by Jay Bell
Marcello waved a hand, as if he had done no more than hold open a door for him. “It’s been my pleasure. Truly. Just don’t thank me for letting you go, because I still haven’t given up hope.”
Nathaniel sighed. “Don’t tempt me. It isn’t easy leaving it all behind, but Kelly and I made a promise. If Zero recovered, we would travel together. To see what happens.”
“I think we all know what’s going to happen,” Marcello said. “Surely it has happened many times already! The only difference is this time it will take place in a recreational vehicle, of all things. I would have thought a yacht to be more romantically appropriate.”
“You didn’t pay me that much when I was still working for you,” Nathaniel said. “Besides, I know Zero does okay in a car. I’m not sure how he’d handle a boat.”
“Just don’t forget me,” Marcello said. “Oh, and speaking of transportation, when it’s time to leave there’s a limo out front that will whisk you home. If you must go, you might as well do so in style.”
“Thanks,” Nathaniel said, putting an arm around his shoulders and walking him toward the party. “And for the record… I’m rather fond of you too.”
The rest of the day was spent mingling. Nathaniel didn’t have many friends, but Marcello did. Everyone from the company was there, including Tim and his husband, Ben. Sheila was present, of course, along with Arthur, who kept lying in the coffin Marcello had set up for people to have their photos taken in. Morbid, but the kid seemed to get a kick out of it. Kelly’s friends were there, people from the youth group who were taking advantage of the open bar. He doubted many of them were old enough, but he tried not to worry about that. Layne had a grip on a guy’s arm, and Bonnie was spending every second she could with Kelly. Jason and William were there too, together again, although rumor had it that there was trouble in paradise.
Nathaniel stood at the edge of the party for a while and watched, surprised how many lives had touched his during these years spent in Austin. But now it was time to go.
“Ready?” Kelly asked as the party wore down. The sun hadn’t quite set, but the day had been hot, and most people were eager let their buzzes wear off in the comfort of their own homes.
“Yeah,” Nathaniel said.
He sought out Marcello one more time and found speaking too difficult. They both seemed to feel that way, because Marcello didn’t offer any words. He simply placed a hand on Nathaniel’s cheek and smiled sadly. Then they hugged and parted ways.
As promised, a limo was waiting out front. Zero hopped in first. Nathaniel and Kelly climbed in after him. The driver seemed to know where he was going because the car was in motion before they gave any signal, the doors locking. That struck Nathaniel as odd, but he didn’t have much time to reflect on it because Kelly was holding up two envelopes he’d found, each labeled with one of their names.
“What are these?”
“I don’t know,” Nathaniel said, but he recognized the handwriting. He looked toward the front of the vehicle.
The driver’s window was down, and he seemed to be keeping tabs on them. Or maybe he was just nosey.
“Would you mind pulling over?” Nathaniel said. “We’ve decided to walk.”
The driver’s eyes met his in the rearview mirror. “Sorry, sir, but I can’t do that.”
“Didn’t think so,” Nathaniel said. Then he looked to Kelly, who sat across from him. “Trapped again. Let’s see what the old man has in store for us.”
They opened their envelopes and found that both contained contracts. Nathaniel’s was familiar because it was the same one he’d worked under for all these years. The only difference was a few new paragraphs added to the end. He read them carefully, shaking his head in disbelief. Then he started laughing. “What’s yours say?”
“It’s a job offer,” Kelly replied. “Working for Marcello. I’d be senior art director, which according to this means my ‘sole responsibility’ would be to ‘increase the catalog of available material to a higher standard than typical of stock photography, offering clientele access to imagery of an artistic caliber.’”
“So basically you keep taking your photos, but now you’re guaranteed to get paid for it.”
Kelly nodded. “I’ve had worse offers, and I’m not exactly fond of pimping myself to galleries. What’s yours say?”
“He’s just offering me my old job back,” Nathaniel said. He didn’t mention that it now included the promise that he would one day inherit the studio when Marcello stepped down. They had time to discuss that later, and Nathaniel didn’t want Kelly to feel too tempted if this wasn’t what he truly wanted.
“There is a certain joy in being young,” Marcello’s voice said over the limousine sound system, “and in reveling in spontaneity, but I promise you that many who are no longer young wish they had planned for the future. This practiced traveler intends to provide you with the benefit of his experience while still allowing for your inevitable follies.”
“Is this a recording?” Nathaniel asked.
“Yes, sir,” the driver confirmed.
