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Eli had never seen a more suspicious person than the man in front of him in the ticket line. He was impeccably dressed in a gray suit with shiny shoes that hadn’t yet fallen victim to the dusty roads of Amarillo. His black hair was slicked back, and he had a dark suitcase at his side. Eli hadn’t seen his face, but he didn’t need to. Everything about the man screamed ‘I don’t belong here.’ Eli kept watching him as he approached the counter. He had nothing better to do than musing about the life of a total stranger, apparently. He was close enough that he could hear the words being exchanged.
“Where can I find a flight or a bus to Washington, DC? I don’t believe I was meant to travel to this town.”
The man in the ticket booth looked up at the stranger. He squinted at his face, and took a closer look at the papers he’d been handed.
“Sorry, Thomas, but it appears your ticket was for Amarillo, connected from London. Are you English? You have a very interesting accent.”
Eli agreed with the booth man, this ‘Thomas’ sure had an accent, and he was positive it wasn’t an English one. He knew what British people sounded like, and that wasn’t it! If this man was really named Thomas, Eli would eat his boots. His very nice, properly Texan boots. Unlike whatever abominations this stranger was wearing. The other man answered, cutting off Eli’s train of thought.
“Yes, I speak English.” Thomas said a bit awkwardly, as if he knew that wasn’t what the ticket man asked but he was doing his best to answer anyway. Eli felt a little bad for the guy, this was becoming painful to listen to. There was a bit of a pause, as the ticket man visibly struggled to come up with what to say next. Thomas turned his head to look at the departure times posted on the wall, and Eli saw his face for the first time. He had sharp features, and cheekbones that stood out on his pale skin. His eyes were a piercing blue, scanning the list of flights with a quietly desperate air. The ticket man sighed heavily, stacking the papers in front of him.
“Listen, Sir, you’ll have to come back in a few weeks or so. All flights back to London are booked, and there aren’t any from Amarillo to DC. You could try Austin, if you have a car.”
“I do not.”
“Yeah, I thought not. Where did you say you were from again?”
Thomas opened his mouth, and Eli couldn’t let him dig his own grave any deeper. He stepped to the side of the taller man, and put a hand on his shoulder. Wow, he’s tall! Eli thought briefly.
“My friend Thomas here is from Norway, he’s a business partner of the Vanto’s.” He pasted his winning smile on, and gripped the man’s shoulder tightly when he opened his mouth to protest. The ticket man looked at him suspiciously. Eli smiled even harder.
“Apologies, Mr. Vanto. Your friend seems very new to the States.”
“Yep, he sure does. It’s his first time here, and he was supposed to meet my father in Washington. Clearly there was a mistake somewhere, but we’ll figure it out.” Eli said, and stepped out of the line with Thomas still in his iron grip. He led the taller man to a corner of the station before releasing him with a sigh.
“I don’t believe we’ve met before, Mr. Vanto.” He said after a moment, staring at Eli with those bright blue eyes. Eli met them evenly, not allowing himself to be distracted by how tall this guy was. Or by his cheekbones.
“My name’s Eli. You seemed to be struggling a bit. There aren’t really any easy ways out of this town now that you’re here. I couldn’t let that man try and send you all across the country just so he could take your money.”
Thomas frowned, it seemed like he was working out what Eli had said. English very obviously wasn’t a language he was very comfortable with. Eli wished there was another option, but he highly doubted the man spoke Spanish (or Mongolian, but what were the odds of that ?). He waited for him to respond. Maybe he’d insist on trying again with the ticket man, but that would just be embarrassing.
“It seems I must thank you, Eli.”He said after a long pause. Eli felt his cheeks color slightly. Damn it, why must you blush when the attractive stranger says your name! He berated himself internally. He didn’t even know the guy!
“It’s no problem. I hope you can get your hands on a car or something and get to Washington. I hear it’s a great city.” Eli said. He hesitated for a moment, then reached into his pocket for a pen and scrap of paper. Thomas looked at him with what Eli hoped was curiosity. He scribbled down the address for the staff center of his ranch. It couldn’t hurt, and Eli would feel really bad if this guy ended up stranded, without a job, or detained because of him. He handed the paper to Thomas, taking care not to brush hands.
