-Leo- 

Leo regained consciousness, feeling a warm, heavy weight on his chest and a chill on his forehead. He could tell that he was lying down, most likely on a bed, but that was the extent of what he could gain from his surroundings with his eyes being closed.

‘Is this what death feels like?’, he thought to himself dramatically. Keeping his eyes closed, afraid to open them to the truth of the situation.

After a minute or two, Leo built up the nerve to open his eyes. Opening them slowly, he blinked at a curious pair of green feline eyes peering at him. The large black cat from the bed was now laying on top of his chest, swishing its tail back and forth. Silently judging him, as cats are wont to do. Leo had never really cared much for cats. He had always found them to have a bit too much attitude and preferred the simple loyalty and love that dogs offered. Cats reminded him far too much of himself, if he was being honest.

He gently nudged the cat off of him and watched as it jumped down to the floor and slinked out of the room, through the cracked open bedroom door. Leo noticed he was still in the bedroom he woke up in. The only difference being that the bed was now made, and he was lying on top of the dark gray duvet. Leo sat up and felt a bag of frozen peas fall to his lap. His hand promptly shot to his damp, cold forehead and felt a small lump forming.

‘Ouch’, he flinched at the pain from the soft touch of his fingertips. That was definitely going to leave a bruise.

After surveying the damage done to his face, and being relieved that it was only that small lump, Leo noticed the welcomed scent of coffee. He spotted two to-go cups on the nightstand beside him. He was debating whether he should take one to drink. It went against one of his steps, but clearly those went out the window the second he got smacked in the face with a door. There definitely wasn’t a contingency plan for this sort of situation. Before he could decide, the bedroom door slowly opened and, what Leo would describe as, ‘a whole damn meal’, walked in with a towel wrapped low around his waist.

Leo’s eyes went wide as he ogled the tall man before him. He was over 6ft, likely taller, with a rich sepia complexion. Water was dripping down in rivulets from his strong, broad shoulders and down to his chiseled chest. He had a pile of neat dreadlocks tied up in a messy bun at the top of his head, with the sides and back of his hair shaved low. His eyes were a rich earth brown that brought innocence to a man that probably should come across as intimidating with his height, broad shoulders, and well-built body. A shy smile rose to his cleanly shaven face, giving him a handsome, boyish look but with sharp facial features.

To say that Leo was captivated would be an understatement. He had absolutely no idea what to say, but he continued to stare at the man, eyes wide, and mouth slack-jawed. The guy looked right back, albeit with a look of uncertainty as opposed to a look of thirst.

“Hey…”, He said, with a voice velvety smooth and deep.

“Hey”, Leo answered back. Unsure of the etiquette, since he had never had to face a morning after situation where he had been knocked unconscious.

“I’m sorry for hitting you with the door. I uh, got some coffee and danishes if you’re hungry”, he motioned towards a pink box on the desk as he strode forward towards the nightstand next to the bed. He picked up one of the coffee cups and handed it to Leo. "Here you go. It has milk and sugar, since I wasn’t sure what you liked.”

Leo felt a rush of anxiety rise in his chest. ‘Oh god, not danishes. I need to get out of here as soon as possible.’

Regardless of how tasty this guy looked, he still needed to follow his original plan. He wasn’t the relationship type. Been there, done that, hated it.

Leo rose to his feet, “Thank you so much…uh — .”

Leo grasped at straws, trying to remember the man’s name.

With mage like precision, Darren seemed to read Leo’s mind and answered his question, “Darren. My name’s Darren.”

“Right, Darren. But I really have to get going,” Leo said, looking down at his wrist, as if there was a watch there. There wasn’t.

The look that settled itself on Darren’s face was like a sad puppy and almost made Leo feel like a scumbag for trying to take off. Almost.

“Do you really have to leave so soon? The baked goods from the place at the corner are amazing, you have to try them,” Darren said with a touch of desperation in his deep voice.

“I can just take it to go, right?” The curly haired man said as he slipped on his shoes and felt his jeans to make sure his phone, keys, and wallet were still there. He walked over to the small pink box on the desk and opened it. He had to admit, they looked good. They appeared to be flaky and buttery, with just the right amount of raspberry and cheese filling.

He stuffed one in his mouth and mumbled while chewing, “Uhhh, fo ghoot! fyeee!” He closed the box, and Darren immediately picked it up.

Leo slipped around him to get out of the bedroom door. He came to an open area with a living room attached to a dining room and kitchen with an island. He could see the front door from where he stood.

‘Perfect,’ he thought to himself. He made it to the door and opened it, but Darren had somehow made it to the door beside him.

“Don’t you want another one?” He said as he shoved the box into Leo’s arms.

“Uh sure. Thanks. It was a pleasure, Darren.” Leo took a hold of the box and exited the apartment. Hurling himself down the stairs to get out of the building as fast as he could.

Darren stood in the doorway to his apartment, still half naked and damp with a towel wrapped around his waist. He had a look of defeat. His prince just slipped right through his fingers. He dashed forward to the stairwells railing in front of his unit’s door, slapping his hands on the railing to each side of his body. He looked down and could still see Leo making it down the stairs.

“Wait, will you at least tell me your name?!” He yelled down the stairs.

Leo swallowed the last bite of the danish he had stuffed in his mouth and yelled back, “I’m Leo!”

And with that, the front door of Darren’s apartment building slammed shut. Like Darren’s chances of getting to know Leo better.