Walking down the street to the café, I saw parents dragging their kids into shops, shopping for their back to school things. How could they look so upset? The Back to School shop was the highlight of the whole process. New books, fresh pens, ridiculous pencil cases. What was not to like? I would've done anything for those things when I was their age. I passed an ice cream truck selling cold treats to the children who hadn't screamed throughout the whole shopping trip. They looked a lot happier than the others.

I resisted the urge to buy an ice cream, the temptation nearly succeeding. I carried on down the sidewalk, narrowly avoiding being hit with the water balloons as I passed through what was apparently the water balloon danger zone. An older teenager, dressed in a white tank top with the dominican flag printed on it, and black shorts, came up to me and apologised for almost hitting me. I shook my head, told him it was okay, I was glad to see they were having fun. He ran off to his friends who playfully shoved him and continued their water balloon fight.

I reached the café early and found a seat in the corner. I ordered two lattés, mine with extra cinnamon, and pulled out my phone. I scrolled through Pinterest absentmindedly, occasionally saving funny pins and writing prompts. His name lit up my screen. I answered the call.

"Hello?" I said.

"Yeah, hi. I'm on my way, I'll be five minutes. Just had to sort some things."

"Oh okay, no worries. I got you a latté, that okay?" I asked, watching the cream melt away on top of his drink. It would be gone by the time he got here.

"You didn't have to do that, I would have got it. It's fine though, thanks. I'll pay you back."

I shook my head despite him not being able to see me do so, "no, you paid last time, my turn."

He paused, "touché. Okay, see you soon."

"Later."

I continued to scroll. By this point I had found myself swiping through Harry Potter fan theories instead of the original prompts I was looking for. I turned off my phone and nursed my latté, adding more cinnamon. It had cooled down considerably and tasted sweet. Exactly the opposite to what I was used to drinking. It was a nice change. I took off my green jacket, the heat in the city creeping up as the summer dragged on. Too damn much like home.

The bell above the door rang as he walked in, taking the seat opposite me. His curls hung loose around his shoulders; he sported a black t-shirt and dark grey joggers. He looked good, but an unwise choice in the heat. He groaned to himself, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Why would I wear all black?"

"Hello to you, too," I grinned.

"Sorry, yeah, hi. I'm here, I made it."

He looked down at the coffee cup and I nodded, silently telling him it was his.

"Thanks," he sipped from the cup, "just how I like it. Light and sweet."

I drank from my own, downing the rest of it, knowing that I would forget about it if I didn't finish it now. His shirt stuck to his skin with sweat, his hair glued to his face.

"Do you wanna go somewhere cooler?" I asked, noticing his discomfort.

He pondered it for a moment, staring at his coffee cup, "if you don't mind… where to?"

I thought about it, too. The only places I could think of off the top of my head that we could go to at this time in the day were my place and the bodega. I got the feeling that the owner might not appreciate two grown men hanging around near his store at midday.

"We could go to my place? We've got air conditioning and a fridge," I suggested, though suddenly conscious of what state I had left my apartment in.

He nodded, "sure, sounds good. We can do that. Lead the way."

He finished the cup and followed after me.

"Don't forget your jacket," he said, holding up the green material.

"Oh, thanks."

I led him down past the bodega, the quickest route, and past the kids. He stopped and grabbed my arm, turning me round. He nodded towards a park area where a little girl sat, crying, on a swing.

"She's upset," he whispered, sympathy seeping through his voice.

I looked, too. The little girl gripped the chains as the swing remained motionless aside from the occasional push with her foot. I turned to him, " yeah. Do you think she's okay? I mean, kids cry for attention, but…"

He shook his head, "nah, when kids cry for attention they make a noise… they kick, scream, shout. Y'know? She isn't doing that. She isn't making a single sound… she's crying silently."

"What's the difference?" I asked, though hearing it out loud, I sounded ignorant.

