Chapter 5 #3
Everyone came in in a rush — meters and cameras and all.
Xander stood there, staring down at the mess, kind of frozen. How could they all just take this in stride? Shit.
Iago came and touched his arm, kind of leading him away from the kitchen. “It’s their job. It’s cool. You don’t have to love it.”
Xander shook his head, swallowing hard. “I grew up in a haunted town, but it was always my place that was perfectly okay, totally normal.”
“Man, that’s got to be wiggy as hell. I’d be freaked out too.”
Xander blinked at Iago. The man was infuriating, so understanding. “How did you hook up with these guys?”
“I was Mason’s roommate in college.”
Xander blinked. That was perfectly normal and reasonable. “You were?”
Iago nodded to him. “Yeah. I’m an IT guy.
He was an anthropology major. We met Law…
” Iago tilted his head. “Well, we were both still in college, I think. Mason may have been. I may have graduated already; I don’t remember.
Law was interviewing people for a short film — a documentary about roommates in college, and afterward we were all sitting talking. We hit it off.”
“No shit?”
“No shit. Law was interested in trying to capture ghosts on film, and of course Mason was immediately right in, and it just kind of blossomed from there. Law introduced us to Gent, and Gent introduced us to Colton.”
That was like the most perfectly normal response. He’d expected to hear they met at a ghost hunting convention or that spectral beings brought them together, not ‘we met in college’.
Iago grinned at him, and Xander guessed his expression gave him away. “Wild, huh? Just this normal thing. But we’re like family now.”
“I can tell.” He had that with Sebastian and Xavi.
“I’m assuming you grew up with Sebastian and Xavier.”
Xander nodded. “Yeah, we were in kindergarten together. Well, we knew each other before kindergarten. My mom watched all three of us when Sebastian’s mom and Xavier’s mom had to drive down the mountain to go to work, we all stayed at my house, this house.
We had a clubhouse up in the attic that was all ours.
It’s crazy, but it was a good place to grow up. ”
“I can’t believe you all three are still here.”
He shrugged. “I went to community college in Grand Junction, got my culinary associates, headed out and worked in Denver, but my folks had a place for me. Rent is expensive, and I’m just not chefy.
Sebastian never left, and of course once Abby happened, he wasn’t going to leave, and Xavier has a past.”
Iago’s eyes lit up. “A past? I love a past.”
He shook his head. “That’s not my story to tell, but suffice it to say he has a past.”
He and Bastian had been there for the aftermath, for the bruises and the tears.
“Fair enough.” Iago chuckled. “We all kind of have our own past, don’t we?”
He smiled at Iago. “You seem too cheerful to have had a past.”
Iago shrugged, a dull flush staining the man’s cheeks. “Oh, I’m just too dumb to let it get me down, man.”
“Uh-oh.” Xander studied him. “Love troubles? Or did you pull off a bank heist?” He tried teasing as a way to defuse the situation.
“Oh, I wish. Nothing that funny. Just a slew of bad relationships — from cotton ball hurt to ‘Jesus, please kill me now’ hurt.”
“Oh, that sucks.” Xander hadn’t had too many relationships. One in school, one in Denver, both short-lived. Everyone told him he was just an ass. Too much of a loner.
Iago shrugged one shoulder, the action almost like he was protecting himself. “I guess I’m a little in love with love.”
“Yeah? I’m not sure I’ve ever been there. I like having someone to do… stuff with.” His cheeks went nuclear hot, but he might as well be honest.
“Sure. Who doesn’t want an extra hand to be…uh…happy with? An extra willing hand, I mean.”
“See? My point exactly. But then people start telling you that you’re grumpy and you’re never around, and—” He cut himself off. Oh, ugh.
“Well, you’re around here.” Iago actually leaned in, lips at his ear. “I live just down the way.”
His brain stuttered to a stop even as his body went into overdrive. “I-uh. I do. I mean, you do.” Holy shit. Was Iago inviting him to do that thing?
Surely not.
“So, if you’re thinking about that sort of activity, and you need some participation, just let me know.”
“I want that. I would like that. Yes.” Xander knew he wasn’t making anything coherent come out of his mouth, but he thought Iago was going to get the idea.
Iago gave him a winky eyebrow and a grin. “Yeah, I totally do. Don’t say mean things about me anymore, okay?”
“I promise I won’t talk shit about most people but especially not you or anybody on your crew. I’ll talk shit about Xavi.”
“That’s totally on you. He’s one of your best friends. You’re allowed.”
He started to move in closer to Iago, but some of the guys came wandering back into the kitchen to get Iago to set up a few things on the laptop, and it broke the tension down.
The moment was over, but he was okay with that. There would be more moments. Right now, he just wanted to get this ghost out of his house.