“Here. In case you get stuck here and need a job.” Thomas inclined his head slightly.
“I hope our paths cross again.” Eli nodded, and turned away. He hoped he hadn’t just made a huge mistake.
-
He hoped the rest of his day would be devoid of surprises and charming strangers. He returned to Lysatra Ranch in his dusty Ford pickup without his cousin’s bus tickets, and with his fingers still feeling the note he had written.
True to expectation, the day was lacking any additional drama. He wanted to be surprised, but he really wasn’t sure the stranger would even consider his offer. He received some gentle ribbing from his cousins about being late for work (and for not getting tickets, damn it Eli-), but there were no problems at the ranch. He kept an eye trained on the dusty driveway every time he left the office or the barn. No well-dressed man came. He tried not to be disappointed.
He saw Thomas again three days later.
Eli was filling in for one of his stablehands, again. It wasn’t their fault, but it seemed like he was always picking up shifts in something that really wasn’t his job. He was the boss for a reason! Mucking stalls and raking was something he’d done as a teenager, and had expected to never do again once he inherited the property. Apparently, barn work was a fate that no one could escape.
One of the office assistants, Ben, stuck his head into the stall Eli was currently redressing.
“Boss, there’s a man here with a note. Seems like he might be the well dressed guy you rescued from the bus station. He doesn’t look super great though, not gonna lie.”
Well, that was alarming. Eli put the pitchfork back in the wheelbarrow, and followed Ben out of the stall. He took a moment to straighten his hat and kick the remaining straw off of his boots. He didn’t know why he bothered, it was extremely obvious that he’d been in the barn all day. Oh well.
Sure enough, Thomas was standing outside of the office. He held himself stiffly, his slightly wrinkled shirt and dress pants standing out starkly against the dust and hay. He was looking around the ranch with an expression that Eli would call delighted if he was literally anyone else. But since he was Thomas, the very attractive but aloof stranger, Eli had to settle for mildly interested. He spotted Eli, and there was that small smile.
“Hello, I was hoping to take you up on your offer of a job.” Straight to the point. Right.
“Of course. Why don’t you follow me?” Eli said, gesturing towards the office. He pushed open the door, and made sure Thomas really did follow him in. He settled on the office chair, and Thomas hovered in front of the desk, taking in his surroundings. The office was an ugly mix of every family member that had ever managed the ranch. Old photos, trophies, buckles, and ribbons stuffed the shelves on the wall behind the desk. There was a wall dedicated to the show halters of past champions of Lysatra, as well as a coat rack entirely dedicated to hats. Eli was very proud of the family hat collection. He had only made one addition to the decor, which was a modern computer and a replacement for the stupid fax machine that Eli was sure was a relic of the war. (That one was shoved in another corner- he felt a bit bad about throwing it away. It was practically a family member).
“So, Thomas, do you have any experience working at a job like this?” Eli asked. The other man shook his head.
“I’m afraid not. I have only worked in zasgiin gazar- pardon me, I’m forgetting the word in English.” Eli raised an eyebrow.
“Government, huh. You speak Mongolian? That’s interesting.”
Thomas looked surprised.
“ You speak Mongolian?”
“Yeah, I do. Bet you weren’t expecting that, huh?” Eli said smugly, in that language. He loved surprising people. No one ever expected the son of Texan veterans and Mexican immigrants to speak such a random language, but he lived to shock. He’d been taught by an aunt when he was younger, and it had never once come in handy before now. The look on Thomas’ face was exhilarating.
“ Are you more fluent in Mongolian than English?” He added after a moment of tense silence. Thomas nodded.
“ Yes, though I have noticed great improvement in my English skill since immersing myself here. It’s usually single words or phrases that elude me sometimes.”
His Mongolian was very good. His accent was a bit odd (Native Russian speaker, maybe? Eli considered, but dismissed. No need for those types of thoughts.) but it was perfectly understandable. He was impressed. What were the odds that they both spoke the same obscure language? It was like a match made in- no. None of those thoughts, Eli. He viciously reminded himself that he didn’t need to go developing a crush on the extremely attractive and mysterious stranger.
