by Jerry Cole
Afraid to leave his apartment and risk being caught in his lie, he parked himself on the couch with reruns of a cooking show and his laptop to finish up some work he could do from home. At least this day wouldn't be a total waste, even though his skin itched at the thought of the work he'd be unable to do while he was stuck here. Better a day than a week in the woods with Donahue. This might satisfy HR as well. It was a good plan.
The hours ticked by, the gentle murmur of the chef on TV failing to fill the emptiness of the apartment. This was why he never took days off. He hated being here by himself in the quiet. He'd rather be doing almost anything else. Anything except camping with Mr. Donahue. He turned the cooking show up louder and tried to focus on the spreadsheet in front of him. This would be over soon enough.
And then there came a knock on his door. A pit opened in the bottom of Daniel's stomach. He never got visitors. At best, it would be a salesman or religious proselytizer (he had never had any patience for religion), and at worst...
"Open up, Mr. Carter!" shouted an all too familiar voice, "It's the TLC train rolling into your station."
The pit in his stomach grew bigger. Daniel scrambled to pull the blanket over the back of his couch around his shoulders and affect the unhealthiest looking posture he could, shuffling over to the door. He'd barely turned the handle before Donahue and three secretaries (Two for form and one for function. The functional one's name was Susan and she had the patience of a saint and eyes like razor blades.) burst into his apartment with the kind of exuberance that implied confetti and music. Susan was carrying a crock pot which she took to his kitchen without another word while Donahue grabbed Daniel by the shoulders.
"There you are, the poor sickling!" Donahue laughed, pinching Daniel's cheek, "I heard you were ill! And knowing you, I knew it just had to be something horrendous, so, being the excellent boss that I am, I decided to come and pay you a visit! Wasn't that nice of me! I even got Susan to make you chicken noodle soup!"
"It's minestrone," Susan corrected him, her voice as calm and unaffected as her suit was chic. "I don't do meat."
The other two secretaries were opening his blinds and windows to let in the sunlight. Daniel, stunned by the sudden rush of activity, could only stare for a moment.
"You really shouldn't have," he murmured, pulling himself together, "I'm contagious. I don't want to get you all sick as well—"
"Nonsense!" Donahue spun Daniel around and frog marched him back to the couch while Susan fixed a bowl of the soup. "We're going to have you back on your feet and glowing with health in time for the camping trip tomorrow, or my name isn't Edmond Ignatius Donahue! Now eat your soup."
True to his word, Donahue spent the entire day practically glued to Daniel's side, commenting every few minutes on how much healthier Daniel looked already.
"A medical marvel!" he declared around nine when he and the secretaries finally gathered themselves to leave. "You look as good as new, Carter. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow for the trip!"
"Of course, Mr. Donahue," Daniel agreed, too exhausted to fight, just waiting to close the door behind them so he could have some peace.
As Daniel was closing it, Donahue caught the door and fixed a steely glare on his employee. "Do not be late, Carter," he said, his voice as flat and severe as the desert. "Do not."
Daniel swallowed a nervous lump in his throat, agreed, and closed the door. After all that, the silence of an empty apartment was almost preferable.
Chapter Four
He spent the evening in abject misery, packing up his camping supplies for the trip and resigning himself to the inevitable. In the morning, he considered just 'getting caught in traffic.' But somehow he was certain Donahue would hold the plane or worse, come and pick Daniel up himself. The man was a lunatic and for some reason he'd fixated on getting Daniel to go on this trip. HR couldn't be bothering him that much, could they?
So he woke bright and early, moved his things to the car, and drove to the airport where he was meeting the rest of his coworkers going on the trip. There were around ten of them, most of the people who worked in his office, minus a few who had successfully come up with excuses. Daniel knew only a few by name. Jacobs, who always refilled the coffee pot in the lounge. Lynda with a ‘y’, who wanted to go by her first name and had about thirty potted succulents on her desk. Fitz, who had issues with time management and panicked at deadlines. He had never been social at work and rarely bothered to learn anyone's name. Maybe that was something he should work on, he pondered, staring into his overpriced airport coffee and thinking about his empty apartment. Making a few friends would be better than being alone, and probably healthier than trying to pin all his needs on a romantic relationship that was bound to fail. He eyed Lynda over his coffee. She'd always seemed friendly. Maybe if he started a conversation...
