you give as good as you get Who: Chris & June. What: Following Daniel's semi-rejection, Chris goes whining to a friend. Where: June's apartment. When: Right after the encounter with Daniel.
Lingering for a moment in the second floor hallway, Chris knew he had no desire to return to his empty apartment. Plucking up his phone, he texted June to see if she was at home—and then found himself rising to her level via the elevator.
The door was open—at least his friends welcomed him—and he let himself in.
"June," he half-whined, plopping down on her couch onto his back, his cane held in his right hand. "Can you just kill me now? I think that'd be easier."
"Yeah but then I'd have a body to dispose of." She circled the sofa like some predatory animal, staring down at her prone friend. June dropped herself into a high-backed chair, curling her legs up beneath her. "What's this about? You're not still fucked up about the party, are you? You know that was months ago."
Chris heaved a large sigh, turning in her direction without moving any other body part.
"No," he started, then immediately back tracked. "Well, kind of. Daniel's still... I don't even know what now. Not mad, necessarily, just... distant."
He pressed his lips together and climbed into a sitting position, leaning heavily back into the cushions. He parked his cane against a side table.
"I thought paying for those damages to his car would at least get me... I don't even know." A hand came up to rub at his face, then his eye.
"What? A handy? Come on, necio." June croaked a little laugh. Chris' face went red, his head shaking to negate her assumption. "You didn't get into this position overnight. You're not going to get out of it that quick, either. But you said he's not mad, right? That's good. I mean if you're going to insist on chasing after this dude, which I'm still not sure I understand…" Chris' hand went to his nape, his head still shaking even as he hesitantly still smiled.
"Maybe if you'd ever had it, you'd understand," he shot back, letting his hand fall back into his lap. She casually flipped him off, and Chris replied by sticking out his tongue before continuing. "And I do. He gave a fuck about me, June, and I... shit all over that. I just... It felt good having someone give a fuck about me the way he did. And I know it wasn't just going to hit the rewind button and put us back where we were, but..."
He fell silent, mouth twitching into a moue of discontent. "I don't know. I just thought there'd be more." A laugh bubbled quietly out of his mouth. "I just don't know what I'm doing with any of this."
"The good news is nobody else does, either," June said. She shifted in her seat, pulling her legs farther under her, pitching her small weight closer toward him. Her elbows came to rest on the arm of the chair, sinking down into the thick cushioning.
"It sounds like you're off to a good start. I guess he likes this car, right? He better now, at least, you spent so much goddamn money on it." She shook her head and bit back any further chastising on that point. "What else does he like? There's got to be some other—cheaper—buttons you can push."
"You have no idea how much he loves that car," Chris said, rolling his eyes a little. "It's like a child to him. I already got him stuff for Christmas that... I mean, as far as I know, he hasn't touched. A beer brewing kit and a taco package. He... He likes wrestling, clothes, uh..." The next few items his brain pulled up were sex, blow jobs, and rim jobs, causing his face to redden, but he opted away from those descriptions. June's grin only grew, but he did not provide her a moment to get her claws into what caused that expression.
"I'm not... You don't think this is too much, too soon? Should I back off? I just, I don't want him to think I'm not interested... He said he'd help me out at the gym, still. And he seemed, I dunno, excited. Not like he had to, but that he wanted to." Chris glanced at June.
"That's a good sign, right?"
"Obviously." She drew her lips together, making an exaggerated, duck-faced pout at him. "Who even are you, worrying about pushing somebody away, stressing yourself out over what somebody else wants. You really think he's worth this? I mean, he didn't even hear you out, Chris. After the party, I mean." But then she sighed, a dramatic, drawn-out thing, and waved away her own complaints.
"Forget it. Yes, I think that's a good sign. You're spacing this stuff out, which is good. Don't look too desperate. Just… go to the gym. Work your ass off. Then, when he seems to be warming up a little, test the water. Ask him on a date. Grab his dick or something. I dunno, whatever boys like."
"OK, I'm not even gonna say who you just sounded like right there, but no, as much as I'd love to, pretty sure that's gonna set me even further back," Chris replied, laughing under his chastisement. He swept a hand back through his messy hair.
"Fuck, I gotta do this all over again don't I. Fuck." He frowned, shaking his head. "Might be easier in the new place. If he even switches over, shit. I wonder if I should've said something?" He glanced at June, as though this new tangent made perfect sense to everyone in the room.
