Housekeeping

Nicky had just turned off the engine—and the underwhelming air-conditioning—and the August heat rolled into the car.He spent a minute or two in the driveway looking at the house.The house was new, with a light beige brushed stucco, and the surrounding houses were also in shades of pink, but varied, and the owners' committee seemed worried that painting the house the same color would cause a stroke.There were no decorations or potted plants on the front porch, and the yard was tidy but dull.Nicky bets this must be the result of the owner calling in a yard service.

He put the sunglasses firmly on the bridge of his nose and got out of the car.But despite the shades, the reflection of the white road almost blinds the eyes.He almost wished that this inspection was in foggy San Francisco instead of Livermore, the hell on earth.Well, at least he heard that there are no cats in this house.The job this time was also introduced by the Burnetts, a business partner of a friend of theirs.All he knew of Spencer Cartwright was that he was going to be in Los Angeles for a few weeks soon, and that his voice was deep and pleasant on the phone.Nicky rang the bell and waited.

"Hi," Nicky greeted as the door opened, then paused as he recognized the tall, handsome man: this was the dude who spilled coffee a few months ago.Nicky had only met him once, but the man was too distinctive to remember.Today, he is wearing charcoal gray trousers and a maroon dress shirt with the top buttons undone.

"I'm Nicky Hauser," he said, holding out his hand. "Are you Mr. Cartwright?"

"Just call me Spencer," the man replied confusedly, shaking Nicky's hand.He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Did I meet you somewhere?"

He actually remembered, Nicky was secretly happy, and said with a smile, "I taught you how to remove coffee stains."

"Oh! Yes! My guardian angel. Come in."

Nicky stepped into the living room, which was a great place with a high ceiling and a lot of space—if only there was more furniture and less trash.Plastic bags, boxes and waste paper were scattered on the dusty wooden floor.A bunch of what looked like computer accessories filled the corner.

Spencer looked a little embarrassed. "My place is, uh, kind of messy."

This is still too euphemistic.From the open door in the hallway, Nicky glimpses the kitchen, which is filled with natural light and a full set of high-end cabinets.He figured the counter top was marble, but he couldn't be sure because it was piled high with newspapers, unwashed dishes and a sizable number of take-out boxes.The whole house smells... well, not that bad, but it's not exactly clean air either. "It's a big house," he said, picking on a positive.

"Yes. Five bedrooms. The house my wife chose."

Nicky looked around, expecting a woman to suddenly appear from under the stack of empty Amazon boxes.Spencer sighed, and Nicky guessed he must have guessed what he was thinking. "I mean, ex-wife. We originally planned to have a lot of kids, so that's why we bought this place. But after that I decided not to kid myself anymore, so we divorced and she moved back to Chicago."

"Deceiving yourself?"

"I'm out."

Nicky tried not to curl her lips, and said, "Ah. That's going to be a divorce."

"Yeah. The house is too big for me, but the loan has left me broke, so I have to live in it. It's been five years now." He looked around, as if discovering for the first time that the place was such a mess. "Looks like it's time to get rid of the old and welcome the new."

"Why not hire a maid?" Given the size of the house and the quality of Spencer's clothes, he should be able to afford one.

Spencer shrugged: "Tried it. But I work from home a lot, and I don't like having people around the house with vacuum cleaners or something. Can't concentrate."

"What do you do?"

"Cyber ​​Security Advisor."

Nicky nodded, trying to look understanding, but Spencer must have seen through him anyway, and chuckled softly. "I work for all kinds of businesses, helping them patch vulnerabilities to prevent hacking or internal data leakage."

"Ah." That sounds like fun, kind of like a geek James Bond.Nicky has never been very proficient in computers and the like.He can select and click, and he is also very good at finding pornographic movies online, but he can't make money from this.

Spencer shrugged again. "It's just making money to support the family. But, well, this job doesn't help me clean."

"It's all right. When you come back, I promise to clean everything up. You won't recognize this place yourself."

Spencer laughed, with two deep dimples when he smiled. "I've heard you're an expert with rags and brooms. That's actually why I contacted you. I don't need a housekeeper. But I'd like you to clear your way out of this mess a little bit while I'm out... .”

