What the hell?
The older I get, the worse my eyesight becomes, so I can’t make out who it is until I get a little closer. The organ in my chest I was sure stopped working since I found out about my sister thumps painfully hard against my rib cage as Elias peers over at me from where he’s sitting, a shy grin playing on his full, pink lips.
“Hi.” The word leaves me on a heavy exhale. “What are you doing here?”
“Truthfully?” He scratches the back of his head. “I’m not sure, but it felt right. Thought you could use some… I don’t know, comfort before catching your flight.”
My pulse races, tongue too thick for my mouth as I try to think of what to say. The silence must freak him out, though, because he slides off the hood, thrusting a shaky hand into his hair.
“Sorry, it was probably stupid—”
I don’t give him a chance to finish the sentence. Crossing the short distance between us, I slide a hand behind his neck as our bodies become flush, sealing my lips to his. He inhales sharply, freezing for a single moment before he melts into my touch, lips parting for me as my tongue sweeps inside.
He tastes of the cinnamon gum he’s chewing, and his fresh, clean scent surrounds me. Eager hands fist my t-shirt as he opens wider, allowing me to deepen the kiss. It’s not hurried and needy and messy like our kisses usually are, but it doesn’t lack any of the passion either.
By the time we break apart, both our chests are heaving, and my head is dizzy.
“So, not stupid, then?” Elias asks with a chuckle, voice slightly hoarse, lips swollen and slick.
“You know you’re actually kind of sweet when you aren’t being such a brat.”
He throws me a grin that almost looks bashful, peering up at me from beneath his lashes.
“Thank you,” I rasp. “For coming here. It means a lot.”
Elias glances down at his feet for a moment before peering back up and meeting my gaze. “I’m assuming all of this is what that night at my house was all about… the breakdown in my room.”
At the mention of that night, heat washes over my cheeks. Not my finest moment, dropping to my knees and bellowing in front of him, but it is what it is. “You would be assuming correct,” I confirm.
“I like that you came to me for comfort. That you feel like you can be vulnerable enough around me.” The words come out soft, almost hard to hear, but the sincerity in his eyes is staggering.
Growing up the way I did, I always kept my emotions to myself. It wouldn’t have gotten me anywhere speaking them aloud, so why bother? With Valerie, I opened up enough, but never felt like I could unload on her the way I needed to. With Elias… things just feel different. He makes me feel like maybe I don’t need to be this numb, steel exterior I put off into the world.
It’s a feeling I’m not used to, and at times, it’s uncomfortable, but that night I found out about Elena’s terminal state, there isn’t a single other person I would’ve been able to be that raw and real around. He was exactly what I needed in that moment, and he doesn’t even know it. At least, not to the full extent.
“Thank you,” I murmur. “For being there, even when you didn’t know why I was acting that way. It means a lot.”
The smile on his lips makes my chest swell. “Well, I’m sorry for shutting you out after Katie caught us. If I had known about your sister…”
He doesn’t finish, but he doesn’t have to. I know what he’s thinking.
“It’s okay. I gave you nothing to go by.” I reach up, running the pad of my thumb along his soft, slightly pink cheek. “And besides, Katie catching us was—and is—a big deal.”
We watch each other for a moment, not saying anything, just breathing each other in, and soaking in each other’s presence.
Eventually, he lets out a deep breath. “How long are you going to be gone?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure. It doesn’t sound like Elena is doing too good.”
“I’m so sorry, Zeke.”
My throat feels tight as I force a smile onto my face. “It’s okay. Part of life.” Glancing down at my watch, I say, “Well, I have to get going if I want to get there in time.”
Nodding, Elias says, “Well, if you need anybody to talk to while you’re there, I’m only a phone call away.”
It’s such a simple thing to say. He has no idea how much it means to me at a time like this, though. For fear of doing something absurd, like cry, I decide against responding with words, simply nodding instead before I climb into my car.
Chapter Thirty-Six
