Hushed (7 page)

Wednesday, October 8
^th

He found a pair of Vivian’s socks mixed in with his laundry. They were small and pink, and Archer stared at them for a good five minutes before throwing them into the trash.

She still hadn’t called. Still hadn’t stopped by. He hated being so angry with her. Shouldn’t he be used to being ditched? Mom turned her back on him just as easily. Vivian didn’t even have the excuse that she was afraid of him.

More than angry, though, he was scared. If Vivian avoided him, if she really did cut him out of her life, what then? Over a decade of his life, dedicated to her. Her wants, her whims, her comfort and happiness. What was he without her? What was she without him?

When someone knocked at a quarter past eight p.m., his heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t Vivian’s knock, not her rhythmic little
ta-ta-tap
. But maybe. Maybe. If not her, Evan. He vaulted over the back of the couch and tore the door open, desperate to see one of their faces.

Archer didn’t recognize the man standing on his porch. Black jeans, white shirt, gray blazer, thinning hair combed back. Trying too hard to look professional. Got the message across anyway. Archer knew what he was.

“Hello. You Archer Pond?”

Could he say
no
and shut the door? Instead he forced a small smile. “That would be me. Can I help you?”

As he expected, the man pulled an ID out of his pocket. Detective Tom Patterson. What a boring, generic name for a boring and generic-looking guy. “Sorry to bother you, I know it’s kind of late. Would you mind if I came in?”

Oddly, Archer didn’t panic. His heart didn’t pound. He didn’t shake. He was perfectly calm as he opened the door wider and gestured for Patterson to come in. “Only if I’m allowed to ask what this is about.”

Patterson shuffled in, sparing a look around. “Do you know a Richter Samuels, by chance?”

Archer waited for something—some kind of chill, fear, anxiety. Nothing. “Richter? Yeah, sure. Did he do something wrong?”

The detective chortled. He turned back around to face Archer. “Probably, but we’ll never know it now. He was murdered.”

At least he didn’t survive this time
, he thought. Just as quickly he shoved it aside, as though Patterson might spot his guilt if he let it creep to the forefront of his brain. He met the man’s eyes easily. Patterson better not expect some big display of grief. “Sorry to hear that. We didn’t know each other that well, so I’m not really sure what to say.”

He scratched at his bristly jaw, rocking a little. “When was the last time you saw him?”

“Not long ago, actually. Ran into him at the mall a few days ago. Before that, though, it’d been a few years.” The way Patterson nodded suggested he already knew that. Archer wasn’t sure what to think. The guy was being pretty casual; was he a suspect or not?

“Yeah, he told his mom that. She was the one who found him.” He pulled a notepad out of his pocket, along with a pen. “Do you know if Richter had any enemies? Anyone he might’ve mentioned? You were one of the last people to see him alive.”

That was a hard question to answer. Everyone hated Richter. “I couldn’t give you names. He was alone when I saw him and we only spoke for a few minutes. Long enough for him to tell me he hadn’t been on speaking terms with one of his best friends.” Patterson raised a brow, so Archer continued. “Uh, Brody Hilton. That’s how I know him. He mentioned he and Brody hadn’t spoken in about a year due to someone owing someone money or something.”

Patterson wrote in his notebook, pen moving at the speed of light. “Uh huh… Can you tell me where you were when Richter was killed?”

An alibi was in order. He didn’t have one. No sooner had he opened his mouth than he realized—”I don’t know. When was that?”

A smile crossed the detective’s face, something like relief. Maybe he didn’t want Archer to be a potential suspect. And maybe this guy was a little smarter than Archer gave him credit for. “Last Wednesday.”

“Last Wednesday… Oh. With my friend, Evan, at the mall. He was in this video game tournament at Fly’s—if you know what that is.” He feigned thoughtfulness. “In fact… Yeah, that’s where we saw Richter.”

“What’d you do after that?”

“Went back to Evan’s place.” The words came without him having to think twice. “He lives in this complex, so we played some games and watched a few movies before I walked home in the morning.”

