CHAPTER 6

With a sigh of contentment, Albert climbed onto the bed, letting his body sink into the mattress. It was the perfect end of a very good day, he said to himself, pulling the thin blanket over him and folding his hands under his head. The first day of a new life, he continued the internal monologue, closing his eyes.From this point on, things can only get better.

Albert sighed again, this time in relief. All the way to Brian’s house, he braced himself for the torrent of questions he was sure his friend was going to ask him, but fortunately it wasn’t the case. Sure, with the man’s parents, brother, and brother-in-law coming to meet him after all this time, doing that during or after dinner wasn’t possible.

Of course, Brian could take Albert to some private place after dinner, like the porch or the library, but he didn’t, gaining his best friend’s eternal gratitude. It was not like he had something to hide, but he simply wasn’t ready for that conversation, and apparently the librarian sensed that and gave him space and time, just like he did back in the old days.

Albert tried to empty his mind and get ready for the sleep to overtake him, but instead, the image of the guard from the gates, the one who let him in, appeared in front of his eyes, closed as they were, and refused to leave. Come on, it’s almost midnight, not the right time for…this, he thought, without a clear idea about what this was.

Earlier at the library, just after What-Was-His-Name left, Albert wanted to ask Brian more about him, but fortunately Bianca came, just in time to keep him from making a fool out of himself and give his friend reasons to suspect he was interested in the muscular biker with a deep voice and soft, warm eyes.

Back when Old Jim was alive, he taught Albert about the significance of some tattoos, and that little bit of knowledge helped him to find out some things about the guard at the gates by reading the ink on his arms, or so he thought. From what he could see, the man was in a top position in the hierarchy of his gang, and spent some time in the army.

Although the top part disappeared under the t-shirt, other tattoos spoke of loyalty, friendship, and, surprisingly, love for children, which made Albert suspect the man was a father or paternal figure of one or more children. That brought the man extra points, and, under normal circumstances, was a good reason for the widowed baker to enter into a relationship with him.

Those strong, tattooed arms… Albert sighed dreamily, wondering how it would feel like to have them wrapped around him, hugging him tight against that broad, muscular chest. Get a grip, dude, he mentally admonished himself. The next second, making efforts to chase the image out of his head. You’re a thirty-eight-year-old man, not some high school girl who has a crush on a famous actor or rock star.

Plus, you didn’t leave one biker to hook up with another the very next day, Albert continued to scold himself. Come on, put your ass to sleep, tomorrow you have lots of things to sort out, places to go and people to meet. Apparently, that thought had a calming effect on his tensed nerves, as he completely relaxed and let a deep, restful sleep overtake him.

************

“Hello,” Albert hesitantly spoke, tentatively peeking into the office. “May I? Sorry, I saw the door was opened and thought…” He left the sentence unfinished, as the man in the room, partially hidden behind the screen of his computer, seemed to ignore him.

“Sure, the door is open. Please, take a seat.” A pleasant masculine voice answered after a few seconds. “Just a couple of minutes, and I’ll be all yours.” For a while, the click-clack of the keyboard was the only noise in the room, then the man raised his head. “Oh, you are new here, I see!” He stood, hand extended. “Elias Bloom, how can I help you?”

“Albert Finkel, nice to meet you.” The other man also got to his feet, taking the hand and shaking it. “I came here yesterday, because I’ve been told this is a place for those who wantto put the past behind them and start a new life. My friend Brian, who works at the library, said you can help me with a house for me and my two children.”

“You’re a friend of our librarian?” Elias’s incredibly blue eyes, a trademark of his family, were shining with undisguised affection. “He is an exceptional man, who helped our little community in more than one way in the ten years since he came here.” The man paused a bit, then continued in a friendly voice. “Brian probably told you we also help the newcomers with jobs, so what are you good at?”

“I’m a baker.” A smile brightened Albert’s face, the light reaching his eyes, when he stated his occupation. “I want to open a bakery and a small cake shop here, and Brian said you can help me with finding a good location.”

Elias rubbed his hands in excitement. “You have no idea how long we’ve waited for a baker to come here and open a small business.” He fell silent and, after a moment of reflection, continued with the same enthusiasm from earlier. “I have exactly what you need, the perfect location. Unfortunately, I can’t accompany you to see it.” His voice was tinged with regret when speaking the last part.

“No worries, we can do that another time.” Albert made efforts to hide his disappointment, because the other man’s enthusiasm contaminated him, too.

“Hello, boss, Prez Mills said you need me here.” Lawrence greeted Elias from the doorway, a frown of confusion creasing his forehead. “Hello, here we meet again.” Almost all the worry from his voice was gone at the sight of the other man, as he suspected the boss summoning him had something to do with the librarian’s friend’s presence there.

