“Y’know, kid, being saddled with a whippersnapper like you is beginning to have its perks,” Clark said as they walked through the parking lot to their patrol car.

  “Don’t you fuckin’ start,” Mason laughed, but of course, his partner continued. This was his second favorite thing to tease him about after his computer illiteracy.

  “You got fucking Lennox Freeman—a man that has the capability to eliminate someone’s existence with the click of a few buttons on his tablet—drooling all over your cluelessness and keeping an eye on us while we’re patrolling.” Clark opened his door. “A guy could do worse.”

  Jesse

  “I feel like I’m gonna throw up, Worm.”

  “Jesse you’re going to be alright, man. You know this is the only way.”

  Jesse chewed on his bottom lip as he paced back and forth behind the Greyhound bus he was supposed to board along with the twenty or so other passengers headed to Atlanta. He did know this was the only way out of his messed-up situation, so he tightened the straps of his backpack and hefted his large, leather duffle bag onto his shoulder. With his phone still pressed firmly against his ear, Jesse got on the bus and slowly made his way to one of the seats in the back. He didn’t want anyone to see how terrified he was. Leaving in the middle of the night to an unknown city with only a few bucks in his bank account wasn’t the smartest move he and Worm could’ve come up with, but it was all they had.

  “Do you think he saw you leave?” Worm asked after Jesse stuffed his duffle underneath his seat.

  Jesse chewed on his thumbnail as he checked the dark parking lot. “I don’t think so.”

  “Did he hurt you, Jess?” Worm bit out. “Tell me the truth. Did he do something to you?”

  “No. But the suggestions were getting more and more…” Jesse whispered. “He wasn’t going to stop trying, Worm.” Ugh, this is such bullshit. “I should’ve just kept my damn mouth shut until it was time to go back to school.”

  Worm sighed in exasperation. “That was your home, Jesse. You shouldn’t have to be harassed every time you go on break or come home to visit.”

  “I did the right thing telling my aunt, right?”

  “Yes,” Worm agreed. “Your uncle is a closeted, cheating son of a bitch. And your aunt will come around. She’s just shocked and mad. Give her some time, dude.”

  Jesse nodded as if he was trying to convince himself. “I had no choice. She needed to know.” He thought of how devastated and heartbroken his aunt looked after he told her that her husband had been coming on to him. That the man she’d been married to for the last eleven years has been secretly craving cock… his cock and heaven knows who else’s.

  Jesse had come to live with his aunt and uncle after his mother passed away from a brain aneurysm four years ago. Aunt Sonya was the only family his mother had left after she divorced her husband and came out as a lesbian to her conservative family. His aunt hadn’t been enthusiastic about taking him in since she didn’t have kids and enjoyed her freedom. But he’d been nineteen back then, and it helped that he came with a hefty life insurance policy. His mother had made the decision to raise him on her own, and she’d always put him first in every part of her life. Even in her death, she made sure he’d have the tools he needed to be okay.

  After the funeral, he’d thrown himself into preparing for his first year of college instead of focusing on the hole in his chest where his mother had been. When he’d come home from the dorm on break, he would notice the way his uncle Robert had tried to hang around in his bedroom a little too often. He wasn’t a fool, and he hadn’t been a young man too lost in his grief to know what was happening. But Jesse had managed to duck and dodge Robert’s flirty bullshit for four and half years; however, his advances were getting blatant, and he was done. So, he’d taken his best friend’s advice and told his aunt the truth.

  After she broke down in front of him and called him a liar… she told him he had to leave.

  “Jess,” Worm said a little louder, breaking him from his thoughts.

  “Yeah. I’m here.”

  “I’ve been making some decent money, Jesse, so I can help you out until you can find a job. It shouldn’t take you no time with your degree,” Worm said again, going over his plan. “As long as you’re contributing to the bills, my dad won’t mind.”

  “What did he say about me staying there?” Jesse’s knee began to shake as the bus driver stuck her head out the door and yelled for all to board. Worm was quiet for too long, making Jesse’s stomach flip inside out. “Felix! You did tell him I was coming, right?”

