Ghost Boyfriend Anthology.

#7.5 - Something Bad.

—

Pressing against Jacob's chest, Ryder pulled off the soggy bandage which lifted the puckered skin. The wound had healed to an extent and it no longer bled but was still ugly.

“You know, it's a wonder how you managed all this. It's good to know you aren't such a letdown as I initially thought.”

Ah, judges. Ryder had seen a lot in his life to choose not to pay any mind to this. It wasn't his business if they saw him that way. After all, he wasn't born to impress anyone and this very man he'd offered to help could be someone he never wanted to know.

Or he could be salvation, a silver lining peeking from the graying clouds. Ryder thought him too rude to be a messiah.

But the strange, relatable connection was still there. It was useless pretending it didn't exist.

The wind outside howled louder, banging the bedroom door and dragging him out of his straying thoughts.

“Listen up,” he said sharply. “I don't care to know whoever you are, whatever you do, or who you're running from. I just want to be assured I'll be okay and my life is gonna be protected.”

Jacob shifted his gaze to meet his, the cackling yellow from the flames caused his locks to seem ethereal. Ryder yearned to know what he was thinking at that very moment. Was it something crazy? Would he still wish to kill him after he'd said he never wanted to be a part of anything?? Shaking his head cautiously, he made to walk away, tripping against the forgotten first aid box on the floor and losing his balance.

Muscled hands came together around his waist, hoisting him up just before he hit the floor. The impact of the timely rescue struck when Jacob pressed him against his bare chest. It was hard not to feel cozy when cuddled and despite his skin being warm, Ryder felt scalded by the contact.

Stiffening his body, he wriggled free. “I'm so — I'm so sorry for that.” he stuttered. Heat rose to his cheeks. “I've been clumsy all day. Would you like some food? I've got Chicken Divan.”

Jacob stretched causing his biceps to heave dangerously, his veins on display. Ryder gaped at them in fascination. “I think I'm pretty good for the night. So how are we sleeping?”

“Er...” Ryder scratched his forehead in thought. The idea of sleeping arrangements hadn't kicked in until now and it'd be fair if he'd let Jacob take the bed.

“You can stay in the bed. I'm better off sleeping on the floor.” And with that, he began setting out mats and sheets and anything else he needed. Jacob stopped halfway. “Dude, you do know we're both males right? Come on now, let's stay together on the bed. It's big enough.”

His heart caught in his throat. Shifting his attention to the bed, he muttered nervously. “The bed? Together?”

Jacob nodded. “Else you care to explain why you can't lay with me.”

His chances of surviving the night were slim.

Ryder shook his head vigorously. “Don't be silly. I can sleep on the floor. I might jar you if we sleep together.”

“I'd live with it. Besides, you look soft. You'd do nothing, I promise.”

Soft? A promise? It was difficult to back down now.

“Do we have to?” he probed as he crawled onto the soft sheets, looking lost.

“Yes, Ryder. We do.”

—

It was scarcely midnight when he awoke with a start. Drenched in sweat from a nightmare he had and looking over to Jacob's empty side of the bed, Ryder swung his legs to the floor and padded downstairs in the dark. The fire in the hearth had gone out matching with his increasing panic. A low whistle through the air and a ghastly smattering of his phone against the wall greeted him when he arrived in the living room.

“What part of ‘I promise not to call anyone’ did you not understand?” he said calmly, clenching his fist at the bits presumably on the floor a few meters away. “Do you know how much that phone meant to me? You didn't have to destroy it, it cost me more than you could ever give.”

“I could agree on that basis for now,” Jacob sounded unbelievably ominous through the darkness. “I don't know you and therefore can't take any chances. When the lights come on you're bound to recharge your phone and call someone. I don't believe in promises either.”

A sharp movement to the right caught Ryder's attention. A figure advanced closer, tumbling straight into him. They both fell onto the sofa, Ryder recoiling under his weight and half nudity.

“Why did you take off your clothes!” he screamed out loud. “It's one hell of a cold night!”

“I like sleeping naked, and stop screaming like a girl.” Jacob retorted.

“Get off me.” Ryder pushed against his chest, sliding to the floor. Jacob winced slightly then stood up. He managed to reach the stairs with Ryder following closely behind. “Let me help you, it's not safe to climb stairs with the lights out.”

