4

Graham Birch

Spencer didn't get better after that day. He still stayed inside his house. I did see Spencer occasionally walk out onto his porch and stay out for a few minutes before returning inside.

And of course, that spread around town. Word grew wider of the city boy that stayed inside his house. And the rumor mill has been quick with some saying that Spencer might be starting a cult.

On a random Monday, I saw from my bedroom window a sleek black car pull up to Spencer's house. It was of a rich taste that I'm sure costs more than the entire net worth of this town. No one stepped out of the car while it waited.

And a few minutes later, Spencer came out of his house wearing a fitting suit. He was tying his tie with one hand while the other carried a briefcase.

"Wow, he's handsome in a suit." I muttered. Juniper barked in agreement.

Spencer entered the car and off the car went. I wasn't sure where he was going. While it isn't my business, that doesn't mean I am not allowed to care.

"Where do you think city boy is going?" I asked.

Juniper didn't reply.

"Probably going to do some city thing in the city because he's a city boy." I answered myself.

I had no time to be busy thinking about him. I needed to get today's work ready. I dressed myself and went out to the fields.

While Juniper ran around and made sure rodents didn't get into our gardens, I did the business side of things.

"Mr. Birch!" Someone yelled.

I turned around. "Good morning, Mr. Ginkgo!" I replied. He walked over to me and gave me a handshake.

"I brought your delivery."

"Let's set it up." I replied as I helped unload the truck.

We rested under a canopy where I gave him a bottle of water.

"Right! Did you hear?" Mr. Ginkgo said.

"No, what?" I replied.

"Apparently, Mr. Willow saw some fancy-schmancy car driving out of town. Would I be wrong to assume that it belongs to the city boy living across from you?" he asked smugly.

I chugged my water bottle. "Yeah. I saw him get inside it earlier."

Mr. Ginkgo stared at me as if he was trying to read my face. This wouldn't be the first time he's tried to look out for me. I often expect our meetings to always end up focusing on me and my personal life.

"Just say what you need to. You're staring is bothering me."

Juniper walked to him and Mr. Ginkgo began to pet him. "I consider you a friend, Graham. And thus, I want to make sure you're happy. It wouldn't be a bad thing to befriend him and get close to him."

"We're different, Rick. He's a city boy that wears fine stitched sloths and drinks almond milk lattes. My hands are always covered in dirt and the only fashionable thing I have in my closet is a blue button up.

"It would be nice to get to know him, but what do we even have in common? I don't even know why he moved here." I told him with full honesty.

"To be fair, you didn't tell me the reason you moved here until three years into us getting to know each other." Rick said.

"So should I just tell Spencer upfront why I will struggle to be friends with him. And will I continue to do that with everyone else?" I asked him. He scratched the back of my dog's ears.

"You refused to open up. I know you have trust issues because of that incident. But not everyone is preparing to stab you in the back." Rick said. Juniper barked loudly. "How does Junie here feel about city boy?"

"I'm sure he likes him." I said. "To be fair, he does like everyone he sees."

"Dogs are great detectors of good character." Rick said.

He stood up and dusted his clothes.

"Oh, that machine you ordered came. I forgot to tell you." He said.

I quickly stood up and went to his truck. He brought out a large box and placed it on a nearby table.

"Finally. I've been waiting for this."

"What is it?" He asked.

I opened the box and pulled out all the parts and instructions. "Help me build it and I'll explain." I told Rick. He helped me assemble the machine until it was fully done.

"This looks like something one of those influencers would have in their homes that serves a minor purpose like a steamer or something." Rick said.

"Wait here!" I said. I ran to a shed and slung a bag of almonds over my shoulder before running back.

"A gift? You shouldn't have." Rick said.

"They're not for you, Rick." I said. I placed some almonds and water into the machine. When turned on, it began to work. A container was placed in a pipe and white liquid began to pour out.

"I don't get it."

"Almond milk. Spencer said that he's lactose intolerant and can't drink normal milk."

"The poor thing." Rick said.

"Exactly what I thought. So, I figured I could make it for him. It's not too long of a process." I said, admiring the work.

"You're going to give it to him for free? You should at least try to sell it to him. City folks will pay a fortune if you tell them this was eco-friendly and made with all natural ingredients."

"Maybe this can be how I get close to him. Afterall, a wise person once told me that I should try to get close to that city kid, right?"

Rick rolled his eyes. He knew I was right.

"Fine. You do you." He glanced at his phone. "I should head out now. Got a few more stops to make."

"See ya! Say hello to your husband for me." I yelled.

"I will!" Rick replied. He hopped into his truck and drove out of the lot and back on the road. The almond milk maker had finished. I brought up the container and tasted it.

"I should sweeten it." I said to myself.

The rest of my chores were done. And I spent more time making more almond milk and sweetening it. By the time it was the afternoon, the black car from earlier returned and parked in Spencer's driveway.

I watched Spencer get out of the car. Unlike earlier when he was neatly organized, his button up was unbuttoned and his tie slinging on his neck. And his neatly styled black hair was a mess.

Just by looking at him, I knew something was wrong. I'm assuming his day must have not gotten good.

"Juniper. You know what Spencer could use? A nice cuddling session with you." I said. Juniper began to get excited. "But not today. He looks tired."

I glanced over at the carafe of almond milk that was on the counter that was ready for me to give to Spencer.

After waiting a bit, I grabbed the glass container and walked out of my house and towards Spencer's. But before I could knock on the door, I heard some yelling coming from inside. A window was open.

"I know that! But I can't find anything! He's covered his tracks." Spencer yelled.

Someone on the other end talked but I couldn't hear.

"It's the fact that no one is on my side. Even the other people who were there saw everything! Yet they're acting like they don't know anything."

I leaned closer to the window. I know it was wrong of me to eavesdrop, but I was too intrigued over what he was yelling about.

"I talked to her about that, but California is a two-party consent state. Any recordings will be dismissed in court."

Recording? Court?

"Sorry. I know you just want to relax. But still. It's hard to find anything. I'll keep scouring my emails and try to find any crumbs."

Then it went silent.

"No, they haven't spoken to me yet. And honestly, they burned that bridge when they took their side over mine." Spencer said. He sounded defeated.

The other person must've said something funny because then he let out small chuckles.

"This is why I don't tell you things." He said. "Yeah, it's quite drab here. But the neighbor is one hell of a hunk. You should see him."

Silence again.

"No. He's most definitely straight. If he was gay, then I'd go for him, sure." He said.

Wait... Is Spencer gay? I haven't picked up on anything like that since meeting him. He does have a great sense of style from the outfits he wears. But I just figured he was a straight guy that knew how to dress himself.

It would make sense considering the number of times I catch him looking at me.

"He's clueless. He doesn't even know that I can see him dressing through his bedroom window."

I looked across the street and saw my bedroom was easily seen from his side.

"Alright, bye. I'll keep looking." Spencer said. He let out a huff. A few seconds passed until I heard him turn on a fan and then type on his computer.

With the glass of almond milk, I returned home. I'll give it to him tomorrow morning. The both of us seem to need time to think.

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thx for reading the first four chapters! new chapters every tuesday and friday.