After we’d tested the new door’s lock carefully, Tana agreed to go to the store with me, if only to get me some clothing that didn’t look like I was “en route to a Magic Mike calendar shoot.” I still caught her preening as I gathered numerous appreciative looks while I looked through racks of t-shirts, still clad only in her ex’s grey sweatpants and a pair of Tana’s pink, rhinestone-studded flip-flops that were two sizes too small.
After an elderly woman nearly ran her cart into a display checking me out, Tana’s expression changed from bemused to annoyed. She huffed and pulled a plain black t-shirt over my head, snapping off the tag and tossing it in the cart’s upper basket with the toiletries she’d picked up for me. “There. You can wear this out instead of causing property damage from all these thirsty retirees.”
I chuckled, pulling her close and kissing her so thoroughly and openly there was no question he only had eyes for her. She stumbled back a step, fingertips ghosting over her lips, eyes wide.
Oh, right. I’d forgotten they hadn’t done that before. Not when I looked…like this, anyway. She’d kissed me while I was still a door, but it had been more of a joke than anything else, right?
“Oh, Tana, I’m – I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed that you’d want…” I winced, dropping my hands from her shoulders and stepping back behind the cart to give her space.
“Want?” Tana tilted her head, eyes dancing with amusement. “Drys, I think you’re allowed to steal a kiss, sweetheart. I kind of buried your knob in my pussy like, a few hours ago.”
We both jumped at a metallic clang and a loud whumping noise as an entire display stack of boxes tumbled into the aisle. A red-faced woman, unable to meet our eyes, hastily backed her cart away from the point of collision and took off in the opposite direction.
“Yeah, well, serves you right for eavesdropping, nosy.” Tana sneered after her, grinning at me a moment later as I bent down to pick up the boxes. “But seriously, Drys, it’s fine. Feel free, okay?”
Much like the eavesdropper, I struggled to meet Tana’s eyes, concentrating on straightening the stack of boxes instead as I impulsively added a question.. “And…the rest?”
Tana reached a hand down to help me up, giving me a wink. “Well, maybe not right here in the menswear section.”
My heart soared. Other parts of me did as well, unfortunately, forcing me to grab the cart handle to put it in front of me.
Tana only smirked, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing downwards. “What’s wrong, big boy? Got a not-so-little problem?”
I blushed, clearing my throat. “I’ll be fine. I’m good. Do you need anything? You, uhm, you’ll want some ice cream in a few days. Let’s get you some ice cream, okay?”
She closed a hand around the side of the cart, stopping my progress with a curious tilt of her head. “And just how do you know I’ll want ice cream in a few days, Drys?”
I fidgeted with the collar of my new shirt, clearing my throat again and lowering my voice. “Your bad days. You’ll have them soon, same as you did last month. The ones where you wear softer clothing and watch sad movies and go to the bathroom a lot and sometimes cry. I don’t like to see you sad and you seem better when you have ice cream.”
Again that warm look, the one that lit me up like sunshine on a spring day, as she released the cart and moved to walk beside me. Her voice was soft, and a smile tugged up the corner of her mouth as she nodded towards another aisle. “Alright. This way.”
Once we’d gotten everything Tana thought I’d need, we headed back to her apartment, the employment application I’d surreptitiously grabbed at checkout tucked into my pocket. She’d been insistent about buying me several outfits, pairs of shoes, and toiletries, but I didn’t want to be a kept man if I could help it. Tana deserved to be taken care of, and I wanted to be the one to do it.
As we were putting everything away – I tried not to read too much into the fact that Tana had cleaned out a drawer for me in her dresser – I explained what I’d seen Randall do, both before she moved in and after. The fear in her eyes made me anxious to soothe her, but I got the entire story out before I offered another hug. I hated scaring her, but she should know what kind of monster had access to her and, until very recently, her apartment.
“And you’re absolutely sure he didn’t poison anything else?” Tana stood in front of the open refrigerator, frowning at the contents and biting her thumbnail.
I shook my head, gently closing the refrigerator door and opening my arms again. She stepped into them like we were made for one another, and I held her close, gloriously happy despite our grim topic of conversation. “No, nothing I’d seen, and I always kept a very close watch on him. I couldn’t see what he was doing in your bedroom because he closed the door behind him, but the orange juice was the only food he ever touched.”
Her nose wrinkled and she slipped away from me to stomp to the bedroom. A few minutes later, she pulled open the folding door on the hall closet and shoved an armful of linens and pillowcases in the washer, dusting off her hands. “Blegh. Gods know what the fuck he was doing in my bedroom. I always thought I smelled smoke but I figured it was coming from the vestibule or something. I’ve never been more glad I habitually wash my vibe before I use it.”
I’d already crouched down to retrieve the cleaning spray under the sink, along with a roll of paper towels that I tilted in her direction. “If it’s alright with you, I’ll clean off your headboard and all the dresser tops, too. I don’t ever want you to feel violated or afraid in your own home.”
Tana studied me for a long moment, her eyes soft. “Thank you, Drys. You’ve done so much already. You were a very good door, I hope you know that.”
Something about being called a good door made my human legs feel weak and shaky. I nodded before continuing to the bedroom, grateful my new jeans and boxer-briefs were better at concealing my arousal than the sweatpants had been.
