Harrington is all right, and thank you to all of you who have inquired about his health. He does not feel much pain, but his spirits are low. I have spent much time with him in the past days, trying to keep him from isolating himself. My success has been limited, but I will continue.
I have some news from one of my other charges as well. Today, Ted got a phone call from Cole. I was not there when Ted received the call, but my watcher Alanis told me that his emotions were mixed when he realized who it was. There was joy, of course, but also uncertainty and a bit of anxiety over any awkwardness that might be between the two of them. I could see these things for myself when I arrived, just in time for Ted to answer the phone and say hello.
“Now, be honest,” Cole said immediately. “Was the phone in another room, or did you sit there with it in your hand and debate whether or not to answer?”
This made Ted laugh, and he felt more at ease. “It just took me a minute to rub my eyes and make sure that I wasn’t seeing things. How have you been, Cole? It’s good to hear your voice.”
“Yours, too,” Cole said, with enough fervent feeling in his voice to catch my attention. “I’m good. Everything’s been good around here—”
As the two of them exchanged news, I was paying less attention to what they were saying than to what they were thinking. Cole was at his ease as always, but there was something to him that made me think he was eagerly invested in this conversation, simple though it was. Ted, on the other hand, was friendly, genuinely glad to hear from his friend, but also holding a part of himself back. I searched for his sense of an emotional connection to Cole which gave me so much worry before, but I could not find it. Whether that is because it was not there, or because Ted was suppressing any such feeling, I am not certain.
“So how’s Ian doing?” he asked after a little while.
The faint hesitation before Cole answered was telling, at least to me. “He’s good. I haven’t seen him for a few days, but we’ve both been busy. And you—how’s Elaine?”
“Good,” Ted answered immediately, and a smile came to his face. “I saw her just the other night, and she’s coming over tomorrow.”
“To your house? Doesn’t that lake freeze in the winter?”
They both laughed, but under the humor was a tension that I saw clear as day. Both men were fully aware of the implications in such a mention of Elaine. Ted was wondering if Cole was intentionally moving the subject away from her, and Cole was thinking of how he had only mentioned her to move the subject away from Ian.
I am not entirely certain, of course, having only a few moments’ conversation to go on, but this is what I think: Cole has either ended his relationship with Ian, or else is in a period of difficulty with him. In such moments, any other romantic possibility gains new appeal. This would explain his eagerness to speak to Ted, and his attempts to draw out the conversation, even after Ted began to indicate that he had to go.
As for Ted, I am pleased to see that his heart remains unshaken. He was happy to hear from Cole, certainly, but with none of the longing or hope that he used to feel. Elaine has a greater hold on his heart, and his attachment to Cole would not seem to be enough to draw him away from her.
“Hey, I better go, Cole, really,” Ted said, glancing at the clock. “I promised Elaine I would send her something before she gets off, and if I don’t…” He mock-shuddered and laughed.
“All right, all right, I know when I’m not wanted,” Cole sighed, and while his mournful tone was humorous as well, there was some truth to it.
“If that’s the vibe you’re getting from me, your gauge needs fixing,” Ted said firmly. “In fact, why don’t I give you a call tomorrow and we can talk a bit more?”
“I’d like that. As long as it won’t get you into trouble!”
Ted thought about that for a moment, reaching some of the same conclusions that I already had. A small, rueful smile came to his face. “No, I don’t think it will.”
There was a little silence as both of them digested that. Then Cole confirmed the arrangement to talk again and said a cheerful goodbye, hanging up.
Ted sat there looking at the phone for a few moments. Then he pulled up a text thread to Elaine and sent her a tiny picture of a rose.
What’s this for? she asked after a moment.
Just because.
She replied, I’ll take it for now, but better have a real one next time!
That made him laugh, and he got up and went back to his day.
So that is where matters stand as of now. I wonder, however, if Cole has read the situation as well as I have and if he will step back without protest. This is assuming, of course, that I have read it correctly. Perhaps talking to Cole again will remind Ted of how he used to feel. Or perhaps Cole is not after all reaching out in hope of a romantic connection—he may have just wanted to renew their friendship. This will take some careful attention over the next few days, and I will certainly give it, for three hearts are at stake here, and all are important to me now.