Page 13 of Ring Rust

The house Jasper and Ryan lived in—that now only Jasper lived in—was at the end of a long driveway. The crunch of tires on the gravel and dirt driveway was common enough, since Jasper had people over frequently and ordered food delivery more than he should. But this was not a random set of tires. They were familiar tires. Tires he’d waited up hoping to hear for years, but that now just made him irritable and sad. Sighing, he pulled the covers over his head to hide.

He’d suspected Ryan would come by at some point. Jasper couldn’t deny he was a good caretaker when he wanted to be. Each fall, when Jasper got sick, Ryan always managed to get time off work. He’d fluff pillows and bring medication and make stock from store-bought chickens—because despite Ryan’sthoughts on factory farmed meats, he couldn’t eat his pets—before turning it into soup when Jasper finally gave himself over to the illness.

It had been a week since they’d really spoken, though Ryan sent a daily text to check in. Jasper usually sent a quick response, often regretting it because of the mixed messages it sent. Strangely, Ryan hadn’t sent anything today. Jasper was annoyed that he’d noticed—and that he cared, since he’d been the one who asked for space.

As much as his body was telling him to jump out of bed and greet Ryan at the door, Jasper knew he couldn’t do that. They still needed space from each other if there was any hope of them getting along in the future, and for Jasper, that was non-negotiable. As long as their sisters were friends and their nieces were cousins, he and Ryan were family.

That’s why he yelled to Stevie to turn Ryan away and to not let him in, because despite how cruel it might feel, Ryan was incredibly charming, and he’d figure out what to say to get Stevie to let him stay past his welcome.

Jasper just needed more time for things to settle. He was still waffling between frustration, hurt, anger, and longing, and until things stabilized, he couldn’t be around him.

Stevie had ignored his demands, of course. Reminded him thatshewasn’t the one breaking up with Ryan, and that she was allowed to stay friends with him. But she agreed to let him know he couldn’t stay long.

After Ryan’s soft knock at the front door, Stevie moved to open it. Jasper’s bedroom door was open, and he wanted to get up to eavesdrop, but he was too tired. He settled for shifting down in his bed, straining his neck to hear what was going on.

“Hi,” Ryan said, his voice trailing down the hallway.

“Hey, Ryan. Come on in. Want something to drink?”

“No, that’s okay. I just wanted to, um…” Ryan’s voice trailed off. He mumbled something Jasper couldn’t quite hear.

“I’ve been given strict instructions to not allow that,” Stevie said.

“Nah, I think it’d be fine. You look really good, Steve-o. Did you change your hair?”

Stevie laughed. “I know what you’re doing.”

Jasper huffed under his blanket.See?

Her tone changed, and Jasper heard her say something ending on, “I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s okay. Would you make sure he gets this though? I saw what you were trying to pass off as soup.”

Stevie chuckled. “Yeah, yeah.”

“And could you make sure he eats it, even if he’s mad at me? I didn’t poison it or anything.” Ryan laughed sadly. “It should be good, though I didn’t roast the bones for as long as usual. I wanted to make sure I brought it over before dinnertime.”

“Of course.”

There was a bit of commotion and then the familiar sound of Ryan taking a seat at the kitchen island.

“What’s this?” Ryan asked. Jasper’s ears perked up immediately at Ryan’s tone of curiosity.

“Oh, it’s a list of things that need to be fixed up at the park. Jasper and I have been discussing hiring a contractor to help. That guy on top is someone Jasper spoke to, a jack-of-all-trades type.”

“A jack-of-all-trades is going to fix the park?” Ryan huffed out a laugh—sardonic and acidic.

Jasper rolled his eyes in response to Ryan’s arrogance, but winced immediately, the pressure in his sinuses making any movement of his eyes painful.

“I guess so,” Stevie said.

“Let me take this. I’ll deal with it.”

“No,” Stevie protested. “I was given strict instructions to not allow that, either.”

“What are you talking about? What does Jasper know about this stuff? Let me have that. I’ll look it over and let you guys know what I think.”

Jasper scoffed quietly, in his room. He knew stuff. And even if he didn’t, he didn’t want Ryan’s help.