Only You by Jerry Cole (the top 100 crime novels of all time TXT) 📕

house. The place was a dump and Sherman couldn’t imagine anyone, ever, staying here of their own free will.

As it stood, the lobby was near empty, save for the clerk behind the desk. Sherman spotted him and was about to make a beeline when he noticed that the clerk was currently serving someone else. When Sherman saw who it was, he almost fell over.

“That much?” Bradley gaped. “How can it be – look at this place! You should be paying me to stay here.”

“That is not our policy, sir,” the clerk responded coolly. He looked bored, as if he didn’t give a shit about Bradley or his problems. Truly, he was the exact kind of guy Sherman was looking for... not that Sherman cared anymore.

“What if...” Bradley hesitated. “What if I pay half now and half when I check —”

“That is not our policy... sir,” the clerk spoke again. He hesitated before dropping the ‘sir’ too, as if considering whether or not it would make a difference. “All payments for rooms are to be made in advance.”

“Policies are made to be broken though — what if...” Bradley thought for a moment. “What if I was like to, I don’t know, clean the rooms for you? You know, earn my keep? I’ve seen people do that.”

The clerk could not have looked less sympathetic to Bradley’s plight; if Bradley were a fly, the clerk would have long ago swatted him. “Again, that is not our policy. Payment up front. And if you can’t do that, then I am afraid that our business here is done.” He looked over Bradley’s shoulder and at Sherman, indicating for him to step forward.

Sherman did no such thing. Seeing Bradley right here and now, so randomly and unexpectedly had him frozen in a sort of stasis; like he’d been hit by a stun gun and was waiting for the effects to wear off so he could move again! It also appeared to have affected his mind somehow, and his breathing, as all Sherman could really do was stare and blink and stare some more.

What was Bradley doing here? Sherman sure as heck didn’t know. Bradley had mentioned that he was going to Lisbon, but he had suggested it was going to be earlier in his trip. Never ever, not in a million years, not once, did Sherman even consider...

He’d thought of Bradley a lot since Amsterdam. Truly, even saying he’d thought of him ‘a lot’ seemed to undersell just how many times the handsome Australian had come to mind. Almost every night he seemed to be in the fore of Sherman’s memory, and every morning too. When he ate, he found himself wishing that Bradley was there, when he went on walks, when he showered, when he got ready for bed. Basically, in every action he committed, he would find himself wondering how much better it would have been had his vacation-fling been by his side.

Bradley was actually the main reason that Sherman had disliked the rest of his trip through Europe too. Before he had met the studly Australian, he was sure that he would have been only too happy to have spent the month going to museums and engaging in long, boring conversations with even more boring souls. But after Bradley... well, he realized why people travelled overseas in the first place.

And just to be sure, Sherman wasn’t in love with Bradley or anything like that. That’s just silly. But he certainly still lusted after him. To suggest otherwise would be akin to trying to claim you didn’t know the sun set every night, a lie of the highest order.

“Well... do you know anywhere that might rent a room for that price?” Bradley pleaded with the clerk. “Anywhere at all?”

The clerk curled his lip and looked about the lobby as if to say ‘Really?’ Anywhere cheaper than this hotel surely would have been knocked down years ago.

“Excuse me.” The shock of seeing Bradley had worn off, and he figured it was time to announce himself. But he spoke in a deeper voice, even grumbling a little as if to sound angry. “Some of us are in a rush.”

“One minute,” Bradley spoke over his shoulder. “I just need to —”

“I said hurry it along!”

“Look!” Bradley spun around to confront Sherman, saw who it was and a smile so wide broke out on his face that Sherman worried it might literally split in half. “Sherman!” he yelped. “What — what are you – how did you – hey!” Then, without warning, Bradley stumbled forward and pulled Sherman into a tight hug.

Fuck. Sherman could have remained in that grasp for the rest of his days. Bradley smelled awful, like stale body odor and booze. He was sweaty too, drenching Sherman’s clothes. And yet it might have been the most satisfying hug of his life.

“It’s good to see you too,” Sherman chuckled as Bradley let him go, although even that felt a little reluctant. “Better if you’d showered in the last week,” he then quipped.

Bradley flushed red, but only for a second. As if suddenly realizing where he was, he gave his head a shake, puffed out his chest and rolled his eyes. “Actors,” he sighed. “You never know what you’re going to get.”

Sherman frowned. “What do you —”

“This is for a role,” Bradley then hurried. “My agent called me last week – a lost traveler, trying to make ends meet, kind of thing. He knew I was overseas so he figured it was perfect for me to get into character.” His laugh was awkward and forced.

“Ohhhh.” Sherman nodded his understanding, or at least what he thought he was supposed to be understanding. “So... you’re not really staying —”

“Here?” Bradley’s laugh was so over the top it had to be fake. “God no – look at this place!” He ran his finger along the