by Darien Cox
Christian squeezed his shoulder. “It’ll be all right. I mean…this is huge but…it’ll work itself out. Just give him some time to absorb it, then I’m sure he’ll come talk to you. Just don’t…”
Nolan lifted his head. “Just don’t push him to talk about it again.”
“Nolan,” Christian said. “We’re friends, right? Close friends?”
“Yeah. I’d kill for you. Even though I want to kill you myself sometimes.”
Christian chuckled. “Right. And I for you. And all I can say is, if I were single, and you suddenly said you had feelings for me? I’d be freaking the fuck out.”
“I know. And he is.”
“So let him sort it out. Leave the ball in his court. He’ll talk to you when he’s ready.”
“Don’t tell JT. I don’t want everyone knowing. I just needed to talk.”
“I won’t tell anyone. I’m your friend, asshole, and I said you can trust me.”
“Thanks, Christian.”
“Hey, when does your shift end?”
“Soon. Why?”
“Myles is coming by to have a drink soon then we’re heading to that haunted attraction at the amusement park. You want to come with us?”
Nolan waved him off. “I appreciate the offer, but not really interested in tagging along on your date.”
“No, it’s not like that. A bunch of people are heading down there tonight. Just come. It’ll be good for you to go out and have some fun. What else are you gonna do? Sit home and brood?”
“Probably.”
“Just come with us.”
Nolan thought about it. Shit, who knew when Ogden would call and monopolize all their time again? “Okay,” he said. “I’ll go.”
“Yay!”
“It’s not that exciting, Christian.”
Christian raised his eyebrows. “Elliot’s show ends soon. Maybe I should call and invite him too?”
“Ah…” Nolan chuckled. “Not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Oh, so you’re gonna start treating him differently now? That’s not the way to smooth things over. If he wants to come you can just act like his friend and be normal. I mean, he is still your friend, isn’t he?”
“Of course! Elliot will always be my friend.”
Christian held his phone up, eyebrows raised.
Nolan sighed. “Fine, call him. I don’t care.”
While Christian made the call, Nolan busied himself at the bar, trying not to listen too intently. But he heard the gist of the conversation.
“Yeah, me and Myles and Nolan. Meeting a few other people there. You should come.”
Nolan served a couple of customers, and by the time he walked back to Christian, he was done with his call. “Well? Is he coming?”
“No. He said he had to work another couple hours and he’d be too wiped out after. Then he cut me off, said he had to go do the weather.”
Nolan felt like he’d been punched in the gut. He’d been on the fence as to whether he thought Elliot would accept the invitation but…he’d been hoping he would. The hurt instantly turned to anger. “He’s lying,” Nolan said. “Firstly, he doesn’t do the weather until quarter past five, that’s in fifteen minutes. Second, he’s got three employees who rotate the evenings and he never does a late show on Thursdays. He’s so full of shit.”
Christian was studying Nolan with narrowed eyes.
“What?”
“You certainly know his schedule well.”
“So?”
“Just saying. I don’t fucking know when Elliot does the weather.”
“What’s your point?”
Christian chuckled. “Let me ask you something, Nolan. What’s Elliot’s favorite color?”
“What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”
“Just humor me a minute.”
Nolan slapped the wet rag down on the bar. “He says he doesn’t have one but I think it’s red because a lot of his tee shirts are red.”
Christian kept his gaze on Nolan. “Okay. What’s his favorite cereal?”
“Why?”
“Just answer the question.”
“He doesn’t like cereal. Unless he has a bad cold, then he craves hot oatmeal with maple syrup.”
“What are his favorite bands?”
“Don’t be stupid. Everyone knows Elliot likes eighties music and what his favorite bands are. There’s nothing telling about that.”
“Okay. Let’s see. Has he ever…broken a bone?”
“Um, yeah, if you count almost losing a finger in wood shop when he was ten. Aside from that he’s only ever broken his toe. It still bothers him sometimes when it rains. I tell him he should take something for it but he never listens. Is there a point to this?”
