“You saw that too, right?” Caleb whispered to Aaron’s ear. “It. Opened. On. Its. Own.”

Aaron flinched as he felt the other’s hot breath hit his ears. He bit his lips at the sensation that gripped him.

“Yeah, I saw it too,” Aaron nodded. “It’s open now.”

“Do you see anyone in there?”

“No,” Aaron replied as he tried to peer into the dark shadows of the manor. “I don’t see anyone,” He added, flashing his flashlight into the doorway.

“It couldn’t have opened on its own!” Caleb hissed at his saver.

“I don’t know,” Aaron shook his head. “Maybe it wasn’t locked properly by the owner?” He suggested which didn’t really convinced anyone. It was possible, yes, but it had too many glaring flaws in it to be an acceptable explanation. “My knocking could have caused it to open or maybe the strong winds are to blame,” He gave as an example while shrugging.

“Hello? Hello!” Caleb called out but there was still no one replying or showing up to reprimand them for creating a ruckus loud enough to wake the dead. Hopefully not literally. “Is someone there?”

“Hello? We’re lost. And we need some place to shelter in. One of us is injured, he needs some place to get warm in,” Aaron seconded a second later. “Can we come in? Please, my companion needs help!”

“Is someone there?”

“Please, would you please help us?”

“Is anyone there?”

Even after a minute of waiting, there was still no reply. The situation was so uncanny that Caleb couldn’t help but lean closer into Aaron’s dependable looking back. Somehow, due to the fact that the other man was the first person he saw after waking up after the terrible accident he was just in, and after he helped him so selflessly and kindly, Caleb had come to depend on the other. It was only natural of him to view Aaron that way.

The vines growing on the mansion wall crept across the grey expanse which likely used to be colored white. From the bottom, it rose up until it could crept into the roof. There were wet dead leaves and broken bird's nests scattered all around on the ground. For a moment, Caleb saw something white on the ground before it got blown away by the strong wind. A fleeting thought entered Caleb’s mind and he immediately shoo’ed it away before it could take root. It wasn’t bone and even if it was, it must have been the bones of dead birds or maybe dead rats that lived in the area. Yes, totally reasonable explanation. No need to panic over something trivial. Let’s not allow paranoia to spread its root in his mind, okay?

“What should we do, Aaron?” Caleb asked Aaron in a low voice, gazing into the yawning darkness that leads into the inside of the mansion. “Should we just go in?” He asked, even though he was slightly unwilling to. Who wouldn’t be after seeing the left side of a gigantic door open on its own with no people in sight.

Aaron and Caleb gazed at each other’s eyes for a moment before Aaron made the decision for the both of them. “Let’s go in,” He said with finality after weighing the choices they had, which was none at that moment.

Aaron had decided for the two of them and Caleb acquiesced to his decision, after all, he was the invalid one being carried. No matter how it looked like they were the main character of a horror movie who stupidly entered the haunted mansion, the two still took the steps that would bring them inside unknown territory, which wasn’t really a new thing for the two. After all, everything had been mysterious and strange for a while now for the two. With shaky breathes, they ventured into the unknown.

“C’mon, let’s get you out of the rain then,” Aaron reminded the other as his grip on one of his thigh tightened into a bruising grip. Through it hurt a little bit, Caleb didn’t show it. He didn’t want to alarm the other any more than he already was. He did this because he noticed that every time that Aaron was disturbed by something, his grip on his thigh would tighten.

Even without taking off his pants, Caleb knew that there would be hand shaped bruises on his skin. Caleb breathed in deeply.

Now that Aaron reminded him of his current state, Caleb became more aware of how truly cold he was. Even if he had Aaron’s jacket, he was still feeling the cold and the rain water was staring to seep into his body, further lowering his dangerously low temperature.

“Okay,” Caleb answered as they crossed over the threshold.

With Aaron’s flashlight aimed forward, illuminating the inside of the place, the two surveyed their surrounding with undisguised curiosity. “Are you scared?” Aaron asked, turning to watch Caleb’s expression as his head swiveled around to inspect the place that they were going to stay the night in.

“I-I-I’m not scared,” Caleb stuttered in reply. He really wasn’t scared, he was unnerved, yes, unnerved by the uncanny atmosphere that surrounded the creepy looking mansion that they entered.

There was an unnerving look on the white t-shirt wearing man’s face. “Don’t worry. I’m here. Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise,” Aaron stated in a matter of fact voice, his lips becoming a straight line as if to prevent himself from saying anything else.  

As the two walked further inside, the two entered into a grand foyer that was rather dilapidate looking. It was clean (sort of) and dust free which indicated that someone was living inside, or someone was cleaning the place.

He was startled when Aaron suddenly turned right and walked into another room. Caleb found out a moment later when he realized that they were in a small room with a sofa on the center and to the corner was a hearth, or something better known as a fireplace.

Seeing the fireplace brightened Caleb’s expression. Fire! Warmth!

Aaron gently lowered Caleb into the sofa. His sudden weight disturbed the thin layer of dust that was on the cushion causing the dust to fly about.

“Achoo!” Caleb sneezed, his body leaning into the back of the sofa as his hand futilely rose to cover his nose and mouth.

