For sanitary reasons, they’d had to throw out about a quarter of the tofu. It meant that their stir-fry was a little light, but Hale didn’t complain. The peanut sauce was divine, and paired with fried tofu and mixed vegetables, it was out of this world.

“Have you always been so good in the kitchen?” Hale asked. “This is maybe the best meal I’ve had all year.”

“It wasn’t really any effort,” Austin said bashfully. “The peanut sauce comes already-made in a bottle. All I did was fry the vegetables and tofu, and that doesn’t take much skill to do.”

“No, but you still knew how to do it.” Hale set his empty bowl down, wondering if it’d be rude to go get seconds. “Most guys our age would toss a pizza in the oven and call it a night. The fact that you had fresh vegetables available is astounding.”

“I guess I like cooking, so I keep some stuff around.” Austin shrugged like he wasn’t trying to make a big deal out of it. “I’m glad you like it. The next time I have too many leftovers to think of eating on my own, I’ll know where to bring them.”

“Um, yes. Please, feed me. I didn’t go to college, but if you want to consider me a poor college student, I’m the right age for it. You can give me your leftovers guilt-free.”

“Why didn’t you end up going to college?”

Hale paused. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to answer, but after Austin had been so transparent with him about his accident, he thought he owed it to him. “Dad died a couple of days after my senior graduation. I’d been accepted, and was getting ready to move, but the emotional and financial trauma of his death kind of killed my means and motivation… so I stayed home and started to work in my Uncle John’s shop. He’s the one who owns the sports supply store down Victory Boulevard. Do you know it?”

“Yeah, I do. It seems busy enough, with how sports-oriented Hidden Creek is,” Austin said. “Does it keep you busy?”

“It does. It’s not like I’m non-stop busy, but there’s always enough to do. I work in the front, so I take orders, help customers find what they need, assist with sizing, face shelves, clean… time goes by quickly enough, I guess, but it’s not something I thought I’d be doing for the rest of my life. Uncle John is nice enough about it, and he pays me a decent wage, but it’s still business, and I know that there’s so much more for me out there.”

“The world is a big, frightening, beautiful place,” Austin agreed. He spoke quietly, like he was afraid of making the admission. “Most of the time, it’s going to kick you in the teeth and flip you off, but there are some times you can find good in it. It doesn’t always mean you have to venture far from home, though.”

“Mmm.” Hale cuddled against the corner of the couch where the arm met the back cushions. “Well, kick in the teeth and all, I think I’d like to see some of it one day. Not today—not until I’m financially ready for it—but some day. Maybe I’ll find the resources to go back to school. If I find a full-time job in a college town, I could take night courses and get my education the slow way. It’s not ideal, but it’d mean that eventually I could do something more with my life.”

“What did you want to do?”

Hale chuckled. “To be honest, I don’t really know… but whatever it is, I kind of want it to be involved with the sciences. I guess it’s a knee-jerk reaction. I didn’t exactly have a horrible childhood, especially after I met Mary and she helped boost my confidence, but I always felt like science was the one subject where I never had to worry about who I was, or why I was, or what it meant for my standing in society. Well, that and math, but screw math.”

Austin laughed. He had a nice laugh, and it made Hale glad that he got to hear it again. It was deeper than when they’d been in high school, but it was also timid, like it was unsure if it should exist or not. Hale hoped that he could conquer that feeling soon. Austin deserved to laugh, too. It looked like he’d been through enough shit that cutting loose was exactly what he needed.

“I figured that I’d go to college, take some classes, and decide what I wanted to do from there. I’ve always liked biology and anatomy, but I don’t want to be a doctor, so I thought once I got in that I could talk to some of my professors about what career to aspire to and piece the rest together from there.”

“It’s not a terrible idea.”

“I didn’t think so, either. And, bonus, STEM careers are the kind you can afford to have a family on. I’d like to do that someday.”

“You’re thinking of finding a girl?” Austin asked. “I thought you were gay.”

Hale arched an eyebrow. “Gay men can have families, Austin. I’m going to find a trophy husband, put a ring on his finger, give him a few kids, and work hard to provide for them. I’m the nurturing type, but I also have a drive to get things done.”

“Like finding Michael,” Austin observed. “Something the police should probably be doing.”

“And you think the police are going to believe me?” Hale shot him a look. “Michael’s known for disappearing for long stretches of time. His own mother and father aren’t worried about him. All I have to go on is a note that I found in his bedroom written in code that makes it look like a bunch of dots and lines. Apart from the moldy food and the urine situation in the bathroom, there’s nothing that says that Michael has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. I just… my gut knows that there’s something wrong. He would have gotten in touch with me by now.”