“Nolan, are you sure you’ve only just developed feelings for Elliot?”
Nolan stared at Christian. He sighed and leaned over. “Shit.”
Christian laughed. “Uh huh.”
“I’ve been telling myself this is a recent development but now that I think about it, I guess I’ve been kind of…over-focused on him for a while now.”
“Ya think?”
Nolan shook his head. “It’s like it’s always been there. Just buried under this locked gate of friendship. When he was on my lap the other night, and I had my arms around him? The weird thing was it didn’t feel weird. I mean, it was weird that it felt so damn good. But to me it just felt…natural. Like of course I should be touching Elliot.”
“But you think it did feel weird to him.”
Nolan nodded.
“Doesn’t mean he didn’t like it. As I said, he probably just needs time to process it.”
“And if he processes it and decides ‘eew gross, Nolan hit on me’ then what? I’ve permanently fractured our friendship.”
“Nolan, come on. Your friendship with Elliot is stronger than that. Shit, JT and I used to live together, we were madly in love, then we broke up. We’re still best friends.”
“Because you have to work together.”
“No, Nolan, because we care about each other.”
Myles appeared suddenly, stepping up behind Christian and wrapping his arms around him. “Who do you care about? Should I be jealous?”
Christian beamed. “Hey, baby.”
A customer waved to Nolan. “Be right back.”
As he fixed a cocktail, he stole glances at Christian and Myles as they spoke closely and flirted shamelessly with each other. Myles was off duty, dressed in jeans and a green sweater, his short dark hair neatly combed. He was like a different guy off duty, his smile wide and relaxed, blue eyes watching Christian with such adoration it made Nolan feel like a voyeur.
“Nolan,” Myles called out. “So you’re coming with us?”
“Yeah.” He approached the two lovebirds. “I’m done here in twenty minutes. You can go ahead and I’ll meet you if you want.”
“No, we’ll wait,” Myles said. “Would you bring me a whiskey?”
“Sure thing.” As Nolan was getting Myles his whiskey, he spotted a head of short, pale blond hair out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over and saw Tim Patterson sit down on the stool next to Christian and Myles. Oh. Great.
“Here you go.” Nolan handed Myles his whiskey.
“Thank you.”
“Hey, Nolan.” Tim smiled up at him, drumming his hands on the bar. “You look good.”
“Hey Tim. What can I get you?”
“You on the menu?”
Christian rolled his eyes. “Stop hitting on my friend, Tim, or he won’t come with us.”
“Sorry! I’ll take an Arctic Angel. Please.”
Nolan gave Tim a glance then brought him his beer. “So you’re going too?”
“To the haunted attraction?” Tim said. “Yeah. Didn’t know you were coming. It’s a nice surprise.”
Nolan gave Myles hard eyes, and Myles shrugged slightly. Nolan supposed it wasn’t a big deal that Tim was going. Except that now it felt like a double date.
And Tim wouldn’t stop smiling at him. So clearly he had the same thought.
Fuck it. Elliot actually lied to get out of seeing me. Spending the evening with Tim fawning over him like he was god’s gift wasn’t exactly a hardship. He’d just roll with it and try to have a good time. They’d be in a crowd. As long as Tim didn’t try to grab his balls or something, he could handle socializing with the forest ranger.
“Nolan!” Tammy walked in behind the bar and punched his bicep, her bright red dreadlocks pinned up in a pile on her head. “You’re off the hook, babe.”
“Cool.” He turned to Christian. “Tammy’s here to relieve me. I’m good to go when you guys are.”
Tim Patterson downed his entire beer in three gulps. He slammed the glass down and stood. “Ready.”
Myles frowned at Tim. “Way to be subtle, Tim. I haven’t finished my whiskey yet.”
“Then shoot it!”
Myles rolled his eyes and tossed back the whiskey.
Christian slid off his stool. “You can dump the rest of my martini. I’m not gonna do it like a shot, sorry Tim.”
“Wimpy,” Tim said.
Nolan picked up Christian’s martini and drank it down, then set the empty glass aside.
