Hope & Despair- Full Circle

by Alan Wild

  Noah wanted to stay with Nate until the nurse arrived. He assured Oliver that he had cared for his grandmother and knew what he was doing. “I know he feels responsible for the attack on Nate even though he is in no way to blame,” Oliver thought. Heading to the kitchen to get ice water and other beverages for Nate to choose from, Oliver checked in with the team.

  There were no new updates, he didn’t expect there to be any. Returning to Nate with a tray of beverage choices, a thought came to Oliver. He called Ajay and Owen over and said, “I think we need to hire a private investigator to see what they can find out about Sal. I’m talking about someone to do the leg work and ask the neighbors for information. I want them to go to all the old addresses and schools. We need all the information we can get.” Ajay said, “I will get Summer to find someone, she has connections all over the US.

  The nurse arrived and began pushing fluids of some sort into Nate’s iv. She was wrapping up her process when Ray arrived. The nurse had a few words with Ray, and he came out to join the rest of the team. “Nate has a fever because his body is fighting an infection. The nurse is treating him with iv antibiotics, so she hopes the fever will drop soon. She also gave him something for the pain and to relax him.”

  Noah made a sigh of relief. He asked what the plan is for Nate. “I understand why Nate is here. What I don’t understand is why he isn’t at a hospital. It would be just as easy to relocate him to another hospital.” Ray said, “That decision was made by Nate, and I, along with the Captain, agreed.”

  “It is easier to isolate and keep him safe along with everyone else in this house. He is going to be fine. We have the doctor coming out in a few hours. I will stay with him, along with the nurse. It doesn’t hurt that you are paying for the security detail.”

  “We are going to leave in a few minutes to look at the new property for our agency. Ray, do you need anything before we leave?” With all of the WIFI and security passwords provided, Oliver said, “We ordered lunch for everyone. We couldn’t risk the breach in security, so when it is ready, can you have one officer go pick it up?”

  With everyone loaded and ready to go with one police officer in each vehicle, one officer in the front and one in back, they drove to their showing with Jake, the commercial realtor. Oliver felt like a million happy little butterflies fluttering and dive-bombing in his chest, with nervous excitement building, he held Noah’s hand to steady himself. After the first failed search, he knew better than to allow himself to get excited.

  Arriving at the building, jaws dropped, and questions began to fly. “This is beautiful Ollie, what in the hell are you planning to do with it?” Asked Willa. With a smile from ear to ear, Oliver said, “I have big plans to expand and offer several services and products.”

  Summer asked, “Are you planning to sublet some of the space? This place is huge.”

  Oliver explained that everything was up in the air. He still needed to buy the building first.

  Everyone gathered at the front entrance, Oliver walked around to the back while Owen called Jake to let him know they were in the front of the building. Jake pulled in and parked next to the line of cars. Hopping out, he asked, “Welcome, and thank you for joining the tour. Where is Oliver? I thought he was joining us.”

  Walking back around to the front, Oliver smiled and reached out to shake Jake’s hand. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with our team. I already love the outside of the building. I do have a question though, if you just pulled up, who’s parked in the back of the building?”

  Two officers cleared the building while the rest stayed with the group. While they waited, Jake spoke to Oliver about the building; all he knew was that it is a foreclosure. Jake said, “You will only need to make changes to the flooring and paint. That is only if you do not like the colors that were selected. Everything has been painted and new floors installed.”

  The officers came out with a third person in tow. Jake recognized the guy and let the officers know he is the maintenance guy. He said, “I apologize, I asked him to attend in case you had questions. Plus, there is something I want him to show you.” Oliver said, “Great, let’s go.” Rocking on the balls of his feet, he grabbed Noah’s hand, and they followed Jake in. Everyone joined the tour, and Oliver said, “Hey team when we get back home, I want you to find out everything you can about this place.

  Walking out of the building, Oliver told Jake, “Draw up the contract and make sure they accept our offer.” Noah asked, “Are you planning to change the paint or the flooring?” With excitement, Oliver said, “I think so, we won’t have to change much. I want to add feature walls and decorative paint. The carpet has to go. What do you think?”

  His eyebrows shot up, and Noah couldn’t stop the smile. “I think you are spot on. It already looks great, but you can make it look so much better.” With his smile slowly changing, Oliver asked, “Would you enjoy working here?”