“We’ll look through the papers tomorrow,” Austin said. “If you want to make a trip out to grab them, I can meet you in town. You want to go sit at Grind for a while?”

“Hell no. Doris May is going to be breathing down our necks the whole time. I’d prefer it if she didn’t know that there was something going on with Michael. She already knows that there’s something suspicious going on with me.”

“Then we can meet back here, or at your place.” Austin shrugged. “I don’t have anything going on. I’m unemployed right now until I get my life in order.”

“I don’t blame you. Meeting here sounds great. Thanks.” Hale looked Austin over. On the surface, he didn’t look like he’d been through hell and back, but often times, a strong exterior masked weakness on the inside. Walls weren’t built without a reason. Behind Austin’s tough exterior, he was hiding a lot of pain. Hale knew that it wasn’t his place to intervene, but he found himself eager to help in whatever way he could. “If we end up finding something, can I count on your help? I know that it’s asking a lot of you, but… well, look at me, and look at you. I’m not exactly Mr. Intimidating, and if something goes down that requires force, you can bet your ass I’m going to be out for the count after the first punch.”

Austin chuckled. “I’ll think about it, okay? Why don’t we take this one step at a time. We don’t know if we’re going to find anything—more likely than not, it’s going to be a bust. Michael may have done some questionable things, but I’m not sure he’d want to shit where he sleeps, if you know what I mean.”

“He’s not going to want to bring trouble home,” Hale said with a nod. “I agree. But it’s also Michael we’re talking about, here. So far, it’s our only lead. I’m hopeful that something will turn up. I don’t know what to do if it doesn’t.”

“We’ll figure it out. Michael may be stupid, but he’s got a pretty good survival sense. If things were tense, he would have shut them down. We’ll end up finding him, Hale. It’ll be okay. I know you’re freaked out, but from everything I’ve seen, Michael can take care of himself.”

“I hope you’re right.” Hale wrinkled his nose. “Anyway, thanks for dinner. I guess I should get going. How early do you wake up?”

“Five. Got into the habit while in the Navy, and now I can’t shake it.”

“Well, I’m not going to be here that early, but I’ll be back sometime tomorrow morning with the local papers, okay?” Hale got up and collected the dishes. “Thanks for feeding me. I know I’m a pest sometimes.”

“Sometimes?”

“Hey.” Hale shot him a look as he headed for the kitchen. “I’m bringing your dishes in. If you give me lip, I still have time to revoke my statement and drop them, you know. Your choice.”

The smile on Austin’s face was worth it. “Alright. I’ll admit, I was being a little hard on you. You were a good kid back in high school, even though I didn’t really get to know you, and I get the feeling you’re a good kid now.”

“Damn straight I am.” Hale put the dishes in the sink, then headed back into the living room to find that Austin had stood. “I’ll get out of your hair for tonight. Thank you for indulging my neuroses, even though you probably think it’s nothing.”

“I do.”

“Well, then thank you extra.” Hale returned his smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early—or I guess, bright and late, for you, early bird.”

“Gotta get my share of worms.”

Austin walked him to the door, and Hale was a little more aware than normal of how close to him Austin walked. When he drew near, Hale felt good. It was all in his head, he knew, but he couldn’t help but notice it. The high school crush he’d harbored was back in full force now that Austin was back in town, and he was as grateful for the excitement that it brought as he was troubled by it. Nothing could ever happen between them, but that didn’t stop Hale’s mind from whispering that maybe, if he played his cards right, it might.

“See you tomorrow,” Austin said as he opened the door. “I hope you’re able to find the newspapers you need. They come out, what, once a week?”

“Yup. I think so. And I think we’ll be fine.” Hale stepped out into the hall. He found he didn’t want to leave. “Make sure you take care of that cut, okay? If I come back tomorrow and it looks bad, I’m going to be pissed. I don’t play nurse for just anyone.”

Austin rolled his eyes, but he was smiling while he did it. “Goodnight Hale.”

“Night, Austin.”

Austin shut the door, and Hale was alone in the hall. He held back a laugh and headed toward the lobby. He was worried over Michael, but he couldn’t deny that Michael’s disappearance had shaken up his life just enough that everything felt fresh and new.

Working with a certifiable hottie he’d been crushing on since he was in his early teens didn’t hurt, either.

It was going to be an interesting day tomorrow—one Hale hoped would shed some light on what was really going on.