I Hate This Town - 21. Chapter 21: Mystery Man

Alec was sitting on a bench at the end of River’s hotel bed while his friend fussed with a red spike choker. He was still dazed and not completely sure how he’d driven to River’s mother’s and then all the way to the hotel in another town. He fiddled with the strap of the camera on his lap and tried not to replay the entire afternoon. The last thing he needed was to have a situation arise. River would tease him brutally and then he’d want to know what had caused it.

“Is this too much?” River asked. He was frowning at himself in the mirror, hand on one hip.

Alec focused enough to take in the vinyl harness that stretched across River’s chest and hooked over his shoulders. There was matching red vinyl strips on his hips, “It makes you look slightly more muscular and the red looks good with your tattoos.”

“Okay, but my ass though, would you pay to see it?” River’s eyebrow raised, red eyeliner spiking out from around his blue eyes. His pink hair was slicked back and Alec rolled his eyes as yes, River’s ass looked fantastic.

“You know it looks good. It always does, idiot.”

“Awe, love you too. Alright, picture time. I have to make up for being out here somehow!” River jumped on the bed and Alec dutifully took pictures.

“So, how was your afternoon? You’re very quiet. That makes me nervous.” River asked over his shoulder.

“Arch your back more.” Alec sighed and snapped another picture, “I met up with Finn.”

River waited for another camera flash and then whipped around, crawling across the bed, “How did it go? Did he ask for your hand? Will I have to defend your honor?”

“No weirdo. I told my mom off one last time. My dad was weird too. He said a lot of things about wanting to be in my life, but I don’t know. I’m not sure that I have the strength for it.” Alec shrugged, holding out the camera so he could show River the pictures, “Then Finn called and we talked and met up. We made out earlier but I think we settled on how bad of an idea trying to be together would be.”

River snatched the camera away and tossed it over his shoulder onto the bed, “Not important right now. So you went off alone with him again? You? My sweet, innocent, anxious, little introvert? You told him how you felt and you had a big boy conversation?”

Alec shrugged and rubbed his neck, avoiding River’s eyes as his friend forced them face to face, “I guess.”

“I’m so proud of you. Do you want me to handle the sale of your house? Make sure y’all use protection. Finn doesn’t know where you’ve been.” River laughed and dodged as Alec tried to shove him.

“Hey! I just told you we decided against being together.” Alec growled, tackling the other onto the bed.

River wrapped his tattooed arms around Alec’s shoulders, “And you’re happy about that?”

Alec rested his cheek against his friend’s shoulder, “I’m not sure. In a perfect world would I want to be with him? I’m sure I’d try. But River...It’s a terrible idea.”

River hummed softly, fingers combing through Alec’s sweaty blue hair, “Makes sense. You never got over him. It doesn’t surprise me that Finny boy never got over you. He was head over heels for you. I dislike that you’re acting like a relationship between the two of you is impossible because we both know you could make it work. If you wanted to.”

Alec closed his eyes, inhaling River’s cologne that somehow mixed notes of vanilla, tobacco, and honey. There was also a hint of the vinyl smell which wasn’t Alec’s favorite. He wrinkled his nose as he listened to his friend’s breathing, “It feels wrong to want him. I hurt him when I left. Before I left, really.”

“You hurt each other. Finn didn’t handle it well either. Everything isn’t your fault just because you have mental health issues and you’re the one who left. As far as I know, you were pretty transparent about your plans. Finn could have come. He could’ve gone anywhere. Any college would’ve given him a full scholarship.” River said, voice taking on an irritated note.

Alec sighed and sprawled on his back, “He convinced himself he needed to stay for Milo.”

“Mm Milo.” River rolled onto his back.

“I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but he’s married.” Alec grinned up at the ceiling.

“Awe, what a shame. I would’ve been so good to him.” River sighed dramatically.

The room went quiet as the friends lay there on the hotel bed. Alec’s day was slowly catching up with him. His body was a bit worn out and he was sure some of it was emotional fatigue from the altercation with his mother and the time spent with Finn. Alec rolled onto his side and River wiggled his fingers without looking over.

“I don’t know where to go from here.” Alec mumbled.

“Oh? You thinking of going home?” River looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t know. I don’t see why I should stay here and try to keep visiting a woman that verbally abuses me. The longer I stay, the worse the temptation to start something up with Finn will be. It may be the best choice if we go home.”

“It’s up to you, friend. You know I’ll support you in anything. Ugh this collar’s way too tight.” River groaned, tugging at it.

A knock at the door had both of them frowning and sitting up. River stood and walked forward and then seemed to remember what he was wearing, “I’ll grab a robe. Can you get that?”

Alec nodded and walked to the door, waiting for River to be out of sight. He opened the door and came face to face with someone he’d never seen before. He tilted his head and Alec caught the faintest twitch of the corner of the man’s lips. Other than that, the man’s face was blank. His dark eyes swept over the room behind Alec and he hoped River had kicked some of his less wholesome possessions out of view.

“Can I help you?” Alec asked, hand still on the door. He was ready to slam it if this guy ended up being some kind of freak. Although, he didn’t look like one. He was wearing a suit, plain black with a black undershirt and a black damask tie.