  “I think it would be a great place to work. It is close enough to your house, and the location is perfect.” Oliver wanted to make sure there were no misunderstandings “I am asking you to work here with me.” Noah, with a smile in place, let out a small chuckle. “For the first time, I understand exactly what you are asking me. I would love to work here with you.”

  Oliver wrapped Noah in a hug and kissed him on the forehead. He turned and asked Jake, “do you mind if I show Noah something in the building before you lock up?” With a sweeping gesture, Jake ushered them into the building. Oliver, leading Noah, was like a kid in a candy store. Excitement radiated from him, sending untapped energy up Noah’s arms, leaving chill bumps in its wake.

  Standing in front of a wall covered by intricately placed wood blocks, Oliver asked, “Do you like it?” Noah said, “It is an amazing art. I love how all of the blocks are different, but they still fit together.” Oliver reached out and pointed at a block of wood and told Noah to press it. Oliver was smiling again and rocking on the balls of his feet. Noah reached out and pressed the block.

  The wall moved, some of the blocks shifted in and out while the wall parted, exposing a hidden room. Oliver pulled Noah in, showing him the room led to an entire apartment. The entrance to the apartment was constructed to look like the exterior of a condo or an apartment building. He told Noah, “This is a safe house, and it is totally autonomous.” Together, they explored the apartment. Looking at the bathroom shower, Noah said, “This isn’t like your shower, will you survive?”

  The place was beautifully constructed with thick plush carpet and granite countertops. The appliances were state of the art. Oliver drooled over the industrial style stove that contained 6 burners and a griddle. Looking at Noah, Oliver asked, “Why didn’t I think about a built-in griddle? This is brilliant.”

  The apartment held two bedrooms and two bathrooms. In the master bedroom, the closet was almost as big as the second bedroom. It contained a state-of-the-art organizational system with compartments for folded clothes and spaces for shoes. The unit had sliding storage walls. One wall was unmovable.

  Noah discovered a hook and asked Oliver, “Why would they place a hook this close to the wall in a compartment?” From where Oliver was standing, he couldn’t see the hook. Noah reached up with his left hand to show Oliver the hook. With his hand on the hook, he wiggled it and said, “This will have to be replaced or tightened because it is loose.” Noah rested his hand on the hook, and it moved but didn’t fall.

  Not knowing exactly what happened, Noah heard a noise. It was Oliver that saw the movement. “There is another secret room in this closet. It is dark, though. Do you have your phone?” Oliver asked. He noticed the blush creeping up Noah’s cheeks, and he said, “You left your phone still charging on the dresser, didn’t you?”

  Noah admitted his guilt. With the roll of his eyes, Oliver blew out a frustrated breath and said, “It is a mobile phone for a reason, and in our situation, you need to have it on you at all times. I was going to use the light, but mine will have to do. With one light on hi
s phone, Oliver and Noah stepped into the room.

  Noah first noticed boxes on top of boxes. Oliver reached over to open a box when they heard Jake ask, “Are you stuck in the closet, Oliver? The whole goal is to come out of the closet.” Grabbing Noah’s hand, they stepped out of the room and pulled the hook. The door closed. Joining Jake, Oliver asked, “How soon after the offer is accepted, can we take possession?”

  Jake explained that the closing takes anywhere between 60 to 90 days. Oliver said, “That isn’t going to work. How can we get in sooner?” Jake smiled and said, “I can put in the contract that you will rent the property until the closing date. I just don’t know if that will be in your budget.” Excited to explore the hidden room, Noah said, “I’ll pay the rent. Offer whatever it takes. We want to move in this week.”

  Chapter 18

  Oliver Thaddeus

  Pulling into the garage, everyone unloaded and slowly made their way into the house. Noah went to check on Nate while Oliver started dinner. Noah walked into the kitchen and asked, “Where is Ray? I just left Nate, the nurse is sitting outside his room, but Ray wasn’t there.” Oliver asked the nurse if she knew where Ray went. She said, “I have no idea, this house is so big, he could be anywhere. I think I heard someone go upstairs, I would check there first.”

