Three days into my job at the new ambulance bay, and both Mia and I were ready to call it quits. The people here were nuts. On our very first day, the first call was to attend a domestic dispute where the wife went bonkers and nearly murdered her husband with a frying pan. The second call was a robbery gone strange. The owner of the store locked the man in the ice bin. 

I was thankful to have my very first day off. I was definitely going to rethink my choices about the career I was in. Mia dropped me back off at my apartment and crossed her arms. 

“This looks unsavoury Ambrose, what did you get yourself into?”

“Relax, it’s only temporary until I find something better.”

“We will see about that.” Mia said before she drove away, and I frowned. I knew she was only behaving in this manner because of the shitty day we had just put up with. There weren’t as many Mafia related calls, but the calls that came through were worse than some of the worst mafia related ones we dealt with on the daily before here. 

Inside the apartment, relaxed back on the couch, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the silence. Mochi curled up on the couch between my legs and I moved him before he could get comfortable. 

“Sorry, old man, I have to get showered and changed before we can look at sleeping. You just go get in the bed, and I’ll meet you there.”

Peeling off layers of my work uniform, I was happy to see the shower. We used the showers at work, often. But Mia and I both turned those down, given we didn’t know everyone in the new bay and did not trust anyone.

Washing in the shower quickly, I shivered when I got out. Part of me half expected to see Mochi there outside the door, pleading for his last chance to get more food before bed. Rather, I found him in the bed, waiting for me. Getting under the blankets, it didn’t take long to pass out. 

Waking up, the people above me were loud as fuck. Checking the clock, it was a little after eleven. Laying there until twelve, the noises were getting louder by the minute and I was growing annoyed. I understood they were working and shit, but I was far more respectful than they were being while they slept. 

Grabbing my keys, wallet and phone, I messaged Mia, but she didn’t answer me, so my next potential saviour was the man who helped me get here. Marco. I sent him a message telling him to leave the door unlocked and not to ask questions. He sent back an ok, and I shoved my phone back into my pocket. Leaving the apartment, I locked the door and bolted down the stairs. In my car, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was quiet. 

Even with the heat on, I shivered all the way to Marco’s in the tank top and sweatpants I was in. Parking my car beside his, I lightly closed the door and locked it, running to his front door, knocking once before running inside. I nearly slammed into him when I darted through the door. His arm stabilized me before he gave me a look, questioning everything. 

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

“I was heading to bed, I thought—---”

“Good, me too. I’ll take your couch.”

“Ambrose.”

The way the man said my name had me pausing to look at him in the light from the kitchen. He was only in sweatpants and his ribs were taped, like I had forced him to accept from me days before. 

“Long story, but I’m begging you to let me sleep on your couch, please, Marco.”

“No.”

“Eh! Please Marco—--”

“Hush. You can take my bed, and I’ll take the bed in Wren’s room.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that, Marco.”

“You didn’t me too, and I’m not asking you to either. I’m telling you too.”

“Oh.”

Marco showed me to his room and waited until I got into the bed, before he shut the light off and closed the door. Laying in the bed, I didn’t even have my phone. I left that on his table where I dropped my wallet and keys. 

Marco came back just a few minutes after I pulled the blankets up to my chin. His phone flashlight was on.

“Sorry, I came to grab a shirt.”

“How come?” I asked, trying to keep him in the room longer. 

“The blanket in the space room in thin, I’m used to the thick one here—-”

“Then stay. You don’t have to sleep in the other room. But is Wren warm in the other room?”

“Wren’s room is warm.”

“So the heavy blanket is more of a comfort thing, then?” I asked, not even sure why I needed to. 

“You could say that.” Marco whispered. 

“Here, I’ll scoot over and you can—--”

“You can stay on that side of the bed. I’ll take the other side.”

“But I’m clearly on your side of the bed where you sleep the most. This pillow smells like you.” I muttered, before opening my eyes wide. “I didn’t mean to say that, nor did I mean for that to sound the way it is, and I am sorry.” 

