Stay_Men of Hidden Creek

by Avery Ford

  Besides, the attention might do him some good.

  Austin unlocked his front door and entered first, then cleared the way so Hale could follow. Hale stepped inside, looked around, and frowned.

  “I didn’t expect the layout of your apartment to be so different from Michael’s. Weird.”

  “I’m pretty sure this wing of the building used to be an old house they gutted and incorporated into the complex,” Austin said. He crossed the room to sit on the couch. “There are some signs that the place was gutted and restored. I haven’t lived here long enough to know for sure, and to be honest, I’m not interested enough to ask the administration, but that’s my running theory.”

  “Hmm.” Hale perched on the arm of the couch, not really sitting or supporting any of his weight, like he didn’t intend to stay for long. “Well, if you ever find out, let me know, I guess. I’m curious now.”

  “I will.” Austin paused. “So, what’s going on? What do you mean you want me to help you?”

  Hale nodded and blew out a breath through his lips. “Right. Okay. So, here’s the deal. Michael is gone.”

  “Is that really news?”

  Hale glared at him. “Yes, it’s news. I know that he’s not exactly the most dependable or reliable person, but usually he’ll at least reply to me nagging him through text, even if it’s just to tell me to fuck off. This time is different. He’s not answering my calls, my texts, or my emails. He’s gone.”

  “I still don’t think that’s abnormal for him.”

  “I do. That stench you were complaining about? The one coming from his apartment? He’d left food out, and it had started to rot. There was mold everywhere.”

  “He lives on his own. That’s not great, but I’m pretty sure that there’ve been people who’ve done worse.”

  Hale sighed loudly. “There was urine left in the toilet, and a puddle of it dried on the floor. Say what you want about Michael, but it’s not like him to do something like that.”

  “So what, exactly, do you want me to do about it?” Austin leaned back against the couch and looked Hale over. It was clear from his posture that he was distressed about the situation, but if he thought that Austin kept tabs on Michael, he was barking up the wrong tree. Austin spent as much time as he could ignoring the fact that his ex-friend lived across the hall. “You seem to know more than I do.”

  “About the situation, sure. But about Michael? Probably not. I know that you guys... had a falling out.” Hale hesitated, and it made Austin wonder how much he really knew. “But you knew each other in the Navy. You spent years together, even if you weren’t exactly friends anymore. I think you might know him, and his behavior, a little better than you let on. Did you notice that he was acting weird lately, or if there were any strange people coming by his place? I found a note, and it makes me think that there’s someone else involved in this—maybe a group of people. Do you have anything you might be able to tell me? I’m out of leads, and I don’t know where else to go from here.”

  “A note?”

  “It was cryptic. I think it was talking about meeting someone at Grind, but the rest of it, I didn’t understand. It said, ‘Grind at eight. Don’t forget. Quarter down, or they will come.’”

  “Quarter down?” Austin ran a hand through his hair. “Sounds like he might have been buying something. You’re sure it was a note about something malicious and not a run-of-the-mill reminder?”

  “Then why write something as ominous as ‘they will come?’” Hale turned so that he was facing Austin, one leg resting on the opposite knee. “And why write it in secret code?”

  “Maybe because he knew you’d come snooping around his apartment, and he didn’t want your nose in his business.” Austin smirked. “... Kind of like you’re doing right now.”

  “It’s a code we made together during our childhood to send each other messages. I have a feeling that if he wanted to hide something from me, he wouldn’t have written it in code I could understand, and he probably would have hidden the message a little better. It was on his bedside table.”

  Austin didn’t know whether Hale was simply paranoid, or if he was onto something. Regardless, a creeping feeling started to spread through his gut. Either something was seriously wrong with Michael, or Hale had boundary issues. Either outcome wasn’t great.

  “Okay, let’s say I believe you,” Austin said. “Let’s say that these ominous they people took Michael for whatever reason. What am I going to be able to do to help you? I don’t know any more about this than you do.”

