Chapter 23: Seeking Company

Eddie's office was downtown, right across from the courthouse. The small firm he worked for was on the fourth floor, while the rest of the building consisted of two competing real-estate agencies and a gym, which he happened to be a member of.

Working for Eddie was definitely not the most thrilling experience of my life. The temp he'd hired was a seventy-year-old woman with a hearing problem, and she kept falling asleep at the front desk; but I guess it didn't matter, since I'd picked up how the phone system worked faster than she had, anyway. I did find the paper shredder my first day there, though. That kept me entertained for a whole ten minutes before I accidentally shredded something that Eddie needed and he told me I couldn't play with it anymore. He wouldn't even let me listen in to his end of the phone calls that sounded like they might be a little bit interesting. All I was allowed to do was answer phones. I was so bored that I asked Eddie to give me something to do that would at least keep me busy. He ended up handing me the windex and a roll of paper towels. That kept me busy, but only because when I was done with his office, he told me I could take care of the rest of the floor, too. The next day, I borrowed a few of Jase's books to take along with me.

I don't think it was the best idea for Eddie to take me to work with him, and not just because I didn't like it. It was also because in his office I think I annoyed him. He was a different person there. Direct. Decisive. Way too serious. Every time he met with someone his smile seemed fake to me, but maybe that's because I'd seen Eddie's real smile. I didn't really care for Office Eddie all that much.

But just because I didn't take to going to work with Eddie, didn't mean that I considered the experience a complete waste of time. The next two days gave me time to cool down about Aaron. I didn't know if he'd tried to call. Luke had blocked his number from the phone. But, I didn't see him, and I think that was for the best. And Eddie seemed to like me going to work with him, even if we could both agree that it wasn't the perfect job for me. On Monday and Tuesday he took long lunches. On Monday we ate across the street with Tom Conner, who couldn't stop talking about how much his wife liked the patio; and afterwards, Eddie and I went to see a movie. On Tuesday, we did lunch, and then ice cream, and right when I thought we were headed back to the office, Eddie said that he wanted to do some shopping. I was pretty sure that he was taking these long breaks to convince me that I wasn't being punished, but when I brought it up to him, telling him that he didn't have to, his response to me was that it wasn't about trying to prove anything. He just wanted to spend time with me.

On Wednesday, I woke up at nine in the morning, and panicked. I was under the impression that I was supposed to wake up at six in the morning and go to work with Eddie, at least for the rest of the week. Upon further investigation, I discovered that Eddie had already left to work. Luke and Jase were gone, too, so I couldn't even ask why he hadn't woken me up.

I was surprised by how disappointed I was by this. I mean, I hated being cooped up in that office, but when Eddie wasn't working, I really had been having fun. It was a good distraction from everything else. I was worried that my performance in his office had been so poor that he didn't want me there anymore, and this bothered me.

I made my way to the kitchen and looked on the refrigerator door, feeling pleased to find that Eddie's office number was still there. I called it, talked the temp through how to transfer me, and then dialed it again when she accidentally hung up. On my third attempt, she'd at least had the sense to tell Eddie that I was trying to get through and he answered the phone himself.

"Rory?"

"You didn't wake me up," I accused, and then hoped that it wasn't a bad accusation. It was completely possible that Eddie had tried to wake me up and found the task impossible. I'd been up late the night before swimming and watching movies with Luke.

"I know," Eddie replied, sounding mildly amused. "I thought you might want a break. Besides, I'll be in court for most of the day and you'd be bored out of your mind."

"Oh."

"I'll probably be home a few hours before dinner. Do you want to give driving a try again?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied, still feeling a little disappointed. Keeping busy had become a great strategy to keep my mind off other aggravating things. I'd planned on being busy again today, but now that my schedule had been pretty much cleared, I had no idea what to do with myself.

"Alright, I should be home by four, but I'll call you if it's going to be any later, alright? I've got to get going, Rory."

"Okay, bye." I hung up the phone and looked over at Chey. She was scratching at the door. Obviously, she wasn't the only one who wasn't a fan of staying inside all day. Which is exactly what I figured I'd end up doing.

I let Chey out and headed downstairs to get dressed, not sure why I was bothering. I was probably going to end up lying on the sofa all day. But, my mood did improve when I discovered that the bruise on my face was practically gone. There was still a place next to my eye that was a little red, but it wasn't noticeable. And even better, the hickey had almost completely faded. Over the last few days, I'd taken to telling myself that it was my last reminder of Aaron, and when it was gone, he would be, too. I'm sure things weren't really as simple as I tried to make them out to be, but either way, I wanted that hickey gone.

