My eyes narrowed as Zane rummaged around in his pockets. I felt a slight wave of panic, then that awkward sort of guilt that always came with not having anything to give in return.
“Did we go straight past casual threesomes,” I joked nervously, “to the dating and gift stage? If so, nobody told m—”
I stopped talking as he thrust something into my hand: a blown-up photo of someone I didn’t recognize. Three photos, actually. Two side profiles and a head-on shot, all taken from a distance.
“Who’s this?” I asked, leafing slowly through them.
“That’s the guy who broke your window.”
My confusion dissolved away, replaced quickly by excitement. “Really? But I have no cameras. Internal or external.”
“No, but the antique shop on the other side of the street did,” said Zane. “I explained to them what happened. They were very nice.”
The man in the photos was short and dark-haired, with bushy eyebrows and a turned-up nose. He wore a very long coat. So long that it scraped the ground.
“I know the screencaps aren’t the best,” Zane apologized needlessly, “but one of them gives a pretty good shot of the guy’s face.” He searched my expression in silence for a moment. “Is it anyone you recognize?”
Very slowly I shook my head. “No.”
“Ah, well at least you know who to look out for in the future,” he said. “Although with the size of the crowds outside your shop, it would be—”
“Zane?”
“Yes?”
I turned to face him, my eyes finding his. “Thank you.”
My lover went bright red for a moment, before eventually looking down. “Nah. It’s nothing.”
“No it’s not,” I told him. “You’re looking out for me. It’s very sweet.”
Zane slipped his hand back into mine for reassurance. Somehow it was always warm, no matter how long we’d been outside. So far we’d seen six different haunted places, two dark alleys, and three murder sites. If I wasn’t walking with my giant, six-foot three lover at my side, I’d never have braved it.
“At this point I’d lead the group into Murphy’s for cocktails,” said Zane. “And everyone would buy me drinks.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you want?”
“Well since it’s my birthday, I figured we should celebrate.”
“Fine, then lead the—”
“Back at my apartment,” Zane added quickly, with a sideways smile. “Which, it just so happens, is conveniently located not far from here.”
I looked back at him perplexed. “I thought you lived with Erik?”
“I sorta do,” he confirmed. “There’s lots more room, and it’s closer to work.” He shrugged. “But until my lease runs out on the old place, I still have the majority of my stuff there.”
“So let’s go.”
“Well it’s very small,” he warned. “And a little shabby. And not really… decorated all that well.”
“Is it clean?” I chuckled.
He hesitated for a moment. “Primarily.”
I squeezed his hand promisingly. “And does it have a bed?”
Zane had been fun and adorable and protective all night. Not to mention informative. And of course, really, really cute.