Marco laughed in the dark. I felt like an idiot. 

“The scent is a custom scent. It’s handmade for me.”

I waited for Marco to mention that Ex-husband of his, but he didn’t and I was too noisy for my own good. As he got into the bed, with a shirt on, I asked him. 

“Did your ex-husband get that for you?” 

He went nearly rigid before he relaxed again. 

“His name is Theo, and no. He hated the scent.”

“I don’t understand why? It’s a pleasant scent. You would know it anywhere, if you even caught—--Oh.” I finally understood. 

“Yes, before you ask that, I cheated on Theo more times than I would like to admit to. And he knew he said it was the scent that confirmed my acts.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” I said, feeling odd. 

“You were curious, and I have had time to come to terms that I am to blame for my actions there. I knew what I was doing when I did.”

“I think—--”

“Ambrose, we should sleep, it’s already one.”

“Oh right, sleep.”

Marco and I both rolled away from each other and went to sleep. Sometime later, I felt him leave the bed, and then return. I rolled against him and touched my cold toes to his foot and he hissed. 

“How the hell are your toes that cold?”

“Don’t know.”

“Remove them from the top of my foot.”

“Make me Marco,” I grunted, wrapped around the man purely for his heat. Trying to avoid his ribs, so I didn’t hurt him.

“I will not play whatever game this is, Ambrose. It’s four in the morning.”

“Ugh, why.” I whined.

He tried to roll away, and I went with him. 

“Stop moving. I just want your heat, Marco.” I chuckled. 

“You’re going to touch me with your chilly toes—-” Lifting my head from where I had tucked myself against Marco to steal his heat while avoiding putting too much of my body weight on him. I went to cut him off with my words, but after looking at him in the dark. I pressed my lips to his, pulling back only after realizing that I was the one who had just done that. 

“Shit, I didn’t mean to do that.” 

“Forget it.” 

I nodded, but did it again. Marco was a good-looking man. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been attracted to him. I knew it was a bad idea, but here I was for the third time, pressing my lips to his. 

“Ambrose, We really shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Forget it happened in the morning.” I muttered, letting my hands wander up his shirt, and he stopped my hand from going any further. 

“Is this what you had planned when you decided you were coming to stay here?” He said, his tone accusatory. 

“No, Not at all. They were loud, and I just wanted to sleep. You’re a good-looking man, Marco. Trust me on that. But I didn’t come here for sex.”

“Then why the hell are you starting this?” He had a colder tone in his voice, and I didn’t like it. 

“My bad, Marco. You are attractive to me. I gave into a weakness.” I hissed, trying to move away from him. Feeling slightly irritated, but not with the fact he denied me. I was grateful for that. But rather, he thought this had been my plan all along. 

“I told you I wasn’t playing your game, Ambrose.”

“Let go of me then. I’m going home. This, here. What a mistake.” I hissed, yanking myself out of Marco’s grip. Getting out of the bed, he was right behind me all the way, right up to when in my shoes. I opened the door to the three feet of snow and blizzard. 

“Looks like you’re not actually going anywhere, Ambrose.”

“Just my fucking luck.”

“It is four in the morning, let’s just go back to the bed and—--”

“I’m sleeping on the couch.” I said, taking my shoes off again and heading towards the living room. 

“Yeah, no. You’re coming back to the bedroom with me and going back to sleep.”

“Do you know what forcible confinement is, Marco?”

“Did you just threaten me, Ambrose?” His voice was dark, and I backed up slightly, feeling unsafe in that minute. 

“Marco I don’t—--”

He backed me into the door. It was cold on my back, and out of fear, I closed my eyes. I felt his fingers brush my cheek and his voice was low, and sent shivers down my spine. 

“I’m a fucking mess, Ambrose. It’s not a good idea to get involved with me.”