He was still trying to work up the motivation to try when Donahue and the secretaries arrived. Susan carried the bags, balanced in her slim arms as though they weighed no more than feathers. Donahue, with no respect for the peace of an early morning airport, was as noisy and exuberant as ever, dressed like a lumberjack going on tropical vacation.
"Carter! You made it!" he cheered when he saw Daniel and hurried forward to pull him into a very unprofessional and unwanted hug. "I told you that you were over that little cold! You're going to have a great time buddy.”
He clapped Daniel on the shoulder so hard that Daniel suspected bruises, then went on to greet the others. Shortly afterwards, the plane was boarding. Donahue and the secretaries were flying first class while the rest of the team was in coach. Daniel had expected no less. Daniel hoped in an idle, nervous way, that he might be seated beside one of the office mates whose name he knew, and might have a chance to try talking then. Unfortunately, the aisle seat next to him was occupied by someone not from the office at all. Daniel flew in silence, listening to Lynda and Jacobs a seat ahead of him exchanging gardening tips and talking about Jacobs's kids. He felt lonelier than ever.
It wasn't a long flight and there were no layovers. Daniel dozed or read and before he knew it they were leaving the airport for a hired bus. Daniel was one of the first out of the terminal, having packed and prepared well while Donahue was having a fight about his carry ons, so it surprised him to see someone already waiting when he got on. There was a man near the back of the small charter bus. He was sleeping, brown suede ranger hat tipped over his face, his arms up over his head and his feet on the seat in front of him. He was huge, Daniel noted, with tanned skin and brawny muscles. His eyes lingered on those arms, envy a brief green sprig in his heart, wishing he could look like that. The man dressed neatly but casually in a blue button up that strained over his impressive chest, and jeans over boots. Beneath the rolled up sleeves of his cotton shirt, Daniel could see the dark edges of a tattoo. It wasn't difficult to guess that this man didn't work in the office.
Daniel leaned back to check with the bus driver that this was the correct shuttle and the heavyset woman assured him it was and that, no, she didn't know who the guy was either. Daniel sat down to wait for the rest of the team and decided to put the stranger out of his mind for now. He yawned, groggy from his flight, and pulled out his book again.
He'd only been reading it a few minutes before a low voice spoke into his ear. "What're you reading?"
Warm breath against his ear and the brush of stubble against his cheek. Daniel nearly flew out of his seat in his haste to turn and see who was so close to him, staring in confusion when he saw the stranger in the seat behind him, leaning over the back, smiling with a kind of lazy amusement at Daniel's reaction. He had the kind of ruggedly handsome face women and Hollywood adored, though his nose, which bore the evidence of repeated breakings, was probably too crooked for a career in movies. His hair was blond, a golden contrast against his bronze skin. A pale white scar cut through one of his brows, curving up from his right eye, which was exactly the sharp, piercing blue of an autumn sky. Plus, with the hat, he had exactl
y the look of some kind of good for nothing cowboy. Daniel's heart raced, wondering how such a huge guy had got the drop on him. Slowly, he eased back into his seat and tried to settle his breathing.
"Just a novel," he answered, trying not to stammer. "Sci-fi thing."
"I like sci-fi things," the man replied with a lackadaisical air and a mild drawl. "What's it about?"
Daniel eyed the man, wondering what his motivation was.
"Pretty standard," he replied, "Humanity makes contact with aliens for the first time, but it's the first time meeting another intelligent race for the aliens as well, so there are lots of misunderstandings. The story follows a human diplomat trying to prevent interstellar war."
Daniel had expected the guy to lose interest fast, but instead he just grinned. "Sounds like a trip," he extended a hand for Daniel to shake. "Asher Price."
"Daniel Carter," Daniel replied with a confused frown, shaking the man's hand. "Are you here for Mr. Donahue's trip?"
