Milk and Cream: Sequel to Coffee and Aspirin

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇɴ

Warning! : Cursing!

A few days have passed by since Henry's disappearance but Jamie hasn't actually paid close enough attention to the dates to comprehend that.

He hasn't been to work since Henry's been gone and his supervisors didn't pressure him into coming in any time soon, knowing that he was in a tough situation.

Jamie has been to the police station however. More then once, on multiple occasions, and sometimes more than one day.

No matter how many days Jamie showed up, asking for any information, the officers tell him that they were working on it and would call him if they found anything. But it was a bust.

One thing has remained consistent throughout the whole ordeal. Every day Jamie shows up at the station, the same man is there. It was the same one as the first time Jamie came in to report Henry's vanishing act. Jamie knew he looked familiar - extremely familiar - but he could never put his finger on it.

The man couldn't be more than 30, 27 at least. He had long, ungroomed curly black hair, a defined jawline and piercings. It bothered Jamie that he couldn't tell who this man was.

One afternoon, just after leaving the police station, Jamie sat in a coffee shop. He lazily trailed his pointer finger on the rim of his cup, not even attempting to drink the energy-refilling drink, even if he looked like he needed it.

A loud thump sounded in front of Jamie. He glanced up from his cup and gasped. The oh-so familiar man was sitting before him.

"Jamie."

The man's voice was soft and delicate; he sounded... scared. Wait - how did he get Jamie's name?

It seemed Jamie didn't need to ask that as the man gave him an answer. "You're Henry Klinks' husband." It was a statement. Something he said with no room for argument; a fact.

"I am." Jamie replied slowly. Just who was this man? And how did he know him - or Henry for that matter?

Again, Jamie didn't need to ask. The man mysteriously knew just what he would ask.

"My name is Harry, Henry's older brother."

That explained it! Why this 'Harry' character looked so familiar! He was Henry's brother. It also explained why he was so frequently at the station.

"I have information that you must promise will never leave this table." Unlike Henry, who was sweet and bubbly, Harry had a cold exterior and his words seemed like frostbite.

Jamie immediately sat up in his seat, saying, "Is it about Henry? Do you know where he is?"

Harry shifted in his seat before pulling out a map. It was a paper map, slightly drenched in water and the ends of it were torn up a bit. Jamie glanced at it confused.

Harry uncapped a red pen from his shirt pocket and circled a large portion of the map. "I know where he is, but I can't tell you where."

Jamie's brows drew together. "Why the hell not?! He's my fucking husband!"

Harry grew stern, pointing at the large area on the left of the map. "This is a map of a part of the city. I value my friendships as I do my family, and as I do my life. Giving out Henry's exact location would have me killed. So would this conversation. So I suggest that you let me help you in the ways I can or you will lose your beloved."

Cautiously, Jamie flipped the map towards him and looked at it. The area that was surrounded by red ink was somewhere familiar to Jamie. So getting there shouldn't be that big of an issue.

Still, there was just one more problem. "If you knew where he was, how come you never did anything about it?"

Harry drew himself up, and began to speak. "Long ago, when I was in college, I had met a boy named Milo. Milo and I had bonded over our hobbies, and different cultures. After that year, I invited Milo to my house for the summer... that is my most regrettable mistake I have ever done.

"I knew that Henry was bisexual, that he had a thing for ah, older men but at the time, I didn't think of it. But after a while, I did see signs of Henry having a crush on Milo. He'd stutter if he asked Henry a question, got all blushy and his into himself, but it didn't bother me too much.

"And then, the summer before my senior year, I had gone to a date while Milo and Henry were at the house. I trusted them both to keep their feelings to a minimum but it didn't do much. Later that evening, when I came home, Milo had gone to the hotel he was staying at and I found Henry curled up on the couch.

"Now, looking back, I realize that I knew what could have happened that night - Milo had hinted at it earlier - but I was blinded by a friendship to know Henry was suffering. And presently, Milo has Henry again, and it —." He breathed a heavy sigh; obviously, whatever he was going to say next was hard for him. "I know it's my fault that he's trapped down there. You may call me a coward, but I think differently. I'm risking my life for Henry's safety."

Harry got up from the table. "I suggest you hurry. It won't be long before Milo goes crazy again."

"What's the time limit?"

Harry nonchalantly checked his watch, saying, "About 65 and a half hours until then." Harry then looked down at Jamie, and quietly but urgently, he said, "Please bring him back. If you need any more information, my number is on the back of the map."

Then he strolled out of the cafe, leaving a confused, but determined Jamie in his chair.