Aaron lowered himself, his right knee on the ground, and press the back of his hand to Caleb’s forehead. He was checking his temperature. “Are you getting a cold? Wait, I’ll start a fire to warm us,” Caleb couldn’t reply, his attention was on the hand that was touching his knee. Through the wet cloth of the pants he was wearing, Caleb couldn’t help but notice how much larger the other man’s hand was compared to his. It looked like it would easily fit over his neck.

After realizing how Aaron was still looking at him, Caleb panicked and tried to remember what they were just talking about. “I’m okay! Don’t worry, I’m really okay,” He stuttered in reply. He as nodding at Aaron who was still looking at him as if he didn’t believe him. But he nodded and pushed himself up and went towards the hearth.

He kneeled down to peer into the fireplace. After seeing how it wasn’t wet, he nodded to himself before checking next the wood. After lifting one of the sticks inside, he noticed how dry it was. It would make a good kindling. There was a few logs laying haphazardly to the side. Aaron smiled at how lucky they were.

While he was busy inspecting the fireplace, Caleb’s mind was traveling down another path. Even with the only light source coming from a weak flashlight, he could still see how Aaron’s wet shirt and pants clung to his sculpted body like a second skin. It would be a perfect perving opportunity if it wasn’t for the location. A creepy haunted looking mansion wasn’t really the place for naughty thoughts. Yeah, nope. And after rationality fought off the haze in his mind, he started feeling guilty for his own thoughts.  But even though he was mentally scolding himself, his eyes couldn’t help but wander over to Aaron’s broad back and a rear that one can bounce a coin off of. He was just a man, shivering and hurt as he might be, it didn’t detract his ability to appreciate beauty.

As Aaron was busying himself with lighting the fireplace which thankfully had wood already inside ready to be lit on fire, Caleb suddenly felt self-conscious. Ever since he woke in that beach, Aaron had been helping him. And yet, he hadn’t even said thank you yet to the other man.

But that end’s now. Caleb Ville might be a lot of things, but he wasn’t ungrateful.

“Hey,” He softly called out to the only other occupant of the room.

“What is it, Caleb?” Aaron immediately answered. He didn’t look back at Caleb but the way he acted showed that he was listening to him.

Caleb took a deep breath, his eyes lingering on the back that he had been in contact for hours.

“Aaron, thank you,” From the bottom of my heart.

Aaron froze, his hand holding the flint stopping in mid-strike. The embers fell into the wood in a shower of orange sparks.  “What?” He replied, stiffly turning around to look at Caleb. The sparks ignited the wood into a configuration of fire. The sudden burst of light was a shock to Caleb’s eyes who got used to the dark. Squinting, all he could see was the silhouette of Aaron haloed by the orange light of the fire behind him.

And for a split second, Aaron Mandel’s eyes glowed an eerie black color.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his suddenly teary eyes. “I’m just grateful, you know. For all of your help. For carrying me for nearly an hour. For worrying over a virtual stranger to you,” Caleb added as scenes of the other’s caring actions towards him flashed in his mind. “If you didn’t find me earlier in that beach, I don’t know what could have happened to me.”

Because Caleb wasn’t looking at him, too lost in memories, he didn’t notice how Aaron stiffened due to his last words, as if he had just been hit over his head by a steel bat.

“No,” Aaron rasped, turning around back to the hearth. “You would have lived even without my help. You would have,” He added as he used the steel poker that was leaning on the side of the fireplace to push the currently burning wood around. “I didn’t do anything that any other person would not have done.”

Caleb shook his head. “Maybe I would have been okay. Maybe I wouldn’t have been. But what I do know was that you came and ever since I woke up on that beach, it was you who has been helping me.” He smiled at Aaron even though his savior couldn’t see it. “So, thank you, Aaron. I owe you my life right now.”

For a second, Aaron almost looked like he wanted to reject the other’s thankful words before subsiding down. “I accept your thanks,” Aaron nodded, smiling brightly. “Though I did only what any other person would have done. After all, what kind of person would just leave a poor, defenseless and injured person right there in the rain on some remote beach?” He added, with a bit of bite in his tone and his smile twisting a little bit, but it wasn’t directed at Caleb, no, actually it seemed like it was aimed at…himself? Caleb tilted his head to the side.

Aaron coughed a little bit before straightening his posture and standing up. He walked slow purposeful steps towards Caleb who was comfortably sitting on the sofa. Caleb was mesmerized by the almost hypnotic like effect of the handsome man’s seductive stride, the mysterious gleam in his eyes and the way his hand went towards his shirt as he slowly raised it up, showing the water stained rippling smooth skin underneath.

Wait, what?!

Caleb shook as his mind rebooted into proper order. A blush overtook his face, even his ears were tinged with pinkness. The blush didn’t just go up, it also went down. A hint of pink could be seen in the neck and upper chest of Caleb under the flickering light of the flames.

The sight was so tantalizing, a real treat to the imagination, that Aaron couldn’t help but freeze in his actions as his eyes soaked in the beautiful sight in front of him. Unconsciously, his eyes tracked the flushed skin of the other. His tongue licked his lips as the urge to bite suddenly manifested itself from out of nowhere.

Caleb’s breath hitched at the sight of Aaron’s masculine tongue rolling over his lips. He gulped, his adams apple rolling with the motion. His relaxed body tensed up in preparation. For what exactly, he didn’t want to think it over or give it any more meaning. He just sat there, tense like a bunny in front of a predator, and waited for Aaron’s next move.