“I'm not handicapped!” Jacob snapped, halting briefly. “And you're too dense to care about anyone. You make it seem like I'm a liability you've got to take care of.”

“That's not — ”

“Forget it, I'll leave here sooner than you know it.”

No. No matter how jolting his words seemed and how softly he spoke, it couldn't be more than this. Nothing would drive Ryder to his limits.

They continued back up the stairs and Ryder helped him ease onto the bed. He clambered onto his side, their backs to one another. Ryder felt something moments later — a strong arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer till the distance vanished. Snuggling against bare skin, Ryder tried not to think of another place, far away.

But most especially, he didn't want to relate the current scenario to another man. It did help that Jacob was now fast asleep, his snores reverberating. Melting onto his embrace, Ryder shut his eyes, allowing the pooling moisture in his eyes to fall freely.

—

A little before six, Ryder awoke, and out of habit, he stood over the window taking a look at the flaky whiteness that dotted the land like a carpet. The blizzard had cleared, leaving in its wake an alluring scent of cinnamon wafting off it. Despite the morning cold, he wiped out hot beads of sweat that accompanied him out of his dream. It had been a struggle trying to find sleep last night, just like all other night and he suddenly knew why.

Last night never made any difference for Jacob laid on it afterward. Maybe he'd waited for Ryder to doze off before creeping out quietly once more.

Sharply, Ryder turned to the door, frozen in place at the sight that made his heartbeat stop.

Jacob stood in the doorway, his chest bare — sporting a three inches horizontal s***h that had healed. Ryder studied him farther, down the lower part of his body until his eyes widened in alarm.

Shrieking, he burrowed into the blanket.

“Good — ” Jacob trailed off, wincing as he faltered and grabbed at the door handle for support. Reasons out the window, Ryder scurried over in a daze, helping to set him on the bed. “You shouldn't move around much. You might get hurt” he scolded.

“I've told you, I'm okay.”

“You fell just now,” Ryder scoffed, forcing himself not to look down at his patient's glaring nakedness. It was a universal truth that men liked to sleep naked, normal men that is. But Ryder had long convinced himself he was not normal.

Reaching out for his shorts that hung over the fireplace, he held it out. “I should have given you this yesterday. It clean and dry and would fit you perfectly.”

“What would you wear then?” Jacob asked, narrowing his eyes at him.

“I'll manage. Now, put this on and stop scaring me with what's down there.”

Jacob snickered, miffing the shorts out of his grip. “The blizzard cleaned awhile ago. Do you have anything to get in town?”

“I barely leave my cabin.” Ryder lied. Once or twice he'd gone out often to help Dolly in her small farm at the edge of the lake where she grew blossoms and giant carrots. She'd become quite fond of his company and could survive some days alone on the far due to her bad eyesight but she'd come knocking anyway. “Why do you ask?”

The patient took a full glance around the room, at the lines on the sheets, the oakwood table, the ashes slowly burning out in the hearth, and finally, the black woolly blanket sprawled on the floor then back to him. “You seem to live alone.”

“I do,” Ryder admitted, crossing the floor to the other side of the bed. He stripped off the sweaty sheets a bit discreetly, rolling them into a ball and dumping them at a corner. “It might take some time before I'll make breakfast. What would you like to eat?”

“I cooked.”

He stopped himself halfway from what he was doing, hoping he'd heard right. “You cooked? With your injured chest?”

Jacob shrugged. “Yeah. It's down in the dining area. I had no idea where you kept your maple syrup so I used peanut butter instead.”

Ryder hurried past him downstairs, expecting to see the whole kitchen in a spinning mess or worse, burning. Everything was just as he'd left it the night before, the table neatly laid out and the dishes carefully covered.

It reminded him of Pete so much that he wiped out the tears quickly before Jacob came in behind him. Before Pete was submerged with his sedan unto the river to his ugly death, most mornings had been like this. Ryder hardly found himself doing anything around the home and Pete was just too caring to care. They were never married but had a bond alright. He'd been too good to be killed, too kind to die but Ryder had been wrong.

No one was good enough.

Jacob stepped forward, leaning his head down so his sensual breath sent tingles down Ryder's spine. “I can tell you like it.”

Lost for words, Ryder nodded. “It's good.”

Each took a plate and sat across from each other, the silence between them building. “You shouldn't have done this, I can manage,” Ryder commented shortly after taking a bite out of his sandwich.

