Page 12 of We May Be Fractured

Landon’s footsteps on the stairs resonated through the walls, each one forceful, as though Landon was trying to leave an impression on the creaking wooden boards. But soon, the sound faded, growing distant until the upper level swallowed it.

“This is where our last housemate stayed,” Nyle gestured around the room. “I know it looks a bit bare right now. The guy cleared out all his stuff.”

Aaron took the sight in. The snug room, its walls unadorned, had a bow window overlooking the street. A two-seater sofa and desk sat in one corner, a lonely shelf hanging above them.

“Don’t worry about the sofa. It pulls out into a bed. We just need more sheets. But I’m off today, so if you’re free, maybe we could head to the shopping centre and pick up some things you might need?”

“Are you sure about this?” Aaron asked. More than him, he worried about Landon’s chilly attitude. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.”

“Just steer clear of Landon, and you’ll be fine.”

“Was there a problem with the guy who stayed here before? Did he and Landon not get along?”

Nyle hesitated, then said, “It’s not just Landon. Keep your distance from Luzanne too.”

Aaron thought back to Luzanne’s comment about a not-so-happy romance with a housemate, and he’d picked up on some tension between Landon and Luzanne.

“Landon and Luzanne…” he mused aloud, trying to piece the puzzle together. “Were they…you know, involved at some point?”

Nyle’s eyes went comically wide, and a look of pure horror crossed his face. “No, no, and a thousand times, no. Gross!” Seeing Aaron’s obvious confusion, he added quickly, “Landon’s my cousin.”

A soft “oh” escaped Aaron’s lips. It made sense now, why the two lived under the same roof and also why Landon tolerated Nyle.

The two of them couldn’t have been more different—Nyle, bursting with life, from his wardrobe to his personality, and Landon, all in black, quiet, and introspective.

Nyle would chat up a storm, while Landon measured his words. It was like comparing day to night.

“You’re probably wondering,” Nyle said, “how we can be related, what with him being Black and Luzanne and I being white. But we’re blood cousins. Our moms are sisters.”

That hadn’t exactly been on Aaron’s mind, but he let it slide.

“So? Shopping? We can buy some new clothes,” Nyle suggested with an exciting squeak.

Aaron pointed at his shoulder bag. “I’m good with what I have.”

Nyle sized Aaron up and down with exaggerated scrutiny. “That bag can’t have too much. A new T-shirt or two wouldn’t hurt. With looks like yours, you should be dressing to impress. Trust me, you need a wardrobe refresh.”

Choosing not to react to Nyle’s comment, Aaron let himself be shown the rest of the house.

As they reached the first floor, Nyle led Aaron to a door which revealed his own room.

It was everything Aaron had anticipated.

A corner rack held a variety of extravagant clothes, and posters of some actors and singers added character to the walls.

And the bed, oh the bed! An army of plushies covered it, each one looking as cheerful as its owner.

Next, they moved on to the bathroom. A couple of hair care products, beauty creams, and candles took up the bathtub’s edge. Their spicy scent reminded Aaron of a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte.

“We’ll be sharing the bathroom. Luzanne and Landon each have their own, en-suite.” He pointed towards a closed door across the hall, indicating Luzanne’s room.

As they were about to go back downstairs, Aaron pointed to the stairs leading up. “Aren’t we checking out the second floor?” He already took a step towards it.

“Wait, Aaron, hold up!” Nyle’s voice cracked with a hint of panic, but Aaron had already reached the door at the top with a stark black sign reading Fuck Off .

Nyle hurried to get in front of him, a nervous half-smile on his face. “That’s Landon’s room. Best to think of it like the west wing in Beauty and the Beast . Off-limits, unless you have a death wish. Oh, and the summer house in the garden? Same rules apply.”

Far from being deterred, Aaron’s curiosity spiked. His parents had always been strict about what was off-limits, which only made forbidden things more tempting to him. But Nyle was already ushering him back downstairs.

For the time being, the mysteries of the upper floor and the summer house would have to wait.

When they returned to the kitchen, Kat brushed up against Aaron’s leg, seeking some attention.

Aaron bent down to scratch her chin. “Where did you find her?”

“Oh, no, it wasn’t me who brought her home. It was Landon.”

This surprised Aaron. Given Luzanne’s earlier comment about ‘lost causes’, he’d assumed the cat belonged to Nyle.

“He found her caught up in a catfight near the station,” explained Nyle. “She lost an eye and half an ear in that mess.”