Well, it's nice to be praised.But speaking of praise, when Spencer took Nicky to the kitchen, Nicky couldn't help but praise his pants, which were tight enough to show off Spencer's beautiful round butt.The kitchen was not as expensive as Tom's, and the equipment in Tom's kitchen was worth more than any car Nicky had ever owned.But the kitchen is bright and spacious with plenty of storage space.

Spencer gestured in a circle. "Well, that's the kitchen. Obvious. I, um, don't fire much. Eat whatever you can find, but maybe you'll have to go out and get something now so you don't starve."

"Okay." Nicky replied, but secretly decided that he would never bring any food into the house until the house was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.Because he has seen moldy and hairy in several plastic tableware, it seems that some new life has evolved.

Spencer continues to walk Nicky around the house.In fact, he didn't have to do this. Most householders let Nikki explore their houses by himself, especially such a common detached villa.But Nicky enjoyed his company and said nothing.The breakfast nook was piled with newspapers, coffee mugs, and bread crumbs.A butler-style pantry is embedded in the dining room and appears to be rarely used.A thick layer of dust accumulated on the dark dining table.Standing at the door of the family room, you can see the comfortable-looking leather furniture and a large number of electronic products inside, and a stained carpet makes Nicky look horrified.

They walked down another short corridor and stopped at the door of an open room. "This is my office. Don't mess with the contents, okay? I can lend you a laptop if you want, but—"

"I have a notebook."

"Okay. Then I'll give you the WiFi password later."

Nicky glanced around the room—a pile of computers, monitors, wires, and files—and thanked Spencer for giving him an excuse not to tidy up.The laundry room is next door.

They go upstairs.The handrails of the stairs were stained and a bit sticky.vomit.They stopped at the door to a bedroom where the futon on the king-size bed was in a mess. "I don't know if you usually live in the master bedroom or other rooms..."

"Wherever you want me to sleep, buddy." Nicky finished speaking and realized that the sentence seemed a bit ambiguous, shutting his mouth and waiting for Spencer to answer.

But Spencer just nodded, probably not realizing it or simply ignoring it. "I don't care. There are clean bedding in the hall closet anyway. My mattress is probably new, and the one in the guest bedroom is mostly unused. My sister comes over occasionally, though, and she says it's pretty comfortable."

Nicky thought the kitchen was scary enough, but the master bedroom was beyond description.He had a long list of cleaning tools to use in his head, maybe a flamethrower would be a good start.

The guest bedroom was at the other end of the corridor, without any decorations.The master bedroom and the guest bedroom were separated by several rooms, and one of the bedrooms was filled with expensive exercise equipment, which Spencer graciously allowed Nicky to use as he pleased.There's also a slightly cleaner bathroom, and a final, empty bedroom.

"Well, that's it," Spencer said. "I didn't scare you away, did I?"

"I've seen worse." That's not true.

But with Spencer's blinding smile, Nicky felt the lie was worth it. "Then you're a real warrior." Spencer looked at his watch. "Damn. I have to go. You have my phone, call me if you need anything, okay? The key is on the shelf by the door. If you're going to use the garage, the spare key for the garage is in a drawer somewhere in the... kitchen Here, I forgot which one."

"Thanks. Any other precautions? Other than not going into your office."

Spencer thought for a moment. "Probably not anymore. Um... pick up the garbage on Tuesday night, don't disturb the neighbors. If your girlfriend wants to come over, I don't care."

"Boyfriend," Nikki corrected.Jesus, hadn't he been obvious enough at the coffee shop?He has already moved his hands and feet! "And I don't have a boyfriend yet."

"Oh. Well, maybe you will soon."

Of course, Nicky thought sourly as he followed Spencer downstairs.Maybe there are a dozen handsome guys hiding in the garbage dump.

Spencer must have packed his bags and thrown them in the car.When they got back to the first floor, Spencer just patted his shirt pocket to make sure he had his phone, and then held out his hand to Nicky. "Thank you for coming to help me clean. I really appreciate it."

"Thank you for letting me come and live."

They shook hands.Spencer turned and headed for the garage, but turned back before he was out of the house.He curled his mouth into a wry smile. "Last time you suggested I go to Kohl's. It was a great help. Do you know what I did? I threw away all my socks and bought two dozen black socks that the clerk pointed out to me."

"Never get confused again."

