it is both a blessing and a curse

 "I don't know what you were thinking," Steve gave Alfie a dead stare. It was as if he could fix this like untieing the knots to roll a ball of yarn.

If only Steve didn't think the worst, thought Alfie.

"Why does it have to be a bad thing?" He questioned. Couldn't Poppy just stay in his room?

Steve held in a laugh. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I mean..a least til we figure this out." He shrugged and went to make coffee. Besides, Poppy was asleep. "Why do you have to put two and two together?"

As it was Jory was still in for the long haul of getting holiday mail out. He wouldn't be home until late. Yet time was ticking. Alfie was too drained to think.

"You should have known." Steve was adamant as he followed him like a dog sniffing for a bomb, "You should have known better."

"Well, when..when.." Alfie couldn't explain it either. "Look, it's not like..it's not what you think."

"I don't even know if you know what you think it is," Steve sighed as if Alfie better get his act together.

"It is her apartment..or is that your apartment with Poppy," Steve reminded Alfie that nothing had really been changed on the lease. Alfie was just here instead of there. And now Poppy was here too. "Do you really want to live across the hall from the guy who YOU stole his girl away from?"

Alfie festered a frown, and tried to grit a smile. "But..but I want to be with her. I do. I think everything will be for the best now. She needs me."

"Uh-huh, but what about Jory?" That was the big question.

"Maybe..maybe you could-"

"I don't think so," Steve shot him a look.

By then Simon showed up and he had a good laugh about Alfie and Poppy.

"What is so funny?" Steve wanted to know. Now Alfie was afraid Steve might get in a tiff with his boyfriend.

Of course, Simon was fine with Poppy staying here.

"And nobody cares about Jory's feelings what so ever?" Steve was still siding with Jory.

"Stuff happens," Alfie shrugged. "It's just sometimes, we don't know."

"Yeah, until it's too late." It was as if Steve should have been a preacher or maybe a priest. He went to look in the pantry to see what he could make. He'd decided he'd make spaghetti and invite Jory over. "Let's hope nobody chokes tonight."