"In fact I am, Daniel Carter," the man squeezed Daniel's hand before he let it go, and Daniel's heart jumped in a way he couldn't explain. "Will the boss man be here soon?"
"He had some trouble with his bags, I think," Daniel answered. "He'll be a little bit."
"That's fine," Asher shrugged, standing and moving around to Daniel's seat. "Mind if I wait here with you for him?"
Daniel moved over as Asher sat down, not waiting for an answer, close enough for Daniel to feel his body heat. He didn't have the courage to tell the man no, but he suddenly wished he did.
They sat in silence for only a moment before Asher broke it again.
"So what are the aliens like?" he asked.
Daniel looked at him, brow furrowed, for a moment, trying to gauge how serious he was being, then answered.
"Bugs. Bees, for the most part. Though the winged males are humanoid."
"Ah, so it's that kind of sci-fi book."
"What does that mean?" Daniel blushed, defensive. It was definitely that kind of book. He enjoyed them, as long as they had a good plot to back up the smut. Asher just laughed, seeming to enjoy Daniel's flustered expression. Other members of the office began filtering onto the bus and Asher was quiet again for a bit, watching for Donahue. Daniel tried to go on reading, but was having difficulty focusing with Asher so close.
"So does she forge a political marriage with one of the winged males to save both planets?" he asked after a bit.
"I haven't finished it yet, but probably not," Daniel replied, "I think she's just going to run off with the alien military commander. She doesn't seem to have much investment in Earth. That's why she went on the mission to meet the aliens in the first place."
"That's unusual," Asher's eyes were still on the window, waiting for Donahue to appear from the terminal doors. "Usually the people in those stories are all about getting home as fast as they can."
"Yeah, I guess that is pretty different."
"I can sympathize," Asher grinned, but there was something not entirely happy behind it. "I'd like to leave this place behind myself sometimes."
Before Daniel could respond, Donahue swanned through the terminal doors, complaining loudly and bitterly about how he'd been treated. Asher was on his feet at once, patting Daniel on the shoulder.
"Be right back," he said, and winked. "Hold my seat for me."
By now most everyone was already on the bus and settled down, or Daniel would have made an effort to get someone else in that seat immediately. Something about the stranger unsettled him, and his talkative streak was only part of it.
He watched through the window as Asher hurried up to Donahue, who stopped on the sidewalk to meet him, frowning with more seriousness than Daniel had ever seen on the boss's face. They talked for a few minutes before Donahue, expression sour, headed past the man towards the bus, and Asher followed. By the time he reached the bus doors, Donahue's charismatic grin was back in place.
"Alright! Is everybody on?" he asked, clapping his hands. Asher pushed past him to reclaim his seat next to Daniel, and Daniel made room for him, wishing he'd been brave enough to move to another seat. "Settle in! It's about an hour and a half from here to Estes Park."
Daniel glanced at Asher and told himself he could definitely handle this for an hour and a half. It wouldn't be so bad. He just wouldn't talk. If there was anything he could do, it was not talk.
"Before we get going," Donahue continued, "I'd like to introduce you all to Mr. Price. He'll be our trail guide for the duration of our visit. He's a very experienced ranger so if you have any questions be sure to direct them to him."
He indicated Asher with an elaborate gesture, then sat down. Daniel eyed Asher, thinking that made more sense than any of the possibilities he'd been considering. Asher looked like the rough wilderness survival type.
"So, tell me more about the book," Asher said as the shuttle pulled away from the airport.
Daniel sighed and offered the book to the other man.
"Here, why don't you just read it yourself?" he suggested. "I brought another."
"Nah, no thanks," Asher waved it off, shaking his head. "I don't read."
Daniel wrinkled his nose in utter bafflement.
"Just tell me when you figure out if she's going to go back to Earth or not," Asher said, then leaned back, pulled his hat down over his face, and went to sleep, dozing off almost at once. Daniel was regretting this trip already.
