Adrian Hayes's Arc

Chapter 3 of 5

The road cleared two days later. Adrian could have gone. Instead he stayed, sweeping the bar floor while Maxim stocked shelves. But a quiet worry sat in his chest. He liked Maxim. He didn't know Maxim's world at all. He didn't know if a man like him could ever fit here, or if he was just another traveler killing time. He set the broom down. "Show me your day," he said. "The real one. Not the version for guests." Maxim studied him a moment. Then he grabbed a roomy canvas bag from behind the counter and slung it over his shoulder. "Come on, then." They walked out into cold, bright morning. Maxim moved like the land belonged to him. He knelt in the snow and checked a wire trap, empty. He pointed at tracks Adrian couldn't read. "Rabbits crossed here at dawn," Maxim said. He named the hills. He named the wind. Adrian followed, silent, feeling like a boy tagging along. At a frozen creek Maxim stopped. He pulled two thick gloves from the bag and handed one pair to Adrian. "Ice breaks here first," he said. "You have to test it before you cross." He showed Adrian how to tap the surface, how to listen. Adrian tapped. The ice held. He grinned despite himself. They worked the traps for an hour. Adrian's hands ached. His boots soaked through. He kept up anyway. He learned the names Maxim gave things. He carried the bag when Maxim's arms were full. It stopped feeling like watching. It started feeling like helping. By the last trap Adrian was breathing hard, cheeks red. Maxim looked at him and laughed. "You're worse at this than the rabbits." "Teach me, then," Adrian said. He meant it. The words came out fast, before doubt could stop them. Maxim went still. "You want to learn my whole rotten routine?" "I want to know if I belong in it," Adrian said. "Not as a guest. For real." Maxim crossed the snow to him. He took Adrian's cold hand and folded it in both of his. "You carried the bag," he said. "You didn't complain once. Guests complain." He smiled. "You already look like you live here." Something loosened in Adrian's chest. The worry that he'd only ever be passing through broke apart. He wasn't a stranger anymore. He knew the creek. He knew the traps. He knew the man's routine, and he wanted more of it. "Then I'm staying past the days we said," Adrian said. "I want to build something here. With you." Maxim's grip tightened. "You mean that?" "I do." Adrian's heart pounded. He'd just chosen a life, not a visit. But choosing it meant he still had to earn a place in it, day after cold day. "So show me the rest. All of it." Maxim nodded and shouldered the bag. Together they walked back toward the bar, the snow bright under their boots.