  When Jesse was met with more silence, he leapt up from his seat, but the bus was already moving.

  “Stay seated while I’m in motion, sweetie,” the driver blared loud enough that he drew attention from the other passengers.

  Jesse eased down in his seat, trying to take long, calming breaths. He had a one-way ticket to a place he didn’t have permission to be. “You’ve got to be messing with me.”

  “Jesse. Don’t get nervous. I didn’t tell my dad because he’s hardly ever there, and when I do come in, I stay in my room. I’ll tell him when you get here that you’re going to help out with the bills and some of the handiwork that needs done.”

  “Handiwork,” Jesse snarled. “Worm. I wouldn’t know which end of a hammer to hit the nail with, for shit’s sake. What have you done, man?”

  “Don’t worry. He works all the time—he’s not gonna be focused on us,” Worm tried, but he wasn’t able to disguise the hurt in his voice. “He doesn’t have shit to say to me unless he’s coming down on me for getting in trouble.”

  “Well, not anymore because I’ll be around to make sure you keep your nose clean and finish your diploma,” Jesse said. He tried to focus on something positive and not frighten himself with all the negative thoughts that were trying to consume him.

  “Right!” Worm said with more enthusiasm. “Wait until I show him I got my GED. He’ll have no choice but to acknowledge that shit because he’ll no longer be able to call me a lazy-ass dropout.”

  “I’m really sorry about you and your dad’s relationship, Worm. But you know he loves you, right? He just doesn’t want you running with those bad crowds anymore.” Jesse pinched the wrinkled skin between his brows. “You’ve been arrested twice already. If my mom knew that I was headed towards…”

  “I know. I know. I’m sorry.” Worm sighed. “That’s why I’m glad you’re coming, bro. When he sees me hanging out with a college grad, he’ll love it.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do,” Worm agreed. “Just enjoy the long ten-hour bus ride, and I’ll be waiting for you at the station. My house isn’t too far from there. Cool?”

  Jesse rubbed at the pounding near his left temple. “Yeah, cool.”

  “Can’t wait to see you again, bro. It took you way too long to finish school.”

  “Most colleges are four years, dipshit.”

  “Whatever, brainiac. You should’ve done it in two, then.”

  Jesse disconnected the call with a smile curving his lips. Everyone was quiet as the bus made its way down the long stretch of dark highway. Jesse thought of this as the next phase in his life—adulthood—and decided to embrace it instead of running in the opposite direction.

  This could be the start of an amazing new year.

  Mason

  “Good evening, officers.” The sound of Erlene’s cheerful voice and the sweet smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls greeted them when they walked inside the busy bakery at the corner of Decatur and Edgewood Avenue. “Officer Clark, hello.”

  “Erlene, what’s it going to take to get you to call me Joshua, huh?” Mason’s partner said on his way into the store. He stood a few inches from the counter and smiled down at the five-foot petite lady with stars flashing in his eyes.

  Mason couldn’t believe his big, tough sergeant turned into a big sap anytime he spoke to the older woman. Erlene was more mature than Clark, with her silver hair and deep laugh lines around her hazel eyes. But she had the bubbliest personality and the prettiest smile he’d ever seen. And she loved to turn it on full beam when his partner walked in. Sure, she was polite to him as well, but she never offered Mason extra icing on his cinnamon roll or doodled hearts with the caramel drizzle on his apple tart.

  Erlene’s cheeks turned a soft pink as she carefully tucked a few tendrils of hair behind her ear. “I suppose it’s just habit, Officer. Or maybe… maybe it’s the uniform.”

  “Hmm,” Clark rumbled, still staring and smiling.

  After a few long moments of awkwardness and a customer clearing her throat behind them, Mason subtly elbowed his partner in his side. “We better get going.”

  “Um, yeah, right.” Clark snapped out of whatever daze he’d been in and started to survey the new additions to the display case. “I’ll have the usual cruller, and those over there look good.”

