Down pours were not uncommon in their part of the world even in midsummer. They ran from the bus stop to Colby's apartment and Colby always managed to fumble or drop his keys as Sam pulled his jacket around himself as tightly as he can. As he finally turned the key in the lock he shot Sam an apologetic look as ushered Sam in ahead of him.

Colby dropped his and Sam's bags to the floor by the radiator and headed straight for the thermostat before the door had swung shut behind him. Sam disappeared towards the roof garden and Colby haphazardly dropped his soaked hoody to the floor and wondered whether he should follow him as he toes off his shoes and sock and sank his toes into the fluff of the rug. He decided against it.

He set the oven the heat up and headed for the cupboard next to the hot water tank. There were blankets and towels a plenty in there and Colby knocked the switch on to heat up another tank of water for Sam when he was ready. Colby grabbed a smaller towel for himself and one of the blankets which he threw down over the back of the sofa as he passed.

He changed into some dry clothes and only had to dry his hair enough to stop it dripping down his t-shirt. As he pulled the soft-lined pants up he heard the door shut. He listened for Sam's light footsteps but he couldn't hear them.

Colby ducked back out into the living room and glanced up to see Sam wringing out his sleeves into the terrariums along the windowsill. The plants didn't get watered often but the little alpines and dwarf plants have thrived despite Colby's disinterest. Sam made everything he touched thrive.

Colby didn't know how Sam could stand the wet though. Wet socks were torture and yet Sam would wander round for the best part of an hour with a squish in every step. Colby had long since stopped asking Sam to shower or change out of his wet clothes.

He'd wait until Colby said that dinner was ready and then decide that he'd never felt more uncomfortable in his life and had to shower and change immediately which would take the best part of thirty minutes. Colby had tried lying about when dinner was ready and then he'd tried ushering Sam into the shower as soon as they arrived home but nothing seemed to work.

"I really don't feel like cooking much tonight," Colby said, "Is soup okay?" Sam looked up and nodded.
"The long stemmed daisies have all been knocked over and snapped in the rain," Sam said just as Colby laid eyes on the half dozen stems erupting from an old crock jug his landlady had given him.

"They still look good,"

"I'm hoping that taking off these flowers will make more grow,"

"With this weather I don't see why not,"

"Soup will only take a couple of minutes to heat up,"

"I'll just shower and change,"

"I've only just put the water on to heat up,"

"There'll be enough for me," Sam said and disappeared down the corridor towards the bathroom. Colby sighed and lifted the daisy stems from the jug. Their stalks were tattered and fray from where the wind and rain had snapped them from the plant and Colby reached for a knife to slice the ends more cleanly before he set them back inside the jug and pushed it to the back of the counter; out of the way and away from the precarious edge where everything seemed to leap from the moment Colby and Sam were together in the kitchen.

Sam may look small and thin at a passing glance he would easily eat as much as Colby did or more so as Colby emptied the third tin of soup into the pan he considered digging out a fourth from the back of the stacks. He glanced back towards the bathroom as the water switched on and a low level hum of the motor droned from inside the wall. He caught sight of half a baguette left from an attempt at garlic bread a couple of nights previously and an idea struck him.

Sam returned after half an hour a pair of worn pajama pants and one of Colby's old t-shirts that has a hole in the seam across the shoulder. He grabbed the blanket from the back of the sofa and pulled it around his shoulders.

"Is dinner almost ready?"

"Yeah," Colby said as he took the pans off the heat, "How hungry are you?"

"Starving," Sam said without hesitation. "Did you do croutons?"

"Yeah," Colby said and cast a glance over his shoulder, "If you want some,"

"I want all of them," Sam said. A glint in his blue eye and his grin gave Colby all the appreciation he needed.

"Can I have... five?" Colby asked,

"You can have six," Sam said and held up his fingers of one hand and both his thumbs,

"That's how I know you like me," Colby said

"I'm still cold," Sam said as he set his spoon and bowl on the coffee table in front of them.

"Reckon I know how to fix that, do you?" Colby asked. Sam hummed at his side. "You doing the washing up might help y'know. Water'll be hot,"

"What if i'm not warm after that?"

"I'll have to think of something better," Colby said incredulously, "Drag you out on a run maybe? Do you think it's easing out there," The rain continued to his the window pane hard and Sam buried himself into the gap under Colby's arm.

"You know I can't run," Sam said

"And you know I can't come up with good ideas for shit," Colby leant his head forwards and pressed a kiss to Sam's hair line.

"The croutons were a good idea. Trust me," Sam said as he pat a steady hand on Colby's chest and pushed himself up and headed for the kitchen.