"Never again. And it's so much easier to wash." Spencer looked like he wanted to say something else, but in the end he just shook his head.He smiled again. "See you in a few weeks, Nicky."

"Bon Voyage."

Nikki was in the hallway, listening to the click of the garage door opening and closing, and then headed straight for the kitchen, trying to find out if Spencer had any cleaning tools.

***

Nicky didn't mean to pry into personal privacy.When helping others to look at the house, he tried his best not to gossip too much, and he could resist the temptation.When Nicky first started her house-watching errand, she stumbled upon a stack of photographs in a bathroom drawer.The photo shows the homeowners - a loving couple in their 60s - completely nude, engaging in all manner of BDSM situations.When they came back to hand over the house, Nicky could hardly look them in the eye.After that, he was determined not to cross the line.

But Spencer's house was horribly messy, and cleaning it up was a daunting task, and it was inevitable that Nicky would touch personal items while cleaning.Not much though, really.That is, a tattered cardboard box piled with football trophies, a pile of dusty college textbooks, and a storage box full of various Disney and Pixar animation DVDs.There are also scattered memorabilia like a snow globe from New York and a miniature Eiffel Tower.He also found some bags and boxes of photographs.Some of the photos are clearly taken of Spencer as a child - he was so cute as a child - and some are taken of him when he was a little older, with a woman who is the same size as Spencer Very similar, it must be his sister.Nicky also found some wedding photos. In the photos, a beautiful woman in an elegant wedding dress smiled sweetly at Spencer, who was dapper and handsome in a tuxedo with a bow tie.Nicky, however, found no trace of any homosexuals.

But that's okay, Nicky reminded himself.Spencer's private life has nothing to do with him.

It took Nicky the better part of a week to get the house looking like it should, but he loved the hustle.And the result of this busyness is awesome—the whole house looks new.After throwing out all the rubbish, the room looked a little empty.A little more decoration, Nikki thought, would at least give the bland white walls a splash of color.But Nicky was a house inspector, not an interior designer, and in the end, he was content to just clean the house.

Nicky was watching Monsters, Inc. in the family room when he heard the garage door open.He turned off the DVD player with a guilty conscience. Although Spencer didn't prohibit Nicky from watching his cartoons, he didn't explicitly allow it.Nicky was waiting for Spencer, smiling, when he came in from the garage.

Spencer walked straight into the kitchen, then stared wide-eyed.He looked at the gleaming countertops, the spotless floors, the clean sink and faucets, and said dumbfounded, "Wow. That's just...wow."

"satisfied?"

"So fucking satisfied. I wonder if I'm in the wrong door. It wasn't this clean when I first moved in. Can I look around?"

"This is your home," Nicky replied with a smile.He waited patiently in the family room for Spencer's acceptance, occasionally hearing Spencer's exuberant exclamations.Spencer's praise made Nicky very happy.The other heads of household would have thanked Nicky, too, but none so exaggeratedly, nor had their joy been so overt.

Spencer returned to the living room with a beaming smile on his face. "Dude! This house is unbelievably clean! You must be working hard!"

"I have two weeks."

"It took me years to get that dirty."

"Then I guess it must be because I'm more efficient," Nicky replied with a giggle.Then he sobered up a little. "You've been driving for so long, you must want to take a good rest. Give me a few minutes to pack up, and I won't bother you." He had to go to Ivan and Powell's house again, and the next house inspection was still on. It will take a while to start.The tatami mats in Ivan's house will never be more comfortable than Spencer's guest room bed, and the mattress can also adjust the firmness.

Nicky headed for the stairs, but Spencer stopped him with a raised hand. "How about going after dinner? I'm really hungry, and I can't cook tonight. Well, in fact, I don't know anything about cooking. If you trouble you so much, at least let me treat you to a meal."

It's a clumsy invitation, Nikki thought.But he feels like he doesn't care.It's been a long time since he went out to eat with others. "sounds good."

Nicky wasn't surprised that Spencer drove a BMW.The exterior of the BMW is iron gray, and the interior is trimmed with black leather.What a car.However, Spencer had to toss a pile of paper and fast food wrappers into the back seat in order to get Nicky into the passenger seat. "I, uh, I guess my car isn't cleaner than my house." The sound of the engine cranking was smooth and nice.

