Echoes by L. A. Ashton

Author:L. A. Ashton [Ashton, L. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-09-18T23:00:00+00:00

XI

Oskar opened his eyes. The room was still dark, but the hall light was on. He squinted into the light as he tapped his foot, hoping to spread sensation to the rest of his body. He thought he heard humming.

Aranck walked by then, towels piled in his arms. He stopped suddenly, and so did the faint notes of music. He squinted into the room. "Are those the whites of your eyes I see?"

He flipped on the light and Oskar's expression flinched. The rest of his body was still working on the ability to move.

"Good evening," Aranck greeted. He lifted the towels slightly. "I was just bringing new towels in case you wanted to take another shower."

Oskar tipped his head back, stretching the line of his throat before cranking his neck from side to side. Sparks of sensation dropped down the knobs of his spine, one at a time. "That sounds good," he said. "Thank you."

Aranck's face was strangely poised, like he wanted to say something.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Okay."

Aranck's eyes slid to the side. His hair was still drying. It left trails of damp all over his button-down. "Say, mind if I measure you?"

"Measure my what?"

"All of you."

"For wh―" Oskar stopped himself. He was now able to sit, and he lurched upward while giving Aranck a flat stare. "No."

"You said you wanted to stay," Aranck said. His face was almost sparkling.

"No."

"You don't want to stay?"

"You know what I meant. Keep your suits away from me."

"Oskar." His accent was back, and it was so nostalgic Oskar closed his eyes. Aranck’s voice switched right over to taunting. "You can't even move for large portions of the day. I can take the measurements for myself." He crossed his arms over his chest, squeezing the pile of towels against him, and arched a single eyebrow. "And you're too polite; if I spent thousands on a suit, you'd feel obligated to wear it."

Oskar shook his head. "First you invite me into your home, and now you promise to invade my privacy. What a man you've become."

Aranck grinned at him without a single trace of regret.

Oskar held up his hands. "Towels." Aranck threw them at him, and Oskar caught them against his chest. "I do need some new clothes, though. You have a lot of farm stores around here, right? Rural King, Farm and Fleet―they sell jeans and such. Can you take me there?"

Aranck stared back at him with horror plain on his face. Oskar lifted himself from the bed and walked toward the door. "I can't tell if you're messing with me or not," Aranck said, watching him.

Oskar smirked as he shouldered past him, saying nothing.

"I'm not taking you to a farm store," Aranck told his back.

Oskar shook his head. "Yuppie." He closed the bathroom door behind him.

He let all his clothes fall to a pile at his feet and pulled his hair out of its bun. It unfurled in a mess down his neck and onto his shoulders. Being in a bun all day and night meant it had big wavy kinks warping the strands.

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