Chapter Twenty-Three
At one point during college,Jesse had idly wished that he could spend every day researching and every night fucking his then-boyfriend. He’d been riding the high of a new relationship and falling in love with the way so much information was available at his fingertips. And sex, he’d been super into sex.
Nine days into such an arrangement with Bryce and, as much as he liked the sex and enjoyed Bryce’s company, Jesse was contemplating how hard it would be to run away, change his name, and stay off the grid forever. No one could kill him if they couldn’t find him. If he could just find a way around that pesky inability to contact anyone he loved, then he’d be fine.
“Are we sure someone still wants to murder me?” Jesse complained as he handed Bryce another cup of coffee. “Maybe the danger has passed.”
Bryce didn’t even look up from the journal he was reading. Instead he held his hand out in exactly the right place for Jesse to easily hand him the cup. “Bonnell hasn’t given the all-clear.”
Jesse sat across the table from him. The glowing screen of the tablet tormented him. If he never read from a tablet again, it would be too soon. He flipped it over and chose to stare at Bryce instead.
There was little else to do other than stare at each other. The television in the corner didn’t have internet, and Jesse wasn’t allowed access to his streaming accounts, anyway. Exercising was rough as they basically lived in one room and slept in another. Usually Jesse liked to go for long runs as part of his routine, but that wasn’t possible. Walking around the apartment wasn’t a suitable replacement for him, especially when he itched to see something other than Bryce’s lovely face.
Bryce was the first one of them to make do with the room they had. He focused on yoga the most, but he did plenty of crunches, sit-ups, push-ups, and other exercises. The first time he did so resulted in a complete morning lost to getting athletic in bed, but even the thought of seeing Bryce shirtless and sweaty wasn’t enough to get Jesse excited. Arousal came slower.
It also came differently. Not just a reflex to physical stimulus, Jesse was growing hungry for Bryce in so many ways. The sound of his voice. Hearing him in another room. Seeing him at every turn. Talking to him about anything that came to mind and not fearing judgment—well, unless it was about sports teams. Jesse would never swap the Red Sox for the Cardinals.
Sure, he was annoyed that Bryce had to have a super clean apartment. And Jesse wished he was more talkative. Bryce preferred research time to be quiet time, which Jesse was growing a little tired of.
That seemed to be the entire list of his flaws. After nine days on top of each other, Jesse still couldn’t compile more than a couple of irritants.
He could make a much longer list of the things he liked about Bryce.
Like the way he rubbed his nose when he wasn’t quite exasperated. After a long day of research, he would get a tired smile, full of warmth and happiness. He hogged the blankets, but he also cuddled. Waking up beside him was a series of kisses and mumbled words, though he did snap awake any time the nightmares bothered Jesse.
The nightmares were getting worse. At first, Bryce chased them away without effort, though Jesse hadn’t told him that. But with each passing day, as he hunted for answers among data about construction buildings, psychics, cryptids, and aliens, he could feel a devourer from that other place getting closer. Sometimes, the nightmare was the statue coming to life in front of him. Sometimes, he was trapped, screaming, and one of the creatures screaming back. He’d written it down in a journal, hoping that would rid him of the images, but that seemed to give them more power.
At least he wasn’t writing in the strange, eldritch scrawl Lawson had crafted.
Those strange letters… Bonnell had sent over a digital version of the journal. Jesse was sure he could understand it if he stayed up three days in a row, or spent enough time next to the Crowley Construction building. After all, when he and Bryce had driven past it, he’d been able to feel one of those creatures reaching for him.
That thought opened a chasm, and he teetered on its edge. He needed a distraction. Anything to keep from thinking about that other place.
“Any chance we could bug Alex into bringing over that Xbox he was talking about?” Jesse asked.
“You can’t trust him to transport anything that sensitive.”
“I know his psychic abilities can mess with electronics, but he plays one. It must be okay.”
Bryce chuckled. “That’s not why. He’s like you. A klutz. He’d wind up dropping it on the stairs or leaving behind a controller or the power cord.”
“I’m not a klutz.”
“The coffee—”
“That was three weeks ago.”
“You spilled a whole mug across the counter yesterday,” Bryce replied.
Jesse sighed. “Okay, fine. I did. But I cleaned it up.”
“That time.”
“I’m going stir-crazy, which could lead to actual crazy. Maybe we can just go to the DWO office? Or the archives? Or put me in the bottom of a ditch, because, dear God, I havegotto see something other than these four walls and your handsome face.”
“At least you still think I’m handsome,” Bryce murmured.
Jesse moved his chair so he was closer to Bryce. He had explored just about everywhere across Bryce’s body, and Bryce had done the same with him. Yet, for a half second, Jesse considered a new expedition, and he was tempted to slide his hand up Bryce’s leg.
