Charity Starts at Home Read Free Page B

up after linking hands to say a prayer together. Quinn stayed near the back, leaning against a pillar of the old church when Haden emerged. Unease crept over Haden’s face when he noticed Quinn standing there.
    “Quinn,” Haden nodded. “How long have you been here?”
    Quinn didn’t need to read Haden’s mind to understand what Haden was afraid of, so he used a little white lie. “Not long. It was snowing pretty badly so I ducked in here to get warm again.”
    “You’ve been to a meeting before?” Haden fished.
    “Not for at least a year.” Quinn nodded. “I’ve been sober for….” he couldn’t believe he had to think about it, “just over five years now. So I know it isn’t easy.”
    Haden nodded shyly and walked to the side to get his coat. “I was coming to see you tonight. I figured you could use some help at the shelter.”
    Quinn put his hand on the back of Haden’s shoulder, but drew back when he felt Haden pull away. “I like it when you come in to help me,” Quinn said instead.
    A shy smile spread across Haden’s face and all Quinn could think about was how hard it was going to be to show Haden their feelings were mutual.
    “Let’s make a run for it,” Quinn suggested. “The sooner we’re home the quicker we can warm up.”
    When they walked outside, the snowfall had turned to rain, but it didn’t feel any warmer than before. Quinn raised the collar on his already wet coat and looked at Haden before gesturing he follow him. It was a brisk, two block walk and they were both soaked when they arrived at the heavy gate barring the entrance to the shelter. Quinn rang the bell and tiptoed to stay warm.
    “You should really find yourself a warmer coat, Quinn,” Haden said with genuine concern in his voice.
    Before Quinn could answer, they heard the bolts and locks being opened and Camille peered out. “Hey Quinny! Haden, nice to see you again.”
    Quinn didn’t miss the teasing look on Camille’s face. He just hoped Haden didn’t know her well enough to understand it. “You boys look like you need a good long communal shower to warm up again. Water’s at its hottest right now, you know.” She winked and Quinn shot her a look hoping to stop her teasing.
    She winked at him again as she turned on her heels and walked out of the hallway.
    “She’s right, you know,” Quinn told Haden. “This is about the only time you can take a nice hot shower. There isn’t a lot of privacy though, so if you want, you can go first and I’ll wait until you’re done.
    Haden shrugged. “I’m good. I’m not that wet. You go ahead.”
    “Well, if you change your mind, you know where the clean towels are.”
    Quinn, used to taking quick showers in between getting home and getting the shelter ready, was nicely lathered up in the farthest cubicle when he heard some unfamiliar sounds. He stuck his head out of the spray of the shower and smiled. Someone was inside the shower area and he was trying to be as quiet as possible. To Quinn’s amusement, he was failing miserably.
    At any other moment of the day, Quinn wouldn’t be so at ease, but at this time of the afternoon, Camille was getting ready to start cooking and all the doors were locked. There was nobody else here yet other than her and him, so the other person could only be Haden. Quinn let his hands run over his body to wipe off the suds. The adrenalin was making him hard and he fisted himself a few times to scratch his itch. Underneath the partial partition, Quinn could see the reflection of two manly bare feet in the shiny wet tiles and he decided to ham it up a bit.
    “Fuck yeah, mmm,” he murmured. “Feels good, Haden. Touch me right there.”
    Standing half under the spray, he could hear Haden move closer. Quinn bit into his hand to stop himself from chuckling too loudly, but he wasn’t sure Haden had heard him say his name. He was going to have to make sure of it. “Oh Haden,” he sighed, rolling his eyes at his own bad acting skills.