Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

parking just to see if he was being followed.
    He inspected around the lock for any sign it may have been jimmied or tampered with. He knocked on his door. It had been pre-arranged, three quick knocks, then two slower ones, to let Daren know it was him about to come through the door and that he was alone.
    He thought he heard movement inside, but there was really no turning back. He slid the key in the lock and pushed open the door.
    On the other side, Daren was leaning heavily on his cane, a smile spread across his face.
    "Hi honey, I'm home."
    Daren laughed, but he looked a bit on edge. Sebastian set the shoulder bag down just inside the door before running back to the car for the rest. He gave one more quick glance around the area before grabbing the suitcases and rushing back inside. He shut the door, locked and chained it.
    "How'd it go?" Daren asked.
    "Let me sit down." Sebastian carried everything into the living room before collapsing on the couch. Daren gingerly lowered himself down beside him. "I am so not cut out for the covert mission thing. I knew guys who loved it. They lived for HALO drops and all that shit."
    "But you got everything?"
    "Yes. A million in cash, a stack of bonds, a sunglass case full of shiny rocks, a hard drive, and a very stylish shoulder bag that contains two more hard drives and a copy of Tintin in Tibet ."
    Daren closed his eyes and let out a long controlled breath. "Thank you."
    "Don't mention it." He looked Daren over. "Are you okay? Manage lunch?"
    "I'm fine. No one came by. I watched TV, ate the sandwich in the fridge, made it to the bathroom and back and tried not to panic."
    "Good. Here." He picked up the satchel and handed it to Daren. The first thing Daren fished out was the copy of Tintin . From that he pulled out the snapshot of himself and Richard. He stared at it, not saying a word. "You were cute," observed Sebastian.
    "I was a brat."
    "Did you really catch that fish?"
    "I might have had a little help reeling it in, but for the most part…" Daren ran his thumb along the edge of the photo. "My mother took this. I can't even remember if my father was on this trip; probably not. Richard built a campfire by the lake that day and we sat around it, not talking, just sort of leaning against each other, poking the fire with sticks. I fell asleep, woke up when all the stars were out." There was a small hitch in Daren's voice.
    "Sounds nice."
    "It was."
    "Sounds normal."
    "It was." Daren slid the picture back between the pages of the book. "Okay, now we have options."
    "Well I know what I'm doing first, getting out of these shoes. Then I'm thinking about using a few of your smaller bills to order pizza for dinner."
    A slow smile slid across Daren's face. "I think I could get behind the idea of pizza."
    It was a bit early for dinner, but Sebastian had skipped lunch, and by the time he'd carefully extracted himself from the suit and helped Daren sort through his stash, it was nearly five.
    Sebastian fished a menu from a local pizza place out of a drawer. "What do you like on your pizza?"
    "Pepperoni."
    "And?"
    "Cheese."
    "Ah, a purist." After the day he'd had, ordering a pizza felt ridiculously normal. The guy who took the order sounded bored, and possibly a little stoned. Sebastian also ordered some garlic knots, since he was pretty sure garlic was a vegetable. As he hung up the phone, he knew what he wanted after several hours of dancing with paranoia.
    He opened the fridge and reached into the back, where two bottles of beer had been quietly sitting for over a month. Daren watched him from the couch.
    "I know I shouldn't be offering you one because you're too young, but it's been a long day." He held up the green bottle. "Beer?"
    Daren looked at him and tilted his head. "You know what… Um… I think I'll pass."
    "Okay. You don't mind..?"
    "Nah. Go ahead." Sebastian popped off the cap and took a long drink. He usually wasn't much of a drinker, even on shore leave, but every once in a rare while he wanted a drink. Daren chuckled softly next to him. "What?"
    "I was just thinking, those last two stints in rehab might have worked better if step one had been ‘get the shit kicked out of you.’ You certainly don't feel the detox when everything hurts already."
    "Might have been a little extreme?"
    Daren chuckled again. "I got busted twice for possession before I was sixteen. The charges were dropped before the cops could even get me from the car into the station. Everyone I know