“That’s amazing.” Tristan’s eyes held nothing but wonder, and Jax flew on that expression and the fact that Tristan might be single all the way home. He still didn’t think it was a good idea to date Tristan, but Jax rarely listened to himself.
In a good mood for once, Jax hummed a tune as he walked up to the second floor, but it cut off abruptly as he found his landlord waiting at his door, arms crossed.
The two-story house Jax had moved into had been divided into four studio apartments, and while they were small, Jax hadn’t had the time or money to be choosy.
But he wished he’d looked further because this was the second time his landlord had come to bug him. The first was about his balcony; apparently, it needed to be bare, and putting a plant on it to get sunlight was againstthe lease. Jax knew that it wasn’t, but lately he’d been tryingnotto be an asshole, so he hadn’t pushed back.
This time, though? He didn’t know if he was strong enough. He’d only been here a few weeks; Gus needed to chill.
“Fiorelli? Getting home at this hour is unacceptable.” The older man stomped his foot as if he were used to being obeyed.
Jax couldn’t speak for about ten seconds, and by the time he did, the beast within had already taken over. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Language! I’m yourlandlord, and you can’t disturb this house at all hours. You didn’t tell me you worked nights!” Genuinely upset that all his tenants weren’t snug in bed, his voice cracked with delusional anger.
“I don’t have to tell you what I do. I’m an adult who rents from you, which means I give you money and you shut the fuck up.” Jax got closer, looming over him. This was probably not the best way to handle things, but adrenaline blasted through him, making him painless and daring. “Leave.”
“I’m not afraid of you!” Gus pulled out his phone. “I’m calling the cops! You can’t be making noise like this!”
“You’re the one makin’ all the noise,” Jax growled, noticing his neighbors peering out of their windows. Resisting the urge to slap the phone out of Gus’ hand, Jax took a step back, grabbed his own phone, and pressed record. “We’re live! Hey guys, this is my landlord, Gus Paterson, and he’s shown up to my residence twice now without giving me twenty-four hours’ notice.” After the plant incident, Jax had read over his lease, and there was nothing about the balcony,butthere was definitely something about Gus needing to give a heads-up before he stopped by.
“Put that down!” Gus dropped his phone, moving closer, clearly agitated that his idea had been spun on him.
“I told you.” Exhilarated, Jax smiled dangerously, his rage flying free. “Leave. I’m allowed to come home after work-”
He wanted to say more, but Gus sprang up, spry for his age, and knocked Jax’s phone to the ground, knocking away his humanity too. The last thing Jax remembered was his vision going red, while the beast within howled.
6
TRISTAN
“Ihavetoask,I saw you getting out of your car, is that an AT sticker? Did you do the trail?” The tall, dark-haired videographer for Marci’s wedding stopped next to Tristan in the main room.
“I did!” Flooded with excitement and nerves, Tristan quickly shook his hand. “I’m Tristan. Are you a thru-hiker?”
“Gideon. Nice to meet you.” His grasp was firm but friendly, and he had an easy smile that Tristan instantly gravitated to. “And in my dreams, in my dreams. I’m still trying to figure out what equipment I’d want to bring.”
Tristan took another quick glance around before putting his checklist aside. This was the biggest event of the year, but the servers were almost done and everything looked pristine. He could take a moment. “You should do it!”
“I’ve been thinking about the Pacific Crest Trail. I like the different climates, going from desert to snow-capped mountains to forest, but I hear it’s tough to do a full thru-hike because of the fire closures.” Gideon’s camera was on a gimbal the size of his arm, and it counterbalanced his movements as he placed it on the floor.
“It’s true. Sometimes hundreds of miles are closed, and it’s the same thing with the Continental Divide.”
“That’s too bad. I want to do the CDT too, and take the alternate through Gila National Forest,” Gideon talked to Tristan like an old friend, and Tristan hadn’t experienced that off-trail in far too long.
By the end of his relationship with Eve, Tristan was alone. She’d either driven off his old friends or tried to fuck them, and after the companionshiphe’d felt during his thru, he ached for someone local to hang out with. Gideon could be that someone.
“Yes!” Tristan grinned. “A hiker I follow online took a detour through the Wind River Range, and that’s on my bucket list now.”
“I’m looking that up as soon as I get home. We should go for a hike!” Gideon stated, holding out his phone. “Give me your number. I’ve worn out the trails in my town, but there’s a state forest nearby that I’ve been wanting to check out.”
“I love that place.” Taking the device, Tristan called himself, excited that he’d made a friend. “I know the best views.”
“You have to tell me about your thru when we have more time.” Gideon picked up his camera, placing the bottom of the gimbal against his hip. “I know you’re busy running Marci’s wedding today, so I’ll let you go, but just so you know? The other halls are talking about you.”
“Is that good or bad?” Adding Gideon to his contacts, he pocketed the phone and picked up his clipboard.
“They’re saying you’re Marci’s protégé, which means you’re already legendary,” he laughed. “Nice to meet you, man.”
