Andrew laughed. They paid, and Lee walked Andrew to the offices, where the meeting was well scheduled, as Devon took Colin home and Joey rushed off to his gym clients. Lee hoped it went well. He thought it did, but he couldn't ignore the undying tension throughout. It might be Colin's insufficient sleep and unhappy demeanour, but Joey acted warm and suitably pleased with his friend.
Why did that even matter?
"Your friends are nice."
"They are. Sorry about Colin. He had a bad night, worse than me."
"It's not a competition, and don't worry about it. That was the look of a man running on no sleep," Andy checked the time as they entered the foyer. It was a rentable office space for neutral meeting rooms. Andrew could have used the local offices, but they weren't signed yet. It was better to use a secondary location that cost extra money to impress.
"Do you have dinner plans?"
"I'm not yet. I'm due to stay here a week or so to finalise the contracts," Andy checked in at the reception and picked up their room key. "Are you busy?"
"Yes and no," Lee laughed. "I'm not technically working, but Joey likes to keep me busy. I'm looking at apartments tomorrow. If you need any help or a second pair of eyes, let me know?"
"You're itching to get back to work, aren't you?"
"A bit," Lee glanced over the crowd of people milling about the space, waiting for meetings or taking a break. He stood out in his jeans and winter coat rather than the suits and suit jackets everyone wore. It was clear he was here as a guest and not to work. He missed it. "The Company is sorting out a new contract for me while I settle in here. I haven't formally introduced myself at the local branch yet." His boss had been firm about not working during his holiday hours.
"Good, you're on vacation. Big life changes aside, you should be resting," Andrew teased, but there was a familiar undercurrent of concern. His arm curled around Lee's back in not quite a hug but a reassurance. "Your friends are very good to you. Hopefully, staying in one place will let you calm down."
"I know, I know," Lee didn't know about that. He had a meeting with aliens looming in his future and the stress that would entail.
"I see the rest of my team. I'll let you know what time I'm out for dinner, and whether it's a work date or not." Andrew's hold turned into a half-hug as he knocked their heads together.
"Good luck. No alien jokes," Lee headed off, eyes peeled for anyone who could be the Fairgrove men. No luck. Nothing buzzed ominously at the back of his neck. As he left, he clutched the edges of his sleeves as if someone was going to appear and reveal his scars. There were no signs, why was he on edge?
His phone buzzed. [So... How was it?]
Lee phoned Damian. "What have you heard?"
"Why do you jump to that immediately?" Damian asked, the low, calming music of his art gallery in the background. A classical piece, carefully selected to relax people and keep them receptive to the pieces and the prices.
"Because that wasn't a request for gossip?"
"Touche. Not much if you haven't had a chance to talk to them yet. You should talk to them in person first."
"Them?" Lee groaned, not wanting to go back to Joey's. "It was a nice brunch. The food was divine. I highly recommend the place if you ever need to wine and dine someone."
"This isn't about the food."
"Did whoever they are mention Devon and Colin had a recall checkup last night. Apparently, our friends in the sky are frustrated that Colin has left the farm. It interferes with their plans, and they were eager to find out why he did."
YOU ARE READING
The Returnee
Science Fiction'I was abducted by aliens' Pretty clique, boring and pretty common among internet hacks who thought lizardmen existed. Maybe they did, Lee didn't know. After the alien thing, anything could be real. 'I was abducted by aliens, returned, had a mental...
