to make much more than minimum wage.”
“It’s not quite that bad, but put it this way, if I weren’t living with my parents, I’d qualify for Housing Benefit.”
“But that’s ridiculous! You’re a smart man. You could be earning a small fortune.”
“You’d be amazed how many unemployed Psychology graduates there are out there. It’s a cut-throat field.”
“Seriously?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe. I started working with Carroll just to get some relevant work experience. You kind of need it even to get considered for a postgrad course. But then I loved it so much, and I couldn’t abandon my clients once I’d started working with them, so I signed up for the same part-time counselling course Carroll had done, and, well, here I am.”
“Didn’t you want to be in something more high-powered? Better paid?”
“I don’t think I’m all that ambitious, really. Besides, there’s more to life than money,” Lewis said, then sneezed loudly.
“Bless you!” Why had he said that? Made him sound like an old dear. Next thing he knew, he’d be saying Lewis would catch a cold standing around all sopping wet. “I suppose…I could lend you some dry clothes. They’re clean, I promise, but they might not fit you all that well.”
Lewis stared at him for a long moment, as if considering the offer. Jasper forced himself to return eye contact, even though he could feel himself twitching and it made him want to scurry away and hide behind a wall of books. Eventually, Lewis’s cheeks dimpled; then the rest of his face followed in a slow smile. “Thanks, I’d really appreciate it.”
Jasper led the way upstairs. “They’re in the bedroom, but there’s not much room to get changed in there and if you’re all wet… Oh dear. I don’t think I have a clean towel right now.”
“That’s fine. I don’t mind using one of yours.”
“Yes, but…” Oh God, after his morning wank, had he wiped himself off with the bathroom towel? He couldn’t remember now, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.
Lewis blinked, and when he spoke again, his words sounded carefully chosen. “If you’d rather I didn’t use such an intimate item, that’s fine. We all have different personal boundaries about our possessions.”
“It’s not that! I’m not… God, I don’t have a hygiene obsession or anything. Far from it. I just, erm. I might have used it to…to…you know, erm…clean something up…” Jasper’s face burned, but fortunately, Lewis came to the rescue.
“It’s fine. I’ll be all right with just some dry clothes, honest.”
Jasper nodded, dizzy with the rush of oxygen to his brain. “I’ll get them for you. Hang on.”
The bathroom door would no longer close properly, and Jasper knew he should head downstairs to give Lewis some semblance of privacy, but when he started round the corner of books leading to the stairs, Lewis called out to him.
“How did you get on with the homework assignment?”
“I sort of… Well, not so good, really.”
“You couldn’t find one? It’s okay. You’ll get there eventually.”
“No. I couldn’t find one, but I’ve got five.”
“Five?” Lewis stuck his head around the door, revealing a slice of naked chest. His body was pale and sinewy, just as Jasper had imagined, but with a delicious fuzz of golden hair spanning between his pebbled nipples. Oh, he looked delectable. Made Jasper want to lick his lips, but then he’d be rumbled for ogling, assuming he hadn’t already been.
Jasper made himself look up at Lewis’s face. Uh-oh. Lewis was smirking. Not a full-on grin, but one of his cheeks sported a tell-tale dimple and his eyes sparkled.
“You said five,” Lewis said as Jasper stood there with his mouth open.
“Erm, yes. Five. Right. Oh yes, five books. Sorry. I know I was only meant to find one, but I’m sure you can help me decide which of these is the one .”
“That’s the kind of thing I’m here for.” Lewis disappeared
“It’s not quite that bad, but put it this way, if I weren’t living with my parents, I’d qualify for Housing Benefit.”
“But that’s ridiculous! You’re a smart man. You could be earning a small fortune.”
“You’d be amazed how many unemployed Psychology graduates there are out there. It’s a cut-throat field.”
“Seriously?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe. I started working with Carroll just to get some relevant work experience. You kind of need it even to get considered for a postgrad course. But then I loved it so much, and I couldn’t abandon my clients once I’d started working with them, so I signed up for the same part-time counselling course Carroll had done, and, well, here I am.”
“Didn’t you want to be in something more high-powered? Better paid?”
“I don’t think I’m all that ambitious, really. Besides, there’s more to life than money,” Lewis said, then sneezed loudly.
“Bless you!” Why had he said that? Made him sound like an old dear. Next thing he knew, he’d be saying Lewis would catch a cold standing around all sopping wet. “I suppose…I could lend you some dry clothes. They’re clean, I promise, but they might not fit you all that well.”
Lewis stared at him for a long moment, as if considering the offer. Jasper forced himself to return eye contact, even though he could feel himself twitching and it made him want to scurry away and hide behind a wall of books. Eventually, Lewis’s cheeks dimpled; then the rest of his face followed in a slow smile. “Thanks, I’d really appreciate it.”
Jasper led the way upstairs. “They’re in the bedroom, but there’s not much room to get changed in there and if you’re all wet… Oh dear. I don’t think I have a clean towel right now.”
“That’s fine. I don’t mind using one of yours.”
“Yes, but…” Oh God, after his morning wank, had he wiped himself off with the bathroom towel? He couldn’t remember now, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.
Lewis blinked, and when he spoke again, his words sounded carefully chosen. “If you’d rather I didn’t use such an intimate item, that’s fine. We all have different personal boundaries about our possessions.”
“It’s not that! I’m not… God, I don’t have a hygiene obsession or anything. Far from it. I just, erm. I might have used it to…to…you know, erm…clean something up…” Jasper’s face burned, but fortunately, Lewis came to the rescue.
“It’s fine. I’ll be all right with just some dry clothes, honest.”
Jasper nodded, dizzy with the rush of oxygen to his brain. “I’ll get them for you. Hang on.”
The bathroom door would no longer close properly, and Jasper knew he should head downstairs to give Lewis some semblance of privacy, but when he started round the corner of books leading to the stairs, Lewis called out to him.
“How did you get on with the homework assignment?”
“I sort of… Well, not so good, really.”
“You couldn’t find one? It’s okay. You’ll get there eventually.”
“No. I couldn’t find one, but I’ve got five.”
“Five?” Lewis stuck his head around the door, revealing a slice of naked chest. His body was pale and sinewy, just as Jasper had imagined, but with a delicious fuzz of golden hair spanning between his pebbled nipples. Oh, he looked delectable. Made Jasper want to lick his lips, but then he’d be rumbled for ogling, assuming he hadn’t already been.
Jasper made himself look up at Lewis’s face. Uh-oh. Lewis was smirking. Not a full-on grin, but one of his cheeks sported a tell-tale dimple and his eyes sparkled.
“You said five,” Lewis said as Jasper stood there with his mouth open.
“Erm, yes. Five. Right. Oh yes, five books. Sorry. I know I was only meant to find one, but I’m sure you can help me decide which of these is the one .”
“That’s the kind of thing I’m here for.” Lewis disappeared
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