“By now I hope you’ve reviewed your contracts. No doubt you feel they contradict your plans. Please note, however, that the start date for each position has been left empty. My proposition is that you have your adventures, experience all that life has to offer, and if ever you find yourselves longing for stability once again, that you consider filling in those blank spots with a date of your choosing. Every adventurer should have a home to return to. And a family. I hope you both realize that your home—and much of your family—is here in Austin. I wish you both well.”
The recording ended. Kelly was still grinning. “What do you think? Half a year? Three months?”
“Before we come back?” Nathaniel shook his head. “I think we should decide when we’re ready. There’s no rush.”
Kelly exhaled and nodded. “Okay.”
The limousine slowed, then pulled into a driveway. At first Nathaniel thought they were at Kelly’s house, but the yard was much bigger and the trees taller, meaning the neighborhood was older. He didn’t know where they were, but he did recognize the used RV in the driveway, because he and Kelly had bought it last week.
“Now what?” Nathaniel asked.
“Sir,” the driver said, arm outstretched to offer another pair of envelopes.
They were small, and as Nathaniel took them, he felt hard, flat shapes inside. He already knew what they were when giving one to Kelly.
“The man is insane,” Nathaniel muttered.
Kelly laughed, dumping the contents into his hand. A key. “He just wants to make sure we come home again.”
“So he made sure we have a home to come back to.”
“Do you think he’s renting it or…”
Nathaniel shook his head helplessly. “Who knows? Let’s go find out.”
The keys worked on the front door. The lights were already on inside, illuminating all of Nathaniel’s belongings, which had been relocated without his knowledge. They weren’t enough to fill a house, but that was probably part of the plan. They found paperwork on the kitchen table. Nathaniel sat down and flipped through it. The house was theirs, if they wanted it. All they had to do was sign. Kelly and Zero ran from room to room, while Nathaniel stayed in the kitchen, reading the papers and trying to come to terms with everything. He ignored the two additional envelopes that awaited them, and instead joined Kelly in the fenced backyard. Perfect for Zero.
When they returned inside, Kelly repeated the same question he’d been asking over and over: “This is ours? Seriously?”
“If we want,” Nathaniel said. “It’s up to us.”
“Gosh, let me think about it,” Kelly said, chuckling madly.
Nathaniel joined him.
“What are these?” Kelly said, grabbing the final two envelopes. They were small and square, and as he felt one, he made a funny face. “I think he planned out our entire future. And I mean all of it.”
Nathaniel took the en
velope with his name written on it. Soon he understood Kelly’s reaction. They shook out the contents at the same time, a ring landing in each of their palms.
“Weird,” Kelly said. He tried putting his on and shook his head. “Mine’s too big.”
“Mine’s too small,” Nathaniel said. “It barely fits my pinky. He must have gotten them mixed up. Here.”
“Trade you!”
They held out the rings to each other, and at the same time, realized the significance. Then they froze.
“Are these engagement rings?” Kelly asked nervously. “Or more?”
Nathaniel locked eyes with him. “Does it matter?”
“You tell me.”
“I’m ready for anything,” Nathaniel said, taking his hand. “That’s what these rings will be. A promise. As long as it involves you, I’m game.”
He slid the ring on one of Kelly’s fingers, and allowed the same to be done to him. Zero’s claws clicked across the floor, then he plonked down on his haunches, staring up at them happily. Sort of like he was presiding over a wedding. Kelly and Nathaniel laughed, then looked at each other, lost for words, but certain that the best was yet to come.
__________
Hear the story in their own words!
Many of the Something Like… books are available on audio too. Listen to Tim’s tale while you jog with him, or ignore your fellow airline passengers while experiencing Jace’s story again. Find out which books are available and listen to free chapters at the link below:
http://www.jaybellbooks.com/audiobooks/
Something Like Characters: Series One
Now you can own art worthy of hanging in the Eric Conroy gallery! This first series of cards features five original illustrations created by Andreas Bell, the same hunky guy who does the cover illustrations for the Something Like… books. Each card depicts one of your favorite characters (we hope!) with a selected quote by them on the opposite side. The sixth card features unobscured cover art from the first four books in the series, and will be personalized to you and autographed by Jay Bell. (That’s me!) Find out more details at our store. We’ve got T-shirts and all kinds of stuff too! http://www.jaybellbooks.com/merchandise/
-Table of Contents-
Prologue
Part One - 2004:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Part Two - 2006:
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Part Three - 2013:
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Epilogue