Free Destiny (Waiting for Forever) by Jamie Mayfield Page A

and putting it in my pocket as I headed for the door.
    “Just ask for Leo, baby.”
     
     
    T HE bus ride from the hotel to Eighth Street wasn’t as long as I’d expected. Straight up First Street and then a right on University, and I was practically there. When the bus stopped, I stepped onto the sidewalk and then moved back away from the busy street to get my bearings. Heavy traffic moved on University Avenue, while on Eighth Street, a line of cars waited at the light. I tried to stay out of the way of the people passing and figure out which way I needed to go. Joining the small crowd, I headed across University Avenue and up Eighth, looking at the numbers on each of the buildings.
    Underneath the cloudless sky, the street came alive with people and colors, activity all around me. Two guys in helmets rode past me on fast-looking bikes, their thin T-shirts rippling in the wind as they stood and peddled up the slight hill. A little boy played dangerously close to the passing cars while his mother talked on a cell phone and checked her watch. She grabbed the boy just as another bus came to a stop on the corner, pulling him with her as she boarded.
    Even with the rushing people around me, as I walked farther up the street, it felt peaceful, and I prayed again that I would get to live in such a beautiful place.
    About a block before the street curved out of sight, I found the building, which looked like it might have been a converted warehouse, or maybe a four-story office building. Brown, faded, chipped bricks framed huge windows. Deep grooves divided each thick pane into three- or four-inch perfectly square glass blocks, obscuring the view inside. Strains of a half-remembered pop song escaped through the big steel door as it swung open. Two incredibly hot guys in their midtwenties came out with their arms around each other’s waists. They were so into each other they didn’t see me until they were only feet from me. The taller of the two pulled his friend to a stop and whispered something to him. The shorter guy, his brilliant blue eyes dancing, smiled at me as if I should understand the joke they shared.
    “Hey, pretty boy,” he said, taking a step closer, making me feel self-conscious. They looked like they could have walked off the cover of a magazine, with skintight jeans and even tighter shirts that showed off every perfectly sculpted line of their chests and arms. I felt a little inadequate, just a skinny kid in baggy jeans and discount-store shoes.
    “Hi,” I replied, trying to be polite. For all I knew, one of them could be Leo, but he had sounded much older over the phone.
    “Are you lost, angel?” the first guy asked and reached out to stroke my arm. I flinched instinctively, and his smile faltered. “It’s okay, kid. I’m not gonna hurt you.” His tone turned from playful to concerned in an instant.
    “I don’t think he’s here for the baths, Andy,” the shorter guy told his friend.
    “I think you’re right, Pete,” Andy agreed, running a hand through his perfect hair. “You looking for someone, babe?”
    “I’m looking for Leo,” I said, moving to my right, trying to find the stairs the guy had mentioned over the phone. I saw some black ironwork on the side of the building, but no stairs. “He told me to take the stairs on the right and not to go in the front door.”
    “He’s talking about the fire escape,” Andy said, pointing to the black metal on the side of the building. “It’s okay; we’ll take you to Leo.” I started to protest, but he stepped forward, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and pulled me toward the front door. His friend followed right behind us, almost close enough to touch me. Briefly, I wondered what the hell was happening on the other side of that door.
    Without allowing his arm to leave my shoulders, Andy opened the door, and the music got a little louder. He pulled me swiftly down the long, dimly lit hallway, and I noticed that there were doors along