It seemed good enough for Patterson. Typical college kid behavior, right? He tapped his notebook. “One last question… Are you in contact with Brody’s sister at all?”

There it went—his heart, like a rock, spilling into his stomach. The guy could’ve said
I know you did it
and it wouldn’t have sent his mind reeling the way
that
did. He managed coherent words, though, his voice steady. “Vivian?”

“That’s her.”

He averted his gaze. “Yes. Well, not lately. We had a falling out.”
And now she wants me out of her life.

Patterson gave him a knowing smile, nodding solemnly. “Yeah…women, huh? I know how that goes.”

No, you don’t.
Archer smiled thinly. “I wish I had more information to give you, but like I said… Wasn’t exactly close with the guy. Too into drugs, owed a lot of people money. I try to keep my distance.” But now Patterson could chew on that information. Connecting Richter’s death to something money- and drug-related wasn’t hard.
If I hadn’t killed him, it was a matter of time before someone else did.

The notebook and pen looked so small in Patterson’s oafish hands. He tucked them back into his pocket and offered a card to Archer. “Great. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, Archer. Feel free to call if you think of anything else.”

Archer stared at the card like it might bite but reluctantly took it. “I’ll do that. Are you going to be talking to Vivian?”

It was Patterson’s turn to give him a thin smile that said clearly,
none of your business, kid.
That was answer enough. Archer showed him to the door, standing out on the landing while the detective scaled the steps and got into his car. Archer shut the door and slumped back against it, sinking to the floor.

He’s going to talk to Vivian. She doesn’t even know Richter’s dead.

Maybe Patterson would notice the bruises and toss Mick’s ass into the back of a cruiser. Too bad they probably wouldn’t hold him, not if Viv wouldn’t press charges.

But more importantly, what did he do now? Wait around to see if the murder was linked back to him? He’d flat-out lied about his night. All it would take was a visit to Evan’s to confirm. Not only had he not been there, but he’d stormed out after an argument. Didn’t look good on him. Evan might cover for him. Though asking meant cluing him in that Archer had something to hide. Which meant…he was stuck.

Archer braced his back against the door and pushed himself up to standing. A look out the window showed Detective Patterson’s car gone from the parking lot. The kitchen clock ticked ten p.m. He slipped into his shoes.

Evan would be swimming soon. Archer wanted to see him.

§

The cold air nipped at his face, and the gazebo offered little shelter. How Evan tolerated the water was beyond him. But he did it. In and out, diving, swimming, repeat process. The sight, the sound, lulled Archer into a bit of a daze. Evan was fascinating in his own right. It was the way he moved, his gentleness, his eyes, the sound of his voice. ‘
Maybe you’re the one who can do better.
’

No, he couldn’t. Not even necessarily because nobody would be interested in him, but because he didn’t know how to care about people the way he cared for Vivian.

Evan got out of the pool earlier than usual and snapped Archer out of his self-induced trance. He watched as Evan took a seat on a pool chair, towel slung around his shoulders, and after a moment picked up his cell from where his shirt was discarded and placed a call. Archer frowned. He wouldn’t be close enough to hear what was being said, and who would Evan call at this hour?

His pocket came alive with buzzing, the ringer set to silent.

Archer sat straight up, frozen in momentary confusion before scrambling to get his phone out and answer it before Evan could hear the loud vibration.

“Hello?”

“
Hey. I didn’t think you’d answer.”

His chest cinched. It was the first time he’d heard Evan’s voice directly since the night they argued. He couldn’t stomach what Evan might say to him even if he tried to apologize. And yet an apology was exactly what spilled out.

“I’m sorry.”

His eyes stayed locked on Evan’s hunched-over figure by the pool

He was breathless from swimming. Sounded cold. “
What? Where’d that come from?
”

“For not calling.” Archer watched as Evan laid back in the chair, draping his towel across himself for warmth. “For being angry with you.”