“Well, we can stick to English if you need practice. Don’t hesitate to ask about anything though! I understand that learning a new language can be intense, especially in a new place. Let’s get back to the interview- is there anything you’d be most comfortable doing? I have a few openings in the horse barn and administration.” Eli said, internally celebrating how calm and collected he sounded.
“I believe administration would be more suited to my skill set, but I’m willing to do anything that you need.” Thomas replied. Anything Eli needed, huh? He thought, then mentally reprimanded himself. Not the time, Eli.
“Great. Honestly, we can get you started today. Do you need a place to stay? We offer board for full time staff.”
“I would like that very much.” Thomas said, smiling at him. Eli prayed he wasn’t blushing.
-
A few hours later, Sarah had just finished dinner and the ranch hands were making their way into the dining hall. Eli walked up the stairs of the guest house to where his new temporary employee was staying to let the new guy know the meal was ready. The man had been a very good guest so far, polite and doing his work with little complaint. The man was painfully awkward in conversation, but his willingness to work more than made up for it. Integrating him with the rest of the ranch hands had gone more painlessly than expected.
Eli reached the top of the stairs, and noticed that Thomas’ door was ajar. Curiosity got the better of him, and Eli crept silently to the doorway. Thomas was speaking in a hushed voice, much quieter than his usual timbre. What was he saying? Eli wondered. It sounded almost similar to the Mongolian that Eli had heard earlier, but not quite. He strained to hear the words being said.
“... ja nahozus’ v mestichke pod nazvaniem Amarillo ”
Eli peered around the corner. Thomas was sitting in front of a strange looking radio. It was somewhat inelegant, with a red star adorning the weathered gray sides. He was speaking into a microphone, and an empty cassette case rested on the floor beside him. Well, that wasn’t at all suspicious. A man’s business was his business, Eli decided as he knocked on the door. So what if his guest was a Soviet spy- he did his own laundry! Eli thought about how well Thomas did at the ranch that day (the horse’s stalls were cleaner than they’d been in weeks) and quickly made up his mind to ignore any eccentric (hobbies, his brain supplied unhelpfully)… activities that the man engaged in. Eli didn’t much care for the US Government anyway.
“Hey, dinner’s ready downstairs if you’d like to join the rest of the staff.” Eli moved on before Thomas could give a response. He didn’t much want to be confronted about what he may have heard. I could have some fun with this, a nasty part of his mind whispered. Eli knocked on the next door, which belonged to one of the older staff members. He repeated his message about dinner, and then went downstairs to grab some for himself. He often dined with the staff, despite being the current manager and future owner of the ranch. He pictured his father’s disapproving glare every time he had a meal with the “unskilled laborers”. The mental image made him smile. Sarah made excellent food, and irritating his father was only an added bonus. It made it taste even better.
He thanked Sarah as she handed him a plate, and she smiled warmly at him.
“Some extra cornbread for you, boss. Just made it fresh.”
“It looks delicious,”
Eli said, taking his seat at the corner of the square table. It was a real American meal (perfect for their guest. Eli didn’t know what Russian food was like, but he was willing to bet there was no cornbread) of a warm smelling chili with a side of squash.
Eli began eating as he looked over one of the financial reports he had brought with him. His parents ran most of the business side of things, but both of them were notoriously bad at math and were NOT to be trusted with correctly reporting the numbers. This month’s data was looking pretty good so far, but you could never be too careful. Eli looked up just in time to see Thomas enter the room. The man looked wary, but accepted a plate from Sarah with a polite smile. Eli watched him carefully as he approached. He gave him his best disarming smile. He was very good at them, and Thomas seemed to relax a bit. He sat next to Eli.
“I thank you again for your hospitality,” He said quietly. Yeesh, that accent was really not subtle at all. They’d have to work on that.
“No problem. You did good work today. We’re glad to have you.” Thomas smiled slightly, and took a bite of his chili. He immediately turned a very interesting shade of red and was visibly struggling not to cough. Oh, right. Maybe Sarah’s ‘Mexican inspired Texan chili’ was a bit much right away. Oh well. Eli smirked a little as he handed Thomas a glass of tea.
“Drink this. Sorry about that” Thomas, still red-faced, took it. He looked a bit embarrassed.
“Thank you. My apologies, I have never had anything so spicy before,” He muttered after a long sip of the drink. He eyed the plate with more trepidation than was necessary, and took another bite. Eli admired his tenacity.