"I mean, children cry 'cause they want attention, sure, 'cause they're hurt… or, or they're afraid. When they cry silently… it's because they just can't stop. Any parent knows that."

"Are you a parent?"

He stared at me for a moment, his eyes wandering over my features. He turned back towards the little girl on the swing who was pawing at her eyes with her sleeve.

"There's hundreds of parents walking past this area and not one of them is asking what's wrong… so they already know. Everybody knows everybody 'round here… and, I think, I might know her. Come on."

He crossed the grass to get to the play area and bent down beside the swing. She started at first but settled when she saw him.

"Mr. Laurens?" she asked, wiping the tears away again.

"Hey, Theo. Are you okay, sweetie? What's wrong?"

She hiccupped and sniffed, "it's my mama, she's sick, Mr. Laurens."

"I know, love. Do you want me to call your dad? He'll be worried about you."

Fresh tears ran down her face, dripping from her chin to the ground. He thumbed them away for her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug where she finally willed herself to cry. He rubbed circles on her back.

"I'll call your daddy real quick," he smiled at her, "come on, you've been so brave, keep your chin up, for your mama."

He dialled the number of the contact 'Aaron Burr' and waited for it to ring. He cleared his throat, "yeah, hi, Burr? Nah, it's about Theo… yeah, she's here… I just found her on the swing and she was a little bit upset about her mama… do you want me to bring her or… okay, yeah, I'll stay with her… okay, see you in a couple of minutes."

He patted her on the shoulder, "okay, sweetie. Your daddy is gonna come and pick you up soon, you just gotta wait here with us for a bit first."

She nodded and gripped John tighter, "where's Pip?"

"Uh, he's at home. But you'll see him when you go back to school, that'll be fun right?"

"Uh huh. I like Pip. He's like you, but smaller."

He smiled at her. We waited and I occupied the spare swing. A tall man approached John and the little girl ran into his arms; he picked her up.

"Daddy!"

"My baby! Don't run away from me like that, I was so worried. Your mama, too."

She pushed her head into his chest, "mama's sick."

"I know, baby. But she wants you to be brave doesn't she? Should we go see her later?"

"Yeah," she wiped her nose on her sleeve.

The man put her down and thanked John for calling him, he took the little girl's hand and they walked away together.

John stood up straight and blew out a breath, "poor kid."

"Who was she?" I asked.

"Theodosia. Her mom's sick and it isn't looking like she's gonna get better… she's such a sweet kid, too. And her mom… such a nice woman, she doesn't deserve this."

I showed him back to my building and watched him climb up the flights of stairs. More sweat dripped down his face from the heat, staining his shirt. It clung to his skin, shaping his figure. He did have muscles.

"Sorry, just one more floor."

He laughed, "nah, this is nothing. So, so many stairs at work. And yesterday, oh boy, I had to run up a lot."

"Oh, yeah. Was everything okay?"

"It was pretty bad. A new patient had an episode, only came in a few weeks ago. I can't really say that much about it, but, y'know, they probably did need me… but still. My shift had finished, you'd think they'd do what they're trained to do without calling me for help."

I nodded in agreement and walked up to my door, unlocking it and calling out for Laf. He didn't respond. He was still at work. I turned on the air conditioning and switched on a few fans we had dotted around the room.

"So… what now? I didn't really think this far ahead," he chuckled, standing next to one of the fans.

I shrugged, "I dunno… we've got food, T.V., drinks…"

"What can we watch?" he asked, stepping away from the fan and closer to me.

"Whatever's on Netflix."

He thought about it for a moment, "yeah, alright. We can watch a bit of Netflix. I'm free till six-ish."

"Sweet, take your pick."

I passed him the remote and busied myself in the kitchen, pulling out snacks and cold drinks. I brought a bowl of popcorn and left it on the coffee table, sitting myself down beside him. He bit at his lip as he scrolled through the options.

"You've got quite the variety of recommendations," he side-eyed me.