"About what?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "You've got to slow down, boo. You're losing me. I mean yes, obviously you have to do things over again. Didn't you say he chased you down last time? So this seems… fair is a strong word, but still. Fair. But what are you talking about, switching over?"
"Oh." Chris closed his eyes, shaking his head, laughing for half a beat. "I probably shouldn't even be talking about this. You know the Brandts? The gothy Gomez-and-Morticia type that live upstairs and bought the building? They're moving, and..."
Here he shrugged, his eyes dipping to the floor before looking back at June. "They're offering half rent for anyone who wants to go with. They own this other building, apparently, and it seems like a good opportunity to get away from all the...you know, all the crazy shit that's been going on."
"Hell yeah." June slapped the armrest of the chair, a broad grin brightening her face. "Half rent? Are you kidding? You're going to take it, right? Have you seen the place yet? It's not a dump, is it? You'd tell me if it was a dump." Too late she realized she had dropped Chris's primary interest altogether; she circled back to it now, curbing her smile a bit in response.
"He'd be stupid not to go," she said. "Does he know yet? Have you talked to him about it?"
Chris shook his head. "No, I didn't... I didn't think to, and, honestly, I'm not sure I should've said anything to you," he remarked, laughing a bit. "Cat's outta the bag now, right? He said he was gonna mention it to the whole building. When, I don't know. It's... Here."
He dug into a pocket, leaning over his arm rest toward her chair, and tapped in Bradbury, bringing up photos of a four-story red brick building downtown. "It's actually in L.A., so it's gonna be noisier, no beach access, but it's got a pool, a gym, and all the units are loft style. Thinking of taking one on the first floor."
"Yeah, I get that." She grabbed the phone from Chris's hand and immediately began to swipe through photographs of the building's interior. She gave a long, low whistle when she came upon a series of pictures displaying the elaborate, wrought iron stairwells and the skylight that arched high above them. "Shit. You sure we can afford this? Even half rent, man, this must be crazy." She perused a few more photographs, then handed the phone back to her friend. "It sounds great, though. Really. Why not mention it to him? Maybe he'd like a heads up. A little inside track from his well-connected former, better half."
Chris laughed quietly, shaking his head as he reached out to accept his phone.
"Pretty sure that's not what he'd call me right now, but yeah. I could get a leg up. What'd it hurt? And then at least I'd know where I stand. Metaphorically speaking." She answered with a vigorous nod.
He switched back to her previous topic. "But I think it'd work. I don't know how long the half rent would last, but... you gotta think, anywhere we all go isn't gonna be a normal apartment complex, right? It's gonna be like...a survivor's group or something. Not that what happened here was a tragedy... At least, not for everyone." His mouth settled into a line, his mind alighting on Rafe and what the other man had dealt with, insofar as Chris knew.
"Could always get a month to month," he added, trying to inject some levity into the sudden depressing tangent he'd taken them on.
"They usually charge more for that." Her tone edged dangerously close to whining. "It's OK. You're right, it's a fucking support group at this point. I hope everyone goes, but… I don't know. I'd get it, I guess, if some didn't. The people who've been dealing with this longer than me are probably completely over it. Me… I'm still having fun. And besides, I've got to go with you. Who's going to keep you straight if I don't? Figuratively speaking, I mean."
"Har har har," Chris replied, his eyes sliding over the photos once more before sending his phone into lock mode. "But I'd like that. We definitely haven't spent as much time together since you moved in as I'd like." He pocketed the device, glancing in June's direction. She nodded ready agreement, her smile returning in force.
"I don't know who'd stay here, or if Obed'd even give them the chance. I think he—maybe they're both tired of everything that's happened here. I'll definitely say it's been an experience."
He settled back into the couch, falling silent for a beat. "I think they're gonna make some announcement eventually, so you'll get more details. Prices, etc. I don't think they're gonna want a pound of flesh, June, so deep breaths." Chris grinned. "In the meantime, you wanna get something to eat?"
"Yes," she said, "and you're buying. That's the fee for my talk therapy services, and it's a steal." She shuffled off toward the door, where her clutch hung from one in a series of key hooks. "How do you feel about curry?"
"I'd say you're a cheap date, but that's fine with me," Chris replied, a teasing grin playing over his lips. He grabbed his cane and lurched to his feet.
"But we're taking an Uber," he replied as he waved her toward her own front door. "Because I don't know about you, but I intend to drink."