This title is no longer available as of June 2018.

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©2012 Jet Mykles, all rights reserved

Despite the god-awful wind chill and the horrible snow, Danny whistled as he hurried from the train stop to his building. A pizza takeout box prevented him from putting one gloved hand in the pocket of his overcoat, but it wasn’t that long of a walk and took even less time if he trotted. Plus, the action helped to keep him warm.

What the hell was he doing in Chicago anyway? He was a southern California boy. His blood was too thin for snow! But to follow his dream, he’d brave the weather and suffer the indignity of being the only member of his band who had to get a job to pay the bills for his tiny little apartment. He’d bear the culture shock of coming home from an expensive, all-expense-paid weekend at a posh ski resort to immediately agree to take the lunch shift at the pizza place where he worked. Although he’d been able to save up enough to cover January’s rent, he was still low on utility and food money, so the extra shift, even right after his time off, was welcome. The savings that had helped him moved to Chicago had dwindled to under a thousand dollars, and he really didn’t want to use any more of it if he could help it.

So, all things considered, Danny could brave the hellish cold.

Once in the lobby of his building, he breathed a little easier. Just being in from the wind raised his body temp enough that he could loosen his scarf as he began the three-story climb to his place. He even jogged up, telling himself he was working off the pizza in advance. Cash wasn’t in the main room when Danny entered the apartment, but there was nothing new about that. He’d been out cold when Danny had come in last night and long gone by the time Danny woke in the late morning. After putting the pizza on the table in front of the couch, Danny went down the hall and tossed his coat and scarf through his open bedroom door before sticking his head inside Cash’s room. Cash sat with his eyes glued to the monitor, fingers flying over the keyboard. He wore jeans and a sweater, outside gear that told Danny he’d gone to school today. Or, at least, had gone out. Otherwise, he’d be wearing sweats, and his hair wouldn’t look like it had been introduced to a comb.

Danny knocked on the door frame to get Cash’s attention. “Hey.”

It took a moment for Cash’s fingers to wind to a stop and his head to turn. For a second it was like he’d never seen Danny before in his life, but then recognition dawned as his brain emerged from whatever cyberspace he’d been in. “You’re back.”

“Hungry? I’ve got pizza,” Danny prompted, to further encourage the human in his roommate.

Finally, it was there. Cash nodded eagerly. “Yeah. I’ll be right out.”  Continue reading EXCERPT – Indigo Knights 2: Champion →