“Damn,“ I heard, “I knew you were unhappy with the roomie arrangements but this seems a little extreme.”

As I closed my eyes to chuckle I muttered “Shut up, Felix. Just shut up.” I felt those soft, warm hands spread across my shoulders as he asked, “What happened?”

“I really don’t know yet. According to Misery, it was a rampant book fire. But I have my doubts.” i leaned back against his chest.

“Well, I see that you and Xan made it out okay, so it wasn’t a total loss. But you definitely look like a woman who could use a margarita,” he said. “Come on, my treat. We’ll drop Xan by my place on the way.”

“What about the fire . . . my apartment?” I asked, pointing towards the steaming building.

“Let's trade some digits with the firestud and get out of here.” he answered, leading me towards the truck.

I went and talked to one of the firemen, who suggested I might want to stay away for at least a day to let the water drain away some. He told me that there really wasn’t much in the apartment that was in any condition to rescue, so I didn’t need to worry about people stealing my things. I gave him my cell phone number in case they needed to reach me, and headed over to the parking lot. On the way, Jeff and I also swapped cell numbers and I promised him a 'thank you' drink soon.

“You know, I hate to mention this,“ Felix blundered, “but what is that smell?”

I looked at the bottom of my shoes and discovered that I had magically found one of the presents left by one of the neighbors’ dogs.

“Just throw them away, kid. The last thing you need is to be trying to scrape poo of of the bottom of your shoes right now.”

I stepped out of my shoes and got in the car. We pulled out of the parking lot without attracting anyone’s attention and headed out.

The drive to Johnny's bar was quiet yet comfortable as my thoughts spun around random things like how damn perfect Felix was and how much of a disappointment it was that he was gay. Kat may have been my best friend since highschool - and that kind of history was irreplaceable - but no one understood me better that Felix. I guess dating and living with someone for three years gives you some insight that a good solid friend would never quite achieve. At this point, even the silence is comfortable. I sat my head back and let my thoughts just flutter like butterflies.

When we were waiting in the turning lane in from of the bar Felix asked, "you doing that butterfly thing?"

"Yeah," I smiled.

He grinned at me and turned in to park in the back. Felix was a lawyer, like myself, but Johnny was a bartender when we'd all met. They'd fallen in love and six months later, Felix bought him the little bar when the owner wanted to close it up and move to Florida. Johnny took the run-down little place and made it the happiest and most relaxing little secret at the law school four blocks away. There is a little booth tucked back behind the bar that you can't really see from anywhere else in the room and we headed straight to it and folded ourselves into the soft vinyl covered seats as Benny, the day time bartender/manager swung a pitcher and two glasses around the corner and slid them across the table. I smiled in thanks and poured my portion in the unsalted glass and then served up Felix's salted one. Benny raised an eyebrow at Felix and got a nod. A few minutes after I had a martini glass of my favorite Godiva soaked cherries.

We talked and drank for a while until Felix finally asked about Jeff. I told him I really didn't know what was going on with him. He'd been my neighbor for two years and had always flirted with me but I'd assumed that it was just habit. Now that Jack and I were finished for good, I guess I was back on the market, but I just wasn't sure about using Jeff as a net to catch me. I may not have taken him seriously, but I just don't use people.

Felix replied to that with something resembling a snort. "That man has been waiting for you to notice him for two years and I'm surprised you didn't see it. Jack is a slimy bastard and always had been, why you went out with him for so long I can only chalk up to your fear of commitment. You just put on a blindfold and dated him knowing you only had to look to find at least fifty reasons to dump him if you wanted to. Give Jeff a chance."

"FINE! I know I'm a little skittish but damn, Felix, things were great with YOU until you moved out to be with a MAN! I know what my issues are, baby, I'm just . . . " I shrugged.

Felix just looked at me for a second, judged how far he'd gotten it pushed and decided it was far enough. He smiled and went on like we'd not been ready to square off, "Anyways, Johnny-boy and I are going on our yearly two weeks on the beach - this year is Ibiza - so you can stay at our house if you promise me two, no three things."

"And they are . . . ?" I drawled suspiciously.

"Oh, not too difficult! One, NO MISERY! Two, call Jeff and see if he's ok, talk to him, be friendly. And three . . . " He paused and grinned at me, "don't set the place on fire or redecorate in any way."

Ok, so he'd not forgotten the last time I house sat and tried to cover the water stains on the bathroom walls with some new wallpaper . . . in paisley . . . rainbow metallic paisley . . . and a strip or two ended upside down. What can I say, I missed him so i drank all the pineapple rum and OJ and decided to be helpful. I though gay guys liked rainbows and paisley. The thought made me giggle.

My phone rang just then and it was Jeff. "Hey! Thanks again for saving my baby-girl, I don't know what I'd do without her. How are you doing? Do you have a place to stay, yet?"

"Whoa, honey, slow down a little!" he said with a smile, "You are very welcome, Xan and I met up in the hall and stuck together is all. I'm doing ok, I guess, considering. Most of my important stuff was at the back of my apartment so they think that much of it will be salvageable. And, no, I haven't found a place to stay yet. You have any luck? Are you ok? You ran off so fast I was worried about you."

Awwww, how sweet! "I'm ok, I think. Most my clothes are gone and my shoes are cooked, but I'd moved most my other belongings into a storage unit when I started subleasing that room in Mark's place. It was supposed to be temporary. The other good news is that about half my suits are at the cleaners and most of the others are in my car. I didn't lose the expensive stuff, just the comfortable stuff like the things I nabbed from my boyfriends and my clubbing clothes. Misery had already ruined most of those, anyway." I talk far too much when I'm nervous.

"and a place to stay?" he prompted.

"Oh! Yeah! I'm house sitting for Felix while he and Johnny for to Ibiza. Hey, I need to get off this phone, so why don't you come down to The Bar Exam - take a right at the end of the bar and boldly walk on back. I'll let Benny know what you want to drink!" I paused and thought a second or two, "it's Shiner with Evan on the side, right?"

"You remember?" he sounded incredulous.

"Oh, sure! I didn't drink at that party - I was sick - and well, I have a good memory." and I had just met him. And he has beautiful eyes. And I didn't want him to know I noticed. What was I thinking?

"Oh," he said, "ok. Well, I'll be there in a few." and he hung up.

I looked at Felix and silently begged him not to do anything crazy. He smiled at me. I sighed and asked Benny for a Pina Colada, some more cherries and to hold Jeff's drinks for about five minutes.