Dante

I wasn't sure how I got here.

And by here, I meant standing outside in the scorching evening heat, staring at the large unlit sign which said the words Fight Club.

I had zero intentions of seeing this place until tomorrow, but Sammy's unexpected call completely decimated my plans.

I tried to tell him that this really wasn't necessary. Pretty much begged actually. I knew it was my stubborn pride that made this entire situation uncomfortable for me, but Sammy didn't take no for an answer. I told him that I was really going to be fine, and I'd figure everything out with maintenance in the morning... yet he assured me that no one has seen a maintenance man in that building since Reagan was president.

The final nail to seal the coffin was when he said I either accepted his offer, or he'd come and try his hand at fixing my plumbing himself.

That was when it dawned on me that there really was no way out of this.

So I slipped on the sweaty clothes I had been wearing earlier, stuffed some clean clothes into a bag, and made my way out of my apartment building towards the gym.

I shot Sammy a text to let him know I had made it. Moments later, the lights inside flipped on. I watched as Sammy maneuvered through the gym equipment towards the door. He was wearing what looked to be a plain comfortable short sleeved shirt with a different pair of joggers.

"Hi again." He gave me a small smile as he held the door open. I cautiously stepped through.

"Hi." I nodded back. There was the briefest of pauses where no one said anything, but it felt like the pause itself lasted an eternity.

Sammy cleared his throat. "Sorry, um you must be exhausted. Let me show you over to the showers." He started to lead us through the poorly lit gym towards the locker room area. "They're just through here. I- uh, I set some essentials over on that counter for you. Just come on up and let me know when you're done."

I gave Sammy a nod and a smile. "Thank you. Y-You really didn't have to do."

He gave me a light chuckle. "I know I didn't have to. I wanted to. Plus NYC humidity isn't anything to play with." And he wasn't wrong. Even just the sweat from the walk over here had made my outfit completely mold to my skin. "Let me know if you need anything." Was the last thing he said before he left the locker rooms.

I walked over to the items Sammy had set out neatly for me. There was bar soap, liquid soap, shampoo, conditioner, a loofa, and like 5 different sized towels. "What in the hell..." I whispered to myself. There was no way I needed even half of this stuff... but when I caught a whiff of the shampoo scent, I wasn't so sure anymore.

When in Rome, right?

-

I stripped down and took the shower as quickly as I possibly could. The thought of Sammy staying up for me to finish and head home made me move even quicker. By the time I finished and got dressed, I was grateful for that feeling of cleanliness, but I waisted no time sprinting up the steps to let Sammy know I was taking off.

When I made it up into his apartment, Sammy was lounging on one of his sofas with the tv on, and a drink in hand. His hair that was always up in a bun, was now cascaded effortlessly down past his shoulders. It practically froze me in place when he ran his hands freely through it.

Jesus, I thought to myself.

"Whoa, you were quick." Sammy acknowledged when he noticed me. I gave him a nervous smile.

"I didn't want to keep you up for too long while you waited for me to finish up and head back." I explained to him. Sammy had a bewildered expression on his face.

"Oh, I didn't have the intention of making you go home tonight." He shook his head.

"Oh no, I really should be getting back." I rushed out almost immediately. "This was already too kind of you to do."

Sammy shook his head again. "It's getting pretty late now and to send you out in that weather after you just showered, would be the very definition of counterintuitive. I've got another bedroom on the far end there. You can crash here and head back tomorrow."

I opened my mouth to protest, but then shut it seconds later. Sammy had this way of making every request seem less and less like an actual request. Finally, I gave him a small nod.

"Perfect. Can I fix you a drink?" He asked me.

I shook my head no. "It's okay, thank you." He motioned for me to take a seat in one of the comfy looking sofas, but of course in that moment my legs forgot how to function.

Left foot.

Right foot.

There we go Dante, my inner voice instructed me.

My big toe suddenly collided with the corner of one of his table legs and I whimpered a little in pain.

"Are you okay?" Sammy asked seriously. I gave him a less than sure nod as I hobbled over to one of the sofas adjacent to him.

He made me feel so bare when he looked over at me with those gorgeous eyes. I knew it wouldn't have affected my nonexistent chances of ever attracting Sammy in the slightest, but I now wished I had picked a shirt that didn't have Scooby doo on it. In my defense, I thought I was going to be going home directly after the shower.

It took me a little while to build up the courage to say anything to Sammy, as he flipped through some books while taking an occasional sip of his dark liquor, and a glance my way. After a bit, I gained that courage.

"So I just wanted to-" we looked up at each other as the same words left both our lips the same time. That made each of us chuckle nervously.

"You go first." He insisted.

"Okay." I nodded. "I just wanted to say thank you. You really didn't hav-" I stopped myself short as I almost repeated the same phrase for the nine thousandth time. "I knew you didn't have to, but thank you." I finished on.

Sammy's smile grew slightly at my words.

"You're welcome here anytime." He replied seriously.

I broke eye contact as soon as I felt my cheeks heat up. "What were you going to say?" I asked, avoiding his gaze.

"Oh I was just wanting to talk to you about something. It was actually the reason for the call tonight." Sammy explained, setting down his work books. "I know you moved here pretty recently, and NYC can be a difficult place to adjust. Kas mentioned you needed to get some new things for your place, which also included a bed."

I could already feel my body start to shrink in on itself. When Kas said she'd look around for me, I guess my dumbass never thought she'd ask Sammy...

"As I mentioned, I do have that extra bedroom further down there. I don't have the vehicle to move the extra mattress, and unfortunately the bed weighs about the same weight as a fucking car... but what I could offer is a place to sleep in the meantime, just until you get things sorted." He finished.

It felt like my body was on fire.

This wasn't what I needed right now.

Pity wasn't what I needed right now.

I had gotten myself into this mess, and it wasn't anyone else's responsibility but my own to get me out of it.

"I really do appreciate the offer, I do... but I just can't accept it." I replied. "It's been a bit of a rock start, but I rather sort out said repercussions on my own."

I watched as Sammy's eyes softened a bit, but he nodded.

"I won't force the offer on you, obviously. Just know that I didn't offer this because I had to. I offered it because I wanted to."

Sammy

It wasn't long before Dante retired to bed for the night. He had barely made it through the our more serious conversation of him staying here a few days, before his eyes began to drift closed.

I lead him to the small extra bedroom area that was partially secluded. He slid under the sheets, mumbled his ten thousandth thank you to me, and drifted off to sleep.

I knew it was going to be a long night for myself, crunching numbers and creating new group activities for advancement...

But that didn't stop me from lingering a moment just to make sure Dante got to sleep alright.

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