Page 42 of Something Like Forever

Astoria was a gorgeouslittle town clinging to a peninsula that jutted out into the watersof the Columbia River. Most of the land was sloped, the colorfulwooden homes reminding Tim of birdhouses. No big skyline likeAustin had. Just quiet streets and humble businesses. That was hisimpression anyway. After living so long in an area of two millionpeople, a town of just ten thousand seemed quaint. He was relievedthat it didn’t have a creepy vibe like some small towns did.Astoria was just as liberal as the rest of the West Coast. He hadresearched it to make sure, needing to know that Jason was unlikelyto be targeted here because of his sexuality. He felt a little moreconcerned when pulling up to the apartment building where Williamlived, which was clearly a repurposed motel.

“Remember the motel inBreaking Bad?” Ben said. “The onewith all the junkies and prostitutes?”

“It’s not that bad,” Timsaid, mostly for Ben’s benefit. People seemed to consider the spaceoutside their doors as an extension of their apartment, since boththe lower and upper walkways were filled with various possessions.A cheap plastic playhouse for children, bicycles, grills, and inone case, a rickety old table where three men played cards anddrank beer, despite the afternoon still being young. One of the menshouted and raised a shot glass, the other two doing the same. Morethan just beer, it would seem.

“That’s it,” Ben said,having spotted the same spectacle. “He’s coming home withus.”

“He’s not,” Tim said.“Let’s go see. Like most apartments, it’s probably nicer on theinside.”

They climbed concretesteps to the second floor, Tim able to spot the right door simplybecause the outside area was clear. William was the tidy one. Ifnot for him, Jason would probably have just as much stuff sittingoutside as his neighbors did.

“You didn’t tell themabout this trip, did you?” Ben asked.

“Nope. I kept it a secret,just like you wanted.” He didn’t need to ask why. Ben and Jasonwere a lot alike. Had they announced their visit, Jason would havespent the last few days doing exactly what Ben had done. Worrying.This way he would be caught off guard, which should help them patchthings up. Or it could be a disaster.

“What are you doing?” Benwhispered.

Tim had his ear pressed tothe door. “Making sure they’re not doing it. They haven’t seen eachother for an entire year. Remember when we got backtogether?”

“Yes,” Ben said. “We tookthings slow.”

“Right. But once we gotback into the swing of things…”

Ben smiled. “I’m sure they can tearthemselves away long enough to answer the door. Hurry up and knock.I can’t wait!”

Tim couldn’t either. He hammered on thedoor, made his voice deeper than usual, and shouted, “Police! Openup!”

Scant seconds later, William threw open thedoor, looking bewildered. Then his face lit up with joy. “Whaaaat?I can’t believe it! Are you serious?”

“Completely,” Tim replied,opening his arms for a hug. As much as he liked William, hecouldn’t help looking for Jason as they embraced, but he didn’t seeanything over his shoulder except a small but clean apartment. Hisstomach sank. Wouldn’t it be just his luck if Jason had flown homeat the same time they were driving up?

“Ben!” William cried,turning to hug him instead.

Tim watched, feeling happydespite his concerns, which he didn’t wait to voice. “Jason isn’there?”

“Job interview,” Williamsaid. “He should be back soon. Come in!”

Tim looked at Ben as theyentered the apartment to see if he was okay. After a reassuringnod, he turned his attention to the interior. Definitely a formermotel room. The layout hadn’t changed. No walls had been knockeddown to create space. The main room had a couch instead of a bed,but the two-seater looked like it converted to one. Past a smalldining room table was a kitchenette. All that left was a door tothe bathroom.

“Before you say anything,”William announced. “We’re working on it. We won’t be staying long,especially now that…” His smile wavered as he looked at Ben. “Whata surprise!”

“We’re not here to stealJason away,” Ben said, picking up on his concern. “We only want toshow our support. And smooth things over. We didn’t part on thebest of terms.”

“He’ll be glad to seeyou,” William said. “I’m sure of it.”

Ben didn’t seem to sharethis certainty, but he smiled his appreciation. “So he’s at a jobinterview?”

“Yeah!” William said.“He’s having a hard time because this isn’t Austin. I think there’sonly one pet store in town and they weren’t hiring. I keep tellinghim that he has general manager experience. That doesn’t mean hehas to make sure kitty litter is in stock for the rest of hislife.”

“Speaking of which,” Timsaid. “We brought someone else with us.”

“Chinchilla?” Williamguessed.

“Yeah,” Tim said. “She’sin the car, since we weren’t sure if you guys would be home. Ifigured Jason might be glad to see her.”

“Youhave no idea,” William said. “Whenever we’re out, he stops to petevery dog we see.Everydog. It was cute the first few times. Now I haveto make sure we leave the apartment early since it takes forever toget anywhere.”

Tim laughed. “I’ll go get her.”