“Whatareyou on about?”
Edward looked skyward as if his eyes could see through the floors above him. “I think it’s time we break down that attic door, don’t you? We either find some answers on the other side, or we don’t.”
“And if we don’t?” William asked,
He’d heard something from beyond the closed door more than once. And William knew, deep down, that answers always waited behind locked doors.
Edward leaned in so close that William could make out that his eyes weren’t brown but a perfect blend of hazel and honey. “If I can make you smile with a crude joke, just imagine how good you’ll feel after some fury-therapy. Nothing beats sadness better than taking that emotion and using it to destroy something.”
“Why destroy a door when you are just such a better option tobang,” William quipped, fist lifted in jest.
“One cheap sex joke for another, I’m impressed.” Edward drew back, and William found himself leaning in. “Although surely you know I’m not the taker, but the giver.”
“Oh Jesus. A gay joke, now?”
“That’s up for your interpretation.” Edward hooked his arm around William’s back and guided him towards the stairs. “Come on, let’s go evict some ghosts, shall we.”
Night and day seemed to blend into one at Hanbury Manor. Even though William knew he’d slept through most of the day, seeing the dark evening sky beyond the window only added to his discomfort – like building blocks, one atop of the other, forging a wall around him that was beginning to be hard to even look over. The continuous smashing sound behind him didn’t help, but watching Edward vault his shoulder into the attic door in hopes of knocking it down certainly eased his anxiety a little.
Edward’s attempt didn’t work, but that didn’t mean he was giving up anytime soon. A trait that William wasn’t all too familiar with in men. There was something so different to Edward than anyone else he’d ever met. In other circumstances it would’ve been pleasant to get to know someone like him – until he remembered what happened to those he trusted.
What dark omen he’d brought into Archie’s life.
William fixated on all the differences between Edward and Archie to curb his budding remorse conjured by his treacherous inner thoughts. At least this way, he’d remind himself of their opposites, making those kindling feelings inside him fade back to a simmer – which turned out to be impossible as William watched Edward literally kick down a door. Muscles strained, face frozen in a grunt of strain and concentration; Edward was a man possessed as he fought with the inanimate object.
“Don’t hurt yourself,” William shouted over the noise, wincing every time Edward donkey-kicked the attic door. Already, a hole had been worn into the middle; the old frames even began to come away at the wall. “No good us both having bruised ankles to end the day on.”
Panting, Edward paused momentarily, long enough to catch his breath. “Is that concern I hear in your voice?”
A single bead of sweat ran down the side of Edward’s temple, falling along the path of his well-carved-out jawline. William was so focused on the droplets journey that his reply came after a broken moment of silence. “No, I just don’t think my house insurance will cover this type of damage, let alone the personal liability if you break a bone or something.”
“Oh, I see. You’re more concerned with the broken door than me,” Edward replied with a wink. “Got it.”
“Broken door, cracked wall, and God knows whatever unseen damage you are causing… we could do the sensible thing and look for some tools.”
And by sensible thing, William meant that Edward could do what Archie would’ve done in this situation, slowly working at a problem like a puzzle, using all means but brute force to reach a goal. Then again, even William couldn’t pretend it wasn’t rather exhilarating to watch a full-grown man wrestle with a door. Especially one who was coated in muscle. Another stark contrast William focused on.
“Well, if you want to help, you could always go and look for said tools, Will. Or you can stand there, looking pretty as you watch me. The choice is yours.”
Heat blossomed in William’s cheeks. Point taken. “Actually, I’m finding watching you battle that door rather enjoyable. It’s likely the most fun I’ve had in days.”
“I’m glad to be of service,” Edward smirked. “Now, unless you’ve got nothing else pressing to add, can I get back to smashing down this door?”
“Go ahead,” William said with a wave of a hand. “Knock yourself out, just not literally, as I’ve said, no personal liability.”
As the bashing of muscle against the door began again, William pocketed another difference in his mind. Archie never really smirked – actually, he never really smiled much in the last years of their relationship. In hindsight, William knew his fiancé was unhappy, which was what likely drove him into the arse of another man. However, as his own therapist had said, ‘it’s not your job to please a partner who doesn’t even know how to please himself’, aka, ‘you’re not responsible for anyone’s emotions but yourself’.
Turned out all Edward needed to get through the door was a little encouragement because a few kicks later, one colossal crack in the plasterboard, and it came away with the ease of butter over a flame. Breathless and clearly proud of himself, Edward stood back to marvel at his work.
“Ta-da,” he exhaled, shoulders shrugging with each deep inhale. “From now on I only will respond to being called Hulk, or He-Man.”
His sarcasm went right over William’s head. As he faced the dark gaping mouth of the attic, the reality of what they’d done finally settled in. Whatever secrets had been locked behind that closed door had no choice to hide anyone.
“If that’s the case, after you, He-Hulk.”
“He-Man,” Edward corrected.
William waved him off. “Whatever.”
