Little Bedtime Snack (The Lactin Brotherhood)

7. Eli

7

ELI

I rushed back into the playroom with my heart still pounding from my time with Mason. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when I saw Jeb hunched down in the corner with red-rimmed eyes, my heart broke for him.

"Jeb! What's wrong?" I hurried over and crouched beside him. “Are you hurt?”

He looked up at me and shook his head. "Can we go?"

Not being hurt was almost worse. That meant someone had stomped on his heart. He might seem brave and confident on the outside, but he was tenderhearted. It was one of the things I liked best about him. It was also one of the things that made him most vulnerable.

"Of course, Jeb. Let's get outta here." I helped him up as guilt gnawed at me for leaving him alone for so long. I really thought he’d be fine. Instead, I focused on my own desires, and he was the one paying the price.

As we headed for the exit, I caught Mason's eye across the room. He looked concerned as he started walking toward us, but I just shook my head and waved goodbye while I guided Jeb out to the parking lot.

Jeb sniffled quietly as I pulled out of the parking lot.

The suspense was killing me, and I needed to know if he was really okay. I wanted to respect his privacy, but if it was something the club needed to know about, I wasn’t gonna mess around. The car would be back in their lot in a flash. "Do you wanna talk about what happened?"

He wiped his nose on the sleeve of the hoodie he’d put on. "After Jeff left, I was coloring with some of the other Littles." He took a deep breath and his breath stuttered. "And Tommy said my drawing was the worst he'd ever seen."

My hands tightened on the steering wheel. "That wasn't a very nice thing for him to say. You’re a great drawer."

That sucked, but at the same time, it was a relief. No one tried to take advantage of my friend. It was a jealous Little being a dick. I hated that it happened, but also, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

"Am not." Jeb crossed his arms over his chest and rested his forehead on the dash. "It doesn’t matter or anything. I shouldn't let it bother me so much, but I just felt embarrassed, I think."

"Hey, your feelings are valid." I reached over and squeezed his hand. "It's okay to be upset when someone’s mean to you."

We drove in silence for a few minutes as I tried to think of how to cheer him up. "You know what? I bet Tommy was just jealous of your awesome art skills." I glanced at him to see if he was even paying attention to me. "We should invite him over for an art party to see if he’s any good. I bet you’re way better than him."

That got a small smile out of him. "I don’t know about way better…but maybe a little bit."

"A ton! I’m sure of it."

By the time we pulled up to Jeb's apartment, his mood had lifted. He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door. “Thanks for going with me tonight, Eli. I had a great time until the end.” He turned back and looked right at me. “And you haven’t even told me what happened with you and Mason.”

“Mason…” I sighed as I thought about the sexy Daddy, and then I realized something awful and my stomach dropped. "Oh no. I totally forgot to get Mason's number. He wants to go out again, but I got distracted when I… Well, anyway, I forgot."

"Because of me?" Jeb sighed with his hand on the door handle. “Sorry about that. But I have good news.” He dug around in his backpack and pulled out a small white rectangle. "Daddy Jeff gave me both of their business cards earlier. He and Mason work together at the same company."

My eyes widened as Jeb held out the card. "Jeb, you're amazing!"

He chuckled and all the sadness he’d been holding was wiped away. "Here, you take Mason’s. I’ll keep Jeff’s."

That was a good sign right there. If he wanted to keep Jeff’s contact information, maybe they might have another playdate in their future. Stupid Tommy, always needing to be the best at everything by putting others down.

Despite Jeb having his own rough evening, he was still looking out for me. He really was the best friend I could ask for. "Thanks, Jeb." I leaned across the center console and gave him a hug. "And thanks for trusting me enough to tell me what was bothering you earlier. You know I'm always here if you need to talk, right?"

He nodded before hopping out of the car. "Night, Eli! Let me know how it goes with Mason!"

The whole drive home, I kept telling myself I’d wait until the morning to text Mason, but by the time I got into my small apartment, I just needed to send a quick message so he had my number. I tossed my keys onto the hook next to the door and then hopped onto the couch.

I hesitated as soon as my phone was in my hand because I wasn't sure what to say. I didn’t want to sound too eager or needy. An idea came to mind, so I scanned through the image gallery until I found the perfect meme and sent it to him with just a simple message. The gif was a stuffed bunny who was sucking his thumb and had cute Zs floating above his head. Thanks for the milk. Good night. -Eli

I didn't expect a response until morning, but within seconds, my phone vibrated with a reply. It was my pleasure, sweet boy. I’m glad you found my number. Hope you and your bunny sleep well. And instead of a silly meme, he added a kissing emoji.

My cheeks flushed when I saw it and my tummy flipped as I thought about kissing him.

Before I put my phone down, Mason sent another message. I know it's short notice, but would you like to go to the French fry cart for lunch in the park tomorrow? If you haven’t tried their truffle oil fries, you don’t know what you’re missing.

My heart was racing with anticipation to see him again. Not only did Mason want to see me again, but he also remembered that I said I loved French fries. I leaned back on the cushions and kicked my legs in the air as I typed my response. I'd love that! Can I bring some oats for the duckies too?

Of course. If you send your address, I'll pick you up at 11. He added a winky-face emoji.

Can't wait! Nighty night, Daddy! I was giggling to myself as I nestled into the couch cushions. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.