Anger bubbled up at the thought of the other cats that had hurt her. Aaron was grateful that Landon had stepped in. The idea of what could’ve happened if he hadn’t intervened saddened him.

“I’m going to take a quick shower,” Nyle said. “Once I’m out, you can hop in. And hey, try my argan oil shampoo. It works wonders on curls like yours.” He winked, an easy smile playing on his lips. “Once we’re both freshened up, let’s head out to the shops, yeah?”

*

B y lunchtime, Aaron seriously regretted his decision to accept Nyle’s invitation to one of the biggest and most chaotic shopping centres in London.

In a shopping whirlwind, Nyle pulled Aaron into pretty much every store they hit.

And it wasn’t just the spree itself. Nyle turned every changing room into his own personal catwalk, constantly taking selfies and posting them on socials.

“Got to keep my followers in the loop,” he’d say with a grin after snapping another photo.

Aaron stood there, half-amused, half-overwhelmed, watching Nyle do his thing. The guy was some sort of beauty and queer fashion influencer, and it was wild to see him in action.

“You’ll look good in these.” Nyle shoved a pair of black jeans and a stack of hoodies into Aaron’s arms. “They’re so you.”

A little thrown by the whole thing but trusting Nyle’s eye for style, Aaron ended up at the till, handing over his card. He hoped the colours were as Nyle described.

More floors awaited them, and Aaron was starting to feel worn out.

The distant whines of kids being nudged along by their parents somehow matched his inner cry.

Browsing racks and hopping from one store to another wasn’t his thing, especially without a clear purpose.

So, when Nyle suggested going to the cinema, relief swept through Aaron.

It meant a break from both the shopping and the nonstop conversation.

Nyle was decent, sorting him out with a place to stay and even suggesting some new outfits. But he talked too much.

When their day wrapped up at a burger place, Nyle kept teasing that it felt like a date.

Aaron chuckled to himself—if this was Nyle’s idea of a romantic day, he was easily pleased.

Especially since he’d spent most of the time grunting and nodding or answering in monosyllables, not paying much attention to him.

As they dug into their burgers and crinkled cheese fries, Nyle started talking about how tough it was to sync up schedules with Luzanne and Landon for some quality family time.

“So, what is it that you do again?” Aaron asked, wiping burger sauce off his hand.

“I work at the science museum in the kids’ section.

I get to do all sorts of cool experiments.

Days off vary though. But Luz has it even wilder.

Front desk at a fancy hotel, with both morning and evening shifts, and her hours are always changing.

Landon’s the only one with the most consistent schedule. ”

“What’s his job?”

“He’s a tattoo artist.”

That took Aaron by surprise for the second time that day. With Landon’s evident skill in making cocktails and coffee, he’d assumed he worked in a swanky bar or cafe. But a tattoo artist? That explained all the ink on his arms.

“You know,” Nyle said after swallowing a final bite, “I asked him to tattoo me once. Thought I’d snag the ‘family discount’. But the git said no.”

“Oh? What were you after?” Tattoos intrigued Aaron, though he wasn’t sure they were for him. His skin already bore enough marks as it was.

Nyle rolled up his sleeve, revealing his bicep. “A massive Chinese dragon, right here.”

“A Chinese dragon, huh? Any special reason?”

Nyle shrugged. “Thought it’d look sick.”

“Seems like a pretty big decision for just ‘sick’, doesn’t it?”

Nyle blinked. “You sound like Landon. That’s exactly what he said.”

“Well, sounds like he had a point, then.”

*

B ack home, Aaron was finally left alone. As Nyle’s footsteps headed upstairs, a sigh of relief escaped him. He toyed with the idea of an evening run, but given Nyle’s non-stop chatter earlier, he felt more like winding down with a movie.

Walking into his room, though, something seemed off. His bag sat by the desk, just where he’d left it, but the strap was flipped the wrong way. Heart racing, he checked inside. Nothing seemed amiss, but he was certain someone had been through it. And that someone had to be Landon.

Aaron left the room with clenched fists and considered heading to the second floor to confront him, but a noise from the kitchen redirected him. Glancing through the slightly open patio doors, he spotted the faint glow of a cigarette in the garden.

Landon leaned against the fence, just as he had the previous night.

Aaron approached him, stopping a short distance away. “Why did you go through my stuff?”

Landon simply took another drag of his cigarette, not turning to face him, then said, “Did I?”

Frustrated, Aaron pressed on. “I noticed my bag was moved. Why?”

