The Returnee

Chapter 9

Joey and Devon's house sat smudged between the city and the suburbs. To one side, there was a public park; to the other was a block of flats. Big grey stone brick hinted at it being an older house, the roof sloping in the centre and the windows on the front small. The drive had enough room for two cars in a line, the ground covered in white rock peddles with bigger pave stones for steps. A gnome sat on the wall with an array of winter flowers growing around it. The front porch was covered with flowerbeds and potted plants to give the impression of a front garden despite the lack of space for one.

They didn't have a spare bedroom. They had space for an extra bedroom, but Joey used the room as an office. Devon had a workshop downstairs for his creative projects. That was the only room on the upper floor. The rest of the house sat on the ground level, pushing backwards along the thin strip of land it owned. Before the flats had been put up, it likely had been part of a row of houses that looked the same. Now, it was a peculiar little addition to the street.

The rocks crunched under his heel as he walked up the drive, trying not to look disturbed or upset. Part of him wanted to blame Joey and Devon for this new bout of anxiety and fear about being recalled. He'd never been concerned they'd come back before. At least, not outside of his nightmares, but trauma didn't listen to reason. No one liked it, but the mind needed to process it somehow.

A loud thunk rattled off the stone as the door opened with more force than strictly necessary. Someone complaining words could be heard shouting from inside the house. Lee paused, resting a hand on one of the stone walls of the flower beds in front of the porch. Joey stepped out, fully dressed with his coat on, talking to the man behind him. No one had seen him yet despite him being right there on the path. His voice refused to come as he saw who was with Joey.

The urge to flee pounded against his chest as his legs turned numb and his heart blurted with joy. Dark eyes locked on him, widening with equal shock. 

Joey finally turned to see him.

"Lee? You came?" Joey said, the shock unmistakable from his voice.

"I said I'd come for dinner." You all implied that none of them would be showing up anytime soon. Or Damian had. Joey hadn't said anything to suggest that they wouldn't come. Lee had assumed. Never assume anything; it was such a basic rule of business Lee wasn't sure why he'd fallen for it now. He forced his eyebrow up. Time to play strong, independent adult, not a fearful child. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Honestly," Devon's voice muttered behind the two men, appearing without a coat, bathed in the warm orange lights from inside. "Let the man inside before you let all the heat out of the house."

Joey nudged the other man to push him back inside. Reality hit, and his eyes lit up bright. The man darted forward, slamming into Lee with enough force to send them stumbling back a few steps. Arms wound around him tight, and the scent of pine needles overwhelmed him as a mess of black curls brushed against his cheek as the man buried his face in Lee's shoulder. Lee held the man back equally as tight as he trembled. Lee pressed a rough kiss to the hair and rocked on his feet for a moment as a gasp sounded too wet for his liking.

"Colin?" Lee kept his cheek against the hair. "What's the matter?" Even for their reunion, the upbeat man felt out of character. Anger would make more sense, not tears.

"You're a bastard!" Colin snarled, broken by a sniff before he pulled back far enough to capture Lee's lips in a searing kiss that pressed Colin into his bones. Lee's knees went weak for a brief moment at the intensity of the kiss. He stumbled backwards as Colin pressed closer. A hand caught his back to stop him from falling over.