By the time I was at the back door letting Chey back inside, I'd decided that I wasn't going to just sit around all day doing nothing. I had all day before Eddie would be home and I had any plans. And it wasn't like I wasn't allowed to leave the house. I had no idea where I planned to go, but I figured that as long as I had that cell phone there was no way I could run into trouble, at least where Eddie was concerned.

I decided to borrow the bike again, and this time, I let Chey come with me. I stayed off the road, navigating my way through brush and more than a few cactuses, Chey circling me as I went, exploring the land surrounding the house, and then beyond it as I followed the road towards Seth Fisher's house.

Yes, I was deliberately going in the direction of Seth's house. I wasn't sure what I planned to do when I got there. There was a good chance that I'd just look at it before I turned around and headed back home. But, I'd been thinking about Seth. Oddly enough, I'd been thinking about Seth more than Aaron. But, that could have been because every time Aaron crept into my mind, I'd end up with knots in my stomach, so I avoided it every time I could. But Seth--I'd managed to spend hours with him on Sunday without going completely crazy. While I hated that he wouldn't give me all the information that I wanted regarding Aaron, like I'd told Luke, Seth wasn't that bad. At least, this new side of him wasn't so bad. This nice side of him. He was being nice to me. That whole thing really threw me for a loop. It made me suspicious, but it also got me thinking. I wondered if Seth had always been nice, and I just hadn't noticed before. Maybe his previous attitude had been to match the one I had towards him. And, I did have an attitude towards him. I could admit it. But in my defense, he'd given me enough reason to hate his guts when I first met him. Maybe it had all been a misunderstanding, or maybe Seth was playing me for a fool. Logic told me to stay away from the situation entirely. Curiosity had me riding into his driveway and leaving the bike next to the blue truck parked there.

The German shepherds in the backyard started barking, probably because Chey was with me, so I grabbed her collar as I headed for the door, not wanting her to go wandering off while I was distracted. But I never reached the door with Chey before it opened and Seth appeared in the doorway, wearing the hat he'd purchased when I was with him on Sunday, and looking twice when he saw me there.

"Hey," he said, taking a cautious step in my direction. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"Oh..." Seth replied, obviously accepting my response, even as he looked past me in a suspicious manner that suggested that he wasn't sure if I was alone. "So, you didn't stop by to egg my house or write something dirty on the driveway with shaving cream, right?"

I considered the question.

"No," I decided.

"Okay. So, do you wanna put your dog in the backyard and come in?"

I looked down at Chey, hesitated for a moment, and then shrugged.

"Okay, but, I'm not, like, interrupting anything, am I?" I really wasn't in the mood to help out with anymore of Seth's family projects. At least not at the moment.

"Just me and the pool boy," Seth responded as he headed towards the gate. He stopped when he realized that I wasn't with him, and looked back to see something resembling shock and perhaps curiosity on my face. He laughed. "You've been in my back yard. We don't even have a pool, and the only boy around here who would be forced to clean it if we did, is me."

"Right," I replied, shaking my head as I pulled Chey forward and let her slip through the gate with Seth's dogs when he opened it.

"I didn't know if you'd come back," Seth said honestly as I followed him into the house.

"Neither did I."

"And you don't know why you're here?"

"Nope."

"Fair enough. So did you get in trouble the other day for forgetting your phone?"

"Not really," I replied. Maybe Eddie had gotten kinda mad at me, but I really didn't feel like I'd been in too much trouble. Plus, Eddie's insistence that I go to work with him had been a good thing. Things felt like they were calming down after Aaron. I needed that. I needed to not think about him. And oddly enough, I think that's part of why I'd ended up with Seth. If Seth had made anything clear, it was that he didn't want to talk about Aaron. A few days ago that had annoyed me. Now, it suited me just fine.

"That's good; want something to drink?"

"No thanks," I replied. "Um... I probably won't be here long."

"Oh, okay. So, you wanna go upstairs? I was just hanging out and waiting for Angela to call, anyway."

"Were you planning on leaving?" I asked, wondering why he hadn't said something when I'd asked if I was interrupting anything.

"When she calls," Seth replied, shrugging as he led the way upstairs. "I have to go to work later, too, but not until four thirty. She could call anytime between then and now."

"Oh."

