#Chapter5
He'd never been the kind of guy to get teary eyed at sunsets, but as he paused mid-stride, drinking in the succulent colours that bathed the early morning sky, he couldn't deny that nature was capable of being truly beautiful. Tall and proud, trees stood at terrifying heights, half robbed of leaves, but still unyielding. Frost had descended upon the quiet streets, leaving behind a layer of ice so delicate it crumbled beneath a warm breath.
As he eyed the piles of red, yellow and orange that blew across the pavements and congregated in the gutters, he couldn't help but admire just how strong, just how resilient, the world around him was. Every Fall, the leaves would wither and die, letting go of their branches in collective exhaustion. They'd fall. They'd ruin . . . and then they'd grow again.
And what wasn't beautiful about that? To fall apart, to lose parts of yourself, but with time and patience, to be reborn anew? Yup. It had him wishing he had the grace of a tree.
Hell, he would have settled for a weed with how he was feeling. Those little bastards got ripped out, sprayed and killed any which way they could, but guaranteed that sooner or later, another would be snaking up out of the cracks.
Fighting back a shiver, shoving his hands deeper into the pockets of the sequined, pink zebra print jacket, he tore his eyes away from the world around him and focused instead on his only mission of the day: Find a reason to smile.
Which seemed a tad dramatic, but not altogether taboo. Last night had been . . . unpleasant. The vehemence had soured his mood from the second his eyes had opened. That, and he had an awfully wonderful dream. In that dream, Adam had been there beside him, holding him close, his arms the picture of security they once had been. It had been so real. He could still feel the way his breath had felt on the back of his neck or the way his hand had felt against his hip. But when he'd awoken, when dawn had slithered through the bedroom, the bed had been empty.
And the hollowness had projected into his heart. It had manifested until it actually transpired as a physical pain.
So yeah, he was on a quest to rekindle his smile. And he knew if nothing else, Lucien Murdock was a gold-ranking candidate for the job. Sly would have been in the running too, but according to the text he'd woken up to, the lucky puppy was outta town for the rest of the week.
He could have tried Isaac, but he knew better than to disturb him before eight a.m. It was a danger zone he didn't want to waltz through. Especially considering it hadn't even touched seven yet.
There was only one problem with it being so early: The front door was locked. And the spare key? Well, he destroyed a potted plant, popped the head off a toy Squirtle that had been glued to the drainpipe, and kicked at a load of gravel rocks, and he was still no closer to finding it.
Lucien had given him one once, but it lay at home in his jewellery box, painted over with nail varnish and glitter, and in dire need of testing to see if it still fit the lock. Rats!
He flicked the knocker a few times. Rapped his knuckles against the PVC, but when it became apparent that everyone inside was still in slumberville, he took drastic measures: calling all his years of ballet and dance into focus, he scaled the wall that led to the back gate, hopped over, and landed in the back yard with the grace of the Beverly Hills Ninja. In his defence, it was slippery!
/"Ah, man,/" he cursed as he pushed himself to his feet. /"I'm so outta shape./"
A few weeks ago, he'd started dancing again. Nothing drastic, just catching a few hours here and there, but he'd already begun to feel the difference. HIs body felt tighter, and his limbs had been hindered with a deep set ache that took days of sleep to get rid of. But he liked it. He felt in touch with a part of himself he'd abandon; dancing had been the only time he'd ever truly felt alive.
But even still, a year and a half of negligence couldn't be fixed in two weeks, and his form was appalling. Hence the 'dropping-on-his-ass' show. But he was working on it. It was a slow process, but he was getting there. He'd even been going swimming every few days too, because Adam had made a snide comment about him putting on weight. It wasn't much but he was proud of himself.
He'd never been overly body-conscious. Dance had kept him fit, and so had his other hobbies. But the offhand comment had infiltrated the web of newfound insecurities his paranoia had concocted, and he'd refused to eat for three days straight because of it. Almost passing out and feeling like overall crap had been what had forced the switch from starvation to physical fitness. But in a way, he was glad. It had acted as the push he'd needed: Adam's spite had led him back to his passion.
Blowing into his palms, because the run-in with the ground had left them stinging like a mother-fudger, he cast a quick glance around, scouring over the tops of the six-foot fence panels in search for any nose-jamming neighbours. He was technically breaking in, but the last thing he needed was for one of them to see him and play good samaritan. Prison stripes didn't really go with his eyes.
Before he'd unleashed his match-maker ways — because he was cupid in a mother-fudging tutu — and got his two close friends hooked on one another, Angel Toussant had been a moody, grouchy recluse who barely spoke more than a few words at any one given time, and his sins were worn like armour. Now, the guy was all domesticated and shit. It was positively adorable, and only reinforced his knowledge that when it came to love, he truly did know best.
The back yard was full of Angel's recent DIY projects. In the furthest corner, built from scratch, a huge feat that had had forced Angel to ask him and Raven for help, was a Wendy house. 'Cept it had been kitted out with a black and white paint job, and pirate flags waved from the windows. And just to really show off how good he was with his hands, Angel was in the middle of creating a jungle gym. Shaping it like a pirate ship, because Luci had a thing for pirates, a hull had been created from sturdy plywood, and a swings and a rock climbing wall were in the process of being built, complying with the ship's design.