"Oh, yeah. French roommate. He likes musicals and fashion shows, like RuPaul and all that kinda stuff. I like the dramas and the sci-fi and the documentaries. Netflix gets confused."

He nodded and turned to me, "you pick. Choosing things isn't my strong point."

"What kinda stuff do you like?"

"Uh, probably the dramas and sci-fi, too. Historical dramas are the best."

"Yes! Someone who gets it. Okay, what about… this? The Crown, it's all I've heard about and I gotta know what it's about."

He lit up, "me, too, I've seen the first twenty minutes, but I gotta know more."

I smiled and pressed play, happy that my idea had been a good one. The opening title telling us that it was a Netflix Original blasted out of the surround sound speakers and I winced, grabbing the remote and turning it down quickly.

"Jesus, that's loud," I laughed.

"I mean, the tiniest bit."

We continued to watch, grabbing the occasional popcorn as the episode continued. He had moved closer to me in the hour, though he kept fidgeting with his shirt.

"Do you wanna change? I have a couple spare shirts that will probably fit you," I suggested.

"If you're offering, please? Black shirt in the height of summer really wasn't my best decision."

I went to my wardrobe and pulled out a white t-shirt that Laf had bought me but I had never worn. I took it off of the coathanger and gave it to him. He smiled and took his shirt off. Wasn't expecting that… His chest was tanned and littered with freckles like his face, and… yup… definitely had abs. I could feel myself blushing, but I didn't care. He blew his hair out of his face and stared at me for a moment, "what?"

"Nothing," my mouth twisted upwards involuntarily, "you are just a… hmm… an attractive human being? Okay, I'm gonna go die of embarrassment now."

He laughed, pulling the shirt over himself. I internally sighed. He brushed his hair up from the roots with his hands and pulled it into a ponytail, securing it with a tie from around his wrist. He had a lot of hair ties on his wrist

"Thank you? You're not so bad yourself, Hamilton," he winked at me, I felt my face grow hotter, "but unfortunately for me, you were smart enough to not wear black, so you get to keep your shirt on."

I bit my lip slightly harder than intended and grinned. He was flirting back, it wasn't one-sided. He drank from his can and sat back down on the sofa. I sat closer to him than before and pressed play on the remote. He leaned into my side, subtly, but I noticed. I always noticed. The musky smell ascending from his body reached me and made my mind go wild. It wasn't the only part of me going wild…

I shifted in my seat and rested my arm on the back of the sofa behind him.

"Was that an attempt to be smooth?" he giggled.

"Possibly?"

"I'm not saying it didn't work."

We were multiple episodes into the series. His hair bounced and tickled my arm when he moved his head. I sat, staring at him, completely lost in his beauty. The way his nose wrinkled when he laughed or smiled when watching the screen, the way his eyes flashed with fury when the characters did something stupid.

"Yo, did you see that? Philip be a fucking player!"

I stared at him, speechless, "uh… no… no… I was distracted."

"Huh?"

I shifted again and looked away for a moment, "I mean, I was watching, but just then I got… I was distracted… and, I'm so confused… and I… uh… sorry."

"Alex…" he started, then he huffed, "fuck it."

Before I could comprehend what he was happening, his lips were on mine. I didn't move, in shock. He pulled away shyly, "sorry."

I shook my head and stroked his cheek, pulling him back. Then I kissed him, apparently taking him by surprise, too. He moaned into my mouth and sat up straighter on the coach, getting as close to me as he could. I leaned back onto the sofa, allowing him to take the lead, letting him take charge. He used the opportunity to his advantage, pushing me further back with his hand and lightly biting at my lip, begging for entrance. I brought my hand up to his neck, opening my mouth to let him in. We kissed for a minute, maybe two. My bottom lip interlocking with his, it was sweet, and soft, and better than I could have imagined. He pulled away and I could feel his breath on my face, our noses still almost touching.

