behind the desk. Dark blue tie, black suit, neatly trimmed beard, dark brown hair, eyes the color of a molten lava cake. He. Was. Not. Fucking. Ready.
“I DON ’ T remember,” Joseph confirmed after finding his voice again.
“That’s… not very flattering,” Carter replied, but he still held that amused look on his face, as if everything Joseph did or said was inevitably entertaining to him.
“We should focus on getting out of here. The fireworks go off in….” Joseph started, averting attention elsewhere and then glancing down at the watch on his wrist, “in about twenty minutes.”
“Okay, let’s use the window, then.”
Huh?
Carter rose up from his seat on the bathtub and pulled open the small bathroom window. Why hadn’t he mentioned that solution before? Perhaps back when Joseph had started almost hyperventilating upon realizing that the door simply wouldn’t open. Then might have been a perfectly good time to point out a probable escape route. But the apartment was on the seventh floor—underneath that window had to be nothing else but death, broken bones, and a bloodbath.
Nevertheless, Carter had already pushed himself up to the shelf and managed to wiggle through the small opening that seemed to be just big enough for this kind of a dauntless feat.
“Holy shit,” Joseph breathed out when Carter disappeared from view.
He darted to the window and pushed himself up enough to see nothing but dark snowy streets underneath, along with the traffic buzzing by. Right by the window, Carter stood on a cement ledge, walking alongside the building with caution.
“Just don’t look down, and you’ll be fine” came a useful instruction that had Joseph shuddering. Carter made it seem so easy, though, and Joseph was desperate to get out of the bathroom and back to the party where everyone else was. Back there it was crowded enough to hide away from Carter’s view again and silently sulk in a dark corner. He wasn’t keen on celebrating the New Year, so it made no difference whether he was shit-faced drunk and partying or being on his own.
Gathering every ounce of courage he possessed, he pushed himself up on the shelf and carefully maneuvered his body through the opening. He had a death grip on the window frame as his feet hit the ledge. Luckily, it was a tad closer to the window than the bathroom floor, which made it easier to stand up. He glanced over at Carter only to find him climbing over the balcony railing. Okay, two meters at most separated him from safety. He could do this!
Spreading his palms on the cold building wall for support, he started making tiny mice steps in the direction of the balcony. His exhaled breath was condensing in front of his eyes while he was looking down. The very thing Carter had told him not to do. But how else was he supposed to know where the edge was and how to move his feet and not lose balance?
“This is bat-shit crazy,” he murmured under his breath. One more meter.
Finally, his hand gripped the railing, and as he reached over, Carter gripped his other hand and steadied him. He lifted his leg over the rail, and the other one followed suit. Woof, that was… thrilling. Crazy, sure, but it had also sent a rush of adrenaline through him. He was trying to catch his breath when his body went on alert. Or better said, he noticed a certain something and froze.
Carter was still holding his hand—nothing new there. His other hand, though, was firmly settled on Joseph’s waist and seemed as if it were the sole thing keeping him grounded.
“We’ve been working together for several months now, and it seems I barely even know you,” Carter spoke up, surprising Joseph, who thought he would rather go back to climbing the side of the building round and round than have this conversation.
Joseph knew that any conversation with Carter was a danger zone. Who knew what other shit and blabber might leave Joseph’s mouth if given an opportunity?
There was nothing
“I DON ’ T remember,” Joseph confirmed after finding his voice again.
“That’s… not very flattering,” Carter replied, but he still held that amused look on his face, as if everything Joseph did or said was inevitably entertaining to him.
“We should focus on getting out of here. The fireworks go off in….” Joseph started, averting attention elsewhere and then glancing down at the watch on his wrist, “in about twenty minutes.”
“Okay, let’s use the window, then.”
Huh?
Carter rose up from his seat on the bathtub and pulled open the small bathroom window. Why hadn’t he mentioned that solution before? Perhaps back when Joseph had started almost hyperventilating upon realizing that the door simply wouldn’t open. Then might have been a perfectly good time to point out a probable escape route. But the apartment was on the seventh floor—underneath that window had to be nothing else but death, broken bones, and a bloodbath.
Nevertheless, Carter had already pushed himself up to the shelf and managed to wiggle through the small opening that seemed to be just big enough for this kind of a dauntless feat.
“Holy shit,” Joseph breathed out when Carter disappeared from view.
He darted to the window and pushed himself up enough to see nothing but dark snowy streets underneath, along with the traffic buzzing by. Right by the window, Carter stood on a cement ledge, walking alongside the building with caution.
“Just don’t look down, and you’ll be fine” came a useful instruction that had Joseph shuddering. Carter made it seem so easy, though, and Joseph was desperate to get out of the bathroom and back to the party where everyone else was. Back there it was crowded enough to hide away from Carter’s view again and silently sulk in a dark corner. He wasn’t keen on celebrating the New Year, so it made no difference whether he was shit-faced drunk and partying or being on his own.
Gathering every ounce of courage he possessed, he pushed himself up on the shelf and carefully maneuvered his body through the opening. He had a death grip on the window frame as his feet hit the ledge. Luckily, it was a tad closer to the window than the bathroom floor, which made it easier to stand up. He glanced over at Carter only to find him climbing over the balcony railing. Okay, two meters at most separated him from safety. He could do this!
Spreading his palms on the cold building wall for support, he started making tiny mice steps in the direction of the balcony. His exhaled breath was condensing in front of his eyes while he was looking down. The very thing Carter had told him not to do. But how else was he supposed to know where the edge was and how to move his feet and not lose balance?
“This is bat-shit crazy,” he murmured under his breath. One more meter.
Finally, his hand gripped the railing, and as he reached over, Carter gripped his other hand and steadied him. He lifted his leg over the rail, and the other one followed suit. Woof, that was… thrilling. Crazy, sure, but it had also sent a rush of adrenaline through him. He was trying to catch his breath when his body went on alert. Or better said, he noticed a certain something and froze.
Carter was still holding his hand—nothing new there. His other hand, though, was firmly settled on Joseph’s waist and seemed as if it were the sole thing keeping him grounded.
“We’ve been working together for several months now, and it seems I barely even know you,” Carter spoke up, surprising Joseph, who thought he would rather go back to climbing the side of the building round and round than have this conversation.
Joseph knew that any conversation with Carter was a danger zone. Who knew what other shit and blabber might leave Joseph’s mouth if given an opportunity?
There was nothing
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