“My apologies. I must have the wrong room. I was under the impression that someone else was staying here.” He said. His voice was flat and Alec frowned softly. The guy was the same height, but Alec found him intimidating. He made Alec feel much smaller than 5’11”. He felt like he was a foot tall.

“Ken?” Alec turned and both he and the stranger’s eyes fell on River, wrapped up in a black robe, “What are you doing here?”

Alec turned back to the man whose eyes flicked down River’s body and then back to Alec, appraising, “This is the correct room then.”

“What are you doing here?” River asked again, eyes wide in confusion.

So “Person A” had randomly shown up. He’d obviously come without asking River, given his friend’s shocked expression. That didn’t sit right with him. Alec’s eyes narrowed, “Listen, if you’re some kind of stalker or something, I’ll break your kneecaps.”

The man’s expression shifted subtly and he ran his fingers over carefully styled and gelled, jet-black hair, “Kenji Shinoda.”

Alec raised an eyebrow. Nothing else. Kenji? Ken. Kenji. So suspicion confirmed. Alec shifted a bit and looked between the two. He almost had a heart attack when he realized that River was blushing. Blushing. River never blushed. He was confident and always seemed to be sure of himself in every situation. Alec looked back at the man still standing in the doorway. His eyes were so dark and there was a very thin scar that lined his right cheekbone. There were silver rings on his fingers and that was it. He was very simply dressed, his hair and appearance neat and perfect. There was something in his eyes though that sent a chill down Alec’s spine.

“You are scary as hell.” Alec blurted without thought.

“Uh, Alec, can you give us some time? We have things to discuss. I’m okay. Promise.” River crossed his arms, eyebrow raised and expression challenging as he stared at the man-Kenji.

“I guess. You know where to find me if you need me.” Alec left the room, but not before glaring daggers at Kenji and making an “I’m watching you” gesture. The other man’s lips quirked up a fraction in what might have been an attempt at a smile.

Unnerving.

Later, Alec was laying in bed after confirming River was safe and not murdered by the scary, hot stranger. He stared down at his phone. He was feeling lost. The conversation had gone the way he wanted with Finn, but it had left him feeling empty. Was it really what he wanted? Alec stared up at the ceiling.

It wasn’t too late. Ten at night. He rolled over, pulling up the fluffy comforter as he stared down at his phone. Would it really hurt? What harm was a text message going to do? It wouldn’t be the end of the world. Maybe they could hang out as friends. He set his phone aside and padded to his bathroom. He took his pill organizer out of his toiletry bag and dumped them into his hand. He wasn’t going to bed yet, but he should make responsible decisions before the bad ones. He didn’t want to fall asleep and forget because then it’d be far easier to make an excuse tomorrow too and then the next day until they were out of his system and he felt like garbage.

His medicine didn’t distract him nearly long enough and he found himself back in bed, curled up around his phone and still staring down at the blinding blue screen. He’d taken it one step further and had opened a text conversation. He rolled some ice breakers over in his head and frowned when he failed to settle on one. How should he start the conversation? They’d separated on weird footing and now Alec didn’t know if reaching out would just be cruel at this point. It would. It wouldn’t be fair to Finn. He needed to start planning the trip home. He was sure River was eager to get back to work. As amazing as his boss was, River was still missing out on work to be in Iowa for Alec.

Alec rolled over again. Why was the Ken guy here? Was that weird? It seemed weird. Who showed up uninvited? Maybe Kenji wasn’t as great as River made him out to be. He was attractive, his friend had been right about that, but looks only went so far. Alec ran his palm over the sheets and debated texting River. He wanted to make sure his friend was still okay. That being said, though, what if they were having a deep conversation? He didn’t want to interrupt. At the same time, Alec wanted the details. Was Ken here to sweep his friend off his feet? He hoped so. River deserved it.

Alec bit back a surge of bitter jealousy. There was no reason he should be jealous. He’d chosen this life for himself and being happy for his friend was the least he could do. Heaven forbid he open his big mouth and make River turn down something that could be good for him. That was a terrible idea. Alec really should just go to bed and forget the whole thing. He set his phone on the bedside table and rolled stubbornly away from it, bundling the blankets up around his head. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

Go to sleep. Go to sleep! Bedtime! Right now! Right…now!

Sighing, Alec rolled over, pressing the backs of his hands against his eyes. He was starting to get a headache. It was the worst when they were self-inflicted. He turned over and snatched his phone again. If Finn didn’t want to answer, he didn’t have to. If they couldn’t make a friendship work, they really had no reason to communicate. Alec flinched at the very idea of never speaking to Finn again. He rolled his eyes at himself. It felt wrong. He hated the very thought of cutting Finn out of his life a second time. He’d done it once before and he was still dealing with the pain and aftermath ten years later.