We reached Seth's room, and a quick look around told me that there was no way of telling exactly what he'd been doing before I got there. He had a pile of laundry on his bed, half of which was folded; there was an opened book on the sofa and a race car video game on his television; a new photo album on the floor, next to a pile of photographs ready to be placed inside of it; and the stereo was blaring. His room wasn't trashed by any means, but it wasn't as organized as it had been the last few times I was there.

Seth took a seat on the sofa, pushing the book aside as he lifted a remote control and changed the television screen to cable, flipping through the muted channels.

"Why do you act like you're going out with her if she's not your girlfriend?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Angela," I replied. "You act like she's your girlfriend."

"Well, she's not."

"Yeah, I know; but, why do you act like it? I mean, you guys hang all over each other, she holds your hand... and, you're sitting around here waiting for her to call," I pointed out, and I thought I made good points. "Plus, you let everyone think you were going out."

"Seth looked in my direction, smiling slightly, as if he were amused by my observations.

"It's not like that," he insisted. "I just don't like it when people talk about me and not to me. It's like, if anyone wanted to know what was going on with me and Angela, they could have asked--we're just friends. I mean, she's comfortable, you know? Like, I can be close to her without having to be close to her. I don't know, it's been like that ever since we met. My mom keeps saying that it's too bad Angela isn't a guy because we'd be perfect together," he added, rolling his eyes.

It took me a moment to realize what he was telling me, but once it sank in, I found myself abruptly sitting up straighter in my seat.

"Your parents know you're gay?" I asked, the announcement surprising me.

"Uh-huh."

"And they're okay with it?"

Seth looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shrugged.

"Sometimes I think my dad doesn't really understand it. Like, after I told them, he did a lot of research and stuff, but he still thinks it might go away when I get older. But it's not like he's not supportive. I mean, I don't think it bothers him that much. I bet you're lucky, though. What's it like to have a dad who completely understands you?"

I immediately rolled my eyes.

"I wouldn't know. I met Eddie last month and until recently, it's been one lie after another. There hasn't been a whole lot of time for understanding."

"Right; but I mean, come on, didn't you think it was just as little bit great when you found out he was gay, too?"

Great? I bit my lip to keep from laughing at Seth's choice of words. Great? At the time, no.

"Not really," I replied. "I was kind of pissed about being lied to." Seth rolled his eyes, but instead of feeling the need to tell him to fuck off, I suddenly found it very important to defend myself instead. "It wasn't just about that lie," I continued, and Seth leaned back on the sofa, obviously willing to listen. "There was more to it; I mean, maybe I was a little relieved, when I found out. But it was still just another lie. And, I mean, a lie. It's not like it was another omission. He did things to hide it from me..."

I thought that was reason enough to not think it was great, but when Seth continued to look at me, as if he expected me to say something more, I started to feel a little awkward, and kept talking like I couldn't control it.

"Okay, when I met Eddie, I thought he was just some asshole who ditched me and my mom. And, he let me think it, when really, he never even knew I existed. When we met, it started out with a lie, and then everyone... they kept lying, and right when I thought the lies stopped... well, it was stupid to think they stopped. Everyone lied. So no, it wasn't really great when I found out Eddie lied to me again."

As I fell silent, Seth studied me for a long moment before shaking his head.

"Whoa. It sucks to be you, huh?"

I'm not sure what I found so funny about that, but the next thing I knew, I was laughing until Seth joined me before I abruptly stopped and looked at him.

"Hey, where's your family today?"

"Well, my mom's working, and my sister's at day camp, and my dad's spending the day with my uncle."

"Does your dad work?" I asked curiously, wondering what a guy like Mars Fisher did for a living.

"Yeah, he owns the place where I work. Three others just like it, too, actually."

"Oh... so, if your dad owns it, shouldn't you just be able to call in sick or something if you don't feel like working?"

"It doesn't really work that way," Seth responded, cracking a smile.

"Oh."

"It's not like it sucks working there, though," he insisted. "I just don't feel like doing it tonight. I've worked doubles for the last two days in a row because someone else had to quit, and starting tonight I'm on the schedule for the next eight days straight--that's what I get for being the boss's kid. But, hopefully my dad will hire someone else and I'll get a day off before next year. You don't want a job, do you? I can't get Angela to come work with me."

"I already work with Eddie," I replied, shrugging. "But, I don't think I'm really that good at it. I think he just wants me there because he thinks it's the only way we'll ever spend time together; and maybe he's trying to keep an eye on me, I don't really know."

"Well, if your dad fires you, let me know. I know where there's a job."

I shrugged, and then gave Seth a measuring look.