Landon exhaled a plume of smoke into the already cloudy night, still not looking at him. “Just checking.”

“For what?”

Landon finally looked up, his eyes narrowed. “Are you part of a cult?”

“What? No!”

“Drugs?”

Aaron frowned, not sure where he was heading with those weird questions.

“Or are you some rich kid looking for a thrill?” Landon continued.

“Why are you asking me all of this?”

“I don’t like you.”

“That’s mutual.”

“You know, Nyle trusts easily. But me? Not so much.” Landon took a step closer to Aaron. “You have an aura, something off. Can’t put my finger on it.”

In a swift move, Aaron snatched the cigarette from Landon’s hand and inhaled deeply. Landon merely shook his head at the bold move.

“Did you kill your parents?” Landon asked him, his tone casual, as if discussing the weather.

“Why? Have you?”

Landon fixed Aaron with a look that bordered on boredom, ready to move on.

Aaron’s frustration simmered. “Why am I the only one answering questions here? That’s not fair.”

“Life, Aaron, isn’t about fairness.”

“Didn’t take you for the philosophical type.”

“Just goes to show, doesn’t it? No need for questions. You’re learning about me without them.”

“Actually, I’ve heard two or three things about you,” Aaron said and took a deep drag from the stolen cigarette.

A ghost of a smile played on Landon’s lips. “And now you’ve heard one more.”

“Is what they say true?”

Landon stared at him, frowning. “Elaborate.”

“They warned me about you, say I should steer away because you’re dangerous, a real criminal, maybe even a killer. How much of that is true?”

“If I were, wouldn’t you be playing with fire right now? You’re either brave or just daft.”

Aaron tilted his head. “Presumption does not suit you.”

“Maybe they’re right. I’ve been in a scrap or two. Might be wise to listen.”

But Aaron, having grown up in a household where appearances were deceiving, could easily read between the lines. His parents had been masters at painting a picture of a happy family to the outside world, with the reality at home far from it.

Landon was a puzzle, no doubt, but Aaron recognised his defensiveness and something familiar in his gaze, a certain well-known darkness.

He knew all too well that shadow which hinted at a life lived too hard and too fast, nourished by a steady diet of anger and distrust. They were cut from the same cloth. He wasn’t intimidated.

“I don’t only go by what I hear,” Aaron said. “I like to get the full story. And if you’re lying, well, that’s on you.”

“Speaking from experience? You seemed quite the actor this morning, Pinocchio.”

Aaron huffed. “I’m not buying it.”

“Honestly, I couldn’t care less what you or the others believe.”

“Not even if it’s your family? Nyle also told me to be careful around you.”

“Nyle’s barely family. He’s just my birth mum’s sister’s son.”

Aaron paused, processing the roundabout explanation. “Still.”

“Maybe you should follow Nyle’s lead if you’re planning to stick around a bit longer.”

Aaron grinned. “Who says it’s not you who should be wary of me?”

Landon surveyed him. “What did you do? Nicked some gummy bears from a candy shop?”

“Who knows? ‘I’ve been in a scrap or two. Might be wise to listen’.”

Landon snorted. “Parroting is childish,” he said and started walking towards the house. “Time for bed, Aaron. Night’s for the grown-ups.”

But Aaron wasn’t about to let it go. “Don’t underestimate me.”

Landon shot back, “I could say the same to you.”

“Know the story of Little Red Riding Hood ?”

Landon hesitated and turned towards him, a puzzled expression on his face.

Aaron continued. “It isn’t always the scary ones you need to worry about. Sometimes the real danger comes in disguise. It’s the seemingly kind ones that’ll get you.”

“If you think you’re the wolf, you’ve got the wrong character.”

“And who would I be then? The girl in the red hood?”

Landon took back the cigarette, now just a stub. He drew the last long puff, then flicked the butt in a cup on the ground, his eyes not leaving Aaron’s. “No, you’re the fucking grandma.”

The words hung in the air as if they’d been shouted, even though they’d been anything but loud. They kept ringing in Aaron’s ears as Landon retreated into the house without so much as a backwards glance.

Aaron stood frozen, the sting of defeat hitting him like a gut punch. He’d stepped into the garden ready for a confrontation, fists clenched and chin up. But he found himself thrown off balance. Not so much by what Landon had said but by the challenge unspoken between them.

Watching Landon disappear into the house, Aaron knew one thing for sure: this little game between them was only getting started.