2074

“So… Um, how have you been?”

Confused, Alexander raised his eyebrows at Jaden, who looked at him sheepishly. He’d come over to visit Isaac a couple of hours ago. The pair had spent most of their time watching movies and laughing about things Alex couldn’t even begin to understand. Alex had spent most of his time in his room so that he wouldn’t bother them. But when he’d come out for food, he’d found Jaden alone in the lounge room and Isaac in the shower.

“What?” Alex said.

Jaden shrugged and gave him a small smile. “I was just asking how you were.”

“Oh. Oh! I’m good, actually,” Alex said, smiling back at him. “Been pretty tired lately though. It’s hard work.”

Jaden let out a laugh. “Yeah, I’m not surprised. It hasn’t changed much from when I used to help out,” he replied.

Alex crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the kitchen bench. “You used to help out here?” he asked.

“Oh yeah, all the time when I was a teenager,” the other man said. “They’re family friends. My parents pretty much forced me. I didn’t mind too much, as long as I was getting paid, I guess.”

Alex huffed out a small laugh and stared down at the floor. His coffee was brewing slowly. When he’d come out of his room, he hadn’t expected conversation. He’d just wanted to get his coffee and go.

His mind had been screaming at him for the last week. He didn’t want to talk to anyone as a result, it only made the screaming worse. The angry voice in the back of his mind told him that none of them liked him, that he was only there because Isaac’s parents pitied him, that if he did become friends with them, they would all die long before he did. It was too much, so he separated himself.

And now there was someone trying to make friends with him. He couldn’t understand why. He and Jaden hadn’t spoken since they’d met a couple of weeks back. Everything time Isaac and the others went out to see him, Alex had been pulled back to help out with the farm.

The other man had taken a strange interest in him last time they talked. Perhaps it wasn’t all that odd that Jaden wanted to be his friend. But now it was awkward, without either of them doing anything to cause it.

“And how are you?” Alex asked in an attempt to break the silence that had taken over the room. The kettle finished boiling and he hurried to pour the water into his mug.

“Ah, you know, same old really,” Jaden said. A beat of uncomfortable silence passed. “It’s kind of weird being home, is all.”

Alex frowned at his as he stirred his coffee. Jaden leaned against the wall next to the counter and kicked at the tiled floor with a sock covered foot. “Too used to travelling?” Alex asked.

The other man nodded and gave him a small grin. “Yeah. It’s weird being so long in one place,” he said with a shrug. “But it’s home. I missed being here. I just also miss travelling more.”

“I’m assuming settling down isn’t an option for you?” he asked, then grimaced at the words. “Sorry, that’s a bit… Intrusive.”

Jaden shook his head and waved a hand at him. “Nah, it’s fine,” he said. “But, actually, I do want to settle down one day. When I find my soulmate, I probably will. For now, I want to do as much as I can.”

Alexander smiled at his words, wishing he’d had the same frame of mind when he was younger. He had travelled a little bit, but he hadn’t been able to afford it often. So, he’d gotten a job, and then everything snowballed, and he became a CEO. Now, he only travelled when he was sent on business trips. It was better than nothing, but his younger self would have hated it.

“That sounds nice,” he said, not entirely sure what else there was to say. The longer he stayed in the room, the more he wanted to talk to the other man. What would be the point if he did? Another friend he would have to watch die? It wasn’t fair.

Jaden didn’t seem fazed by Alex’s awkwardness. “It will be. I’ve been waiting long enough, I think. I should find them soon.” He smiled sadly at the ground before looking back up at him. “You’re what, thirty? Haven’t been waiting too long then. It kinda sucks, even though I act like it doesn’t.”

“I’m thirty-five,” Alexander lied, ignoring the angry feeling in his stomach. He hated lying, but he hated the pity more. Jaden and Isaac and the others would never know, they didn’t need to. “They say it’s all worth it, but I guess we won’t know until we meet them.” He hoped it was worth it, he’d spent far too much time waiting and searching for them.

“It better be. I’m getting old.”

“Fifty is hardly old.”

“Fifty-one is.”

Alexander laughed as the bathroom door swung open. Isaac padded out, his eyebrows raised at the pair. “I didn’t know you two were friends,” he said. “You should have been out here with us, Alex.”

Alex waved a hand at them. “No, it’s alright,” he said and turned back to his coffee. He’d almost forgotten about it during their conversation. It was going cold, but it was still drinkable. He chugged down the warm liquid as the two best friends bickered over what movie they were going to watch next.