“It’s alright, you’ll get used to it. The chili is a pretty intense first meal.” Thomas nodded in agreement, still looking pained. Eli smugly took another bite of his own food. A fantastic start, to be sure.
-
The next few meals, Eli noticed Thomas steering clear of anything obviously red with spice. It was quite amusing, the man had clearly learned his lesson. (Though Thomas had quickly become a cornbread fan, which made up for his aversion to spicy food. Not liking cornbread would be truly unforgivable.)
-
Thomas turned out to be a good addition to the ranch. Over that week he did a variety of tasks, from mucking stalls to assisting Eli in his managerial work. He made quick work of filing, something Eli loathed. Give him the budget and spreadsheets any day, but organization was not his strong suit. Thomas, though? Easily the most organized person Eli had ever met. He had torn apart his existing filing system, and set up a new one that even Eli could understand. They had spent several days in Eli’s office, Thomas seated on the floor with piles of folders around him, and Eli calculating the month’s finances. He tended to put music on while he worked, and the stereo often played the Eagles (that was a lie. The Eagles were, in fact, the only thing Eli ever listened to at work. Sue him), which Thomas seemed to greatly enjoy. Not that it mattered if the other man liked his music taste or not, obviously.
“Eli?” Thomas asked from his position on the floor. He was holding a stack of papers and frowning. “What are these? I am not sure they belong here.” Eli took them as they were handed to him, valiantly ignoring that their fingers brushed for a brief moment. His eyes widened as he realized exactly what they were.
“Oh, these are mine. Sorry, I’ll get rid of them.” he apologized, shoving the information packets from George Washington University into a drawer in his desk. No need to have those laying around.
“You are going to University?” Thomas asked, sounding interested. “Will you be moving away to Washington D.C?” That sounded like an innocent question, but Eli was willing to bet it had to do with the whole ‘maybe a spy’ thing. Of course he’d be interested in the nation’s capital. Eli sighed.
“No,” he said after a moment. “I want to go to school more than anything, but I can’t just leave the family’s farm behind. They put me in charge for a reason.” He paused, then decided to share a bit more. “I feel a bit stuck here, to be honest.” Thomas was silent, but looked at him with an expression of understanding.
“What would you study?” he asked, which was not what Eli had been expecting. It was a surprisingly genuine question.
“Physics or math,” Eli said immediately. “I was very good at them in High School, and I love working with numbers.” he looked at the other man, raising an eyebrow,
“Did you go to University?” he asked innocently. Thomas stiffened nearly imperceptibly.
“Yes, I did. I studied Law,” he said, his tone making it clear he didn’t wish to elaborate.
“Cool,” Eli said simply, more than happy to move on from that question. “That sounds intense. Are you a lawyer?” he asked. Thomas shook his head.
“No, I’ve been working primarily in administration,” he replied. “Have you always worked here?” Another blatant attempt to change the subject, but Eli didn’t mind.
“Since I was a kid, yeah. My parents had me working in the barn ever since I could hold a pitchfork. They let me take over some management when I graduated High School, and they left me in charge two years ago.” he explained. “I do like it here, really, but it’s not what I want from my life, you know?”
“I can understand that feeling,” Thomas said. “I sometimes wish I could have studied art instead of law, but that would make for a rather disappointing career.”
“You like art? What kind?” Eli asked, intrigued. Thomas hesitated, and for a moment Eli thought he’d refuse to answer.
“A bit of everything, really.” he said after a moment. “Art can tell you a lot about the artist, you know. Their ideals, lives, what they hold dear. Their fears and insecurities. Whether they’re a painter, sculptor, or otherwise, art is a glimpse into their minds. It’s a wonderful thing.”
“That’s a fascinating way to put it,” Eli said, though he found Thomas more interesting than any decades old painting. “Do you like museums? There’s a great one in the city. You should check it out sometime.” He found himself saying, internally cursing that he hadn’t invited the man to go with him. Thomas looked interested.