"Yeah," he whispered, his voice hoarse and shaking.

"Huh?"

He let out a breath, turning his face away from mine, shutting his eyes as if scared to say the next thing, his body still hovered over mine, "you asked me before… if I was a parent… and, yeah. I am... I have a son. Is that okay?"

I sat up straighter, leaning on my elbow, "of course it's okay. Why wouldn't it be okay?"

"It's just that… I like you, Alex. And… when I like people, if the job doesn't scare them away then the kid does. It's a game changer, I get. I'd just rather have you tell me now before I get too deep into this."

I brushed a fallen strand of hair behind his ear from where it had escaped the hair tie, "it's not a game changer. I like you, too. A kid isn't going to change that. What's his name?"

"Philip. Philip-Sebastián."

"Sebastián?" I asked… I loved that name.

"Yeah, he's a complicated story. I'll tell you if you stick around."

"I'm sure I will... Sorry, one second."

I stood up and moved to the wall, picking up a whiteboard pen and writing 'Sebastián' on it. It had a ring to it, I liked it. That was it! I had a character. Who are you Sebastián?

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"It's a complicated story," I swivelled round and smirked, "I'll tell you if you stick around."

He furrowed his eyebrows but I sat back down on the sofa and kissed him, hard, on the lips. He giggled between breaths and gripped my shirt, pulling me towards him. His hands wandered down to my waist where he rubbed at the waistband of my jeans. I felt him growing hard against my leg, and I undoubtedly against his. I could taste the sweetness of the popcorn on his lips and the smell of musk, even stronger now, made me crazy. His skin was hot to the touch, both the weather and the moment being large factors to this. I pulled away for a moment and looked at him, my forehead pressed against his. He opened his eyes dreamily after a moment; his eyes were impossibly greener from this close up. I could hear the theme of the next episode playing, but it sounded muffled over the sound of our own breathing. I could feel his heart pounding through his chest. Or was it mine? I couldn't tell. All I knew was that I wanted more.

I trailed kisses along his jawline, listening for every gasp, smirking at every shift he made underneath me. I lapped at his neck with my tongue, nipping at the skin. He let out a shaky breath, pulling at my hair with one hand, the other smoothing the shirt on my back and slipping underneath it. I chuckled against him, nipping harder. He flipped us on the sofa so that he was on top of me again. I stared in shock of how easy it was for him to manoeuvre me.

"What?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face.

"How can you just… do that? I'm not complaining… but damn. That was hot."

He tugged at my shirt and pulled it over my head, exposing my chest, freshly tanned from the last trip. He sucked at my collar bone, hard enough to leave marks. I moaned at the contact, letting my head fall back onto the arm of the sofa. I patted him on the arm and gestured to my bedroom door.

"This sofa is super uncomfortable, and I have a super comfy mattress," I suggested, testing the waters, guessing his intentions.

"I do like comfy mattresses," he lifted himself off of me and let me guide him to my room.

He pushed me against the bed, taking his shirt off and returning to his assault on my collarbone, gradually moving further south till he reached my waistband. He tugged at it suggestively, looking up at me for reassurance. I nodded, barely able to speak from the excitement growing in me. He unzipped my jeans and slid them off, discarding them on the floor. The release of pressure made me groan in relief and he ran his hands back up the sides of my body; he climbed onto the bed, hovering above me and interlocking his lips with mine. I trailed my fingers on his back, tracing the top of his joggers. He pressed his chest against mine, the contact of his skin on mine made my skin tingle. He slid down on the bed still on top of me and removed my boxers. My dick came free, I shuddered under his gaze as he looked me up and down, taking me in. I was vulnerable in front of him, open, under his control, his spell, his charm. He knelt on the bed before me and stroked my chest, trailing down to my stomach, down to my shaft. He took me in hand, like I had imagined him doing. Slowly, he moved his hand in up and down movements, painfully slowly. I restrained my hips from bucking up as my breath hitched in my throat. He kept pumping as he moved to kiss me.

