Live for the Day Read Online Free Page A

Michael since he’d been in the ice cream shop. While he’d waited for his order, he’d stared outside at Steven. His friend wasn’t right—he’d gazed seemingly at nothing, looking lost out there on the sidewalk, as though he was in a town he didn’t recognize. When Steven had shuddered then shivered, like he was too cold for words, Michael’s instinct had been to abandon their ice creams and go out there to see what was wrong. A whispered voice in his head had told him to stay put, though. Steven was clearly going through something—had been through something on his last mission—and he’d brought the memories of it back home with him.
    Now, Michael listened to the rumble of Steven’s voice as it filtered through the closed bedroom door. He sounded cheery enough, but then again he would. Steven had never liked worrying his mom—which was strange, given the career he’d chosen. She worried more than the average mother—just like Michael worried more than the average friend.
    Steven came out of the bedroom. Michael searched his face for signs of distress and found none. Only happiness and contentment relaxed his features, his mouth loose, his eyes wide and bright.
    “You all right?” Michael asked.
    He wanted to push, to get the things inside Steven’s head out into the open. It felt as if whatever pranced around in his friend’s mind was a barrier between them. Usually, Steven told Michael everything about his stints in the desert, but so far, all he’d gotten was that Steven had been injured and had spent time in hospital.
    Maybe he can’t talk about it, even to me.
    “Yeah, I’m fine,” Steven said. “Mom’s fine. Excited to see me, but I put her off until tomorrow. Said I was tired.”
    “Tired. Right.”
    He thought it best not to go down that road—of persuading Steven to go see his mom. Steven clearly wasn’t ready for that.
    “So,” Michael said. “This leg of yours. Needs a lot of massaging, does it?”
    He’d waited far too long to get his hands on Steven. His boldness just now came from years of keeping his feelings a secret. Plus, with Steven admitting he’d never kissed anyone—Michael had to take the lead if anything was going to happen between them now. Although Michael wasn’t exactly an expert, he reckoned he could steer them in the right direction, then they could discover things together.
    “In the morning and before bed, the nurse said.” Steven winced. “It gets pretty sore. The walk from town was a bit much. I haven’t really exercised it to that extent since I got hurt. It was broken in a couple of places in my shin. Didn’t set in the best of ways, either.”
    “Ouch.” Michael waited for more information. It didn’t come. “Uh, you want me to make us coffee?”
    He headed for the kitchen. He always made them coffee here, treating the place like his own. It was their ritual and besides, Michael needed something to do. Things weren’t quite the same—it could have been their admissions to one another or it could have been another type of elephant in the room. One that belonged back in the desert. Either way, the hulking presence was making him uncomfortable and he didn’t know how to get rid of it.
    In the kitchen, he waited for Steven to come in and give him his usual account of what he’d been up to since they’d last been together. Steven came in all right, but he didn’t spill the beans. He just stood there, butt against the counter, staring into space.
    That damn concern came back, flooding Michael’s body and mind. His hand shook as he spooned sugar into their cups.
    “Look, I realize you might not want to talk about it this time, but what’s up?” Michael placed a pod in the coffeemaker and set it to pour. “Just give me something, even a little bit, so I know I should back off with any questions. You’ve usually told me all about stuff by now. You haven’t even told me anything about Rory—and he’s one of your best buds—so what’s up