"You drive often."

"Yeah, sure. Sometimes I feel like every inch of every highway in California is painted in my head."

"Your car stereo is great." Nicky leaned forward and turned up the car stereo.Spencer tried to stop him, but couldn't—Olivia Newton-John blared from the speakers. "Xanadu?" Nicky asked jokingly.

Spencer lowered his voice again. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Everywhere is good except Phoenix Pavilion."

"Do you have any dissatisfaction there?"

"The boss is an asshole."

"Oh." Spencer pulled the car off the road and turned into the street.While Nicky was driving his Fiesta, the road had been feeling a little bumpy, but Spencer's car was as smooth as a dream.Spencer drove straight to the commercial street less than two miles away from his home, and stopped at the gate of the "Naples Manor".He had driven five hours back to Los Angeles and seemed to have no desire to waste time on the road. "I order takeout from here sometimes. It's delicious. It's not fancy Italian, is it?"

"of course."

Once they were in the restaurant, Nicky began to wonder why Spencer didn't come in more often to sit down and eat instead of just ordering takeout.The decor of the restaurant is bland, but the waiters are lovely as hell.Yishui has black hair and black eyes, and also has an artistic beard.They found a table and sat down, and as soon as the waiter left to get them water, Nicky said to Spencer in a low voice, "Good luck."

Spencer glanced around, frowning. "ah?"

"I mean the waiter."

"Oh, never noticed." Spencer went back to digging through the menu.Nicky refrained from staring at him.In the past few years, he has also encountered countless customers who thought he did not exist.He didn't expect these people to invite him to sit down for a meal, but if only they would realize that the person who served them fried squid with sesame and ginger sauce was a real person.This big living man had a terrible foot pain, and he was too busy in the third shift to spend time with his boyfriend. He just wanted to go home and take a shower to wash off the smell of peanut oil from his hair.

"Are you ok?"

Nicky winked at Spencer. "Fine. Sorry. My mind wandered. I was just thinking, it's not easy being a waiter."

"Are you also a waiter?"

"Previously."

"I used to work at McDonald's when I was in high school."

Nicky tried to visualize Spencer in his polyester uniform and paper cap. "It sure sucks. The wages are too low."

"It's minimum wage. But it's ok—gives me the motivation to study like crazy so I can get a better job later on."

Nicky also had some crappy jobs in high school, but those jobs didn't give him any motivation, he just fished in troubled waters and got fired.

The sexy waiter returns with water: "Would you like something else?" Nikki is disappointed to find he's wearing a wedding ring.

"I'll just drink water," Spencer said. "Nicky? Want a drink?"

Usually, Nicky only drinks when he's out playing disco.But he hasn't been out for a long time, has he? "Yeah, sure. Do you have a premium Pinot Grigio by the glass?" he asked the waiter.

"Our Pinot Grigio is not bad."

"Then take that."

The waiter jotted down Nicky's order.Really unprofessional.There were not many customers in the restaurant, and he only ordered a glass of wine, so the waiter should be able to write it down without writing.After finishing writing, the waiter hung up his pencil and asked, "Have you decided what to eat? Or should you think about it again?"

Spencer motioned for Nicky to start, and Nicky ordered the macaroni and spinach salad.Spencer ordered the chicken tenderloin. "I'll bring you wine and bread right away," replied the waiter.

Sweet Italian music echoed in the room.Tom has always been picky about the music in Phoenix Court. “Music can affect the mood even if the guests aren’t listening,” he often preaches.God, Nicky has heard enough.But at this moment, he felt that Tom's argument had some truth.During the lunch rush, Tom would turn up the volume of the music and switch to something fast-paced, trying to get diners to finish their meals quickly and make room.But in the evening, Tom's goal is to try to get diners to order dessert or drinks, usually at this time, he will choose some elegant classical music.Tom has long believed that people open their wallets more generously when they hear "upper" music.

"Thinking about the waiter again?" Spencer grinned, showing his teeth.

"Hmm, sorry."

"It's fine. So what do you do now?"

Nicky squirmed slightly in embarrassment. "I'm, uh, unemployed right now."

"Ah! So looking at houses is your full-time occupation."

"I think so. Go ahead. I've lived in some really nice houses."