He had another therapy call tomorrow and he sighed. He needed to open up more to his therapist. She’d helped him before and she could help him again if he’d get his head out of his ass. They’d spoken about Finn at length but he hadn’t been ready to really dissect the current issue. Alec sighed and stretched his arms above his head. He could do it. He could get himself on the right track again. There was no reason he couldn’t There was nothing standing in his way except himself. As per usual. He didn’t need to reach out to Finn simply because he was feeling lonely. His phone vibrated and he pounced on it.

[R: Sorry. I had no idea he was coming.]

Alec had figured as much and shook his head. River wasn’t exactly someone who liked surprises. He did handle them far better than Alec did, but he knew his friend was going to be stressed.

[A: Is everything okay?]

[R: Awkward at first. Okay now. He’s hot huh?]

[A: That’s not what’s important here, freak.]

[R: What else could be more important?]

[A: Is he staying?]

[R: Tonight at least. We’re going to go out. You in?]

[A: No.]

[R: Give me like forty minutes and then I’ll come to your room.]

Alec groaned and threw himself back against his pillows. A night out with River was something he didn’t know if he could handle. It stressed him out even more to think this may be his first outing with River’s mystery man. What were they going to do? What should he wear? How fancy were they going to be dressing?

Another message came through and Alec let out a soft breath. Okay, so they were just going out for drinks. He glanced toward his suitcase and the wardrobe he’d hung up some of his clothes in. He’d brought nice clothes but he didn’t think he’d have anything that matched the level of Kenji’s suit. Alec stood and wandered into his bathroom to take a shower. He worked pomade through his hair and glared at his roots coming in. His blue was also fading and needed to be redone again. Even so, he styled his hair and meandered back to the bedroom. He started by laying a few outfits out. Then he stood and stared at them in his boxer briefs, hands on his hips.

It was getting into summer and he wondered if a sweater would be too hot. Probably, if they went to a crowded bar and then also had alcohol. He pulled on black jeans and his red sneakers to start and then considered the shirts again. It didn’t really matter what he looked like. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone. Well, Kenji, but he didn’t have to look nice to roll out the best friend talk. It was his right. He had to make sure Kenji’s intentions were pure. Or pure enough for River anyway.

He was in the middle of tugging on a t-shirt when there was a knock at the door. He scrambled over to it. River grinned wide. His hair was wavy and Alec raised an eyebrow. It was rare that he didn’t blow dry and straighten it. River wore a black and pink, thick, striped shirt and high waisted, black jeans with a studded belt that had chains hanging off it. He was also wearing bright purple combat boots that had seen better days. The boots’ tongues were folded down and god only knew where and when River lost the laces. He was also wearing rainbow dinosaur socks because if chaos took a solid form, it would be his friend.

In complete contrast, Kenji stood behind him. His hair wasn’t as rigidly styled and a few pieces hung onto his forehead. He’d changed from his suit. He still wore all black, however. His silk shirt with three quarter sleeves was unbuttoned at the top. Alec saw that he did, in fact, have full tattoo sleeves on both arms. Which was fine, but then the man was wearing nice slacks and loafers. Loafers! Alec didn’t even own a pair! Was he a bad adult? Then again, his style hadn’t changed much since high school. Maybe he should reflect a little? Either way, Kenji looked like someone who’d never be seen with him and River. His outfit wasn’t anything special, but the man looked expensive.

“Hey. Come on. Adventure time.” River waggled his eyebrows and his messy black eyeshadow made his light blue eyes almost unnerving.

“I don’t want to go River.” Alec sighed, leaning against the door frame.

“Odd, Ji, did I phrase my last sentence as a question? I don’t believe I did.” River tilted his head back, looking down at Alec.

“No. It was clearly a statement and now you’re being facetious. If he doesn’t wish to go-“

“Shh. Point is, get dressed, you’re coming nerd.”

The friends stared each other down until Alec felt his eye twitch. River grinned triumphantly and Alec spun around, sighing, “I am dressed, but looking at the two of you, it seems like we’re going to two different places.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure Finn will be in gym clothes, so we’ll really look strange together. Believe it or not, this is Kenji’s casual attire.” River explained as he flopped on the bed. Kenji closed the door and leaned against the wall, tucking a cigarette behind his ear as his dark eyes trailed over River before landing on the window.

“What do you mean? Finn?” Alec froze, staring at River.

“Oh, I invited him.” River said, sitting up on his forearms.

“I just told you we aren’t planning on being together. We had that conversation earlier today. It’s way too soon to try and hang out as friends.” Alec left out the fact that he’d been debating texting Finn before he’d been roped into River’s craziness. His friend didn’t need to know that.

He grumbled and tore through the suitcase he’d been refusing to unpack all the way. He wasn’t positive about the t-shirt anymore. Flannel? A flannel would go with whatever aesthetic River was displaying tonight, but he might be too hot. He thought and shrugged before snatching a thin, black, long-sleeved shirt. Alec went to the bathroom to change and mumbled as he glanced at his sneakers while eyeing Kenji’s shiny black shoes.

“I’ll call for a cab or something.” River said and tapped quickly at his phone.

“Don’t feel like you need to rush.” Alec sighed, resigning himself to more discomfort.

Even if he’d texted Finn, he didn’t know if he was ready to be face to face.