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

On the job front, the original reason for the move, dividends were already being made. It had only been three weeks and already Bradley had booked more consistent work than he ever had in Melbourne. Most of this work was just commercials, but there were a few TV auditions in there too. The majority had been duds, roles that just weren’t suited to Bradley... with the noticeable exception of the one he’d just had.

It had come from nowhere too. Just this morning, Bradley had woken up wondering what his next audition was going to be, and when. With Covid on the rise and the threat of nationwide lockdowns looming, he assumed it might be a few months now. Surely, all production would be shutting down for a couple of months or longer? Turns out that wasn’t the case.

His agent called him at 9:17am. He had gotten a last-minute call-up for an audition happening at 11am. The show was called 'Firing Day' and it was about a cop who uses his last day on the force –- after being fired for assault and battery against a suspect – to hunt down a serial killer in the midst of a killing spree. As the cop has nothing to lose, he’s willing to bend the law, and break it, if it means stopping the killer before it’s too late.

Bradley’s audition was for the role of the cop, one that he knew he was perfect for. He’d only had an hour or so to prepare for the audition, but it didn’t matter. The moment he read the part, he knew it was for him and that confidence came through in the reading.

So, work was going well. And so was his relationship with Sherman, the other reason he made the move to Sydney. For three weeks now the two men had lived in the same city, going from ‘long distance’ to ‘up close and personal,’ and truly, even if Bradley hadn’t managed to get the work he had hoped, he still would have been grateful for the move.

They spent nearly every day together in some form or another. During the week, when Sherman had work, Bradley would spend the days either auditioning or training or going to classes. But then every night without fail he was at Sherman’s, treating the apartment like it was his own. And on weekends too, he was with Sherman from Friday night through to Monday morning.

And it wasn’t just like he was crashing there either. Half his clothes were at Sherman’s place now; in the cupboards and wardrobes too, where Sherman had made space for them. It had been Sherman’s suggestion that he move his clothes in, seeing as he was there so often anyhow. The only caveat, and this was Bradley’s demand, was that some clothes remain at his own apartment in a sort of symbolic gesture to his independence. It was dumb, but it was something that he needed.

Even now, Bradley was only stopping off at his house to change out of his clothes and grab a few things before heading to Sherman’s. Sherman was at work at the moment and would be for another six hours, but that didn’t matter. Bradley had the keys to Sherman’s apartment, Sherman wanted him there anyhow, and the apartment was nicer than Bradley’s. So why not spend more time there?

Oh... and he also really liked Sherman too. So that helped.

Bradley was in a good mood when he arrived at Sherman’s apartment. Better than a good mood! Seriously, he felt like he could fly. It was because of this good mood that he decided today he was going to clean Sherman’s apartment and make dinner for the two.

Yes, Bradley was going to cook and clean. A lot had changed for Bradley in the last few months, more than just moving cities and getting actual work. Living by himself in Melbourne had forced him to learn the basics of survival, which he had now mastered. In fact, he actually enjoyed cooking, as hard as he found it to believe. He had a few dishes under his belt and was always looking to add to them. Also, with Sherman being such a useless cook and with the maid having to be let go because of Covid, it gave Bradley even more chances to expand his repertoire.

Bradley never got the chance to start cooking, or cleaning for that matter. No sooner had he opened the apartment door could he hear Sherman rustling around inside. His boyfriend, his partner, the love of his life, was home early.

“Sherman?!” Bradley called out as he walked inside.

“Shit.” Bradley heard a quick shuffling and the hasty closing of a cupboard drawer. It was coming from the reading room.

“Where are you?!” Bradley called, even though he knew exactly where he was.

“The kitchen!” Bradley could hear Sherman hurry from the reading room and into the kitchen.

Bradley rolled his eyes while taking a few calming breaths. He knew exactly what Sherman had been doing in the reading room, and it sure as heck wasn’t reading...

Cocaine. Sherman’s addiction had been getting worse and worse over the past few weeks. At first, he had hidden it reasonably well, and had only done it every so often anyhow, usually when they were drunk. But that was then and this is now. In the middle of the day? In the middle of the week? Bradley didn’t begrudge him his little addiction... he just really, really hoped that Sherman hadn’t come home for that reason alone. That would have been a bridge too far.

But Bradley’s mood was too good today to risk ruining it with a fight. So, when he walked into the kitchen to find Sherman pretending to be looking through the fridge for food – while his leg literally shook from the adrenaline – he decided to ignore it and pretend he knew nothing.

“There you are.”