Thirteen
“That was quite the evening,” Elaine said as they walked out to her car. The night had grown chilly, and she tugged her jacket a little tighter around herself. “I wasn’t sure what to expect but it sure as hell wasn’t that.”
“It was definitely a bit more eventful than a lot of events at Weatherstone,” Joslyn said, glancing up toward the sky and the stars that were just barely visible in the glare of the parking lot’s lights. Even though the mall was closed, the lots were still brightly-lit, even this late at night. “I didn’t expect it, either.”
Elaine dug her keys out of her pocket and hit the remote start on her car as they drew closer. “Are you okay?”
“Huh? Yeah, sure. Why?”
She shrugged. “You just seem distracted, that’s all. Did you and Ascalon have a good talk or whatever?”
“I didn’t realize you noticed we left.”
“I did, I just didn’t think it was a big deal,” Elaine said, unlocking the car as they reached it. “Everything okay?”
Joslyn didn’t answer right away, just slid into the passenger seat. Elaine frowned for a second, climbing into the driver’s seat and starting the engine.
“Everything’s not okay?” She guessed.
Joslyn shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “But he’s coming here.”
If they had already been moving, Elaine would have slammed on the brakes. “Wait, what?”
“He’s coming here,” Joslyn repeated. “I told him it was okay. He—we talked. You were right. You’ve been right all this time. It’s always been more than just character interaction, we were always just pretending it wasn’t. It just—it all came out tonight. All of it.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. “And he needs someone and I’m the someone he needs right now. I said I’d come to him but he said that it was easier for him to get away than it’d be for me. So…he’s coming.”
“Ascalon is coming here.”
“His name is Jason and I am pretty damn sure I’m in love with him.”
“But he’s coming here.” Elaine looked at her sidelong for a few seconds, the car idling as they sat in the parking lot. “But you do love him?”
“I’m pretty sure I do,” Joslyn whispered, then scrubbed a hand over her face. “This is hard.”
“It usually is,” Elaine said, swallowing. “Do you know when?”
She shook her head. “Soon. Sounded like he was leaving after he logged off. I don’t know where he is, though, so I don’t know how long. I don’t know if he’s flying or driving or taking a train or what. I don’t—” she broke off with a sigh. “I don’t know enough. About how he’s coming, I mean. About him, I—I know a lot about him. What I need to know, anyway.”
“I wasn’t—”
“I know.”
Elaine reached over to squeeze her hand. “Joss. I trust you. It’s okay.”
Her friend exhaled and shook her head, staring at the ceiling of the car for a few seconds. “He just sounded like he was hurting so much, Laney. I could hear it. He was—there was something bothering him tonight and I could tell from the second I laid eyes on him.”
“Did he tell you?”
Joslyn nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, he told me.”
Elaine exhaled and started to pull the car out of the parking spot, out of the lot to head home. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“He was in the service,” Joslyn said quietly, leaning her head against the passenger window, staring out into the night. “I don’t think I ever told you that he was. I’ve known for a while. He got out a few years ago, went back to school—fine arts degree. Works for the family company doing art and writing and that’s why it was going to be easier for him to duck away than me. I guess he’s not wrong about that.”
“No,” Elaine agreed softly. “Not at all.” She glanced toward her friend as they stopped at a stoplight. Joslyn didn’t notice.
“He lost someone—a few someones, I guess. People he knew. It rocked him harder than I think he thought it would. That’s what finally did it.”
“Did what?”
“Brought the wall down,” Joslyn murmured. “Made him think and then that and what you and I talked about the other day got me to talk and really think about what I wanted and what he’d started to mean.” She sighed, her shoulders slumping. “And I guess we’ll figure out what it all really means and if it’ll work when he gets here.”
“I am in complete awe of your guts,” Elaine said, shaking her head, eyes on the road. “I would not be able to do what you’re doing.”
“You never know what you can do until you’re in the position to do it,” Joslyn said, finally looking at her. “It could be you someday, Laney. Don’t rule it out.”
Elaine smiled weakly, glancing toward her for a moment. “Okay. I won’t.”
“Promise?”
Elaine nodded. “I promise.”
“Good,” Joslyn murmured, then turned to look out the window again. “I want it for you, Laney. You’re too good of a person to just be alone.”
Elaine winced, eyes stinging for a few seconds before she blinked it away. “Well. We’ll have to see, right?”
“Yeah,” Joslyn said. “Hopefully sooner rather than later.”
She choked on a laugh. “We’ll see what happens. There’s a lot of road between me and whatever happens with that in the future, I think.”
“Maybe.”
Elaine risked another glance at Joslyn, but she wasn’t looking at her. Instead, she was watching suburbia fade into a landscape that was a little more rural without being completely isolated. Elaine smiled a little and turned her attention back to the road.
Just let me get through school, Joss. Maybe then I can think about a relationship that goes beyond being friends with someone.
“Thanks, Laney.”
“For what?” She glanced over again, though only for a second, gaze returning to the road quickly as they started up a winding hill.
“Not freaking out. You could’ve—you’d have been entitled to it. I didn’t even ask you.”
“You didn’t have to,” Elaine said, shaking her head. “You never have to ask me if it’s okay to do something you need to do. Not something like this.”
“Still,” Joslyn said softly. “Thanks.”
Elaine sighed, not answering right away. Then, finally: “You’re welcome.”
Neither said another word the rest of the way home.