Daniel read a little more before he too began to doze, his head against the window. He dreamed of reaching the campsite only to discover he was the only one who'd brought a tent and had to share it with everyone. Including the trail guide, who was cramming himself in as close to Daniel as possible, asking specific and probing questions about books Daniel hadn't read while all ten of his coworkers and Mr. Donahue piled into the tent on top of Daniel, slowly crushing him.
Chapter Five
As the bus jerked to a stop, Daniel woke and blinked back to awareness, realizing his left cheek was no longer pressed against cold glass, but rather his right was resting on warm skin. He frowned down at the muscular chest he was lying on, not yet conscious enough to figure out what was wrong with this picture.
"Comfy there, friend?"
Connecting two and two, Daniel jumped away so quickly he came close to head-butting Asher in the chin, embarrassment coursing through him like fire in his veins.
"Sorry," he gasped, unable to look at the other man as he all but flattened himself against the window. "I must have fallen over in my sleep. I'm so sorry."
Asher just chuckled.
"It's nothing to turn so red about. Happens all the time. Relax before you give yourself a heart attack."
"It won't happen again."
It was as much an apology as a promise to himself.
"Yeah, better save it for the trip back," Asher’s smile wrinkled the corners of his blue eyes in a way that just made them more magnetic. "We're here."
Daniel turned quickly to look through the window behind him, and saw that they had pulled into a parking lot in the town of Estes Park, eastern gateway to the Rocky Mountain National Park. Donahue had paid the shuttle driver to bring them directly to the entrance where a hired park service truck was waiting to bring their gear to the campsite. Daniel hurried to get off the bus and away and from Asher, thinking about how much this had already cost the company. He wondered if Donahue was even keeping track. Somehow he doubted it. Donahue was too used to just throwing money at things and expecting there to always be more.
Daniel moved his things from the bus to the truck with his usual efficiency, and then waited for everyone else to catch up. The employees would be walking behind the truck while Donahue and his secretaries rode with the driver. Fortunately it wasn't a very long way, and Daniel had the foresight to dress for a walk in a collared shirt under a patterned wool cardigan. Light enough that the sun wouldn’t bother him, but enough layers to keep out the cold. He thought he looked quite nice, though Donahue, dressed like a rock star o
n African safari, had scoffed at him.
They gathered behind the truck at the end of the road which rolled out ahead of them past a pair of gate houses and vanished into a sea of endless greenery. Daniel looked up into the early afternoon sunlight to catch a glimpse of the distant silhouette of mountains, hazy and impossible in the distance, just lilac shadows against the too bright sky. They were still close to the road and the noise of civilization, but that would vanish soon, swallowed up by the insular layers of pine and cottonwood, replaced by the twin rush of wind and water and ever-present bird song. Even now that airy music was beginning to make itself known. It could not overwhelm Donahue playing some too energetic pop song on his phone and laughing loudly, stirring up the other members of their little group who he decided were not excited enough.
"There's space in the back for you, Mr. Price!" Donahue called as he climbed into the truck, patting the luggage stuffed bed invitingly as he swung up into the cab. Daniel looked back to where Asher was ambling up to join him, expecting the trail guide to accept and climb on, but Asher shook his head.
"That's alright. I'll walk," he called back, putting an arm around Daniel's shoulders and catching him by surprise. "I've got a conversation I wanted to finish with Daniel here."
Donahue raised an eyebrow, looking at Daniel with a curious, calculating stare, but then he shrugged, pulling a secretary into his lap and signaling the driver. The truck headed into the forested entrance and the office workers jogged after them.
"You have something to say to me?" Daniel asked, frowning, as they started walking.
"Not really," Asher shrugged. "I just can't stand that guy. What an asshole."
Daniel laughed, half in surprise, finding himself in agreement with the trail guide for the first time.
"He's the worst,” Daniel agreed.
“Oh yeah?” Asher asked. “Not a fun boss?”
“Not at all,” Daniel huffed at the thought. “He has no idea how to run a business, so he just pushes the work off on to everyone else. He spends company money like it grows on trees and expects people to just sign off on his receipts anyway. He basically forced me to come on this trip—"