“
It’s not a big deal,
” Evan said, his voice soft. “
I shoved my way into your business, you overreacted. Can we call it even?
”

No, they weren’t even. “You were right, though.”

“
About what?”

He switched the phone to his other hand. His fingers were going numb. “Everything. About Vivian. About being able to tell someone the truth, whether they want to hear it or not.”

Evan was silent for a beat. “
Did something happen with Viv?
”

Archer wanted to shrug it off. It hurt to think about. But the words were there on the tip of his tongue. “I went to see her. I think Mickey got her to agree not to talk to me anymore. He threw me out, and she never called. Couldn’t even fucking text me to explain for herself…” His voice wavered, so he stopped. It hurt. His chest, his heart. The weight of everything he’d ever done for Vivian crushing down on him with her disloyalty.

“
Archer…
” Evan sighed. “
Talking about it kind of…makes it more real, doesn’t it?
”

“Yeah.” Too real. He wanted to hang up, retreat to his room, and sleep it all away. But he guessed Evan was the last friend he had, a single lonely thread that connected Archer to anyone who gave a damn. Without Vivian, without Evan, he was alone.

The line was so quiet; Archer would’ve thought Evan had hung up were it not for the faint sound of his breathing. When he spoke again, his tone was harder, angrier. “
Then when Mick ditches her someday and she finds herself completely alone, I hope she thinks back on this and regrets what she fucked up.
”

She won’t,
Archer thought. She would come crying to him, wait for him to open his arms to her. Wasn’t that how it always went? When he didn’t answer, Evan asked,
“What are you doing this weekend?”

He couldn’t think that far ahead. He couldn’t think to what he would do tomorrow. “I don’t…nothing, I guess.”

“
Let’s go out of town. Head up the coast or something.”

The hopefulness in his voice made Archer give a weak, breathless laugh. “Not much of a scenery change.”

“No, but there’s more to do there and the whole point is getting away from this place. Come on, I won’t take no for an answer.”

He watched Evan roll off the chair and get to his feet. Archer had the odd urge to reach out and touch him, just to see if he felt as cold as he looked. He extended a hand. From this distance, all he could do was trace Evan’s outline with a fingertip. So far away…

“If you won’t take no for an answer, then my choices are ‘yes’ and ‘yes.’”

“
Pretty much
.” He could hear the grin in Evan’s voice. “
We’ll go Friday afternoon. If you need anything before then…
”

He didn’t finish, but Archer knew. The invitation was there. To talk. To have company. The want to be near Evan was strong enough that he ached for it. It unnerved him, almost scared him. The thought of needing anyone other than Vivian…he didn’t know whether to retreat or give in to it.

He closed his eyes, breathed in deep. Tried to pretend he could smell the ocean from there. “I know.”

“One thing, though.”

Archer blinked his eyes open. “What?” He looked over and this time, Evan stood at the pool fence, staring right at him.

“
You don’t have to hide from me.
”

Friday, October 10
^th

Archer filled his bag with clean clothes, all neatly folded, toothbrush, hairbrush, toothpaste, extra socks and anything else he could think of that might be necessary in an emergency. Looking into it, he had to wonder if he was a little over-prepared.
I don’t remember the last time I stayed away from home.
He should’ve thought ahead; not only did staying away from home make him anxious, he never slept well in a bed that wasn’t his own.

No time to back out now, though. Evan sat on the edge of his mattress, watching him with a raised brow. “You’re so slow.” He leaned over to look into the bag. “How many pairs of socks do you need?”

“You never know.” Archer frowned and shoved another pair of boxers inside, too. “Better safe than sorry.”

“Uh-huh. I should charge you an overweight baggage fee.” Evan rolled his eyes. “Now that you have enough stuff to last you all winter, are you ready to go?”

Archer gave him a baleful look and shoved another pair of socks into the bag before zipping it up. His gaze slid to the cell on his nightstand but when he moved to grab it, Evan stretched across the bed and placed a hand over his. Archer paused. The look in Evan’s eyes was nothing short of pleading; they really were the warmest shade of brown. And their faces were close enough they were nearly sharing a breath.