“How about we let Alex pick?” Jaden suggested.

“What?” Alex said.

“Yeah! Come pick a movie and watch it with us,” Jaden said, a sly smile on his face. “You can’t stay holed up in that room all night.” He could if he tried hard enough.

Isaac took the suggestion to heart. “Come on, you might as well. We’re watching my parent’s classic movies that they never got rid of. The crazy bastards still have dvds and a player for them.”

Alexander perked up at the news. Isaac’s parents must have kept the device hidden away. He smiled and nodded at the pair. “Alright, might as well,” he said. Jaden grinned at him, wide and toothy. The stash of old movies sat on the floor by the ancient dvd player.

He gasped when he spotted one of his favourite movies. He and Philip used to watch it all the time, even after everything that had happened between them. “This one,” he said and pulled it from the pile. “I haven’t watched it in years.”

“You know this one?” Jaden asked incredulously as he walked back into the living room.

“Yeah. I watched with my grandparents a lot when I was a kid,” he said, nearly wincing at almost being caught out in his lie. He always knew it would be one stupid mistake that got him caught, but he didn’t want it to happen so soon. He was only going to be on the farm for another year, after that he would leave, and they would be none the wiser.

Isaac put the movie in and went back to the kitchen to make up popcorn. “You have good taste in movies,” Jaden said, bumping Alex’s shoulder with his own.

“Thanks,” Alexander muttered with a shrug.

“Why haven’t you come out with us lately?” he asked. “I thought that seeing as Isaac dragged you along when I came back that you would be around more often.”

“I’ve always got work to do here.” It was the truth, but it seemed like Jaden didn’t believe him.

The other man eyes him sceptically. “You’re not big on social stuff, are you?” he asked.

He used to be, so long ago, before everyone he’d ever gotten close to died. He didn’t want to do it again, it hurt too much to lose them. He shook his head. “Not really. Makes me nervous.” It was also the truth, a result of his grief.

Jaden planted a hand on his arm. “You don’t need to be, we’re all chill,” he said with a small smile. “Come with us next time we go out somewhere. I’m sure I can convince Isaac’s parents to let you off for a couple of hours. They love me.”

He shouldn’t. He couldn’t get close to anyone else. But the younger man intrigued him. “Sure, that would be nice,” he replied before he could stop himself. He wanted to take it back as soon as the words left his mouth, but the grin on Jaden’s face stopped him.

Isaac came back with a huge bowl of popcorn and plopped down on the couch. He raised his eyebrows at the pair. “Well?” he said. “Let’s do this thing.”

Not feeling any less nervous and confused than before, Alexander joined Isaac and Jaden on the couch. He sat off to the side, Jaden in the middle with the bowl of popcorn. Their thighs pressed together and Alex struggled not to squirm away from the touch. Instead, he focused on the movie and the memories it gave him.

Isaac passed out halfway through, face pressed against the arm of the old couch. Jaden laughed at him but didn’t bother to wake him up. He was such a cheerful man, more so than anyone else Alex had ever met. He hated that he found it comforting, that it made him want to smile too.

“So, what other movies do you watch?” Jaden asked as the credits rolled. Isaac snored on the other side of the couch but didn’t stir. The empty bowl of popcorn sat on the coffee table, begging for a refill.

Alex shrugged and listed off some of his favourites, old and new. Jaden perked up at a few of the movies, excitement pulling at his features. How anyone could get that excited over a bunch of movies, Alexander would never understand.

“Mate, you should come over some time and have a marathon with me. I have heaps of those,” Jaden suggested.

The grin, the attitude, it was all too infectious. “I haven’t seen them in a long time,” he replied. “That would be nice.”

“What days do you have off?”

“Just Wednesdays.”

Another small smile. “Perfect,” Jaden said. “Wednesday night, you and me, a bunch of movies. How does that sound?”

Alexander pretended to think it over, even though he already had the answer in his head. There was no way he could say no, even if he wanted to. He didn’t want to get close, but God, he wanted to talk to people, to have friends again. It was a constant war in his mind over what was the right thing to do. He hated being alone, but he hated losing people.

“Will there be popcorn?”

“Of course! It’s not a marathon without popcorn.”

Alexander smiled back at him, eyes trailing over his tanned face. “Then, yeah. Wednesday would be good.”