Dawn of Eve - MJ Howson (read full novel .txt) 📗

his shot, the burn from the tequila causing him to wince. Jacob grabbed a slice of pizza, walked over to Sean’s bedroom, and opened the door without knocking. He found Sean where he too often found him–in bed with his headphones on and his hands tightly gripping a video game controller.

“Hey,” Jacob said.

Sean didn’t react, remaining fixated on the television opposite his bed. Jacob shoved a third of the pizza slice into his mouth and looked around Sean’s bedroom. The window air-conditioner shuddered as the compressor turned off. Jacob found the room decorated more for a child than a working adult. Movie and video game posters covered the walls. The sole light in the room sat on the nightstand beside Sean’s bed. The wood base was carved to look like a pineapple, and the yellow and green shade was decorated with the same fruit. A framed picture of Sean and his uncle, taken at the observation deck of the Empire State Building, rested on the nightstand beside the lamp.

Jacob closed the door to keep the cooler air in the room. He sat on the edge of Sean’s bed and tried to figure out what was happening on the video screen. Sean had no reaction to the shimmy of the mattress. Jacob, his voice raised, asked, “You been here all night?”

Sean paused his game and yanked his headphones off, causing his sandy blond bangs to fall across his gray eyes. His lean five-foot-seven frame and boyish face often caused many to assume the twenty-three-year-old nurse was a teenager. Sean propped himself up on an elbow, turned to face Jacob, and asked, “What?”

“It’s a Saturday night, Sean. You should be out getting laid.” Jacob took another bite of pizza. “Or swap these video games for a dating app. You’re a total catch. Get out there.”

Sean lowered his head and sighed. He’d just completed one of his four ten-hour shifts at Mount Sinai Hospital. The ER had been extra brutal this evening, and all Sean wanted to do was collapse at home playing X-Box. Video games were his way of recharging.

Jacob folded the rest of the pizza in half and crammed it into his mouth. He wiped his greasy fingers on Sean’s blanket and let out a loud burp.

“I’m wiped,” Sean said. He flung his game controller to the end of the bed. “You do your thing. I’ll do mine.”

“Okay, mister introvert.”

“What? Between work and my uncle, I don’t have much free time these days.” Sean grabbed the picture of him and his uncle and ran his thumb along the edge of the frame. “I’m worried about him. I . . . I think it’s Alzheimer’s.”

“That’s no excuse for spending your free time hiding in your room playing games. We make time for the things that matter. Your priorities are screwed up. You need to get yourself out there.” Jacob pinched Sean’s waist. “Look at you getting fit. You’ve lost weight.”

“Stop!”

Sean squirmed several inches away from Jacob. Jacob chuckled, taking a bit of joy from teasing Sean.

“You’ve been working out?” Jacob asked. “Without me as your trainer?”

“I’m surprised you’re home. Why aren’t you spending the night with your old lady?”

Jacob’s smile faded. Sean was, in many ways, the perfect roommate. They never fought, and they led completely separate lives. Sean’s long hours and Jacob’s crazy schedule meant they could go days without seeing one another. Best of all, Sean kept to himself. But every now and then, Sean’s passive-aggressive side would pop up to say hello.

“She’s thirty-nine,” Jacob said. “That’s not old.”

“It’s ten years older than you.”

“Nine.”

“Nine?” Sean frowned, visibly confused. “When was your birthday?”

“Two months ago.”

“I missed your thirtieth? Sorry, Jacob.”

Jacob waved his hand dismissively toward Sean. He said, “Dawn spoiled me. I plan to do the same next weekend.”

“Next weekend?” Sean furrowed his brow. “That’s Labor Day weekend. I can’t believe the summer’s almost over. Why spoil her for the holiday?”

“Dawn turns forty on September first.” Jacob smiled and ran his hand across his stubbled chin. “I have something special planned.”

“You spend a ton of money on her.” Sean tugged uncomfortably on his Star Wars-themed T-shirt and shook his head. “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t get what? She’s my girlfriend. I love her. If you ever bothered to date, you’d know what it’s like to want to take care of someone.”

“I mean, you two seem like an odd pair.”

“You’ve never even met her.”

“I’ve Googled her.”

“You spying on me?” Jacob grinned as Sean’s pale cheeks became red. “We have a connection. What can I say?”

“Sorry. I . . . I just think you can do better.”

“Again, Sean, you’ve never met her. Don’t judge.” Jacob watched as Sean sunk deeper into his pillows. His roommate’s momentary flash of aggression, gone. “It’s been a tough summer. Losing that baby has really messed her up.”

“How about you?”

“Me?”

“You’ve barely spoken about it since it happened. When was it? May, right?”

“What’s your point?”

“You said she’s in therapy now. So, she still isn’t over it.”

“And?”

“You moved on, like, the next day.”

For such a quiet, private guy, Sean had Jacob pegged. But Jacob wasn’t about to admit that. He looked at Sean and said, “She’s the one who needs therapy. Not me.”

“If you say so.”

Jacob rubbed his eyes and groaned. The long work week and late hour were finally catching up with him. The tequila shot was also helping him to unwind. Jacob smacked Sean on his thigh and stood up.

“One of the things I always liked about Dawn was that kids weren’t in her future.” Jacob walked to the door, stopped, and turned back to face his roommate. “Can you imagine me with kids? Do I look like a daddy to you?”

Sean shrugged and grabbed his game controller. He said, “You look like a guy with a lot of options.”

“Options? I have a busy schedule. Between the bar and my clients, all I have are options.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Sean slid his headphones back over his ears and sprawled flat on his stomach, facing his television. “Can you