"How old are you?"

"How old do you want me to be?"

Gareth shot him a look.

"The last guy who asked me my age kicked me out when he found out I was legal."

"Some company you keep. So, what in h.e.l.l are you doing out here walking in the middle of the road?"

"I was actually walking on the side of the road and..."

"G.o.d," Gareth said suddenly, sniffing the air, then leaning over and sticking his head out the window, "what's that smell?"

"I don't smell anything."

255.

Violet Visions Gareth moved his head back inside, and then sniffed closer to Logan again. "Holy s.h.i.t, man. You reek. When's the last time you had a bath?"

Logan sighed. "Don't remember, and that's not polite."

"Well it's not polite not to wash either. You're sincerely stinking up my truck, dude."

"Dude?" Logan lifted an eyebrow. "Bet that's what you call all the boys." He laughed, slapping his hand on the dashboard.

"Are you missing a couple screws upstairs or what?"

"According to my dad, I am."

"According to a lot of people I bet," Gareth mumbled under his breath.

"The doctors all think so, and that's okay. Beats going to jail."

"Huh? Jail?"

"Well, it was either jail or the nut house. Which would you choose?"

Gareth fell silent. He didn't say a word to him until he pulled into a little pit-stop diner called Best Food. He got out of the truck, and Logan followed.

Gareth stopped at the door and pointed to the sign. "Put your shirt on. You can't go in there half naked."

"It's not a shirt," he said. "It's a..." Logan held up a hospital gown. "I was in a hurry."

"Holy s.h.i.t," Gareth muttered. "Put that away, will ya?"

"A nut house actually, that's where I was, but it was a really good one. More like a resort. My dad is loaded."

"Give me that," Gareth said, s.n.a.t.c.hing it out of his hand, and marching back to his truck. He reached in the cab and grabbed one of his t-shirts out of the back. He threw it at him. "Here, put that on."

"Thanks. I'll give it back."

256.

eXtasy's Collective Mind "No," Gareth shook his dark head. "Never mind. You can keep it. I don't think I want it back."

"So," Logan grinned, throwing the t-shirt over his head, and then following the taller man into the diner, which was practically empty, aside from a tired looking waitress up front, "if you buy me a hamburger, I'll blow you," he said behind him, "but if you want to f.u.c.k me, it will have to be a steak."

Gareth turned around and met Logan's eyes. "What did you say?"

"A hamburger is..."

"That's what I thought you said. Christ, don't repeat it,"

Gareth said, holding up his hand. "How about this? You keep your mouth shut, and I'll buy you the meatloaf special?"

Logan shrugged. "Okay."

"Oh and," Gareth said, taking a step away from him, "please go to the bathroom and splash some water somewhere...

anywhere... I can't stand it. And I'm not sitting near you if you don't. You'll be sitting across the room."

"Whatever. Okay. Two meatloaf specials then," he said and headed to the back of the diner towards the washroom. Logan glanced at himself in the mirror when he walked in. Christ. He looked a sight. His shoulder length blond hair was greasy and flat. It looked brown. And his skin was sunburned He was filthy, and as he lifted his arms, and sniffed, the smell almost knocked him over. He laughed. His father would freak if he saw him.

A few minutes later, he walked out of the bathroom and slid in the booth across from that trucker. G.o.d, what a hunk he was.

"Are you married or something?" he asked, picking up the menu.

"I ordered already, and no, I'm not married."

"Gay, or straight?"

"You sure are curious. None of your business."

"Which means you're gay. Straight men get paranoid and all 257 Violet Visions defensive when I ask them."

Gareth shrugged.

"Are you a top or a bottom?"

Gareth looked around for the waitress.

"I said..."

"I heard you. Like I said before, guy..."

"Logan, Logan Penn."

"Look Logan Penn, I'm trying to relax here okay? I got a long night ahead of me. Could we just eat and cut the chatter?"

Logan nodded, eyeing the steaming plates of food the waitress was carrying in their direction.

"There you go, honey," she said to Gareth, giving him what Logan would term a come-on smile. Logan picked up his fork and began to eat. He consumed everything on his plate before Gareth took more than two bites.

"Are you planning on tasting that food, or just swallowing it whole?" Gareth asked, c.o.c.king an eyebrow.

"I'm inhaling it. Where's the next plate?"

