies.”
Adam nodded thoughtfully.
“I like that.”
“I also bought painting supplies.”
That caught Adam’s attention immediately.
“You did?”
Alex nodded.
“I wasn’t sure what you preferred, so I bought several kinds.”
Adam’s eyes brightened.
“I brought my sketchbook.”
“I hoped you would.”
Adam laughed.
“So we’re basically hiding in your apartment all weekend.”
“Mostly.”
Alex smiled.
“I do have a couple of business calls.”
“I can’t avoid those.”
“But after that…”
He looked at Adam.
“The weekend is ours.”
Adam’s expression softened.
“I like the sound of that.”
The room grew quiet.
The city lights shimmered beyond the windows.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Eventually, Adam yawned.
“I think that’s my cue.”
“It probably is.”
Within minutes, Adam had fallen asleep.
His breathing became slow and steady.
Alex remained awake.
He turned slightly, watching the peaceful expression on Adam’s face.
A few loose strands of hair had fallen across his forehead.
Without thinking, Alex brushed them gently aside.
His fingers drifted through Adam’s hair in slow, absent-minded strokes.
Adam stirred slightly but didn’t wake.
A faint smile appeared on Alex’s face.
His pajamas.
His bedroom.
His home.
None of those things had ever felt important before.
Yet tonight…
Watching Adam sleep peacefully beside him, wrapped in the pajamas he had carefully chosen, Alex felt something he hadn’t experienced in years.
Contentment.
Not the satisfaction of closing a successful deal.
Not the pride of another business victory.
Something quieter.
Something warmer.
For the first time, the penthouse no longer felt like an expensive place to live.
It felt like a home.
And Alex realized that it wasn’t because the furniture had changed.
Or the view.
Or the silence.
It was because Adam was there.
Somehow, without even trying…
Adam had filled the emptiness Alex hadn’t realized existed.
Alex closed his eyes, his hand still resting lightly against Adam’s hair.
Tomorrow could wait.
For now, this was enough.
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