“Perhaps I should visit. I have not had the opportunity to study this country’s art yet… it will be enlightening, no doubt.” He said. The mention of ‘this country’ didn’t escape Eli’s notice. “And yet, I am unfamiliar with the area, and I do not have a car. Perhaps you could be my guide?” Eli’s mind went blank for a moment. Then, the internal screaming started. A guide? As in, a platonic outing between two acquaintances? Or a guide as in a hand holding tour through a museum, then dinner at a nice local restaurant? Eli wasn’t sure how Thomas meant it, but he knew which he preferred. He realized he had probably been silent for too long.
“Oh, ah- yeah, of course!” he stuttered, sure he was blushing. “How about Saturday? We both have the evening off.”
“Excellent,” Thomas said, returning to his stack of papers. “I look forward to it.”
It’s a date, Eli didn’t say. But oh, how he wanted to.
-
For something that was not a date, the Museum trip felt very much like a date. Oh, Eli was enjoying himself, no doubt about it, but he kept wondering how much better it would be if he could hold Thomas’ hand while listening to the other man dive into the history behind some obscure painting Eli had never even heard of. He was willing to bet he looked like a damn fool, staring at someone he barely knew with such longing in his eyes. But he was so inexplicably drawn to him. Thomas was magnetic. And sure, he listened to Eli’s odd rants about accounting, or the physics of how the horse’s body worked, but surely that was polite interest. And there was the fact that Eli was quite sure that the man was actually a Russian spy who had gotten tragically lost. Not that he was the most patriotic of people, of course, but honestly. What even was his life?
“What do you think about this piece, Eli?” Thomas asked, sending a thrill through Eli when he said his name. He squinted at the painting. It was lovely, as far as oil paintings went. It depicted a tired cowboy leading his herd home, and there was a woman in a pale pink dress waiting for him at the gates to the ranch. The subject matter was a bit stereotypical.
“It’s a fine example of the Texan ideals, that’s for sure,” Eli said, trying not to sound bitter. “A hardworking man providing for his family, while his wife waits for him at home, moping and looking pretty.”
“Is that typical of American women?” Thomas asked, with no subtlety whatsoever.
“Not really,” Eli said. “It’s more so what the culture expects from them. We’ve made a lot of steps forward with women’s rights, but a lot of the time the local values are hard to change. Sometimes it’s alright, but some of the traditions are outdated. You know, women were only able to get credit cards without their husbands signature seven years ago. That’s not very long.”
“And the culture expects them to stay home?” Thomas asked, sounding genuinely confused. Eli wasn’t sure what women’s rights were in the soviet union, but based on his bafflement, there might have been a bit of a difference.
“Not so much anymore.” he replied, shrugging. “But this painting was done in the late 1800’s- that was absolutely the norm then.”
“The norm?”
“Normal behavior, expected.” Eli filled in. Thomas’ vocabulary had improved significantly over the past several weeks, but he was often confused by slang and odd phrases. “Though, it also depended on where you lived. On a farm or a ranch, the women who stayed home would have to defend it if needed. Life wasn’t always easy out there.”
“I would imagine not. I’ve heard creatures out at night, it was quite unexpected the first few nights.”
“Ha. You’re such a city dweller,” Eli teased. “Though, remind me to take you with me the next time I ride the fences. It would be good for you to see the landscape. It looks a lot like the one we just looked at,” he said, gesturing to the painting to their left. It depicted a sprawling grassy plain, with a stunning blue sky. It was a simple image, but it made Eli’s heart ache. The land was one thing he didn’t want to leave behind.
“Why are you sad?” Thomas asked quietly, and Eli realized that the other man was scrutinizing him as closely as he had just done to the paintings.
“It reminds me of home,” Eli said simply. “Somewhere I desperately want to leave, but it hurts to tear myself away.”
“I understand that feeling,” Thomas said carefully. Eli said nothing, not willing to interrupt if he was about to get a rare glimpse of his companion’s innermost workings. “I had to leave my home to come here. I didn’t want to leave, and I miss it dearly- but I felt uprooted before I even considered leaving. My memory of a home was what I clung to, even though it no longer existed. Perhaps it was only real in my mind.”
“There’s always a place that embeds itself deep into you, regardless of whether you want it,” Eli said gently. They had that in common, he realized. It didn’t matter where that home was, or what country. What mattered was that there was somewhere that they held dear, even if it was just a fond memory. “I can show you mine, if you want. Ride with me next week.” Thomas gave him a small smile, but to Eli it felt brighter than the sun.
