Gravity (Greenford #2) - Romeo Alexander Page 0,3

little moments in time brought back and put on display.

But it was the small cheap plastic octopus that his eyes fell on. It was one of the first items he’d ever put in his office after he’d put the books away. The purple paint had flecked away on parts, exposing the white plastic beneath. One of the arms, which had originally wiggled and flailed, had broken off and he couldn’t remember when.

Without thinking, he crossed his office quietly toward its almost hidden position. He brushed aside the geode fragment and the two bottles of sand to grab it, taking it gently in hand. The little octopus was the only thing in the collection that wasn’t a piece of some place he’d been to. Sometimes he didn’t know why he held onto the toy, but no matter how scratched or broken it became, he could never quite justify throwing it away.

Just like everything else on the shelf, it held important memories, etched into his mind no matter how much he might try to forget some things.

At nineteen, Samuel was still brimming with all the confidence and impatience that would take him years, and a few hard lessons, to finally get under control. His steps were quick and hurried as he crossed the parking lot, getting as far from the large mall behind him as quickly as possible. He’d spent the better part of six hours walking around its long halls, chock full of unruly teenagers, screaming kids, and a whole lot of full-grown people who should have behaved far better than they did.

“Slow down,” Caleb chided from behind him.

Samuel rolled his eyes, coming to a stop and turning to face the other man. Despite being only a couple of years older than Samuel, Caleb typically moved at a pace that was befitting someone in a retirement home.

Caleb shook his head. “You’re always in a rush to go everywhere.”

“We were in there for hours, Caleb,” Samuel complained. “Just because you have the patience of a saint doesn’t mean I do. I’m ready to go home or to some cave where people never go. I haven’t made up my mind.”

The annoyed frown on Caleb’s face disappeared and he laughed. “Oh c’mon, you were the one who insisted we make one last stop. You know, the stop that took an extra hour for us to get through.”

Samuel scowled at him, but even he had to admit it didn’t feel genuine. The trip to the mall in Lancaster, an almost two-hour drive from boring as hell Greenford, had been his idea. That they detour to the Lancaster aquarium, which just so happened to be built into the sprawling mall, had been his idea as well.

“I like fish,” Samuel said with an indignant sniff.

“Kind of picked up on that,” Caleb said wryly. “Right about the point where you were staring into the same tank for like, ten minutes without saying a word. Which is pretty impressive when you think about it.”

Samuel shook his head. “Did you ask me to slow down just so you could make fun of me? I’m not in the mood, Caleb.”

Annoyance flashed over Caleb’s face. “No, that’s not why I told you to stop.”

They had only been dating for half a year, but sometimes it felt like twice or even three times that long for Samuel. That wasn’t always a bad thing, but it wasn’t always a good thing either. Caleb was steady and calm most of the time, somehow acting like someone far older than he was while still managing to be playful and lighthearted when he wasn’t frowning. Yet he could be absurdly impatient with Samuel and was a little too quick to correct him on occasion, much to Samuel’s annoyance.

Caleb held up a small plastic bag. “This is why I wanted you to slow down for a second.”

Samuel cocked his head. “What’s that?”

Caleb laughed softly, holding the bag out. “Take a look and see.”

It was the laugh that eased the rest of the tension from Samuel’s shoulders. Though Caleb wasn’t shy about smiling or giving a soft chuckle or snort of amusement, he wasn’t a laugher. It was usually a sign that he was enjoying himself, and that told Samuel that maybe he needed to ease back on his grumpiness just a little.

Inside the bag was the goofiest thing he had ever seen. A plastic octopus that could easily sit in his hand. Bright purple, with huge cartoonish eyes and eight arms that wiggled around frantically as he sat