Chapter 79

Hal

Hal got into the passenger seat of the Range Rover and leaned his head back against the headrest as he buckled his seatbelt, staying quiet as Adam pulled out onto the street. For a while, neither of them said anything to each other, and Hal simply looked out the window.

“Did you two enjoy your romantic escapade into the woods?” Adam asked him, and Hal could clearly hear the annoyance in his voice.

Hal sighed. He was in no real mood to put up with Adam’s ridiculous overprotectiveness.

“We did, thank you,” he said simply. “And I trust you enjoyed your time off as well.”

Adam grunted at him.

“You know I worry about you,” Adam said simply, and Hal felt a quick tinge of guilt, knowing his friend’s concern for him was coming from a good place.

“I know,” Hal said softly and fell quiet. He returned his attention to looking at cars as they passed outside the window.

“What?” Adam asked, his voice a mix of suspicion and concern. “No quips about my mothering care?”

Hal couldn’t even muster a smile and only responded with a small shrug.

Silence lingered between them for a few moments more before Adam finally spoke.

“Hal,” he said, and Hal turned to face him. Adam’s brows were furrowed, and his lips curled into a frown. “Are you alright?”

Hal frowned a little as well as he did his best to come up with an honest answer for that question. Actually, he knew very well that the answer was no. He had not felt completely at rest emotionally since he had snapped at Jesse the other night. That episode had impacted him deeply, and a part of him had been wound up, tense, and anxious ever since. What he really couldn’t decide was whether or not he really wanted to discuss any of that right at this moment with Adam.

At length, he decided that it would be far better to talk to a friend about this issue rather than let it build up inside of him.

“No,” Hal finally answered. “I’m not.”

Hal watched Adam blink at him for a moment. The other man was probably surprised at his openness, and Hal could hardly blame him. They very seldom talked about serious matters and much less emotional ones.

“Well …” Adam said, seeming to struggle for words a little. “What’s wrong, then?”

Hal was quiet for another moment, trying to figure out how best to voice what was going on inside of him.

“I don’t know,” he finally said, running a hand over his face. “I think I might just be paranoid that Jesse won’t want to be with me in the long run.”

“Oh,” Adam said, and Hal could tell that he felt like a fish out of water. “I mean, I guess that’s a concern when you’re in a relationship with anyone, right?”

“Right,” Hal mumbled. He did agree with Adam, but somehow he felt no consolation from his words. In reality, he knew that wasn’t exactly what he was afraid of, but he didn’t dare to even think of what his deepest fears were, lest he think them into existence.

Adam gave Hal a nod, and it seemed that they were done with the conversation. They were silent for the rest of the ride home and even after Adam had parked the Range Rover.

Hal walked with Adam to the elevator, and they waited together.

“Anything else you need tonight?” Adam asked him, and Hal could hear the concern in his friend’s voice.

“No, I’m good.” Hal smiled over at him and clapped him on the back. “Sorry I’m so emotional. I guess hanging around women had that effect.”

Adam chuckled.

“Don’t worry about it, man,” Adam said. “Just give me a call if you change your mind.”

“Sure thing,” Hal said. “We’re on for our workout tomorrow, right?”

“Right,” Adam nodded. The elevator doors slid open, and Adam stepped out onto his floor of the building. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” Hal replied, giving his friend a smile as the elevator doors slid closed.

Alone, Hal released a sigh and leaned back against the wall of the elevator. With nobody around to distract him from his thoughts and emotions, he could already feel them creeping up and starting to overwhelm him.

When the elevator doors opened on his floor, Hal wasted no time in heading into his kitchen and opening up the cabinet of liquor he kept fully stocked in case he had to host guests and provide their preference of booze.

For now, though, he needed the alcohol for a different purpose. He got out a tumbler from another cabinet and opened up a bottle of Scotch, pouring himself a healthy helping.

Hal easily tossed back the liquid, enjoying the way it burned his throat on the way down. He was eager for the alcohol to begin the work of numbing his mind and his emotions.

Without a second thought, he poured himself another glass.