“Whoa,” Tim said. “We’re off to a good start.”
Nolan grunted. “Meet you guys in the parking lot. I need to cash out.”
The three of them left, and Nolan poured himself another shot of vodka before settling his tabs for the evening.
“Trying to get drunk?” Tammy said as she stepped up to the cash register beside him.
Nolan drained the vodka shot. “Yeah. Think I’m probably gonna need it tonight.”
****
Elliot threw his leather jacket on over a Billy Idol tee shirt and headed out the door. Leaving the house was a last minute decision when he realized what killjoy he was being. When Christian asked him to join them at the haunted attraction, he’d panicked. Christian, Myles, Nolan, and Elliot? Sounded too much like a double date, and considering the tension with Nolan, he figured it would be awkward.
Until he realized that by avoiding Nolan, Elliot was the one making it awkward. If he wanted things to go back to normal with Nolan, then he needed to start acting normal. And that meant hanging out with his friends, not hiding in the radio station like a wuss.
His spirits lifted when he got to the amusement park and saw what they’d done with the place. Elliot walked through the crowd down a corridor of funhouses, flashing lights, moaning ghosts, each structure colorfully themed with monsters and mayhem. It was like someone had dumped a big bucket of Halloween down on a miniature Vegas strip.
The scent of fried dough and pizza filled the air. Tattered zombies shuffled around. One of them growled and pawed at Elliot’s arm. A dancing skeleton juggled the glow-sticks he sold from a big white bucket. Screams and spooky music spilled out of the haunted houses. And up ahead, strung with bright pumpkin lanterns, was the beer tent. Knowing his friends, if they weren’t in the beer tent, they’d at least be close by.
He started that way when someone called his name.
“Elliot.”
He turned around and saw Tyler, Ogden’s soldier, and newest resident of Singing Bear Village. “Oh, hey. What’s up?”
Tyler shrugged, looking bored. His hair was dark blond, like Elliot’s, but buzzed close to his head, military style—like everything else about him. Elliot had been vaguely interested in getting to know Tyler when they first met. He was short but had a ripped little body and cute, boyish face. But since moving to the village, they’d all gotten to know Tyler better, and the consensus was that he was a bit odd. Never really let go of the job, rarely smiled, a compact military robot who made clear he didn’t want to be in the village. At least he was dressed festively, in a faded black tee shirt with a skull on the front.
“There’s some Clive Barker artwork in there,” Tyler said, pointing to one of the structures. “Lame shooting range over there where these plastic ghosts pop up. So stupid. The rest is mostly haunted houses.”
“You been in any of them?”
“Fuck no!” Tyler huffed at Elliot like he’d said something crazy. “Those places are a security nightmare. All dark and filled with strangers. Perfect place to get stabbed.”
“I see. You here alone?”
“Well yeah. I don’t know anyone in the village.”
“You know us,” Elliot reminded him.
“Huh? Oh. Yeah.”
Elliot rolled his eyes. “Well, I was gonna go up to the beer tent and grab a cold one. You want to come?”
Tyler shrugged. “Might as well.”
“You flatter me with your enthusiasm, Tyler. Come on. Let’s grab a beer.”
As they walked, Tyler said, “Nice job bringing home that alien jumpsuit. Ogden is stoked.”
Elliot glanced at Tyler. “You have clearance for that?”
“Of course. Not sure why you guys insist on underestimating my position.”
“Jesus, relax. I was just curious. I’m sure you’ve very important.”
Tyler nodded, the sarcasm seemingly lost on him. “Yeah. They’ve already got the science team crawling all over it from what I hear.”
“What do you think they’re gonna do with it?”
“Alien piss?” Tyler snorted. “What do you think they’re gonna do with it?”
“I’d assume they’d start with med tech. Genetic stuff. See if there’s any magic cures in there.”
“Don’t be naïve, Elliot.”
Elliot scowled at him. “What does that mean?”