  “I, um. I remember you mentioned liking lemon pastries and not being able to get them in the supermarket in the winter. So, I made some mini lemon bundts, with iced frosting and toasted marshmallow shavings.” Erlene wrung her fingers in her purple apron. “A little of your spring mixed with my winter.”

  Mason gaped, and Erlene seemed to realize how that sounded now that it was out of her mouth and flushed an even darker shade of rose. Clark’s chest literally expanded beneath his bulletproof vest as he politely asked for a dozen.

  “A whole dozen,” Mason hissed close to Clark’s shoulder. “That’s overkill, Sarge.”

  “Shut up. I’ll do an extra half hour on the elliptical in the morning,” Clark said out of the corner of his mouth while Erlene turned to fill his order, adding a large coffee with a splash of vanilla syrup and two Splendas, just how Clark liked it.

  “Here you go, Officer Cl—” Erlene touched her fingertips to her lips, cutting herself off. “I mean, Joshua.”

  Clark spread his mustache wider than Mason ever got the privilege to see and reached in his back pocket for his wallet.

  “Hello. I’ll have a lemon bundt too, and a caramel latte,” Mason added with a crooked grin. Man, he couldn’t wait to tease his friend when they got back in the car.

  “Of course, Officer Mason.” Erlene laughed and shook her head as if she was behaving silly and filled Mason’s order as well.

  Clark paid for their order and left Erlene a generous tip, as usual. His partner stilled after he took his bag like he was contemplating saying something else but ended up just standing there like a tongue-tied fool.

  Just ask her out, you moron. Mason gritted his teeth, almost wanting to lend his helpless partner a hand because this was pitiful. He didn’t understand what was so hard about asking a lady out. Granted he’d never done it, but it couldn’t be that hard. Mason was gay and even he could tell Erlene was giving off those “ask for my number” vibes.

  Clark stared into Erlene’s kind eyes before he chickened-out—like he always did—and said a rushed goodbye. “Thank you again, Erlene. You have a good night.”

  Erlene’s smile fell a little as she waved at Clark’s back. “You two be safe out there.”

  Mason tipped his latte at her in thanks, then followed his partner to their squad car. Clark pointed his finger in his face before Mason could open his mouth. “Don’t you even think about it.”

  Mason barked a startled laugh. “I didn’t say anything.”

  “Then don’t,” Clark growled, looking as if he could kick his own ass, so Mason cut him some slack.

  “I don’t know why you don’t just ask her out.” Mason shrugged. He checked their computer to make sure they were in the correct application to receive calls so Clark didn’t bite his head off.

  “It’s complicated, okay?” Clark said and shoved half of a mini cake in his mouth. He moaned loud enough to make Mason scoff, but Mason ended up forgiving him after he took his own bite.

  “Fuck, that’s good,” Mason said. “Is that the toasty marshmallow things tasting like that?”

  “Goddamnit. I know, right.” Clark was already reaching for his second one. “Imagine if I could eat these things all the time?”

  “It looks like you can, buddy.” Mason frowned. “And I don’t know what’s so complex. She obviously likes you, and you like her.”

  Clark began to chew slowly, his scruffy jaws working the delicate cake around in his mouth to avoid commenting. Mason could see the fear and the uncertainty in his friend, but the only way to fail was to not even try. Instead of badgering him, he shut his mouth and listened.

  “Remember that woman I dated a couple years ago?” Clark flicked a few crumbs from his beard and off his jacket.

  Mason nodded. Jacklyn, Jasmine, or Jackie-something. He remembered things had been going okay between those two until Clark injured his back after taking a tumble down a flight of stairs with a suspect. The woman he’d called “his lady” hadn’t stuck around long enough for the orthopedic specialist to confirm Clark would be fine. She’d texted him goodbye, stating she could no longer stay up half the night worrying if he’d come home safely.

  It was a valid concern but a shitty way to go about communicating it.

  “Yeah. Um, Jackie.”

  “Jaime,” Clark gritted out.

  “What about her?” Mason crumpled up his bag, then took a long sip of his hot latte, enjoying the warmth as it coated his insides. Atlanta in December didn’t get snow, but there was still a bite in the air that made this his favorite time of year.

