Chapter 72: Dirty laundry.
As Gareth woke, he rolled over to gather Rusty into his arms. When he felt nothing but cold fabric, his eyes opened. The cave looked abandoned. His heart raced. Did Rusty leave him? He'd had one-night stands before, but this was different. First, he liked Rusty. He really liked him. And second, the man was his guide.
He rose and looked around. The fire was gone, and not only the burned wood, everything. The rocks had been scattered, and nothing was left.
Gareth's backpack and boots were next to the sleeping bag, but Rusty's items were gone. A wave of panic hit him. He'd been too rough, and the man left him in the forest.
"Rusty?" Gareth looked to the mouth of the cave. "Russ?"
"I'm here." Rusty appeared. He held two bottles of water and was dressed with his backpack on his shoulders. He strode up to Gareth. "I ain't mean to scare ya."
"I thought maybe I was too hard on you, and you ditched me." Gareth glanced at the new bruising on Rusty's neck.