“I would like nothing more.”
-
Thomas found Eli when he was tacking up two horses for them to take out that day. He hadn’t seen much of the man that week, not since their museum almost-date. Eli had been cooped up in his office doing paperwork, and Thomas had been drafted to help with monthly repairs around the barn. Of course, that also meant it was time to ride out and check the fences for damage. All eight miles of it.
“I have never ridden a horse before,” Thomas said, approaching the bay mare cautiously. Eli snorted.
“Yeah, I can tell. This one is Waffle,” he said, gesturing to the bay that Thomas was eyeing suspiciously, “and this one’s Pik.” he said, patting the chestnut gelding that he had just finished placing the saddle on. He turned, and shoved a helmet into Thomas’ hands. “Put that on. I don’t need you getting brain damage.”
“You aren’t wearing one,” Thomas pointed out, though he placed it on his head without argument.
“I’m less likely to lose my balance or run into a tree branch,” Eli generously pointed out. “Wait for me outside. I’ll show you how to get on.” Thomas was able to heave himself into the saddle after a few (quite ungraceful) tries. Eli stifled his laughter, mostly because he didn’t want to face the wrath of the KGB for mocking one of their agents. Seriously, what was his life?
They set out at a walk, Eli keeping a close eye on Thomas as they did so. He has placed a lead rope on Waffle’s halter, and kept a grip on the mare as they went. Predictably, she did nothing but snatch a few leaves at nose height as they walked. He had chosen the most laid back horse in the barn for a reason. Pik was a bit unsettled at having his friend lead alongside him, but he was a good horse. Eli’s favorite, in fact. He was well-suited for ranch life.
“This is not as bad as I expected,” Thomas said after several minutes of quietly walking along the barbed wire fencing, though he sounded slightly pained.
“You get used to it,” Eli said. “I’ve been riding since I could walk. You should see a rodeo. This is nothing compared to one of them.”
“What is a rodeo?” came the expected question.
“An event that’s made up of all sorts of ranch activities and games. There’s a lot, it can be overwhelming. I used to compete in them when I was a teenager, but it’s not really my scene anymore. Too loud,” he confessed. “A lot of people say it’s an important part of Texan culture, but I would disagree.”
“What’s an important part of the culture to you?” Thomas asked.
“Moments like this,” Eli said. “Maintaining your own ranch. Riding the land. Knowing every inch of it like the back of your hand. Living the dirt, and pouring yourself into your little patch of home. That’s more important than winning a cheap ribbon.” Thomas was silent for a while. They rounded a bend, and the horses expertly picked their way up a rocky slope.
“Texas is very different than it’s shown in the films, yet some things are the same,” Thomas said unprompted.
“Well, isn’t that the case for nearly everything?” Eli asked, shooting him a glance.
“I suppose.” Thomas said. “Your accents were unexpected.”
“Well, we can’t all have rich east coast city accents,” Eli grumbled, trying not to feel offended. He was hardly one to talk about accents! His thick Russian one had faded slightly over the weeks, but not by much.
“That wasn’t a criticism,” Thomas said quickly. “Merely an observation.” They rode in silence. It was almost awkward, but they had spent too much time in comfortable silence for it to truly be so. After nearly two hours of riding, Eli turned to Thomas again.
“The place I mentioned to you is just up this hill,” he explained, allowing Pik to make his way up the somewhat steep incline. Waffle followed patiently, ignoring the uncoordinated passenger on her back. That horse was a saint. They crested the hill, and Eli felt his breath be stolen away. The view was stunning, as usual. The open plains stretched out in front of them, meeting shadowy mountains in the distance. A sparkling river wound lazily across the scene, and the air was still save for a gentle breeze that whispered through the grass at the horse’s feet. There was an old tree at the top of the hill. A gnarled, dead thing that offered the smallest amount of reprieve from the sun. It was where Eli had come to be alone throughout his childhood, when everything became too much. He never tired of the view. He looked over, and saw Thomas staring at him. “The view is that way,” he quipped, pretending his heart wasn’t beating wildly in his chest.