  “I haven’t really thought about dating anyone seriously since her.” Clark didn’t look at him as he made his confession, but if he had, he would’ve seen no judgment from him. Mason was alone by choice too… just not his choice. “Erlene, she… she doesn’t seem like the type, ya know. But…”

  “But you don’t wanna go through that again.” Mason nodded. “I get it, man. But my father used to tell me that a closed mouth doesn’t get fed. You just gotta go for it, Clark.”

  “Oh yeah. Then why are you still single? How come you didn’t make a play for Godfrey all those years ago before he fell in love with Day? Or what about the way you procrastinated asking out Freeman?” Clark scoffed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “You let Hart swoop in and steal your dream guy.”

  “Exactly. I never opened my damn mouth.” Mason looked at his partner pointedly. “But I promise that shit won’t happen again. It’s a new year, and it’s our time for romance, buddy.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Mason. That sounds like something a man your age would say,” Clark rumbled and turned the computer to face him as if he’d heard enough and was ready to go to work.

  Mason chuckled, but he could see a spark of hope in his partner’s dark eyes.

  Jesse

  Jesse glanced up at the entrance doors to the bus station for the zillionth time, praying he’d see his best friend’s ugly mug rushing inside with a wide apologetic grin for being two hours late to pick him up. But unfortunately, it wasn’t. He checked his cell phone for any missed calls or texts which he knew wasn’t possible since he’d been clutching his phone in his hand all night. Jesse bounced his knee repeatedly while he sat uncomfortably on one of the hard wooden benches. At six in the morning, the station was bustling with people probably headed to their own new year’s destinations, all bright smiles behind their Christmas Starbucks cups. Jesse felt as if he stuck out like a sore thumb, like people could see he was either in a predicament or running from it.

  The security guard had been watching him carefully as if he had a bomb in his duffle. He didn’t know what the guy’s deal was, but as far as he knew, he’d been a passenger, and he should be allowed to wait inside the building for his ride. However long that may be. Come on, Worm. Where the hell are you? Jesse tapped the receiver icon twice, redialing, again. And just like the other twenty times, it went straight to voicemail. “Goddamnit,” he spat.

  The security guard stood up and put his hands on his big hips, and Jesse took that as his one and only warning. He waited until nine before he conceded that his friend wasn’t coming and he needed to find someplace else to wait. But Jesse didn’t know where else he could go. He was a stranger in a strange city, and his resources were limited.

  He zipped his gray hoodie up to his neck, then pulled his leather coat closed against the nip in the air. It wasn’t as cold as Baltimore, where he and Worm were born and raised, but according to Google Maps, he had at least a forty-five-minute walk ahead of him to get to his friend’s house at the corner of Bryan Street and Chastain. Once he cleared the large parking lot, he blended in easily with the foot traffic moving eastbound. He tried not to worry too much. But there was no way Worm would stand him up and be a no call, no-show—something was wrong.

  “I swear to god, Worm, you better be oversleeping from some wild party you went to last night,” Jesse mumbled low enough not to turn the heads of the couple walking in front of him. But he was anxious and scared. His only real friend left in the world had to be okay. He walked and walked some more until he was no longer surrounded by the early risers with energetic dogs and businessmen with a briefcase in one hand and cell phone in the other, already conducting transactions.

  Jesse crossed the street toward a wide-open park, hoping he could cut through it instead of walking all the way around the block. His cheeks were cold, his feet hurt, and his stomach had expressed its lack of contents hours ago. Once he was with Worm, that’s when he’d concern himself with eating and sleeping. It wasn’t until he’d cleared another wall of dense shrubs that he noticed the shabby tents, blankets, trash, and people… people sleeping all over as if they were in the last hours of a slumber party. What the hell? It was a bunch of homeless people, even some with families. Oh my god.

  “Hey, fella.”

  Jesse swung around to a man that was sitting beside a trash can that smelled as if it was last night’s heat source. “Me?” Jesse glanced around stupidly. Of course he was speaking to him. “Yeah.”

 

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