Touch And Go - Aiden Bates Page 0,36

slate surely meant to be used as a coaster, and pulled open his drawers. Pens, so many pens, branded notepads, and a collection of scented candles with charred wicks. He really did live that scented candle lifestyle. I scoffed but took a deep sniff before I slammed the drawers shut and carried on with my search.

Maybe it was the coffee or my lack of sleep, but I was getting antsy. Where the fuck had they hidden my shit? I gritted my teeth and let out a frustrated growl when my second look under the couch turned up nothing but dust bunnies. I could press charges for kidnapping and robbery at this rate.

By the time I shuffled past the closed door of Derek’s bedroom, my coffee had run dry. It had tasted damn good, I had to admit. A second cup would be my reward when I found my laptop. Or a consolation if I couldn’t locate my stuff. I stuck my head into a spare bedroom at the end of the short hallway. It had bright azure walls covered in what had to be custom art, plush dark gray carpet that melted under my toes, and another scented candle on the bedside table. And at the foot of the double bed, shining on the quilted bedspread, there she was. My baby. My laptop. Laid out like she’d been waiting for me the whole time.

But it wasn’t my laptop as I knew it… The hardy case has been crunched and cracked on the edges into a disfigured shape. I threw it open and found the edges of the body were crushed in at the corners and a portion of the screen was peeling away where a piece of metal was poking through. My heart sank as I smoothed my fingers lovingly across her wounds. It looked like something had smashed against her from above, and I shuddered to think about a baseball bat hitting my most prized possession.

Something didn’t add up. Why had they smashed her, but left her there? The laptop was worth over a grand, even second-hand, and the only thing worth a damn in my whole apartment. I hated seeing her beat up and busted, but I had to tend to her wounds. I sat cross-legged against the wooden headboard as I booted her up. She groaned from the violence that had been bestowed upon her but came to life with a heart-lifting ding. I almost collapsed with relief. My baby! She lived! I thanked my lucky stars and the manufacturers of my hardy case for the miracle.

My fingers raced across the keyboard faster than usual as I hacked into Derek’s Wi-Fi network. Holy shit. I was quick. Probably needed to drink coffee more often. It seemed to do wonders for my manual dexterity. But I remembered why I kept away from the stuff when I opened my email and found a big, fat, unread message from Ben. My blood pressure spiked and my hands shook as I struggled to take a full breath. The edge of a freak-out. An unreasonable one. This email might have the answers I needed. Oh. Panic attacks. Coffee. Bad combo.

I slammed the laptop shut and counted my exhales as I stared at the artwork on the opposite wall. It was a gay adaptation of Klimt’s The Kiss, all gold and shining with two men embracing. It was kind of gaudy, but I liked it, and examining the fine details kept my mind off the fear roaring just below my ribs.

“What are you even afraid of at this point?” I spoke in a hoarse whisper, but even that was so loud my own voice startled my jittery, caffeinated nerves. With a deep breath, I considered the email and what could be in it. Maybe Ben admitted trying to kill me. Or maybe he was finally set to sever our relationship since my gayness bothered him so. Or maybe he’d finally typed out his homophobic manifesto.

Of course, any of those would have been better than the cloud of confusion I was currently living under. With my gaze on the shining gold leaf of the painting, I peeled the laptop open again. With quick flicks of my eyes to the screen, I opened the email and braced myself.

Seb,

Call me. I’m worried. I know you’re freaked out by the file you saw. I never would’ve showed you, but I needed help and you’re the computer nerd. But I can explain what you saw. What happened. Just