“I wanted to,” Jacob smiled. “You looked adorable while asleep to be disturbed.”

“You were watching me sleep? Why?” Ryder queried.

“Let's just say, I'm a creep.” Jacob chuckled at his joke while Ryder forced his gaze down to his meal, trying his hardest not to laugh aloud. Jacob had become his responsibility but he wasn't bothered. Not at all.

A persistent knock from the door startled them both. Jacob jerked forward, falling off the chair in the process, his blue eyes hardening. “You promised not to tell.”

“And I didn't,” irritation laced Ryder's tone. He never liked being blamed or made to look like he wasn't good at keeping promises. What was the point of hiding anyway?

“Who do you think I could've told? I never left the cabin and the phone lines were dead last night. You smashed my cell.”

The patient shook his head. “Never mind. Don't answer yet,” he hurried back upstairs, no wincing, no limping...he was perfectly okay. It must be the spur of the moment, Ryder thought.

He emerged with a blade, it's pointed tip reflecting off the sunlight just as Ryder opened the door. Anthony Grand stood over the doorpost, beaming at him. “Hey there.”

Ryder felt the blood pulsating behind his ears especially when he imagined Jacob lurking somewhere with a knife and ready to draw blood at the least possible moment. The handsome young man before him deserved none of that. He was probably his mother's only child.

Which was why he could accord the favor of helping his visitor on his way.

“Um..hi Anthony.” he forced a smile. The dark-haired adult warmly dressed peered over him, clearly expecting an invitation to come in. “Is something going on inside there? Besides, Mr. Gerald informed me about getting a snowplow to come to clear up the road. I trust that'll help you get to Town easier in case you need anything.”

“That's very thoughtful of you...and no, nothing in here. I'm cleaning up cause the whole house is in a mess.” Stepping out unto the porch, he banged the door shut.

The whiteness all around made him feel he was living in some sort of sugary dump with pine skeletal trees poking out up the path, trails of footsteps that belonged to Anthony stood out against the snow.

He rubbed at his bare arms, conscious of Anthony's prodding stare. “We'd had worse. How's Dolly faring?”

“Good I guess,” Anthony tore his gaze away and by instinct, ran a hand through his tousled hair. “She's got cabin fever but refused to take a walk around.”

“Poor Dolly. I doubt she'd been taking her medications as instructed.”

“You know how she is,” they both chuckled nervously, more out of fear from whatever they each had in mind. Anthony was a good lad and good-looking too. So many times Ryder had imagined how good it could have felt to crush on him but the feeling never developed. Sure, Anthony was attractive and had ditched his long time girlfriend in Beaufort when he discovered he was gay.

The coast was clear and in as much as Dolly wanted Anthony to get along with him, he couldn't force love.

His emotions bottled up after Pete... until Jacob showed up days ago, and even at that, Ryder feigned cautious.

“Well, I was passing by and just thought I should check up on you and since it's all good here, I'd hit the roads.” Anthony smiled, retrieving his pale hands into his coat pockets. “Call me if you need anything. Dolly and I would come running. Goodbye Ryder.” he turned back toward the road.

Expelling a relieved sigh, Ryder went back into the house, shutting it quietly and securing it under lock before turning to face Jacob. “You took the pistol,” the latter accused.

“I needed to be assured of my safety.” Ryder retorted. There was something about the desperation in Jacob's eyes and the despair his face bore that prevented Ryder from raging all out on him. “I wish you would explain all these to me. I don't want to believe I'm housing a murderer or some cheap delinquent.”

“Believe it or not, I'm protecting you.”

“Isn't time to know the truth? Aren't the riddles enough?” he asked at last.

Jacob fell silent, staring down at his hands which tightened on the dining table. Ryder's heart reached out briefly then caught in his throat when Jacob stood up and took quick steps toward him, the blade firm in his grip. He backed out slowly in fear. “Y-you promised you wouldn't hurt me.”

His tone was miffed, seeped of all vibrancy that normally accompanied his words.

The blonde stopped in his tracks and mutely stared down at the cowering teen. Ryder watched the knife slip off, his blood running cold when Jacob leaned closer, the proximity between them tight that Ryder could inhale his rustic scent of musk and aloe. He felt more than heard him whisper. “I did something bad.”