“Leave it?” Evan asked softly. “Please?”

For a second, Archer’s fingers tightened around his phone. He
needed
it. What if Vivian called him? What if it was an emergency? But what obligation did he have to rush to her side and spoil his time away? He tried telling himself that, but his eyes flicked from Evan’s face to their hands and back again. Evan squeezed gently. “I want to have you to myself for awhile. Let me be selfish.”

Except that it wasn’t selfish, and Archer knew it. Evan wanted to help, and helping meant keeping him from waiting by the phone for a call that would never come. He uncurled his fingers and drew his hand back. Evan’s mouth curved into a warm smile.

“Thank you.”

Ten minutes later, Archer locked up his apartment and they tossed his things into Evan’s trunk. He didn’t care for other people driving, but he also didn’t want Evan in
his
car, which still reminded him too much of Richter’s blood. And he had no idea where they were going.

“It’s a surprise,” Evan said when he asked. “Wait two hours and you’ll see for yourself.”

The coast was littered with tourist towns. It would be impossible to narrow it down until they got closer. Which was exactly why Archer stared out the window as they drove, noting the freeway they took and the direction they were headed.

Evan wasn’t much of a talker while he drove, which Archer appreciated. Vivian would’ve prodded him into conversation the entire way, wanting company to help keep her from falling asleep at the wheel. So long as music was on, Evan seemed fine. Now and again Archer heard him humming along, and he closed his eyes, head resting against the window while he listened. Before he knew it, Evan was nudging him awake.

“Hey, we’re here.”

Archer’s eyes fluttered open and he straightened. Had he seriously fallen asleep? When was the last time he’d napped in a car?

‘Here’ was a building nestled between trees with an ocean backdrop. The gold lettering on the front glass door read
Cove Sanctuary.
To their right, narrow cement pathways led off to clusters of cottages overlooking the water. Typical resort found in the area, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t beautiful. With the sun setting, the horizon had a warm orange glow shimmering off the water. Archer breathed deeply as he got out of the car, savoring the heavy ocean scent.

Evan stepped up beside him, nudging him with a shoulder. “Room service, peace and quiet, no homework, no phones… What do you think?”

It really wasn’t a change of scenery, but Archer didn’t mind. He loved the ocean. “I think I’m not going to want to go home.” He turned away from the view to get their things out of the trunk.

They checked in and were given their room key, instructed to leave their car in the parking lot. Something about this stretch of beach being a wildlife sanctuary and no vehicles allowed. Their room wasn’t far off, anyway. Room, cottage, whatever it was.

As soon as Evan unlocked the door and stepped aside to let him in first, Archer knew it was larger than any hotel room he’d been in. A flat-screen hung from one wall in perfect view from the bed and sofa. A fireplace sat in the corner, a kitchen area with a mini-fridge in the other. It had a large bathroom with dual sinks and showerheads. Double doors opened onto a small patio, stairs leading down onto the sand. The ocean air permeated the entire room and made Archer want to melt into the floor.

He knew it couldn’t have been cheap.

Evan deposited his bag onto the bed, looking around. “They were out of bigger rooms so, you know, one bed. But I can sleep on the couch.”

Archer’s eyes followed him. “You’re going to let me pay you back for half of this.”

“Nope.” He unzipped his suitcase. “I’m the one who invited you. I should be allowed to pay.” When Archer opened his mouth to protest, he held up a finger. “Don’t argue. You came with me; that’s all I wanted.”

Archer snapped his mouth shut, sighing. He turned to his own bag, hefting it onto the opposite side of the bed. “What are our plans, then?”

“Whatever you want. We have a room-service menu for dinner. Tomorrow we can head into town and look around, hit up some of the shops. And…there are a few day-cruises that run there.”

Archer pulled his clothing out, frowned, and decided not to admit Evan had been right about bringing too many socks. A two-night stay didn’t really warrant unpacking all his stuff, but whatever. “Uh-huh. What kind of day-cruises?”