  Oliver took the stairs two at a time. He wasn’t really sure what he was going to find. He feared that somehow Sal got into the house. Making it to the top of the stairs as silently as he could, He stopped and listened for any noise at all. He started to look in the room Noah stayed in, but he caught movement in his peripheral. Quietly padding to his room, Oliver stood dumbfounded.

  Standing in front of his laundry hamper was Ray, with a pair of Oliver’s underwear held up to his nose. The look on his face was pure bliss. The realization hit Oliver all at once like a Mack truck. He understood why Ray had gone out of his way to be rude to Noah. Ray all but accused Noah of being the mastermind behind the murders. Oliver’s sinking feeling was overwhelming. He knew things would be awkward between them here on out.

  Oliver would let Ray keep this secret. He stepped out of sight and called Ray. Padding out of the bedroom, Ray said, “I thought I heard noises up here, I came to check the rooms.” Oliver started back down the stairs and said, “Thanks for checking up here. Did anything happen while we were out?” Ray smiled and said, “Your boy is going to be happy. His house will be released soon.”

  Oliver smiled and said, “I asked Noah to live here with me. He can’t go back to that house after what happened there.” “You would be surprised how many people would love to buy that house. He can get top dollar and buy somewhere else. That way, no reminder of what happened.”

  “I will talk to Noah and see what he wants to do. He might just tear the house down.” Said Oliver as he headed back downstairs. Confusion and frustration swirling in his head, Oliver turned at the bottom of the stairs and was tempted to confront Ray about his revelation. Instead, he asked, “Hey, Ray, are you staying for dinner? I’m sure that would make Dario happy.” Oliver flashed his brilliant heart-stopping smile, wiggled his eyebrows, and walked away without waiting for an answer.

  Only when he reached the kitchen could he release the breath he didn’t even know he was holding. Oliver began preparing the food to cook. Ajay walked into the room, and with only a glance at Oliver, he knew something was going on with him. It could have also been that Oliver was chopping onions aggressively. Ajay asked, “What’s going on, and what did the onions do to you to deserve your aggression?” Oliver paused for a moment, looked around, and said, “Not here,” and he dragged Ajay to the hall by the laundry room and garage.

  Ajay, with his face scrunched up and his hands balled into fists, said, “You better have a reason for manhandling me like that. My dates at least kiss me first before dragging me around.”

  Oliver said, “I am fucked. I’m so fucking fucked.” Ajay blowing out air, his smile contradicted his body language. “That sounds like it could be fun, being fucking fucked. I will take the bait, how fucking fucked are you?” Oliver told him everything that happened, leaving out the details of Ray smelling Oliver’s underwear. Oliver said, “You know what happened in college between Ray and me?” Well, he explained the situation. “Shelly, my old roommate told him she would prove that he wasn’t gay. That is something she would do, though.”

  “After he humiliated me in my own bedroom, he had every opportunity to apologize, but he avoided me.” Ajay said, “Fucking duh! Hello, that is what you get when you tell someone to stay away, and you want nothing to do with them.” Oliver squinted his eyes and pushed one finger on Ajay’s chest “How in the fucking hell was I supposed to know that he was in love with me?”

  Ajay knocked Oliver’s finger away and said, “Hmm, I don’t know, maybe it was the way he always looked at you. Or how about the way he always showed up where you were. In high school, he wanted to be like you so he could draw your attention. You were just too damn blind. You fought with him instead of having an ounce of compassion for someone struggling with their sexuality.”

  Wiping at his eyes, he felt the tears building up. Oliver said, “No, that is not me, I didn’t know. If everyone else could see, why not tell me? And fuck you very much, I am very compassionate!”

  “Are you finished?” Ajay asked. “When you moved away to California, you left all of us. I had reached out to Ray just to connect to someone from my past. We grabbed a beer and reconnected. That is when he told me how he felt. I was just as dumb as you were back then; only I also had my own shit to deal with, which blinded me from seeing others' feelings. I am just as guilty as you are about not showing compassion.”

  “In high school, I could see how weird he was around you. I should have known. I was young dumb and full of cum.” Said Ajay as he placed his hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “I am here for you; I am also Ray’s friend too. Don’t hurt him. He may seem like he is this gruff asshole, but you have to know it's an act.” Oliver said, “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you had feelings for Ray.” Ajay said, “That ship has sailed and sunk, my friend.”