  “The easiest way you could help is by telling me where Michael’s haunts are.” Hale looked Austin in the eyes, unafraid to engage. “We were best friends until he started getting too cool for me during his senior year in high school, and when he left for the Navy, we drifted apart even more. You hung out with him all through your senior year. You would know. Where might he be, if he’s not being held somewhere against his will? It’s been three weeks that he’s been gone.”

  “If I could help you, I would. You know that Michael and I aren’t on the best terms, but that doesn’t mean that I wish him ill. I’m not withholding information from you, Hale. I legitimately do not know.”

  The cocky confidence on Hale’s face faded and gave way to wavering uncertainty. “You don’t even have a lead? An inkling? I’m grasping at straws. I knew Michael when he was a kid, but I know that he grew up in senior year. It’s... I just need something to work from. Anything at all.”

  Austin exhaled slowly through his mouth, prolonging the sigh to give himself time to speak. He’d spoken too soon. Growth meant change, and change meant stepping outside his comfort zone, but it didn’t necessarily mean throwing himself overboard into turbulent waters while he did it. Whatever was going on with Michael and Hale was trouble no matter which way he sliced it. It was best not to get involved.

  But on the other hand, Hale had been the one who’d made him feel something after months of emotional numbness. Didn’t he owe it to the man who’d revitalized his life—even if only momentarily—to step in when he was in need of help?

  “Look...” Austin hesitated. “I want to help. I don’t know how much help I can be, but I can try to fill you in on what you might not know, if you like. We can revisit some high school memories, maybe figure out where Michael might have gone if he’s laying low. Sound good?”

  The expression on Hale’s face spoke for him. “It sounds great.”

  “So, we’ll—”

  “And it’d sound better yet if we talked about it over dinner.” Hale’s smile turned into a smirk. He met Austin’s gaze, and Austin found his pulse picking up. “Do you want me to order something from Rocket, or do you want to cook me something? I’m easy either way.”

  Austin was left grasping at straws. He wanted to help Hale, but he hadn’t exactly signed up to make him dinner. That was taking it a little far. “Well...”

  “I’m allergic to bell peppers,” Hale said. “That’s about it in terms of food allergies. I’m not a big fan of overly sweet foods, but I don’t think that’s going to be much of an issue, is it?”

  “No,” Austin said. Before he could continue to say that he was willing to help, but not exactly keen to have an unexpected guest for dinner, Hale hopped to his feet and clapped.

  “Great. Then I guess it sounds like you’re cooking, is that right?”

  Austin blinked. Hale had a way of twisting everything he said, and he was sure that if he did any more talking, he was only going to sink himself deeper.

  “I’ll take your silence as a yes.” Hale winked. “I’m fantastic in the kitchen, did you know that? Let’s get started on something together. There’s nothing like some busy work to get lips going.”

  “What are you even saying?” Austin asked. He picked himself up off the couch, trailing behind as Hale found his way into the kitchen. “I’m not following you at all.”

  Hale reached the counter and turned to face him. He braced both of his hands on the counte
r behind him. “What I’m saying is, if we’re working together on something fun, you’re going to be looking for something to talk about. If you can start stream-of-conscious talking about Michael, then maybe we’ll find a few hints as to where he might of gone. Does that make more sense?”

  Austin tightened his lips. Hale’s energy was contagious, but he wasn’t interested in catching it. He’d been so caught up in his own world that being dragged into someone else’s felt like an assault on his sensibilities.

  But if I never challenge myself to step outside my comfort zone, then I’ll never grow...

  “Alright,” Austin said uneasily. “Let’s try it your way, then. You want to look through my fridge and tell me what you might like for dinner, Master Chef?”

  “Fresh ingredients on hand?” Hale raised an eyebrow. “I should invite myself over for dinner more often. You’re going to feed me better than I usually eat at home. Color me impressed.”

  “I’m a man of many surprises.”

