Page 19 of Unruly
I wrap my arm around Farnsworth’s waist to steady both of us, and as he gazes up at me, his breath catches. It takes a moment for things around us to calm down, but I’m not really interested in letting him go and he makes no attempt to move.
I startle when a voice comes over the speaker to announce the next stop. Farnsworth clears his throat as more people jostle towards the doors, and I let my arm fall away from his waist.
He glances at me awkwardly for a second before looking past me. “Is this our stop?”
“Not yet. Two more.”
Farnsworth nods, tugging the hem of his shirt. He’s so straightlaced, and being stuck in the underworld with a bunch of dead people probably hasn’t done much for his social skills. I’m suddenly very interested in peeling back his veneer and seeing what’s underneath it. I bet he hasn’t had fun in centuries. Surely, we could find a little time for that alongside our mission.
“Is there anything you miss from when you were alive?”
He looks panicked for a second as he glances around. “Shh. We don’t want to arouse suspicion.”
“No one is listening to us, promise. Bostonians are notorious for minding their own business.”
“I see.” He rubs his hands together. “I miss sunrises and sunsets. I miss the ocean.”
“You’re in luck, then. We have all of those here.”
He offers a soft smile.
Yeah, Farnsworth is definitely a looker. I wonder if there’s something else beneath his surface. Would he like to kiss a man, boldly and proudly displaying his sexuality? Maybe I can teach him a thing or two while we’re on this side of the veil. That sounds fun.
“Hey.”
He looks over at me. “Yes?”
“Have you ever been in love?”
He pulls his head back slightly. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Just curious.”
“No.” His lips twitch and I sense the lie behind his defensive tone. “No time for such follies.”
I nod and let the subject drop. He’s obviously not comfortable enough to open up yet. Maybe he never will be, but that won’t stop me from trying. I’m known for not giving up easily.
The announcer comes over the speaker again, and I glance out the window as our stop appears.
“This is us.”
The train comes to a stop and we file out with everyone else. Once we make our way to street level, I grab my phone to put the address of the university in. Farnsworth stands close to me, quietly taking in the environment around us.
“Sweet. It’s only half a mile from here. We can walk.”
Farnsworth nods. “Great.”
“What are we gonna say when we find her?”
“That all depends on what we find. If the Horror is attached to that book, then it should be a fairly easy mission. If it just used the book to get somewhere else or it’s attached itself to the professor, it’ll be more challenging. We’ll just have to see what we’re dealing with when we get there.”
“Okay.”
He grabs my wrist. “In case it isn’t clear, we’re dealing with something very nasty. It might be easy to find, but it won’t be easy to banish.”
“I put that together when I got paired up with the boss.”
“I’m not the boss. I’m a guide.”
