don’t think so,” Ian answered, laughing. “I’m asleep so I wouldn’t know, but I’ve never heard that I do.”
“Do you pick your nose in public? Scrape toe-jam out when you think no one’s looking?”
“No,” he stressed, still laughing. “Why? What’s this about?”
“Nothing.” Aaron tucked his chin and stared blindly at his notebook.
“No it’s not,” he contested companionably. “Tell me.”
“You’re perfect. There has to be something you do that’s just gross, or wrong.”
“I’m not perfect.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Aaron said. He lifted his chin. He ticked off the points on his fingers. “You cook. You clean up after yourself. You teach miscreant youth and then help them when they’re in trouble. You support families in need. You stay up all night and are cheerful the next day. You’re good at your job, a great listener, a good friend and unfailingly loyal.”Aaron scowled. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“You’re right. I’m perfect,” Ian replied straight-faced. He stood up. “I’m going to get some water. Do you want anything?”
Aaron looked up with surprise. He couldn’t remember the last time another person offered him simple kindness before Ian. But Ian’s spanned the distance between offering a shoulder to offering a drink.
It made Aaron’s throat tight with emotion. It was such an easy gesture, but it meant a lot, because someone was actually taking care of Aaron for once. And it was a relief.
A few hours later, Ian got up and ordered pizza. Aaron didn’t look at the clock choosing to study as much as possible and pray the time was going as quickly as he hoped. Maybe if he didn’t think about Mike not being home yet, then his brother would be walking through the door just as the pizza got there. But that’s not what happened. They ate the pizza in silence. Neither one of them talking about the elephant in the room. That twenty-four hours had almost been met, and there was a call to place to the police.
Aaron glanced at his watch. He pushed back from the table, crossed the floor, and lifted the receiver. The phone number for the general police office had been scrawled on a notepad by the phone. It wasn’t his handwriting. It was Ian’s.
He glanced over his shoulder at Ian, thanking him with a nod. Ian nodded back. He placed his elbows on the table, folded his fingers and waited.
While Aaron dialed, all the reasons he shouldn’t floated through his head. Mikey was just a teenager. He’d walk through the door any minute, and it would all be nothing. But Aaron dialed anyway on the off-chance that there was another problem, another accident like the one that had brought Aaron home three months ago.
That maybe Mikey needed him again not because there was a car accident but because Mikey’s life was spiraling out of control. And Aaron ought to do something to make it stop. Even if he felt incapable of helping. Even if it really was nothing. He’d rather be safe than sorry. He’d rather not lose another family member. Not on his watch.
“I’d like to file a missing person’s report,” Aaron said feeling as though the words came from far away as he spoke into the receiver. “Yes, I’ll hold.”
He hadn’t heard Ian come up behind him, but he felt the soothing stroke of his hand glide up and down his back. He gave Aaron’s shoulder a squeeze, his neck a kiss, then resumed the comforting rub.
The police officer picked up the line.
“Michael Hedlund, sixteen. He’s about five-ten, five-eleven, one sixty.” The details. There were always details. Giving them felt just like identifying his mom in the morgue. He’d had to give these same details to them too, before he could see her body.
Ian’s warmth beside him beckoned him. He didn’t think about whether or not Ian would mind, he simply leaned to the side, letting his shoulder press against Ian’s solid chest as the man’s arm wrapped comfortingly around Aaron’s shoulders.
“Black hair,
“Do you pick your nose in public? Scrape toe-jam out when you think no one’s looking?”
“No,” he stressed, still laughing. “Why? What’s this about?”
“Nothing.” Aaron tucked his chin and stared blindly at his notebook.
“No it’s not,” he contested companionably. “Tell me.”
“You’re perfect. There has to be something you do that’s just gross, or wrong.”
“I’m not perfect.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Aaron said. He lifted his chin. He ticked off the points on his fingers. “You cook. You clean up after yourself. You teach miscreant youth and then help them when they’re in trouble. You support families in need. You stay up all night and are cheerful the next day. You’re good at your job, a great listener, a good friend and unfailingly loyal.”Aaron scowled. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“You’re right. I’m perfect,” Ian replied straight-faced. He stood up. “I’m going to get some water. Do you want anything?”
Aaron looked up with surprise. He couldn’t remember the last time another person offered him simple kindness before Ian. But Ian’s spanned the distance between offering a shoulder to offering a drink.
It made Aaron’s throat tight with emotion. It was such an easy gesture, but it meant a lot, because someone was actually taking care of Aaron for once. And it was a relief.
A few hours later, Ian got up and ordered pizza. Aaron didn’t look at the clock choosing to study as much as possible and pray the time was going as quickly as he hoped. Maybe if he didn’t think about Mike not being home yet, then his brother would be walking through the door just as the pizza got there. But that’s not what happened. They ate the pizza in silence. Neither one of them talking about the elephant in the room. That twenty-four hours had almost been met, and there was a call to place to the police.
Aaron glanced at his watch. He pushed back from the table, crossed the floor, and lifted the receiver. The phone number for the general police office had been scrawled on a notepad by the phone. It wasn’t his handwriting. It was Ian’s.
He glanced over his shoulder at Ian, thanking him with a nod. Ian nodded back. He placed his elbows on the table, folded his fingers and waited.
While Aaron dialed, all the reasons he shouldn’t floated through his head. Mikey was just a teenager. He’d walk through the door any minute, and it would all be nothing. But Aaron dialed anyway on the off-chance that there was another problem, another accident like the one that had brought Aaron home three months ago.
That maybe Mikey needed him again not because there was a car accident but because Mikey’s life was spiraling out of control. And Aaron ought to do something to make it stop. Even if he felt incapable of helping. Even if it really was nothing. He’d rather be safe than sorry. He’d rather not lose another family member. Not on his watch.
“I’d like to file a missing person’s report,” Aaron said feeling as though the words came from far away as he spoke into the receiver. “Yes, I’ll hold.”
He hadn’t heard Ian come up behind him, but he felt the soothing stroke of his hand glide up and down his back. He gave Aaron’s shoulder a squeeze, his neck a kiss, then resumed the comforting rub.
The police officer picked up the line.
“Michael Hedlund, sixteen. He’s about five-ten, five-eleven, one sixty.” The details. There were always details. Giving them felt just like identifying his mom in the morgue. He’d had to give these same details to them too, before he could see her body.
Ian’s warmth beside him beckoned him. He didn’t think about whether or not Ian would mind, he simply leaned to the side, letting his shoulder press against Ian’s solid chest as the man’s arm wrapped comfortingly around Aaron’s shoulders.
“Black hair,
Similar Books