“It’s incredible,” Thomas said softly, turning to face the mountains. “It’s almost familiar to me,” he continued. Eli could barely hear it over the soft wind. “I am from a more rural area of my country,” he explained. “I left when I was very young, but sights like this…” he trailed off.
“It’s my favorite place on earth,” Eli confessed. “Even if I’m five hundred miles away, I doubt I’ll ever forget it.”
“I can see why.”
“You know,” Eli continued, not looking at his companion, “I’m really planning on leaving. Soon, I mean. This place means a lot to me, but I don’t want to be trapped here for the rest of my life. They don’t need me here, and I need to go. It chafes at me the longer I stay.”
“Where will you go?” Thomas asked.
“Away. Maybe to D.C. I want to go to school again, I need to do something else with my life. I can’t go on like this.”
“I understand. You never seem truly happy at the Ranch.” Eli shot him a sharp look.
“I do care about Lysatra, of course I do. I just…”
“You need something more.” Thomas said, not sounding like he was guessing. “I confess I didn’t mean to linger here so long. I have a duty. Places I need to be. I’ve neglected that long enough.”
“... you could come with me,” Eli said before he could think better of it. “To D.C, I mean. Isn’t that where you were headed?” Thomas was silent, and Eli worried he’d overstepped. Then a genuine smile crossed his face, and Eli once again felt dizzy with the force of it. It was gone as quickly as it came, like the sun passing behind a cloud.
“I’m not sure I would be the best traveling partner,” Thomas said cautiously. “Besides, how would you get there?”
“I have a truck. We can drive, make it a road trip. There’s a lot of things to see between here and Washington,” Eli said, trying to sound casual. “If you want to, of course. It might be uncomfortable, we’d have to spend a lot of time in the vehicle together-”
“If it’s what you want, I would like to join you.” Thomas said firmly, cutting him off mid sentence. “We have a common destination. It makes sense.”
“It does,” Eli agreed. Spending days in close quarters with Thomas sounded like a true test of his willpower. “I’m more than ready to leave this all behind.”
-
They didn’t speak of the road trip for the rest of the night. Nor the next day, or the day after that. Eli was beginning to wonder if he had imagined the conversation. The idea of running away with an intriguing acquaintance, discussed with the stunning backdrop of open land and childhood memory sounded like something he would dream of. But Thomas knocked on his office door late one night, as Eli was putting together a file folder for his cousin. The one who would be taking over the family business.
“I thought perhaps you changed your mind,” Thomas said from the doorway. “But it looks to me like you’re putting your affairs in order.”
“I am,” Eli said. “This is the last thing I have to do. I’ve already packed, filled the truck with gas, and gone to the bank. This is it.” Thomas entered the room, and leaned on the desk across from him.
“I have packed as well. I was not expecting you to be ready.” Eli glared half heartedly at him, returning the file to its cabinet drawer.
“I’ve made up my mind. We can leave tomorrow,” he said. He had already said his goodbyes, especially to the horses. He would miss them the most, he thought. Pik would be in good hands though- his cousins were as fond of the horse as he was.
“Ah. You couldn’t sleep, perhaps?” Thomas suggested.
“Not really,” Eli sighed. “It’s just- I’ve never even left Texas, you know? The country is so big, and there’s so much to see- it’s a lot.”
“That is true,” Thomas said. “There’s no rush.” That was true. It was barely summer, he had plenty of time to make arrangements for the fall semester if he chose to go to college in Washington. There was time. He breathed out a heavy sigh.
“We’ll leave tomorrow.” He said firmly. He had already decided. He was doing this- leaving his home to travel across the country with a man he’d known for only two months, who was most likely going to spy on the government once they arrived. He found that he didn’t care. This was the opportunity that he’d been waiting for his whole life, and he was going to make the most of it. He would do his damned best to prevent Thomas from getting caught, and he was going to study physics if it was the last thing he did. He would make it happen.
As Eli sat alone in his office that night, unable to sleep, he felt at peace. There was no doubt, that wasn’t what was keeping him awake. It was the thought of traveling with his new friend, and the trip itself. He had no plan, only some money, and his companion had only just reached total fluency in English. It was a disaster waiting to happen. And yet, he found that he couldn’t wait. The future was unknown to him, and that was the most he could ever wish for.