Boots in a Flowerbed

17. Moving On

"Mylord?"

Chaim tosses long bangs aside and looks up from his book.

"Master Kim is here," the young servant elaborates and steps aside. At the door is Kim, looking oddly embarrassed. Chaim unfurls himself from the armchair, smiling, then frowns.

"Kim? What's the matter?" He gestures at the large suitcase that Kim, very flustered, is hauling over the threshold despite Tim's obvious desire to take over the burden.

Kim looks up at the tall blonde question mark from under his eyebrows and lets the suitcase fall on the floor with a resounding thump. He takes a deep breath. "Chaim, could I - could I stay here a day or two?"

Chaim gasps. "Sure - sure, of course you can - as long as you want! But... what's happened?"

Kim's expression blackens into a scowl, he huffs and sits heavily down on the edge of the suitcase.

"I've - decided to move out." That's only the most superficial truth, and he'd rather not talk about it at all, but he owes an explanation to Chaim. "And I didn't have time to - well, look for a new place yet."

He's really been too busy for that, during this week straight from hell. First, going to work again on Monday, to try and make up a plausible explanation as to why he hasn't appeared on Saturday as he should have, to apologize and assure that nothing like that will certainly not happen, ever again. Then shuffling home, to the inevitable confrontation with Linell. Telling her to stop frothing - all right, he's gone out just for an hour or so on Friday evening and then, finally, crawled back late on Sunday, tired and snappy and unwilling to explain anything except that his friend (his very special friend, has Linell scornfully added) had needed him.

That discussion has then been going on and one, only interrupted by the need to go to work, until by Thursday night Kim has had enough. He's told Linell that she doesn't understand a thing anyway - he cares for his friends, he doesn't want to let them down if they're in trouble. Hasn't he also skipped work, at least once, to be there when she's been ill? And besides, she won't need to get riled up anymore because of him, because as far as he's concerned, they're through.

Linell has stomped her foot and shouted that she wouldn't even want to have him as a boyfriend, not even if he begged her to, and that Kim is free to run to the rich pervert any time. But by that time Kim has already been in his room, door locked, furiously packing all his belongings into the battered suitcase that has accompanied him all the way from Chademien to Uman. And in the morning, when he's left for work, he's put his keys and enough money for next week's rent on the kitchen table, then walked out with his suitcase. And felt oddly relieved.

Oh, Kim can understand Linell, up to a point. He hasn't been exactly the ideal flat-mate recently, even less of a boyfriend - he's sure of that, even though she's all the experience he has. But he can't shake the feeling that this is the right thing to do. To be honest, if he really has to choose between being friends with Chaim or being Linell's boyfriend, then there's only one option. Linell will have a new boyfriend soon enough. Chaim - Chaim needs him.

And so here he is now, thoroughly confused, peering up at Chaim who is standing in front of him. The man is still a little pale, having spent most of the week cooped up at home to recover, but now his eyes are shining and he looks supremely comfortable in his loose shirt and flannel slacks. Chaim's smile is like the sun breaking over the mountains of Chademien, a sudden overwhelming burst of brilliance and warmth washing over Kim.

"Kim... stop looking so desolate, please! Of course you can stay here, as long as you want to. You'll be living here! You'll have any rooms you like at your disposal."

Kim sighs and stands up again, eyes locked with Chaim's. "All right - I will. Thanks. Really, Chaim, thank you so much. I - didn't know what else to do."

"Kim - if you'd gone somewhere else, I think I would be very much hurt!" Chaim shakes his head, sparkling with enthusiasm. "Come! Let's go see which rooms you'll want."

"Room," Kim corrects. "There's that guest room that -"

"Oh no, not that one!" Chaim's hand imperiously brushes such horrid propositions aside. "It's so tiny! You'll be living here, not just staying a night, you need a proper room! Come now..."

Kim swallows any sensible arguments he might have - such as the fact that so far the biggest space he's ever been able to claim as his own has been maybe one half of that 'tiny' guest room he remembers from his first visit here - and just follows Chaim. He can't help smiling. How is it possible that merely seeing the man now makes all his worries fly out of the window? He feels good with Chaim, in a way he's never felt with anyone before. He feels easy.

Room after room, Kim trails after Chaim. Then his breath catches. Motifs of twining vines climb up from floor to ceiling on dusky green wallpapers. An over seven foot tall potted palm tree stands guard in a small window niche.

Kim sees how Chaim steps back into the corridor and nods to Dalen and Tim.