Learning to Trust - M.A. Innes Page 0,4

another door. “Bathroom is there.”

I felt like I should warn him that the walls seemed really thin, but I thought that might come across as weird. I’d only realized it the first night I’d moved in when a neighbor had started singing.

My best guess was Italian music of some kind and it almost sounded opera-ish, but it wasn’t something I was familiar enough with to guess the title.

Whoever it was, though, sang great, but I was doing my best to avoid the neighbors.

“Thanks.” Leon finally spoke, but it wasn’t enough words for me to guess anything about his personality.

“No problem.” I was trying to be polite, but it felt like we were all in the doctor's waiting room and I was trying to make small talk with a guy who was about to get a proctology exam.

That image did not help my ability to sound relaxed.

Damn overactive imagination.

Detective Davison seemed to realize we were both terrible communicators because he stepped in to keep the conversation going. “We have most of Leon’s stuff down in the truck, but Destin’s going to keep finding things y’all need over the next few days, so I can guarantee we’ll be back.”

I smiled, but Leon snorted and rolled his eyes. “He can stop hovering at any time.”

The detective laughed, giving him a softer look than I was used to seeing. “But he likes hovering over you and I like making him happy.”

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Leon’s question had the detective laughing even more as I led them into the empty second bedroom.

As he stopped laughing, Detective Davison shook his head. “No, not after the scare you gave him. He’s going to keep watching out for you for months…and that’s if you’re lucky. My best guess is that it’ll be at least a year.”

Leon groaned but stopped as footsteps bounded through the apartment. Before Destin could even enter the room, the conversation was dropped and Leon was back to looking boring, but without the drama I’d seen a moment ago.

“This is going to be great.” Destin looked around the room, holding on to the box precariously. “Just this room is bigger than the dorm and you’ve still got a living room and kitchen.”

“An empty living room.” Leon actually gave a chuckle when I shrugged.

I wasn’t going to apologize for not having furniture. This hadn’t exactly been my idea of a fun room switch. “I’m in my room most of the time.”

He nodded. “Me too, probably.”

Destin snorted. “That won’t work. How will we have movie marathons if you don’t have a couch and where will I sleep when I come over?”

I couldn’t even begin to unpack all that.

Thankfully, Leon took over that responsibility. “Who said you were going to sleep over?”

“You.” Destin beamed. “When you had your concussion. You talked about all the sleepovers we were going to have when you got your own place.”

Leon was giving him a look like he couldn’t decide if Destin was teasing or not. How did he not know? How had he gotten a concussion?

Finally, Detective Davison laughed. “Destin, don’t do that to him.”

Destin grinned, then gave his boyfriend an impressively innocent expression that no one seemed to buy. “I wouldn’t lie.”

Both of the other men laughed at the same time. Leon’s was more frustrated while Detective Davison’s was more indulgent. As their laughter died down, the detective took the box from Destin before he turned to Leon. “You did not promise him anything of the sort.”

Leon shot Destin a dirty look. “Behave or I’m going to tell Ray you were mean to me.”

Destin sucked in a breath like he was hurt, but there was too much laughter in his eyes to take him seriously. “You’re evil.”

Leon nodded. “He said you have to be nice to me.”

Destin huffed. “Oh, alright.”

Then he started wagging his finger at Leon. “But only until you’re completely healed, then I’m going to be mean.”

This was the strangest conversation I’d ever witnessed.

After a few more seconds of drama, they both turned to me. Leon sighed. “Sorry.”

Destin giggled. “He’ll get used to us.”

That was a frightening thought.

“Don’t scare him.” Leon seemed like he was trying to act gruff, but Destin didn’t seem worried, so I relaxed a bit. Asshole I couldn’t handle at this point, but gruff and a bit boring, that was fine.

“I’m endlessly entertaining. He’s not scared of me.” Destin wagged a finger at Leon again. “It’s you who’s acting so mean and unfriendly. He’s going to think it’s real if you don’t