"Is this okay?" he asked me.

"Fuck… yes. Definitely yes."

His pace sped up as he moved down my body, pausing only to tease the skin with his lips. I was putty in his hands, in that moment I was his, willing to let him do whatever he wanted. He licked my dick, rubbing circles on the inside of my thigh with his thumb. My back arched and my head fell against the soft pillows. I gripped the sheets when his tongue swirled on the tip, wet and sloppy. I pulled his hair free from the ponytail and felt it splatter over my hips in all different directions as he ducked down.

I shut my eye as he worked, resisting the urge to rock my hips. He was so good. Felt so good. He held my hips as he bobbed his head up and down, his cheeks a vacuum surrounding me. I cried out and my breath caught at the back of my throat, releasing in a low whimper. I moaned his name as I came in a wave of pleasure, gripping harder on the sheets.

He swallowed it all and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, leaning back up to kiss me.

"Hi," he whispered in my ear, sucking my neck.

"How are you so damn good at that?"

"It's a gift," he shrugged, falling onto my chest.

"Do you want me to return the favour?" I suggested.

He held up his wrist where amongst the hair ties sat a watch. He let out an exasperated huff, "tempting… But I have to go. Sorry, call me later?"

I drew circles on his back with my finger, "okay. Well, next time, I owe you. Tell me when you're home so I know you've not been murdered or anything."

He nodded and blew onto my skin, making no effort to move. He sighed, "right, okay, I'm going now."

"Doesn't look like it," I chuckled.

"Well, I am. It's just that you have a super warm, hot body and it's super comfy. But, I am going now, watch… leaving."

He hovered above me and kissed me once more, breaking apart to find the shirt I had lent him. I pulled on a spare pair of sweatpants and waited for him to get ready. He patted himself down, looking for his keys and his phone. When his search resulted in empty pockets, he looked on the floor and found the items under my jeans. The phone had a large crack down the middle from where it had fallen on the floor.

"Well, that's unfortunate," he screwed his face up.

I walked him to the door and kissed him goodbye. It lasted longer than intended but I wasn't complaining. We finally broke apart and he left with his other shirt in his hand. I slumped back down on the sofa and took a glance at my wall with the added name. It was a beautiful name.

The cushions smelled like him, musky with the added scent of coffee, or was that me? Either way, when they mixed it created the perfect aroma.

Laf came home not long after, dripping with sweat once again. He didn't ask why I didn't have my shirt on, he just went straight for the shower. It was probably for the best. My phone began to ring and I answered quickly. Eager.

"Hello?" I said.

John responded, he sounded tired, "hey… I didn't die… not even once."

"Phew, that wouldn't have been great."

"Nah, it would be a pretty shit way to end a great day," he laughed, "I did have a good time today."

"Me, too."

We talked for a couple more minutes before Laf emerged from his personal beauty salon. I shooed him away, pointing to the phone. He nodded with a smirk playing on his lips, he left me alone.

"I'm gonna have to go 'Lex, things to do. But… are you free this weekend… no, wait… wait no, ignore me, I was right the first time. Let me start again, are you free this weekend?"

"I mean, unless I decide to be that cruel teacher that sets a bunch of homework that I'll have to mark, I should be. Why? What did you have in mind?"

"I know this little club in the city, would you be interested in… joining me. It's my weekend off from work and home life, I wanna see you... if you'll see me?"

"I'd love to!"

"Sweet. Well, good night. See you around."

"G'night," I whispered.

I rolled over on the sofa and shut my eyes, they felt heavy. I smiled to myself, smiled so hard that my cheeks hurt. In time, I fell asleep. I woke up in the early hours over the morning, a pillow under my head that I didn't remember being there before. It was dark outside. I still lay on the couch, curled into a ball. I grabbed a drink of water and went back into my room where I fell asleep again, much more comfortable this time. I was so happy.