“As always, Prez Mills knows exactly who to send my way.” The Base’s boss sighed, expressing his gratitude. “Mister Finkel, this is Lawrence Barnes, or Digger, one of the welcoming committee’s members.” He stopped and looked between the two men, a bit confused. “Wait, the two of you know each other from before?”

“I met Mister Barnes yesterday.” Albert cleared his throat before continuing. “One of the guards at the gates refused to let me in, but he came to the rescue.”

“Well, some incidents in the past made us be extra suspicious with the newcomers, and, in some cases, we have to double-check things.” Elias smiled apologetically, then turned to the guard. “Do you know the building on the main street that is still empty? I’m buried in paperwork today, so will you please accompany our new resident there and show it to him?”

“Sure boss, no worries.” Lawrence nodded, then turned to Albert. “I’ll be your cool guide today. You won’t get rid of me very easily, because, after we visit the location. The boss mentioned I will be taking you on a tour of the houses for rent.”

“You are a lifesaver.” Elias gave the biker a grateful smile, then turned to the other man. “Well, Mister Finkel, I hope you’ll find the location to your liking, but if not, please come back here so we can discuss other options.”

Albert nodded.“I’m sure it is exactly what I need, but thank you for the invitation and for taking from your precious time to see me. Have a good day, Mister Bloom, and please, call me by my first name. Isn’t that something good neighbors do?” With these words, he stepped out of the room, followed by the tattooed biker.

“So…you are here to stay for good.” Lawrence hesitantly said once the two of them were out of the administrative building. “Sorry, this sounded stupid.”

Albert slowly shook his head. “No, not at all.” He paused a bit, choosing his words. “That was the plan, yes, but if I wouldn’t have liked the people and atmosphere from here, I would have found another way to start anew.”

“I’m happy and relieved the somewhat hostile attitude of my fellow guard didn’t deter you, and I’m even happier you reconnected with your best friend, Brian.” Lawrence smiled warmly. “He’s a great guy and one of my closest friends, too.” The guard cleared his throat, then continued. “The building we’re going to see is about half a mile outside The Base limits, which makes it a mile away from here. How do you want us to get there, walking or by car?”

“I would love to walk, if that’s alright with you.” Albert’s voice was hesitant as he looked down to the guard’s legs. “It would give me the opportunity to map the road, so to say.”

Lawrence nodded with a smile, and they started to walk in silence. The guard wanted to tell Albert about how he and the now-librarian met, and also to offer him some basic info about the sanctuary, but thought the man would find those things boring. Anyway, even if he didn’t, he had his friend to tell everything about the story of that place and the people who established it.

Lawrence suppressed a yawn; the night before he tossed and turned in bed until very late at night, and only slept for a couple of hours. Unlike other times, when the man intentionally stayed awake to avoid having nightmares about his killed and dying brothers-in-arms he had to leave behind, in this case it was the image of Brian’s friend that was the one that didn’t let him sleep.

Those beautiful, soulful chocolate brown eyes were veiled with melancholy and sadness. Making Lawrence wonder how deep and dark the hell was that he was put through by the human-faced beast he was running away from. Anyway, those beautiful eyes were also telling a story of loss and mourning after someone their possessor loved very much.

Now, walking next to Albert, Lawrence was examining him from the corner of his eye again, just like he did the day before, and his heart ached when he saw the forlorn expression was still there, although his life was about to change for the better. Maybe he was worried for those left behind, the biker said to himself, remembering his theory from the day before.

Were they not in the middle of the street, surrounded by people who were coming and going in all directions, Lawrence would have wrapped his arms around Albert and would have hugged him tight, kissing the pain and sorrow away from his eyes. The urge to do so was so strong, that it took all the guard’s willpower to rein it in.

The fact that his limp became noticeable and he started to feel a dull ache in the wounded leg didn’t help at all. On the contrary, it reminded him he was getting older by the day, and his flirting days were long gone. Also, the wounded leg was a tangible reminder that no man in his right mind would want an army veteran with an invalidity.

Usually, Lawrence didn’t even try to charm the gay guys he interacted with, be they younger, older, or the same age as him, from The Base or elsewhere, nor did he encourage those who were flirting with him. Because of that, he kept wondering, somewhat frustrated, what was so special about the man walking next to him, that he couldn’t take his mind off him for the last twenty-four hours or so.

No, dude, that’s the wrong question, Lawrence said to himself, internally shaking his head. You should ask yourself what’s so noteworthy about you to get the attention of a special guy like this one.You have absolutely nothing to offer in terms of looks or financial stability, two of the most important things in a relationship.

Lawrence’s mind took on a dangerous path that led to self-deprecation, but fortunately the two men arrived at their destination, and the man came back to immediate reality. With shaky hands, he took the keys from the metallic door out of his pants’ pocket and unlocked it, praying silently to whatever deity was listening to him that Albert would like the building.