“I will never get used to that.” Peter sat on the edge of the couch, slowly unstrapping the contacts of the gaming rig as he perched there, looking much more tired than Jason had expected him to look.
“You mean the weird out of body thing when your avatar’s unconscious but you’re not?” Jason scrubbed a hand over his face as he stood up, holding still for a moment and letting the sense of temporary vertigo fade. “We tested it, Peter. We said it was fine.”
“I know, I know.” His brother tossed the contacts onto the couch behind him, then leaned forward, resting his elbows against his knees. “I don’t regret it, I just don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”
“Well, hopefully it’s not going to happen that often.” Jason finished unstrapping his own rig and met his brother’s gaze. “We didn’t expect that, did we?”
“Fuck no,” Peter said. “That was a complete surprise. Not even sure who’s responsible or who’d have the balls to try it.”
“Well, Cay does have enemies.”
“Not many of them.”
Jason shook his head. “More than you think.”
Peter made a face at him and Jason just shook his head again.
“I’m just being honest.”
“Right,” Peter said, still watching him. “So what’s bothering you?”
Jason exhaled, rubbing at his temple. “Nice change of subject.”
“Nice attempt at a dodge. Spill it.”
He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. “Right. You knew.”
“I asked you when we were in game. For some reason I had it in my head that it was something related to what we were about to do in there, but now…” Peter shook his head, still watching him. “Something happened.”
“Yeah,” Jason said. “Yeah, something did. Then something else happened.”
Peter’s brow quirked. “Okay.”
Jason sat down across from him, mirroring his brother’s stance almost perfectly, leaning forward, elbows against his knees. “This afternoon, we found out that someone I knew okay back when I was deployed was killed with her entire crew.”
“How long ago?” Peter asked in a whisper.
Jason’s eyes dropped. “I don’t know. We didn’t have that information.”
“How did it happen?”
“Someone brought her chopper down,” Jason said, studying his hands as he clasped them loosely between his knees. “She was in a war zone. It happens. You just—” he hesitated, then forged onward. “—you just don’t expect it to happen to people you know. I got luckier than most while I was deployed. I guess luck runs out after you’re out sometimes.”
“You okay?” Peter watched him, brow furrowed slightly. Jason didn’t dare look up, already knowing what he’d see in his brother’s gaze—worry, love, and a silent plea that Jason talk to someone, anyone, even if it wasn’t his brother.
“I will be,” he said, still staring at his hands. “I just need you not to get mad at me.”
“Mad at you? For what?”
“I’m driving to Michigan tonight.”
Peter sat up straight, blinking rapidly. “Michigan? What’s in Michigan?”
He risked a glance at his brother. “Scarlet.”
Peter’s eyes widened and he sucked in a breath. “Then you—is that where you went? I thought that you’d follow us down but by the second song I realized you’d vanished. I wondered where you went but I was having too good of a time dancing with Isolde that I kind of stopped thinking altogether.”
“That’s a good sign,” Jason said, more than half relieved that for the moment, Peter was slightly distracted with telling him about how his night went after Jason had absconded with Scarlet—with Joslyn—to his study at Weatherstone. “I’m sorry it was cut short.”
“Me too,” Peter murmured. “I wish I’d met her sooner.”
“She’s pretty shy,” Jason said. “Busy.”
“We’re all busy.”
Jason smiled wryly. “She’s a grad student, spends most of her time in libraries and archives, studying and writing, I guess. At least, that’s what Scarlet’s told me.” He looked down again. “What Joss has told me.”
“Joss,” Peter echoed.
“Joslyn,” Jason said. “Everyone calls her Joss.”
“And you’re going to leave tonight?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, as soon as we’re done here.”
“You could fly.”
“Driving’s going to take just as long as flying and I won’t be on anyone else’s schedule but mine,” Jason said, stretching and starting to stand. “Might not be back on Monday but probably Tuesday. I’ll call if something changes. Already gave the teams their marching orders anyway.” He paused, then looked at his brother again. “There were a few survivors from the chopper crash—there was a recon team on board when it went down. One of them’s gotten a medical discharge. I had HR offer her a job.”
Peter’s brows went up again. “Doing what?”
“Voice acting,” Jason said, then smiled faintly. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“I never do,” Peter said, standing as well. “Call me when you get there, okay? Take all the time you need.”
Jason nodded. Peter stepped forward and hugged him, tightly, and Jason wrapped his arms around his brother, squeezing him close. “I’ll be careful,” he murmured.
“Damn straight,” Peter said, drawing back to look at him. “I’ll let Marissa know in the morning.”
“Thanks.”
“Anytime.” Peter smiled. “I hope she’s everything you deserve.”
“I don’t think I’m wrong,” Jason said, then shrugged. “But I guess we’ll see.”
Peter smiled crookedly and shook his head, giving Jason a little shove. “Go on. Get out of here. If you leave soon, you can still hit a Starbucks before they close.”
Jason snorted. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“Pfft. You never know. Go on, get rolling.”
“I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“Don’t feel like you have to rush on that,” Peter told him, trailing behind as Jason headed for the couches in the darkened seating area on the seventh floor. “Go with what feels right.”
“Is my big brother who’s never had a relationship in his life giving me relationship advice?”
Peter grinned. “I read. Now go, dammit.”
Jason grinned, nodded, and headed for the elevator. It’d be a long drive, but every fiber of his being screamed that it would be worth it.
Somehow, he knew it’d be worth it.
