Hunt Me Down {boyxboy} ✓

Chapter 1

Nathaniel’s POV

Surprisingly, the eccentric neighbor – a man who did not tell me his name but nevertheless introduced his cat, Mr. Jinglebottom – had given me accurate directions and about fifteen minutes after I’d had the “pleasure” of conversing with him, I’d reached my destination.

I entered the convenience store looking for one specific thing: Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie. It was a favorite with Val and I and we were both known for seeking comfort in food. We had moved in our new house this morning so I, being the efficient person I was, was almost done with unpacking. Vallery, being the procrastinator she was, was not even halfway finished. My sister was getting really irritated with having to spend so much time taking things out of their boxes and finding a place where to put them, so I decided that she could use some chocolate therapy.

I browsed through the shelves but nothing caught my eye until… Ah, there it was, in the refrigerated foods section. And I was lucky; it was the last pint of my desired ice-cream. I took it to the cashier – a pleasantly smiling woman at about my mother’s age - and after I paid for it, I placed the item in my dark blue messenger bag before getting out of the store.

The moment I stepped on the footway, I zipped up my jacket. It was one of those chilly yet not unpleasantly cold early autumn evenings. Enjoying the slight breeze, I walked towards our newest house slowly. It wasn’t late so I was surprised there were almost no people in the streets or in the store I’d just exited. But I liked it that way; I enjoyed the quiet. The only downside to it was that it gave me time to contemplate on matters I did not wish to delve on.

I’d made friends in the town we’d just left. I should’ve known better by now; the deeper a bond I established, the more it hurt when it was time to cut it. But it only hurt in the beginning; after that the pain was replaced by emptiness, by a sense of loss. And then came a small relief in the form of emotional numbness; I felt nothing, not even loss.

Vallery was smarter than me when it came to friendships; or at least more prescient. I shook my head, thinking how she hated planning ahead. Yet even though she made connections each time we settled somewhere, they were rarely so strong that she’d grieve when we moved away.

My mother was a social chameleon: at the new place, she’d calculate the collective mentality of the neighborhood and would act accordingly. If our neighbors were artistic, she’d take an art class; if they were religious, she’d go to church; if they were environmental activist, she’d buy only eco-friendly products. Each time we relocated, she became a blank canvas and would let the people around her paint her in whatever colors they chose.

As for my father, he…

A moan.

Just as I was about to pass a crossroad, I heard a moan.

I stopped walking and looked around me. Not seeing anyone at first, I went on my way, turning my head to the side to see whether there were any cars or was it safe to cross.

And that was when my gaze fell them.

The couple was passionately making out. The shadow of the building they leaned on was what had initially sheltered them from my eyes. I wanted to look away but stood rooted as I’d made a realization: the couple consisted of two guys.

One of them - the older one - appeared to be in his late twenties and seemed to be a businessman. He was wearing an expensive-looking suit, an even more expensive-looking watch and a briefcase was discarded next to his feet. His short, dark hair was gripped by the other man’s hand. His own hands were placed on his partner’s jeans-clad thighs.