Free Love in La Terraza by Ethan Day

any longer. As much as he’d like to, there was no changing reality.
    “Can’t believe what a screamer you are,” Eddie added, taking a sip of coffee. “I know you’re still here, you know. I hear you breathing.”
    “One might assume I was waiting for a topic to come along that I didn’t find offensive.”
    “Oh, right…sorry.” Eddie cringed then sat there as if he were trying to think of something else to talk about. “But seriously, does Henry have a huge dick or is he working some sort of new technique?”
    Cain laughed out sheer nervousness, placing his head on the counter and groaning in response.
    * * * *
    Cain was standing in the bathroom of the vacant one-bedroom apartment located next door to Mrs. Robinson’s. He’d been staring up at the large water stain on the ceiling, before deciding to climb up onto the tub in an attempt to feel the ceiling.
    Henry rushed into the room. “Careful there, buddy.”
    “Thanks,” Cain said as Henry took hold of him, those hands now resting on his hip and stomach. “Yep, it’s damp. There’s a leak, damn it.”
    Cain found himself not caring quite as much as he slid down Henry’s hard body, slowly being lowered to the floor. He started to climb back up onto the tub. “We should totally do that again.”
    “Get down, you goof.” Henry was laughing under his breath as he yanked Cain down and paused mere moments before kissing him.
    Hands immediately wandered and hard-ons sprouted. Cain had just gotten to work on Henry’s zipper when he heard Mrs. Robinson calling out his name.
    “Are you in there, sweetie?” she asked.
    They stared into one another briefly, smiling as they straightened out each other’s clothes.
    “Yeah, be right there, Ruth!” Cain pulled Henry back down for a last quick kiss. “Totally to be continued.”
    He sighed, glancing up at the wet ceiling once more as he followed Henry back out into the apartment.
    Grandma Gladys had always privately referred to Ruth Robinson as being a fast woman—at least by the standards put in place by her generation—married five or six times and never without a man when she wasn’t. Of course, by today’s standards, no one would bat an eye, but it was certainly one of the reasons the Scalia brothers were always trying get into her pantsuits.
    Ruth was an odd mix of contradictions—sweet as apple pie yet not afraid to give ya some lip if she felt she was being treated unfairly. Despite the very obvious fact she was forever dating god knows how many men at the ripe old age of nobody-knew-for-sure, Cain had never once heard her gossiping or bragging about any of them.
    “Oh, you have company. I apologize, dear.” Ruth smiled sweetly.
    Cain wasn’t buying it, considering he’d seen her peek out her windows at them when they’d passed her door. “Not a problem. What can do for ya, darlin’?”
    Henry smirked over Cain’s impersonation of his Southern twang.
    “My bathroom has that horrible musty smell again, Cain.”
    “It can’t be the plumbing; I just had a guy out here last month.”
    He certainly hadn’t forgotten. The asshole had fixed her leak then gleefully informed Cain that all his plumbing would need to be replaced. Of course, he’d kept that secret to himself.
    “Well now, I don’t presume to know what’s causing it, dear, just that it’s come back. You told me not to wait so long to tell you these things if it ever happened again, so here I am.”
    He grinned, as was she, though hers was most likely motivated by sarcasm. He’d been a little cross with her at the time, which wasn’t fair to Ruth. He hadn’t even been mad at her, just frustrated about where to find the money for yet another bill he couldn’t afford to pay.
    “I did apologize for that, Ruth,” Cain frowned. “I thought you’d forgiven me.”
    “Oh I did, dear,” Ruth smiled. “Happily forgiven…just not forgotten.”
    Cain sighed, not happy with that answer, while knowing she’d stop torturing him