A Tidy Home

Jeffery pulled up in front of the house, put his minivan in park, and opened his door. Something tickled his mind about the van; for a moment he believed that it wasn't the car that he had begun the drive in. He giggled at the thought. Why in the world would someone like him drive a Jaguar? What a silly notion.

Always careful to be neat, Jeffery gingerly stepped out of the driver's seat, taking extra care to not get any dust from the van on his lovely red and white polka-dot dress. Closing the door, he admired his reflection in the paint on the silver van and smiled. That new lipstick made his lips pop so much, made his eyes and mustache seem so alluring. Even the dress, picked specifically to match his red pumps that he had fallen in love with. The next time he ran into Alex, Jeffery was sure that he'd finally be able to make him sit up and take notice.

The side door slid open and Jeffery reached in to grab the hamper of clean laundry. He indulged himself as he stuck his face into the neatly folded clothes, enjoying the aroma. It was true that smells elicited deep emotional responses, and with Jeffery, the smell of clean laundry was no exception. His heart felt warm, his stomach filled with butterflies. Laundry wasn't the only thing, either, that got Jeffery excited. Clean floors, furniture polish, Windex, even the lemon freshness of dish soap, and more. Jeffery was a smell junkie.

The hamper wasn't heavy, so it was easy for Jeffery to straighten up with it in his hands. Tucking it under one arm, he used his free hand to close the van door, then headed to the front of the house. Using the house key on his key ring, Jeffery let himself in. Home. Sure, the house was empty, but in a few hours his Alex would be there. That's what made it a home.

Not wasting time, Jeffery bounded down the hallway of the little house to the master bedroom. Placing the hamper on the queen-sized bed, Jeffery began to unpack each article and place them in their proper place. He was focused on the task, not even pausing to touch up his make-up when he passed the vanity mirror. Shirts, blouses, dresses, suits, all in the closet. Boxer-briefs, panties, stockings, socks, lingerie, jeans, all in the drawers. It wasn't a long job, but there was no way Jeffery would allow Alex to think he wasn't good at it. The last thing Jeffery wanted was for Alex to think he couldn't handle taking care of the house for him. There would be no way Alex would want to take their relationship to the next level if he thought that.

The laundry away, Jeffery focused on other tasks. The bed was remade. The dishwasher was unloaded. Jeffery was just pulling out the vacuum when he heard a car pull into the driveway. Looking out the front window, Jeffery's heart started beating faster in his chest.

Alex was stepping out of his car.