BAB 13

"Which room is Pino?" Dorrell called.

"First open door on the left." Finally, a question Zaki could answer. He'd given Pino the larger of the bedrooms, not that any of the rooms were particularly huge. He took his stack into the house, figuring that Pino would want his gaming stuff in the living room, like he'd had it at his apartment.

"No couch?" Harper set the boxes labeled Games in the living room, next to the electronics Zaki unloaded. "That's shitty for gaming."

"No couch," Zaki said. See, you don't want to hang out here. All we've got is musty carpet that needs pulling.

"I can fix that." The senior chief passed through, carrying a desk with Josiah. "Dorrell, call your mama. Tell her I've got a taker for the couch in the back garage."

"You don't have to"

"Take him up on it." Harper slapped his back. "Doesn't matter how crappy no offense, Senior Chief free is better than sitting our asses on the floor."

Damn. Harper seemed pretty serious about making himself right at home.

"I'm down with a free couch." Pino came through with an office chair that looked like it was made out of spare rocket parts. "All I've got is the bed, and we could all squeeze in".

Zaki made a warning growl, a low sound that escaped entirely of its own impulse.

"but a couch would be way more comfortable," Pino finished with a grin.

"We could use the truck to pick it up before I head back," Josiah offered.

Fine. Zaki figured he was getting a couch whether he wanted it or not. Might as well save his energy for the next battle.

Pino really didn't have that much stuff, and it didn't take too many trips until Harper and Zaki unloaded the mattress from the back of the truck. They wrestled it into the house, pausing to dog-leg it into the bedroom.

Pino came up behind them, box labeled Shirts in his arms. "Need a hand?" he asked, setting the box down.

"We've got it," Harper answered before Zaki could. "Say, Mountain Boy, what part of New York did you live in? I've got some friends up there."

"West Hollywood."

"Who?" Harper snorted. "Dude, that is so gay."

Zaki knew what Pino's answer was going to be, even as he tried to beam him a cease and desist order with his eyes. But Pino being Pino simply gave Harper a bland smile. "Yup. So am I."

"Dude. Seriously? You fucking with me? You're"

"Harper. You will watch your language around my kid," the senior chief cut in. And fuck, that meant he had heard Pino's announcement too. Talk about the opposite of discreet.

"Sorry, Senior Chief." Harper didn't sound particularly sorry. They finally got the mattress into the room, onto the frame. Harper dusted off his hands and turned back to Pino. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Pino set his box next to a dresser whose last good decade was probably before Zaki was born. "That going to be a problem?"

"Nope," the senior chief said firmly before Harper could answer. "Let's bring in the last few things so we can get that couch."

Well, that was that. Well, other than the searching look Harper was giving him. "Dude. Nelson. Are you..."

"Nope." Zaki looked away, afraid Harper might see the lie in his eyes.

"Let's go." The senior chief motioned them out of the room. "And let's see if we can tear Dorrell away from your stack of games." He clapped Pino on the shoulder.

It was a nice gesture, but Zaki had a feeling that any chance of Harper coming over to play video games had died a quick death. And why that made him sad, he couldn't say.

Pino really liked Zaki senior chief and his large, active family. Dorrell was a great helper and Pino counted three more kids at the sprawling, newer Southwestern ranch where they picked up the couch. Harper, whose first name Pino never got, had taken off as soon as the truck was unloaded, not staying for the couch run. Pino supposed it was understandable four guys for one couch was a bit overkill. But still, the guy had been so fun and friendly right up until Pino said he was gay.

And he didn't care what Zaki said about being discreet Pino wasn't the type to let a gay joke slide or to lie about who he was. Did he want to hang more with Harper, who looked like he could easily play a Greek god while bench-pressing Pino? Absolutely. But not if it meant hiding who he was. Zaki was just going to have to deal.

But Zaki really wasn't saying much at all, especially once Josiah helped them get the couch into the living room and left with the truck, leaving him and Zaki like the world's most awkward newlyweds standing apart in the living room, neither sitting on the misshapen blue plaid couch, neither looking at each other.

"So," Pino said, trying for some cheer. "Dinner? Want to order a pizza?" Josiah had declined the traditional post move pizza and beer fest because he wanted to get home to Rino, but Pino was getting hungry and willing to grasp at anything that might help defuse the tension.

"Sure. I've got a menu in my room."

Pino could have looked up the menu on his phone, but he hadn't seen Zaki room yet and was beyond curious so he followed along.

Not waiting for an invitation, he peered in the room the very, very bare room. Neat stacks of clothes in boxes around the edge of the room, precise stacks of what looked to be true crime and history novels along with a collection of atlases and.

"Holy crap. You just have a sleeping bag for a bed?"

"What the hell, man?" Zaki whirled on him. "You can't knock?"

Pino waved away the complaint. "No. Seriously. Does Senior Chief Weber know that you have no bed?"

"Nah. Not his business." Zaki's voice was gruff. "Told him I'd buy something. I just haven't yet."