Evan glanced up. “Well, like…ones that go out just a couple miles. Whale-watching boats and stuff.”

Ah, that was it. Archer didn’t know anything about whale watching or whatever, but a marine biology major would find it fun. Not that it sounded like a bad idea, but it wasn’t something he would’ve thought of on his own. “Let me pay for the tickets, and we’ll go,” he said once his things were tucked away into a drawer. He caught Evan’s bright expression in the reflection of the television screen, all smiles.

“Deal.”

§

They ordered in, and Archer dined on steak and seafood with too much garlic butter. He felt ten pounds heavier by the time they were done. By then it was too late to go out anywhere, and he was perfectly content staying in and enjoying the quiet comfort of their room. He slipped into the bathroom long enough to change into something to sleep in.

When he stepped back out, he was greeted by the cold scent of ocean. The back doors were wide open and Evan stood near them, remote in hand.

Evan had stripped down to his boxers to sleep in, but hadn’t bothered with a shirt. It was another guy and it shouldn’t have mattered, but Archer felt the heat rising to his face as he stared. The sun had set, leaving the moonlight to seep into their room. He remembered back to several weeks ago, when Vivian stood silhouetted by the light against the windows of her apartment…

This was different.
Evan
was different. The light didn’t wrap around him like it did with Vivian. He dominated the place it wanted to occupy, and it crowded against the outline of him, envious of his brightness.

Archer’s skin prickled. His body ached to move closer. He was no better than that moonlight, wanting so desperately to share space in any way that he could

Evan caught him staring and smiled. “What about this?”

He blinked. “What?”

“The movie.” He gestured to the television with the remote. Archer followed his direction. Ordering a movie. Right.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” He tore his eyes away without paying attention to whatever was set to play. He stretched out on the bed, far more comfortable than his own back home, and folded his hands on his stomach.

When Evan sprawled out to his left, he nearly rolled off the mattress, the sudden nearness making his body go rigid. The bed was big, but not
that
big. Any closer and they would’ve been touching. As it was, he could feel the heat radiating off of Evan, a stark contrast to the rest of the room.

“Better not fall asleep on me,” Evan said, fast-forwarding through the previews.

Archer forced himself to relax, one tense muscle at a time. “Not a problem.” How could he fall asleep with a piece of tangible sunshine lying so close he could reach out and touch it?

Evan seemed to focus on the movie while Archer focused on him. The warmth he gave off. The sound of his breathing. He closed his eyes, willing the rest of the unease away. The only other person he’d ever shared a bed with was Vivian, and he struggled to pin down the differences between that and this.

Evan was calmer, for one. Vivian shifted around a lot, toyed with her hair, fussed with the hem of her shirt or shorts. She rolled to one side and the other. But Evan was still and tranquil and even when he did shift it was a slow, easy process. He was at ease there, comfortable in his own skin. Something Vivian never was.

Neither was he, for that matter, and maybe that was the biggest difference between lying with Viv and lying with Evan: himself.
He
felt relaxed, once the initial edginess ebbed away. But it wasn’t that he didn’t want to be near Evan that made him uneasy. It was that he wanted to move
closer
. To seek out the warmth of that touchable sun and wrap himself in it, hide his face, breathe in the ocean so strongly permeating the air around them.

When the movie ended, Archer hadn’t stopped thinking about it. He glanced over and Evan’s eyes were closed, his breathing deep and level.
And he told me not to fall asleep…
Rolling to his side left no more than an inch or two between them. He picked up the remote and turned off the TV. Darkness swallowed the room save for the moonlight sweeping in through the windows and open doors.

“Evan,” he whispered. “The movie is over.” Evan made a small noise, turning his face more into his pillow. The couch was empty and waiting, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. The longer he laid there, the heavier his body felt. It felt nice, being this close to Evan’s warmth.

Maybe he would stay where he was. Just for tonight.