Dakarai let out an airy laugh. “Just as I thought—all bark, no bite.”
Elias smiled, embarassed. “Just give me, like, two minutes,” he said, replacing the covering to the keypad.
“I’ll clean up down here. I’ll see you inoneminute,” Dakarai said, stooping to collect their cold coffees.
Elias nodded slowly as he edged away, colliding with the wall again. He waited until he was concealed behind the door of the staircase leading up to his apartment before rubbing his aching shoulder.
He took the steps in twos, dashing into his apartment to smooth out his bedspread and hide his suitcases in the closet.
32
Kai
6:43 a.m.
Of course, Kai had always known about the studio apartment above the shop, but he’d never had a reason to go up there. It had been vacant since he met Uncle Moodie, and only about a day before Elias arrived, the windows were boarded up to prevent break-ins and storm damage.
At the top of the stairs, the door to the apartment was open. Elias stuck his head out, a lazy, sideways smile spread across his face.
“What is it like looking up at me for a change?” he asked.
“It’s not bad,” Kai replied, his cheeks getting hot.
As Kai climbed the stairs to Elias’s apartment, he became acutely aware of his breathing. The concrete walls sequestered the sound, and his footsteps were thunderous as they pressed down on the creaky wooden treads that dipped in the centers. He considered turning around and going home. After all, this was his coworker—someone he’d have to see every day. His boss’s nephew, no less. He risked blowing up his entire life. But then again, not all changes were bad.
Elias stood at the top of the stairs, waiting. Backlit by thewarm glow of his apartment and the neon purple shining through the singular window, only Elias’s silhouette was visible. He was self-conscious of the amount of noise his footsteps were making. He sped up to get it over with but then slowed down as not to seem too eager. Blood coursed through his ears. Attempting to conceal his anxiety, he thrust his hands into his pockets. However, he nearly stumbled and had to withdraw them to steady himself against the wall.
“That was almost a season ender,” Elias joked with a low melodic laugh. He looked up at Kai, not moving his head, only his eyes, as he pulled him the rest of the way into the apartment.
Kai bit his lip. They’d been alone all night, but this kind of alone, with a door closed behind them, was the first time they were truly in private.
Elias pointed to his right and said, “Living room,” then to his left and said, “Dining room,” and then behind him and said, “Bathroom.” Then he pulled Kai by the arm into the kitchen, which was only partially separated from the rest of the studio apartment by a partition wall with a small serving hatch. “And I don’t think I have to tell you what this room is called.” He then walked to the other side of the apartment and threw himself onto the bed. It was only a mattress on the floor, with the duvet and pillows hastily thrown over. “And here’s my bed,” Elias said with a grin.
“Behave,” Kai replied. “It’s cute,” he added, looking around. “Small, but cute.”
It wasn’t that Kai was expecting Elias to be messy, but he wasn’t expecting him to be this neat either. Even his curtains looked like they might have been ironed or steamed; there wasn’t a crease in sight. It reminded him of Bobby, who organized his closet by season, then fabric, and then color. Kai shook his head and let out asmall chuckle. Bobby was, after all, his first crush, so it appeared Kai had a type.
Kai leaned back, propping his weight against the ledge of the serving hatch, observing Elias as he sifted through the fridge. Elias reached for a carton of eggs, then hesitated and withdrew. He repeated the process with the cheese. A laugh escaped Kai, capturing Elias’s attention.
Elias took a few timid steps toward Kai. “Don’t worry, I’ll feed you, but can I make a suggestion first?”
“Don’t ask permission.”
Elias stepped even closer, and Kai’s entire body stiffened. “I think you should let me kiss you now so we don’t spend the rest of the morning thinking about it.”
Kai’s eyebrows rose so far they almost left his face entirely. “Why would I be thinking about it?”
“Because we’re alone, this apartment only has one room, so we’re technically in my bedroom, and I’m about to cook for you. Trust me, you’re going to be thinking about it.”
“And what about you?” Kai asked with a playful nudge.
Elias leaned in closer. “I’vebeenthinking about it. I thought I was pretty clear about that.”
There was a long stretch of silence. Elias stood unblinking; his mouth flickered with what Kai would have believed was annoyance yesterday but what he now knew was amusement or perhaps intrigue.
Although he wanted to feel Elias’s lips on his again, he finally said, “I’m not going to let you kiss me. We’re just going to have to think about it all morning. Maybe even all day at work.”
Elias’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “It’s like that?”
