Page 2 of The Biker & the Baker

“I don’t know why, but from the very first second I saw you, ten years ago, I had this feeling that you are going to be someone big one day. Don’t forget me when you get to the top.” The biker nicknamed Wheeler grinned and winked, then shooed the librarian and his friend away with a gesture of his hand.

For a while, the two men walked besides one another in silence, gradually speeding up the pace. Lawrence, whose left legwas badly injured during the last rescue mission he took part in back when he was in the army, needed more time to warm up than his librarian friend. However, the ex-soldier didn’t let anything stay in his way, and, on quite a few occasions, he gave Brian a good run for his money.

From the corner of his eye, Lawrence examined his friend, and what he saw worried him a lot. Something was weighing the librarian down, a secret or a feeling that was stealing his peace of mind and sleep. It wasn’t just because of the hot weather, although the temperatures from the last few days played nasty tricks on all The Base’s residents’ health and mood, from the oldest to the youngest.

It was almost like when Brian came to the sanctuary, ten years earlier, eaten alive by the guilt of not being fast enough when his younger brother Edward desperately called for his help, but still very different. Unlike back then, when the man was, in his mind at least, sure that everything happened because of him, this time it seemed he was rather searching for some answers to questions he pushed in the back of his mind.

He is trying to read me, Brian thought, slightly amused at the concentrated expression on his friend’s face, just like a shrink. I bet he’s taking notes mentally, too, he continued his trail of thought. They didn’t nickname him Digger for nothing; the guy digs into your mind and finds out things you didn’t know were there.

Indeed, Lawrence possessed a fine intuition and the ability to understand the feelings of those around him and resonatewith them. These qualities came in stark contrast with the man’s solidly built body, thick beard and long hair, but made him a magnet for children of all ages who were rescued from dangerous and dire situations, found shelter and safety at The Base.

They say eyes are the windows of the soul, and Lawrence’s, of a deep, rich, warm brown, gave up his true nature, caring, nurturing, and protective, winning over even the most scared, distrustful kid, soothing their pain and silencing the fears that gripped their heart like a ruthless, iron claw. Those eyes were now gazing over Brian with a mix of brotherly affection and concern, making him feel guilty for keeping his friend in suspense for so long.

He cleared his throat and was about to start talking, when the other man’s slightly worried, slightly amused voice cut his tentative short.

CHAPTER 2

“Are you done chasing your tail?” Lawrence’s soft tone put his friend at ease, which was visible in the posture of his shoulders. “Come on, spill the beans to your good ol’ uncle.”

“Old, my ass.” Brian huffed a short laugh, then his voice became serious. “My best friend’s name popped into my mind after more than two decades, and I can’t figure out why now.”

“Best friend, huh?” Lawrence sensed the tension was about to tighten his friend’s muscles and darken his mood again, so he tried another joke. “I thought this position was filled by me, at least this is what you’re telling everyone.”

“Childhood friend, more like the protective older brother I never had.” Brian’s voice was tinged with melancholy, so he sped up the pace a bit, to let some steam out. “We used to do almost everything together, Albert was a permanent fixture in our home.”

“Oh, this is what my competitor’s called!” Lawrence exclaimed, flashing a grin in his friend’s direction as he easily kept the quick pace the other one set. “Tell me more about him, you made me curious.”

Brian let out a short laugh again. “You know what’s funny? Bart used almost the same words earlier, when I brought the subject up for the first time since we’ve known each other.”

“Well, you know what they say about great minds.” Lawrence continued in the same lighthearted voice from earlier.“And, since I know your dear husband was as curious as I am now…What does Albert look like? What was his favorite movie, color, book, music genre, and food? How about desserts? Was he straight or gay?” The biker guard ran a hand over his face to hide his embarrassment “Fuck, sorry, man, this sounded…”

“Hey, buddy, don’t beat yourself over this, it’s not the case.” Brian reflected for a few seconds before continuing. “Firstly, I’m happy you finally express interest in a guy, even if he’s someone I last saw more than twenty years ago. Secondly, you made me realize I don’t know almost anything about Albert. I mean, none of the small things that, at the age we had back then, really mattered.”

“How come?” Lawrence frowned. “He was your best friend, right?” The frown deepened as the man tried to figure out a logical explanation. “Well, some kids like to keep things to themselves, maybe it was his case, too.”

“On the contrary, Albert was a chatterbox, but we mainly talked about school, homework, and the books we read. Both of us were geeks, but…” It was Brian’s turn to frown. “I think you’re right about him keeping things to himself. You see, even at that young age, I had a very clear idea about what I wanted to do in life, while Albert was very elusive about his plans for the future.” The man’s expression changed, the shadow of a smile playing on his lips. “He gave me my first nickname, Night.”

“Oh, brother!” Lawrence exclaimed, bursting into a fit of laughter. “Man, were you a ninja warrior or something? Anyway, it’s much better than Spare Parts, if you ask me.”

“My last name is Knight, and I’m dark-haired, while Albert was blond, and I nicknamed him Light.” Brian’s smile became brighter.

“It makes perfect sense, now that you explained it. Night and Light, like yin and yang. It means you complemented each other of sorts.” Lawrence nodded, then his eyes went wide, as a thought crossed his mind. “Not very long ago, right after you celebrated ten years since you came to The Base, you told me something while we were running.”

“Yes.” Brian answered hesitantly, trying to see where his friend was going. “I said that, at least since I came here, everything that happened to me, no matter how insignificant at first sight, turned out to be a piece from a bigger puzzle, and also a lesson learned.” He paused and swallowed hard, then continued in a bit harsher voice. “Even me being stupid enough to take Cole in, when I knew how dangerous this could be for my expecting fiancé and younger brother.”

“I told you back then and I’m telling you now: stop blaming yourself for that. Forgiving and giving a helping hand to someone in need it’s what makes the difference between humans and Neanderthals. It wasn’t your fault that your ex was such a disgusting piece of shit.” Lawrence stopped and stared into the other one’s eyes. “Back to what’s keeping you awake tonight, you are thinking about Albert after all this time happens fora reason. At least that’s what I think.”

Could this reason be a reunion? The question popped into Brian’s mind about an hour later, when he was back in the bedroom, an arm wrapped around Bart, who pressed his back into the librarian’s chest. It would be great to meet each other after all this time, catch up with one another’s lives. The thought put a bright smile on the man’s face, as he drifted asleep.

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

Pale face, with still handsome features, marred by a few bruises starting to fade away, a split lip that was almost healed, dark bags under chocolate brown eyes void of any emotion that stared back at him. That was what Albert saw when he looked into the mirror from the adjoining bathroom in his sister-in-law’s house’s guestroom.

Son of a bitch, the man cursed when he felt a sharp pain in his left cheek, the most damaged part of his face, made him flinch. If Mike was still around, that pile of dirt wouldn’t have dared to lay a finger on me, he bitterly continued the trail of his thoughts. Mike would have ripped the guy’s arm from his shoulder and beat him with it.

Albert’s shoulders slumped as he turned around and stepped out of the bathroom. Unfortunately, Mike, a brave police officer, was no longer among the living, his life claimed by a bullet shot by a damn coward, like the one who put those bruises on his face. At least, the fucker who did it was also dead, taken down by Brei-Ayn, Mike’s wife and his partner.

The couple was related to Albert through his deceased husband, Clayton, who was Brei-Ayn’s older brother, and, even from the first second he set foot in their house, they liked him. It didn’t take very long for the initial feeling to turn into a deep affection, the two kind of adopting Albert, who, at that point, was alone in the world after the untimely death of his only relative, two years before he met Clayton.

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