Page 11 of Wilde About You

It was hard to tell if he was sincere or not. He was always super competitive when it came to me. It always kept our friendship slightly on edge, which wasn't a bad thing. We'd been through a lot together, ups and downs, wins and losses. You could never erase that kind of history. He was a good friend.

"No, Ace, it is a big deal. And I'll get back out there soon, and those sweet contracts will come my way." Again, my enthusiasm needed work. The ortho surgeon assured me my knee would heal but that it would also be vulnerable to the same tear again.

My board floated up lazily and dropped back down. "I don't know if you noticed, Ace, but the surf out here is shit."

"You don't say? Yeah, I'm going in."

"Me too, then I'm off to scout out some chow. My gut is so empty it's gnawing on itself."

seven

. . .

Sadie

Ifound myself checking my mirrors a million times, including twisting back to check the back seat, on the drive to Lyle's house. Somehow, all of this felt less sinister under a bright blue sky. Maybe the fighters had already given up on getting hold of the photo. Maybe they were putting together a press release to tell the world about their love affair. That thought made me laugh. While many people were now free to share their sexual preferences, that wasn't always the case for famous people. Especially when their fierce masculinity was at the core of their fame. It was really quite extraordinary to think these two men had to fight a vicious battle in public while under the surface they were passionately in love. Or, at the very least, passionately attracted to each other.

I reached Lyle's house on the quiet cul-de-sac. I felt confident no one had followed me. I was also immensely relieved to see Lyle's red truck in the driveway. Lyle and I had met in photography classes at community college. Dad railed against me taking such frivolous classes, but I ignored him. Lyle went on to work as a freelance photographer, but he wasn't big on traveling the world. He ended up working in a family photography studio in a strip mall, a waste of his talent, but as he put it "a steady income was nothing to bitch about."

I'd really jumped into stealth mode. I got out of the car and looked around several times, startling when a gray cat jumped up on a corner fence. I hurried to Lyle's door and knocked. I hadn't seen him in several months, but the last time we spoke he'd had a bad breakup with his boyfriend. And shitty friend that I was, I hadn't checked in on him since.

The door opened. Lyle was dressed in a pair of red running shorts and had earbuds dangling around his neck. "Well, look who finally decided to visit her old friend Lyle."

"I know, I'm a terrible friend. Can I come in?" I tried to hide the urgency in my tone, but my attempt failed.

Lyle's smile faded. "What's wrong? There's something wrong, I can tell." He reached out, grabbed my hand and pulled me into his house. It was a small two-bedroom rental but in a nice part of town.

He shut the door. I glanced back. "Remember to lock it."

"What the hell is going on, Sadie?" He turned the dead bolt. "Why are you clutching your camera as if it might run away from you?" His face smoothed with comprehension. "You've got something on there, don't you? Oh my god, what is it? Did you catch a murder on film? Who was it? Someone we know?"

"No murder, so calm down. You're listening to way too many of those true crime podcasts."

"Guilty as charged." He laughed. "Clever pun and I wasn't even trying." As he spoke, he drew shut the curtains. "Are we being watched?"

"I hope not."

His face snapped my direction. "I was just kidding. Holy shit, what exactly do you have on that camera?"

I shook my head. "Can't tell you." A pleading face scrunch followed. "Can I use your darkroom?"

"Sure can … if you tell me what's on the film?"

I sighed and tilted my head. "Please, Lyle. I'll tell you eventually, but for now, I need to keep it secret."

Lyle took the earbuds off of his neck. "Fine but I'm not happy about this. And yes, I'm doing fine after my horrid breakup, thank you very much for asking."

I took the camera off my neck but let it dangle from my fingers. I hadn't let it go since I took the picture. That was why I so badly wanted to develop the film. It would be much easier to hide a photo and negative than a camera.

I threw my free arm around his neck and hugged him. "I've been a shit friend. I'm sorry, and I'm glad you're doing fine."

"Yes, you've been a shit friend, but I forgive you. And you can use the darkroom, but I'm going to want to know what the hell is going on—and soon."

"You've got it."

Lyle walked into the kitchen. "I was just heading out on a run," he called as he filled his water bottle. "Everything is all set up down there." He came back out with the bottle and a concerned expression. "Do I have to worry about being chased down and tortured for information?"

"I don't think so."