  Going back to the task at hand, Oliver was forced to view the situation from a different perspective. Thinking about all of the times he interacted with Ray, he was beginning to feel ashamed of himself for not seeing the obvious sooner. Not paying attention when cutting garlic proved to be a wrong move. Oliver sliced his finger enough for it to bleed profusely. He grabbed paper towels to stop the bleeding. He noticed he got blood on the kitchen towel. He padded to the lower level laundry room with the towel in hand.

  Turning on the light and getting ready to pre-treat the bloodstain, Oliver jumped out of his skin as he let out a startled scream. “Fuck, Noah, you scared the shit out of me. Why are you sitting here in the dark?” Noah had a sad smile on his face. He said, “It is getting a little overwhelming being around so many people. I just needed a break for a bit.” Squatting down where Noah sat, Oliver placed his hand on Noah’s knee. He didn’t miss Noah flinch at his touch. Oliver asked, “What’s going on?” Before Noah could respond, the realization hit Oliver, Noah overheard his conversation with Ajay.

  Noah said, “I think you know. I don’t want to stand in your way of having a relationship with Ray. I can find somewhere to go. I can fly back to Florida and stay with my sister. I can be a bit much, I’ve heard that more times than I care to admit. Ray is a better fit for you, anyway. You have a history together. He knows more about you than I do. He is everything that I am not.”

  Scooting in between Noah and the wall to take a seat, Oliver placed his hand on Noah’s leg and said, “You are right. He does know me, and we do have the past in common. Looking at the surface, everyone would say that Ray is a better fit for me. I would have agreed back in college. I am not the same person as I was back then. I am in touch with myself, and I know who I am, who I am not, and what I need in a relationship. Ray is a great guy, but I know that you are a better fit for me. I know you doubt everything
I say right now. I just ask that you trust me and give me time to prove it to you.”

  Noah rubbed his face with his hands. “I am sure I am overreacting; I am overwhelmed and overstimulated. Everything in my life has changed in the last few weeks. Living alone with minimal contact from anyone, then going to a home where there is someone in every room. Then to have everyone around you know more about you than even you know, it makes me a bit crazy. That isn’t even touching on the fact that I was the prime suspect in Ray’s murder investigation, then going to being stocked and tormented by a crazed psychopath. What is this guy to me anyway? Is Salvatore my uncle or…? what? I don’t even know why he is choosing me. Other than money. There are other family members out there for him to hurt, not that I wish this on anyone.”

  Oliver reached over and pulled Noah on his lap. “I know this is a lot to take in. I too am a handful to deal with. I know this. I am loud at times, I have a foul mouth, and I have my own baggage to deal with. Noah, just give me a chance and let me prove to you that we belong together.” Standing up, Noah and Oliver hugged. Oliver sighed and said, “I should just give up on the idea of cooking for everyone and order out. He started for the door, and Noah stayed where he was. Oliver asked, “Are you coming?” Noah said, “I think I will stay here for a while.” Oliver pulled a sad face and stuck out his bottom lip. He said, “I was hoping you would help bandage my boo-boo.” Oliver raised his finger to show his cut.

  Noah sat with Oliver as the nurse caring for Nate, cleaned and bandaged his cut. Noah asked Oliver, are you always this dramatic when you get a paper cut? The nurse unsuccessfully attempted to stifle a laugh. Oliver said, “Go ahead and laugh, get it out. This hurts, and I bet that I will need stitches.” Oliver reached over and held Noah’s hand and said, “Since it is too late to place such a large order for dinner, you get to help me. How is that for dramatic?”

  Once they were prepping and cooking, they worked together effortlessly. Oliver broke the silence and whispered in Noah’s ear, “What do you think is in the boxes?” Noah smiled and admitted that he forgot about the boxes for the moment. Noah’s expression became serious, and he said, “If it is bad, you can get out of the purchase. That is why it is good to rent before you buy.” Oliver scrunched up his eyebrows and said, “The place is amazing. I don’t think that I will want out of the contract, no matter what we find in the boxes. What I don’t understand is why to go through the trouble of building a hidden room, in a hidden apartment, fill that mysterious hidden room with things you want to keep concealed, then leave it behind.” Noah said, “I guess we will find out soon enough.”