Don't Touch Me! - 15

 

"It's only seven-thirty," Cody replied like a petulant child.

"Then you'll get caught up on your sleep. I wasn't kidding when I said you look like hell—although you do seem to be a bit better now, probably because you ate."

"Could be. Plus I'm doing something other than wondering when Milburn is going to show up with an arrest warrant."

"I'd say so." Brent took the last bite of his sandwich, washing it down with coffee. "Stay where you are. I'll clean up."

"But…"

Brent grinned. "You cooked, so to speak. I do dishes. It's how things work."

"Oh. If you say so."

"You didn't do that when you entertained a friend…or girlfriend?"

"Even before I got sick, I wasn't really social. I told you that. If I had been, I wouldn't have had a girlfriend. They weren't my thing."

Brent cocked his head, looking at Cody. "Boyfriend?"

"Never had one, just casual hookups. But that's my flavor of choice, as someone once put it."

"Interesting." Brent got up and began clearing the table.

"It bothers you?" Cody asked tightly.

"Not in the least. Why should it?"

"It does a lot of people, although things are getting better."

"Yeah, well those are straight, homophobic idiots. I'm none of those. Although," Brent smiled, "some people might debate the idiot part."

"You're saying…" Cody looked quizzically at him.

"I'm saying, there are bakeries and even a pizza place that would refuse to deal with me, should I ever find someone I wanted to marry," Brent replied with a wide grin, putting the dishes in the sink and turning on the water.

Cody laughed. "I've never heard anyone admit to being gay in quite that way before."

"So I'm unique. Always figured I was."

Brent washed the dishes and put them away. Then, true to his word, he got ready to leave. "I'll give you a call in the morning, although it will probably be later in the day before I come by again."

"Other jobs to take care of?"

"Yep. Time and clients wait for no man. If I get the chance, I'll see if our last woman lives near the medical building. It would be nice if she did, since it would go a long way to proving our theory."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah, get back to your book. I've got a craving for a new Jonathan Wilde."

Cody grinned. "Maybe I will then."

"That's my boy. Okay, see you tomorrow."