"I only ordered one. I thought you were kidding."

"Do I look like I'm kidding, man?"

Gareth motioned to the waitress.

"Yes honey, coffee?"

"Yeah, that would be great, and can you bring another special for him?"

"Where do you put it?" she asked Logan, then turned on a heel and yelled, "another special."

"It's not that good," Logan said.

"Could have fooled me. So," Gareth pushed back his plate, and eyed him, "you never did answer my question. What were you doing out there in the middle of nowhere?"

"Some fat guy threw me out of his house, I told ya. Are you going to eat that bread?" Logan glanced over at the roll that still 258 eXtasy's Collective Mind lay on Gareth's plate.

"Knock yourself out," he said. "What do you mean a fat guy threw you out? What fat guy?"

Logan took the bread and bit into it. "Some fat guy who picked me up. I was ready to blow him for some food but all he had was pretzels man, and he wanted me to be younger and..."

"Whoa, slow down," Gareth said, nodding at the waitress as she sat the other plate in front of Logan. "You a prost.i.tute, as well as a nut?"

"Not by nature," he said, spearing some meatloaf with his fork. "I'm more of an...improviser."

"That what got you into jail? Improvising?"

"I wasn't in jail," Logan took a second fork full of meatloaf.

"My father paid off some people and got me locked up in the nut house instead. Don't you listen?"

"I'm trying not to. May I ask for what?"

Logan smiled. "A variety of things, mostly for not toeing the line."

"So, you were released from this ah...resort and..."

"Not released," Logan said, swallowing. "I escaped."

Those beautiful dark eyes of the man sitting opposite him widened. "Escaped," he repeated.

"Yep, but I'm not dangerous. Don't worry," Logan laughed.

"I'm not really nuts."

"Oh, you're right, sane people usually walk in the middle of the road out in the middle of nowhere half naked," he said ironically. "Do you have ah...medication you're supposed to...take?"

Logan sat back in his seat. He was finally feeling the semblance of being full. "Oh yeah, tons. Meds are important if I don't want to see those little men."

When Gareth shifted in his seat, Logan threw his head back 259 Violet Visions and laughed out loud.

"That's not very funny," Gareth muttered.

"You should have seen your face," Logan grinned, leaning forward. "And what a handsome face it is too. You must have 'em waiting in line. How come you're a trucker?"

"I like it. I like the wide open s.p.a.ces, the freedom...being alone."

Logan smiled. "Hint, hint?"

"I'm going to pay the bill. I really got to be on my way. Good luck there, ah..."

"Logan," he said, watching as Gareth stood up. h.e.l.l. He didn't want to be left out here. "Gareth," he said, standing up with him, "can you take me to the next town? Please. It will be dark soon and..."

He hesitated. He wasn't sure about this guy's story. He was a bit weird but he seemed harmless enough. He'd feel guilty about leaving the guy in the middle of nowhere. Besides, he was a little skinny runt, and if he tried anything, he could handle him. No, best to take him to civilization, and then get rid of him as soon as possible. "Okay, but then you're on your own."

"Thanks," Logan nodded gratefully.

They were five miles away from a town called Chance when Gareth looked over at his pa.s.senger and realized that he'd fallen asleep. He couldn't help wondering about this guy. He wasn't sure what he was all about. This talk of jail, nut houses, and a fat man with pretzels-he couldn't make any sense of it. He still didn't know what in h.e.l.l he was doing out here all alone. He didn't appear to have any money, or warm clothes, and it was bound to get colder as the night went on.

260.

eXtasy's Collective Mind He breathed a sigh of relief when they pulled into Chance.

"Well," he said, loud enough to rouse his pa.s.senger from sleep, "I'm going to get some coffee at that convenience store. I guess I'll leave you here."

Logan jumped out. "Thanks man. You want your t-shirt back?"

"No, no. You keep it." Gareth said, walking into the small store and putting some change in the coffee machine. He checked his watch. He had to make tracks if he was going to get to his destination by morning.

When he came back out of the store, the kid was standing near his truck, his arms wrapped around his body. "Where you heading?" Logan asked him.

"Braggstown," Gareth told him.

"Wisconsin."

"You know it?"

"Yeah. My dad's a senator. I went there with him once for some dinner. It's dead, man."