Spencer laughed even wider. "I also lived in a few pigpens."

"Hmm, I won't be a pigsty anymore after I've lived here." Nicky took a sip of water and nodded his thanks to the waiter. The waiter put a basket of warm bread and a glass of red wine on the table and left in a hurry. .

Spencer poured some olive oil and balsamic vinegar onto a white plate, dipped a large piece of bread vigorously, and bit into it. "Well—" He swallowed the food. "So how did you start showing houses?"

"By chance." Nicky swirled the golden liquid in the glass.He wasn't about to go on, but Spencer was still looking at him intently, like he really cared about the answer.It had been a long time since anyone cared so much about what he had to say.So subconsciously, Nicky started talking about Tom to Spencer.

When the food came, Nicky was still talking, and Spencer was still listening, asking questions or expressing sympathy for Nicky's plight.They'd been talking about it from dinner to after-dinner coffee, and Nikki was going to regret not talking about anything else before he fell asleep tonight.Spencer didn't seem bored, he didn't call Nicky stupid, he didn't make any excuses for Tom.

"I think breaking someone's trust like that is the worst thing a person can do," Spencer told Nicky when he finally finished speaking. "If you can't control your dick, at least be a bit manly and have the courage to admit it."

"Not everyone is keen on a one-on-one relationship."

Spencer shook his head firmly. "That's not the point. The point is that you don't think there should be someone between the two of you. If he didn't think so, he should have told you earlier."

"I was literally blind."

"People can only see what they want to see." Spencer smiled wryly. "I used to try to convince myself that I wasn't interested in men. And Vanessa, oh my god, she's really beautiful and smart. I should thank God for being seen by her. I used to think that would be enough, and it turned out Not enough. But you know what? I've never cheated. Not once."

"So you're the one-of-a-kind type," Nicky said.

"I guess so."

They drank coffee in silence for a while.Even with the caffeine, Nicky felt a little tired.Talking to someone who is almost a stranger is exhausting.Tonight he had to count on the uneven tatami mats of Powell and Ivan's house for the night.

When the waiter brought the bill, Spencer grabbed it right away. "It's just a little thought that you've changed my house," he said.

"Thank you." Nicky watched as Spencer left a stack of twenty dollars, part of which was a tip, a rather generous tip.His evaluation of this man immediately went up several notches.

While they ate, night had fallen, but the air was still warm.Nicky was enjoying the cool breeze blowing from the air conditioner in the BMW car, but Spencer seemed to be fascinated by something, and did not immediately drive out of the parking lot.After a while, he turned to Nikki and said, "I have a suggestion for you."

Note ①: The original text is proposition, in addition to "suggestion", it also means "seeking pleasure".

In the narrow space inside the car, the atmosphere suddenly became very intimate.God, Spencer doesn't think Nicky's ass has a price, does he?Maybe he just wanted a quick, random shot.If Nicky hadn't grown tired of pointless sex, he'd be eager to say yes.But no matter how you looked at it, Spencer looked serious, and it didn't look like he was going to propose anything about sex. "What?" Nicky asked cautiously.

"Come and live with me."

Nicky was dumbfounded.These words greatly exceeded his expectations. "live?"

"Well. My house is big and has many rooms. You are responsible for keeping the house clean, and I will provide board and lodging, and pay you some salary."

"You want to hire me as your maid?"

"Um... yeah. Kind of. But it shouldn't take up as much of your time. I'm not one of those trashy slobs. You just need to clean up once in a while. You can move on to another regular job, or Keep looking at other people's houses. But then you have a base camp and you have a place to go back to."

"I...uh..." "Base Camp" sounds really, really good.But it will inevitably become a constraint. "But you said cleaning the room would interfere with your work."

"True. But I'm not working all the time, man." Spencer sighed. "Only most of the time. If you come to live, we can arrange the time. Although it may not work, at least we can try."

"But you don't even know me very well. I could be a serial killer, or a troublemaker who's always crying about his miserable love life."

Spencer laughed. "I'm willing to try my luck."

Nicky's head was a little confused. "I need to think about it."

"Of course. I don't have any other candidates in line either. You think it over and give me an answer, okay?"

"OK, all right."

Spencer reversed the car and pulled out of the parking lot.On the short return trip, they listened to Hall and Oates duet together.