  “Then let’s hope you keep on surprising me tonight.” Hale opened the fridge and ducked down to start rooting through the bottom shelves, but before he disappeared from sight, Austin thought he saw flirtation twist Hale’s lips and a glimmer in his eyes. Austin’s heart skipped a beat, and his stomach felt like it was filled with helium. He was excited that Hale was interested in him, he realized, and it troubled him not because it was unwelcome, but because it wasn’t enough.

  But isn’t that what I wanted? To feel desired? That’s where it was supposed to end. So why do I suddenly want more?

  “Here we go,” Hale declared. He’d found enough vegetables to make a stir-fry and discovered Austin’s spicy peanut sauce in the fridge door. “Do you have rice? I wouldn’t mind throwing in some beef or tofu in there if you wanted some protein, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to eat chicken for a few days at least.”

  “I’ve got some tofu,” Austin said. “I’ll take care of preparing it and get the rice on to cook if you want to wash the vegetables and get them ready for frying.”

  “On it.” Hale brought the vegetables to the counter. “So, let’s start talking. Tell me about Michael like you knew him back in high school. I want to know everything you have to say.”

  Austin doubted that. He’d temper his story and leave out the bad. His friendship with Michael wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. “Everything” would be a story for another day.

  Chapter Eight

  Austin

  Hale hummed as he washed the vegetables. His song was almost drowned out by the running water, but Austin’s ear was trained to him, and he knew he wasn’t imagining the melody. He watched Hale out of the corner of his eye, sticking to his end of the counter as he set the steaming chamber of his rice cooker back into the device. There was something about Hale that was unusual—and it wasn’t just his penchant for inviting himself over for dinner. There was a quality to him that was rare, and Austin didn’t have a word for it. He figured that whatever it was, it was the same kind of sparkle that had caught Mary’s eye and turned her into his pet project during her senior year.

  As Hale washed the vegetables, he moved his hips from side to side slowly. The pants he wore showed off his slender hips and clung to his tight ass, and Austin couldn’t help but notice how, when Hale moved like that, his ass swayed in tantalizing ways.

  Tantalizing? Seriously? What the hell is wrong with me?

  Austin pushed down the button on the rice cooker and covered the steaming chamber with its lid. When he was done, he stepped over to the fridge and distracted himself by pulling out the tofu. It was going to expire in a few days, and while Austin was glad he had a use for it tonight, he still wasn’t overly thrilled with the fact that he had company. Getting used to Hale was going to take some time.

  “Do you remember the house party you threw in your senior year?” Hale asked. He didn’t turn away from the sink, but he spoke loudly enough that his voice was heard over the sound of running water.

  “Yeah.”

  “You and Michael went down into the basement. You were playing strip poker.” Hale snorted. “I was jealous as all hell, and nervous that I was being left alone, but it wasn’t such a bad night, was it?”

  “No, it was fine. We didn’t get busted, everyone had a good time, and it cemented me as a cool kid in the Hidden Creek senior class, even though I was the new kid.”

  “The new kid is always the coolest kid, even if he’s dorky,” Hale said. “Anything new here is cool. New store? You bet your ass it’s cool, even if it sells kitchenware, or orthopedic shoes, or dialysis treatments.”

  Austin laughed, surprising himself. He set the tofu on the counter and ran his hand over his jaw. If Hale noticed that he was stunned, he didn’t make it known. He continued to speak.

  “Over that summer, word spread through town that there was a new kid. Everyone was talking about it. Before you even met anyone, you were the talk of the town. But then to find out that the new kid was actually a cool kid? It kind of blew everyone’s minds.”

  “So was my new-kid status the reason why Michael hung out with me?”

  “Mmm.” Hale turned off the water and shook the excess off the kale in his hand. “Michael was friendly to everyone, pretty much. He was even friends with me, his awkward younger cousin, until he hit his senior year and I was a freshman, when it would have been social suicide for him to be seen with me.”

  “That didn’t stop Mary Chilt,” Austin said. “She swept you under her wing and didn’t let you go.”