“You’ve worked for Ogden longer than I have. They’re trying to reconstruct the Whites’ anatomy. You know damn well they’ll focus on human medical advancement after they see if they can use that DNA to figure out a way to kill the Q-Tips.”
Elliot stopped walking, grabbing Tyler’s arm. “Kill the Whites?”
“Well not like right now! Just in case, you know? Security comes first.”
“Funny. I would have thought saving lives came first.”
“It is saving lives if the Whites attack and we have no way to defend against them.”
“There’s no indication the Whites have any hostile intent. I’m pretty sure Ogden knows that. I doubt his first project upon getting his hands on their DNA is creating weapons against them.”
Tyler’s face lit with a rare grin. “Shit, man. Do you even know who you work for? You and your fringe team are so fucking spoiled. Hanging out in your little pubs and having your little bonfire parties. Making friends with that hybrid Q-Tip. Some of us have a country to protect.”
“Oh I see,” Elliot said. “Yet here you are. Walking around the village spooky fair all by yourself. Shooting at plastic ghosts. Yes, Ogden must see you as a crucial defender of the republic.”
Tyler squinted at Elliot. Elliot smirked at him and got a small smile in return. “Anyway.” Tyler chuckled. “You said something about beer?”
“Is that a smile? A laugh even? I’m stunned.”
“You often make me laugh against my will. It’s annoying. Anyway. Beer?”
“Yeah. Beer. Let’s go.”
They entered the beer tent and moved through the raucous drunks toward the bar. “Is Nolan gonna be here tonight?” Tyler asked.
Elliot ordered them two drafts. “Maybe. Why? You into Nolan?”
Tyler shrugged. “Isn’t everyone?”
Elliot laughed, shaking his head. “No comment.”
“He barely speaks to me anyway. I’d rather hang out with you. Least you’re honest. Speak your mind. I don’t trust people who are too quiet. Means they’re hiding something.”
“We’re all hiding something. Kind of our job.” Elliot gently touched the bottom of Tyler’s cup and led it to his mouth. “Drink, Tyler. Relax. Stop looking over your shoulder for snipers. Everything’s not a conspiracy.”
Tyler took a sip of beer. “Yes it is. You of all people should know that.”
“Yeah, well
I like to take a night off now and then.”
“Elliot!”
Elliot turned toward the female voice that called his name. He spotted Marybeth’s head of curly blonde hair. She waved to him. And she was seated at a table with Nolan. And Christian. And Myles. And…
Tim-fucking-Patterson.
Elliot’s teeth clenched. He forced a smile and waved back. Nolan caught his eye and smiled, looking gorgeous as ever in a gray fleece, dark hair tied back in a loose ponytail.
“Let’s go sit with them,” Tyler said. “It’s cool that Sheriff Murphy knows everything now, don’t you think?”
Elliot turned to Tyler. “Sure, but Tim Patterson is there, and Marybeth, and they do not know anything. So watch what you say.”
“Please.” Tyler snorted. “I know who knows what. I’ve got a dossier on everyone in this village. Including you.”
“Right. Because you’re behind the curtain and more important than us and so on.”
Tyler shrugged and sipped his beer. “Yep.”
Before they could venture toward the table, the entire group got up and approached them instead. As they walked over, Elliot noticed Tim lean in and whisper something in Nolan’s ear, hand on his shoulder.
Is Nolan on a date with Tim?
A coil of possessive snakes writhed through Elliot’s body, wanting to strike at the blond forest ranger. He tried to numb them into submission by chugging his beer.
“Hey ugly,” Christian said, gripping Elliot’s face. “Thought you were working?”
“I changed my mind.”
“I’m so glad.” Christian hugged Elliot. “I love you.”
Elliot frowned at Christian. “Are you guys wasted?”
Christian stepped back and smiled at him. “Just a little. Like…halfway wasted.”
“Elliot’s my friend now,” Patterson said, and was suddenly slinging an arm around him. “Isn’t that right, friend?”
Elliot snorted. “Really? Since when?”
“Oh come on,” he slurred. “We talked, remember?”