The alarm for the dishwasher rang out, and Luca carefully lifted the handle up and let the steam rise into the air before he reached into the box and pulled out the tray of hot, clean dishes. The steam rolled into the air around him, causing him to wave his hand. Felix grabbed a clean rag from the back of the kitchen and put the dishes out of the tray and back into the cabinet. They had already been steam dried by the dishwasher. 

“Alright, that’s it.” Felix put the rag into the wash bin with a low toss. “It’s already eight o’clock. Why don’t we grab your bags and find you a room to settle into?”  Felix walked to the door and said as he looked at his simple watch on his wrist.

Luca grabbed his phone out of his pocket and looked at the time. Lots of time had passed during their meal, and they were so engrossed in their conversation that they had forgotten the time. Ms. Lowell usually would settle the younger children in by eight-thirty, so they would have to wait a while before they were able to use the showers. Ms. Lowell and the others would be busy helping the children, so Felix and Luca would be on their own until then.

Felix pushed open the door to the kitchen, and Luca quickly followed behind him like he had years before. Felix helped him grab his bags, and then the two began to walk back down the T shaped hallway to the dormitory, straight down the long hall. 

The girls’ rooms were separated from the boys’ rooms by two separate hallways. The girls would turn left and walk down a ways before they entered the girls’ half, which included rooms, showers, and a sitting area at the front of the dormitory. The boys’ side had a similar set up, except their rooms were straight down the hall. There were extra rooms for staff and storage attached to the side of the dormitories, to the right of the hall. 

As Felix and Luca walked, Felix explained what had changed in the rooms, “After you left, we received some generous donations from the local sponsors and other businesses, which allowed us to rebuild the dormitories and expand them. There are twice as many rooms here now than there were before.”

Luca stared around, looking at what had changed since he had gone. “It’s amazing how quickly things can change. I can’t even recognize this hall!”

Finally, the two reached the staff rooms on the boy’s side of the dormitory. It was not long before they reached the extra rooms, as they were resting towards the front, a short distance away from the rest of the dormitory rooms. Felix grabbed a set of keys out of his jeans pocket, fiddling with the key ring until he found a small brass key. Holding the key in his hand, it looked small. 

He paused for a moment, making Luca ask, “What’s wrong, Felix?”

Felix tilted his head and said with a frown, “There’s a problem with the extra room… there’s a bunch of storage stuff in there that the maintenance crew forgot to move earlier today.” Felix sighed and held the back of his neck. “We can check it, of course, but I don’t think you’ll be comfortable.” Felix joked, sticking the key into the door. After twisting the key, he turned the door knob and opened the door, allowing Luca inside first.  

Peeking into the small room, Luca was surprised by the sheer lack of room in the space. The light from the hallway was only enough to light the immediate space around the doorway, but it was enough to show the lack of walking room in the space itself. Felix slid around Luca and hit on the light, which flickered before it clicked on with a low hum. This exposed the dusty white sheets covering old furniture, boxes stuffed full of items and other junk, and even some wood pieces and other tools from the maintenance crew that had recently been used.

The two bunk beds in the room were covered by sheets, and only the box springs were in the frames. The mattresses had been moved off to the side of the room, ready to be replaced. As much as Luca was willing to clean up the room, there was too much dust, and it was already late. If he were to try to clean it out now, it would make a lot of noise, and it could wake up the children. 

Thinking of that, he was a little lost. Luca turned to Felix with a depressed sigh and asked, “I can ask Ms. Lowell if there are any other rooms, but what do you think? I could get a hotel, I think I saw one-”

Felix stopped Luca mid sentence and said, “There’s a bunk bed in my room. It hasn’t been used in a while, but it should still be good to go with a little cleaning.” Luca perked up at that. He had already had to share a dorm for university. Sharing a room with Felix again would be fun. “We’ll have to get some new bedding for you though.” Felix looked around the room for a moment before he patted Luca’s shoulder and said with his usual lazy smile, “Come on. Let’s go get you some blankets.”

Luca sighed happily, “Thanks, Felix.” Felix shook his head and let Luca walk out first, waiting for him to pass through the door before he hit the light switch off. As Felix grasped the doorknob of the room, Luca continued down the hall to the other room, waiting for Felix. 

While shutting the door, Felix’s hazel eyes flashed a dark brown colour, and a particular smile crossed his lips, exposing his straight white teeth. As he smiled, the door clicked shut, and Felix closed his eyes momentarily before he quickly opened them and said in a low whisper.

“It’s good to have you back, Luca.”

Luca had already walked down the hall, but Felix’s gaze was still fixed on him. When Luca turned to look for Felix, the other man had already started to make his way down the hall with the same sweet smile he had as a child. Seeing him like this, Luca could only smile back and grab his shoulder with his right hand, ready to prepare for bed.

…