  “It’s different for girls. There are different sets of rules.” Hale set the kale on the paper towel he’d been placing all the other washed veggies on. “Michael hung out with you because he wanted to, I know it. He isn’t the kind of guy who does things because they’re expected of him—he does things because they’re what he wants to do.”

  Austin huffed another laugh. “You can say that again. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me in the least that he’s pulled a disappearing act. Michael is infamous for doing his own thing.”

  “But this time is different.” Hale’s tone changed. The light-hearted conversation they’d been having before shifted gears toward the serious. “I know that you’re not completely convinced, but you’re going to have to believe me on this one. Besides, what do you have to lose?”

  “Oh, I don’t know… my time, my patience, my sanity…”

  “Ha ha.” Hale dried his hands on the cloth hanging over the handle of the stove. “Well, what about your chance at salvaging your friendship with Michael? What if something terrible did happen, like I warned about, and you were the one who ended up saving him? I’m pretty sure whatever bridges you burned in the Navy would be rebuilt after something like that.”

  “Michael?” Austin snorted. “Michael is the reason why we’re not friends right now, not me. We went from hanging out at Rocket together on Thursday nights, drinking malts and talking about everything and anything, to barely being able to pass each other in the halls without glaring.”

  “What changed?”

  “He did.” Austin peeled back the plastic covering from the corner of the tofu and drained it. As he spoke, he kept preparing it for frying. “I was headed back to my bunk one time—this was before I met Eleanor—and I caught him in there stealing my shit. My good headphones had gone missing the week before, and I caught him in there trying to lift my iPod.”

  “Are you serious?” Hale leaned against the counter, his eyes on Austin. Austin felt the intensity of his stare. “He was stealing from you?”

  “Well, I put a stop to that real quick.” Austin shrugged. “I don’t have proof that he took my headphones, but I’m ninety percent sure it was him. He started acting strangely once we left home, but it was that incident that finally did in our friendship.”

  “Did he ever steal from you before?” Hale asked. “Like, did you ever notice anything go missing while you were here in Hidden Creek?”

  Austin paused. Hale was Michael
’s cousin—shouldn’t he have defended him blindly? He found himself impressed that Hale was impartial enough toward the situation that he was able to distance himself from his blood loyalties. It wasn’t often family was willing to hear that one of their own was up to no good.

  “No. At least, I never noticed anything. I suppose he could have been stealing from other people, though. He’d have a larger crowd to lift things from. It would have been less suspicious if he spread out his thefts. In the Navy, I was his only friend at first. I guess that’s why he thought he could get away with it—people knew that we were on good terms, so I guess no one thought twice about him hanging around my space when I wasn’t there.”

  Austin grabbed one of his larger knives from the block on the counter and laid the tofu out on a cutting board. He started to cube it.

  “Did you ever get your headphones back?” Hale asked.

  “No.”

  “I… I really don’t know what to make of that.”

  “I honestly didn’t want to tell you.” The knife hit the cutting board at a rhythmic pace. “No one wants to hear that their loved one isn’t the golden boy they thought he was. I figured that it was our business, not anyone else’s, and as long as he didn’t keep it up, I told myself I’d let it be. If you hadn’t come in here asking about it, I wouldn’t have told you.”

  “I’m not angry or anything. I’m… surprised, I guess. Michael really did change, didn’t he?” Hale sounded troubled, and Austin’s heart went out to him. It couldn’t have been an easy thing to hear. “But I think that gives us what we need to keep looking for him. We can start investigating petty crimes in the area. I don’t really follow up with local news unless it makes its way to me through the gossip mill, but I’ve been so busy covering for Michael since he decided to skip out on work that I haven’t had much of a chance to be social. I think our best bet is probably to start combing back through the local newspapers. We can head to city hall and pick some up—I know they’ve always got those displays in the lobby filled with old issues. As long as we act soon, I don’t think anyone is going to clean them up before we get there.”