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Joey liked the sound ofhome. Even though his home was much further away than Ethan’s house, the idea of Ethan’s being home was more enticing.
They wandered past David and out into the salt-scented air, neither taking any notice of the man. Joey inhaled a lungful and exhaled, gazing out across the landscape.
“It never gets old,” Ethan said. Joey glanced at him. “The smell or the view. I love it here.”
“You never wanted to move?”
Ethan shook his head. “No. I don’t think I ever will.”
Joey swallowed down the denial because he had no right to argue with him. Just because Joey was getting all emotionally involved didn’t mean Ethan was.
“I can see why,” he made himself say.
Ethan pointed to the bench across the road. “I sometimes come and sit there when there’s a storm. I can watch the waves crash into the pier without getting caught in it. It’s beautiful.”
Joey wanted what he could hear in Ethan’s voice, though he couldn’t identify it. Longing? Wistfulness? He didn’t know. But he liked the sound of it. He liked the idea that it could wash away his sadness, his loss. Maybe even those emotions he didn’t want to truly acknowledge, like anger and resentment. Because what man wanted to admit he was angry and resented the friend who’d left Joey with no sign of what he’d been suffering through?
He inhaled and held it for as long as he could, pushing those thoughts and feelings down once more. When he exhaled, it was shaky, but he was able to smile at Ethan, who’d given him a worried look.
“Shall we get some dinner before the tour?” Joey asked.
****
Chapter 5
Ethan
Ethan wished with everything he had in him that Joey would open up to him. He had no right to ask it of him, though, which was the only reason he’d kept quiet. But he could see whenever Joey was in pain, and it hurt Ethan, too. Whatever had brought Joey to Whitby and had him sleeping in his car weighed heavily on the man.
As they walked down the street towards Kole’s meeting point for the ghost tour, Ethan pushed down his need to pry. But when Joey pointed to something in the distance, Ethan was distracted by the plastic wrapped around his wrist. Ethan grabbed his hand and pulled him to a stop.
“Oh, god! Did I hurt you that badly?”
Joey tried to pull his hand away. “No. I’m fine. I…” He sighed and stopped fighting, letting Ethan look over where his teeth had gouged into Joey’s skin.
Ethan frowned. He couldn’t see anything at first, then his eyes focused on the black lines where his teeth marks would’ve been. He glanced up at Joey, frowning.
Joey sighed and looked away, then refocused on Ethan again. “I wanted to keep the reminder with me,” he whispered and dropped his gaze to his wrist.
Ethan licked his lips and stared at the tattooed marks of his teeth. Something warm unfurled inside him, but he couldn’t get his hopes up. Not until he knew more about the man who had fallen into his life when Ethan had least expected it.
“When did you get that done? Did you go out after I went to bed?”
Joey shifted and gritted his teeth. “No. I…did it myself.”
Ethan stared at him. “You what?”
“I mentioned I’m a tattoo artist. It’s what I do,” he murmured, looking away again. “That’s the business I mentioned. I own a shop, but I can do simple tattoos on myself, too.”
Ethan couldn’t decide what he felt about that admission, but he was glad to learn something more about him. His stomach flipped with the image that entered his mind. The image of Joey tattooing Ethan somewhere no one but he could see. He being Joey. He gazed at the tattoo again and raised Joey’s wrist to his lips, gently kissing the covered skin.
“It looks good on you,” he said, his voice hoarse.
He didn’t let go of Joey’s hand as they continued on their way. Instead, he threaded his fingers through Joey’s thicker ones and stepped closer, resting his head against his shoulder. They didn’t say anything, which Ethan was glad about because he wasn’t sure what he could say. He couldn’t explain how he was feeling because he didn’t understand it himself. It was too soon to feel anything heavy. At least that’s what he kept telling his heart. It didn’t seem to want to listen, though. Luckily, they arrived at the Whalebone Arch, the first stop on the ghost tour.
“Welcome to the Ravenwood Whitby Ghost Tour,” Kole said a few minutes later. “I’m your host, Kole, and I promise you stories, scares and sass for the next hour and a half.” He grinned, ruining the effect his makeup—a half skeleton—and outfit had on his guests. His cloak wouldn’t have been out of place with Dracula, and his suit was perfect for a wedding—or a funeral.
Ethan wasn’t scared about the stories themselves, as he’d mentioned to them the previous night. It was the people who sometimes jumped out at them during those stories that scared the shit out of him. Having actors dressed up like ghosts and goblins while roaming the darkened streets of Whitby could easily give the least scared person a run for their money.