"Hey, can you... just call him Eddie, okay? The dad thing always sounds kinda weird."

"Yeah, sure... no problem."

"Thanks," I replied, nodding as I redirected my attention towards the television for a few moments as he continued to flip through channels.

"Do you wanna come over?" I abruptly asked, trying to ignore the way that those words sounded completely out of place coming out of my mouth when they were directed at Seth. His eyes practically snapped to mine.

"Seriously?" he asked, as if I'd just sworn that there was a two-headed elephant in the backyard. I guess I couldn't blame him. He probably thought the invitation was a strange as I did.

"Yeah. I mean, you don't have a pool and we do, so maybe we could... go in it. You said you didn't have to wait for Angela to call here, so..."

"Oh. Um, yeah. Okay. But, what about your... I mean, Eddie? What about Eddie? I know my parents liked him, but I don't know how he feels about..."

"I don't think he has a problem with you," I said honestly. "He's not there, anyway. No one is."

"Okay, when do you wanna go?"

I studied Seth for a moment. Maybe he was agreeing to come over, but there was something in his tone that got my attention. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he was nervous. There was something mildly amusing about that.

"Now?"

"Alright," he said, almost determinedly as he suddenly stood up. "Just, give me a second to get ready. It's okay if we drive over there, right? If Angela calls..."

I wasn't really surprised when a phone started ringing right when he started to say that. It sounded like a cell phone, only it was coming from downstairs, and Seth looked at me apologetically before he rushed to go get it. I shrugged, stood up, and took the stairs a lot slower than he had. By the time I reached Seth, he was on the phone, telling Angela that he was on his way to meet her.

I headed to the front door where I waited for Seth to hang up before I left. When he did, he walked towards me looking a little uncomfortable.

"Hey..." he started.

"Um, I'm just gonna grab Chey and go," I cut him off.

"Do you want to come with me?" Seth asked. "I mean, I promised Angela I'd meet her, but she'll probably just wanna go hang out somewhere. I could get both of you back home before I have to go to work; or, if you need to leave earlier, I can do that, too."

"That's okay, maybe I'll see you later. There's probably stuff I need to do, anyway"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go," I decided; and, I think I was disappointed about that.

As I headed home, I realized that I was a little disappointed. And, in all honesty, a little annoyed with Angela. That last thing was completely unjustified, I know, but the prospect of hanging out with Seth hadn't been a bad one. It would have given me something to do with my time. I was disappointed that it wasn't happening now, and as I thought about it, the reason why I suddenly found myself seeking out Seth Fisher, began to make a little more sense.

He lived close, for one thing. My transportation was pretty much limited, so that made showing up at Seth's convenient. Add to that, I was utterly desperate for some type of companionship, and it explained a lot. It was something that I'd figured out over the last few days while working with Eddie. Maybe I didn't particularly care for the office, but at least I wasn't all by myself at the house, waiting for someone to show up. And in Aaron's case, wondering if he was going to show up most of the time. With Luke, and Eddie and Jase always gone, it was often difficult not to come down with a case of cabin fever, and more than anything, I'd discovered that I really didn't like being alone as much as I thought I did.

And now, as I headed back towards the house on a borrowed bike, I was alone, except for Chey, who was staying closer than normal as she moved along next to me. But I decided not to feel too put out by having to go home alone. After all, my reasoning for feeling disappointed was that Seth wasn't coming back with me. Seth. It wasn't really like we were friends--not that we were exactly enemies at this point, either. Either way, I told myself that it was nothing to get upset over. It wasn't like we'd had plans or anything. Plans with Seth. That was laughable. Kinda. I guess it was just as funny as the idea of spending a day with Seth, playing stupid games, helping him and his dad with a project, or going ice skating--and I'd already done all that.

As Chey and I got closer to the house, I decided that I might as well go swimming, anyway. Doing laps wouldn't hurt, and it might even cure some of my restlessness. But, as I saw a familiar brown car coming towards Chey and me, I decided swimming laps might even be better for getting out some built-up aggression, if the encounter I was about to have with Aaron Keslin didn't do the trick.

And there would be an encounter. As I stopped, and glared at the car, hoping that it would pass us, it pulled over, further up the road. He wasn't even going to give me a chance to simply pass him, or pretend that he wasn't there. He was waiting, making his point by getting out of the car to sit on the hood, watching me as I forced myself to keep riding towards him. I told myself that it was because Chey had already taken off to go bark at him, and it wouldn't be a good thing if she bit him. Wouldn't want her to get rabies.