Eighteen
Arien
Elias brought out his sadness on his own over the last three days, and I was there for him as he worked through everything he’d felt too afraid to face before I’d come around. It’s his way of working through his grief, how he’s choosing to heal. No one ever said it’s easy to lose someone, especially when you feel like their death has fallen on you.
He called his old therapist and booked an appointment for the end of the week, after going through his brother’s boxes that he tried to leave in the back of the closet forever. We all get there in our own time, and Elias is starting to want to live, thinking he must’ve survived for a reason. He’s also mentioned grief counseling and creating a support group for people struggling with the same battle he fights through daily.
I’ve supported him in all these things, not by pushing but by telling him how far he’s come and how much further he’ll go.
“Ah there you are, Arien.” My boss interrupts my thoughts.
“Hey, did something happen?”
“No.” a gentle smile breaks across his face and he takes two steps closer, shoving his hands into his pocket. “I wanted to tell you some good news.”
“Yeah? Is it about Elias?”
He straightens his shoulders. “Actually, it has to do with you. You’ve made so much progress in such a short time that I decided to put in a good word for you, regarding your visa eval.”
My whole body jolts, my pulse thrumming in my ears. “Really? That’s . . . wow. Thank you.”
“That’s not all. They’re in the process of approving it. I explained you’ve been working one on one with a human patient, and I need you here so you can take on another two soon. They went over your file and spoke with base housing and the guards at the gate. Everyone had nothing but good things to say about you. Employees included.”
My heart shoots up and my first thought is Elias. All the other reasons for being here are still valid, but he’s what I’m most excited about. More lazy days in bed together and dinner dates. More everything. “I . . . I don’t know what to say.” I jump from my seat, feeling like the earth is spinning too fast when I do.
“You don’t have to say anything. You’ve earned this. No one deserves this opportunity more. I expect you to be at this office every day from here on out and there will be no need to show up at the other base anymore. You have been permanently transferred to this location and should get a phone call to complete your visa process in a couple of days.”
I move forward to hug him, and he stiffens in my arms, laughing while awkwardly patting me on the shoulder. “You don’t know how grateful I am.” I slowly drop my arms, breaking away with my face heating.
“Like I said, you earned it, and I can’t wait to see all the great things you do for others here. You’re welcome to go home early for the day, and I think we’re fine to reduce five days a week to three. That way we can see whether Elias really will be okay without the extra sleep therapy by the end of next month.”
He might be, but no way am I letting any other demon step in for me. I’ll figure out a way to be there so it doesn’t come to that. Dr. Peterson pats my shoulder and walks off to talk to someone else. Shaking with happiness, I grab all my things and look up the bus route leading to the Daily Grind. I wait at the stop, looking up monster-friendly housing, and when my ride arrives, I get on, shoving my hand into my pocket for the money to pay the fare.
Ignoring the looks I’m getting from two women with children, I sit in the back and watch out the window as we pull onto the road. The bus reminds me a lot of the train outside the base in the monster world, with rows of seats and tons of passengers. Some sit down while others stand up, gripping to the bars on top.
I check again where to pull the string and hold my hand near it until I see where I’m supposed to get off. It’s a short walk to where Elias is, and I pick up my steps once I’m passing familiar places. The chalkboard with the drink menu appears after taking a turn around a building, and my heart flutters when Elias walks out of the back.
I stand outside the Daily Grind, watching him through the windows as he interacts with two different people. He’s almost smiling, something he didn’t think he deserved a month ago. Slowly coming about from that state of mind, his lips tilt a little higher as he tries it out for size, reminding himself it’s okay to have a little happiness when his brother can’t anymore. Adam would want him to.
I didn’t know him, but I know what I saw in the pictures and family videos. What Elias told me with his mind on some of the days he lay quietly next to me, pouring out his heart as I took it all in. As I wrapped myself around him, encouraging everything he’s been holding onto for so long.
I’m about to walk inside but pause as I see a blond-haired man lean forward, touching Elias’s arm and being blatantly flirty. My hackles rise, and I’m not usually one to experience jealousy but it’s the only way I can describe the angry fire rising inside me. With my hand on the door, I yank it open and enter the welcoming cool air, my body thanking me for moving away from the suffocating heat.
A smile creeps onto my face as I get closer to Elias, ready to tell him the good news and plan all our future sleepovers together. Elias excuses himself and rushes to the back, the other guy turning around. We step forward at the same time, and my eyes are so focused on the reason I’m here, and not on the unwelcome guest close by, that we crash into each other and his drink crashes to the floor, coffee going everywhere.
Embarrassment pricks at the back of my neck, and I bend down when he does, apologizing profusely. Straightening my stance, l glance around at the peering eyes. “I’ll get some napkins. I really am sorry.”
The man stands up, his face growing less tense. “It’s okay. It was an accident. I wasn’t paying attention either.”
I collect some napkins from where the trash can is and rush back, laying them out over the liquid. Doing my best to soak up the mess, I pile them on top of one another and push them hard to the floor with my shoes.
“Look, I’m sure I can get a mop or something from the back, so you don’t have to keep going to all the extra trouble.”
I raise my brows at that. “Do you work here?”
“My boyfriend does,” he answers quickly, and my mind goes right to Ian. Then he laughs, saying, “Well, more like owns the place. Hey, El.” Turning his head, he calls for him again and Elias appears.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Can we get a mop out here, hun?”
My stomach plummets. Boyfriend. Hun. El. All his recent words swarm in my head, making it feel like it could combust at any moment.
“I . . . I’m really sorry, again. If you need me to buy you another coffee . . .” I say, looking everywhere but at him and the man I was looking forward to sneaking upstairs with for the next three hours.
“No need. I got my own personal barista.” He perks his lips up, resting one hand on his hips.
“Here you are. What happened?” Elias’s eyes bounce between me and the other guy, my heart feeling like it’s being wrapped in barbed wire when the cute blond wipes whipped cream from his cheek.
“We had a little accident.” Elias’s eyes stay on the floor, and he chuckles, not sounding as forceful as usual. Then his eyes lift, finally meeting mine, and he smiles so big the blond even takes notice and gawks at the beautiful sight.
“Hey, you’re here early. I thought . . . I didn’t think I’d see you until my next nap. I only came down here because I had a visit from a friend.” He winces when saying the last word, and I realize who’s standing next to him now. Brody.
“I see.”
“And he was totally taken by surprise, weren’t you, El?”
“I . . . yeah.” He shifts uncomfortably.
“How do you two know each other? Are you roommates or something?”
“I . . . no. I live in the monster world, on base.”
“Yeah, Arien’s only visiting me. He swings by every day.”
“Oh.” Brody’s eyes bulge in curiosity. “I see. That sounds like a lot of traveling for coffee.”
Elias laughs awkwardly. “Arien actually isn’t a fan of coffee. In fact, I’ve named my cotton-candy drink after him.”
“You got a whole drink named after you too?”
What does he mean by too? My stomach clenches. Am I not as special as I thought I was, and are the two of them getting back together? What living hell have I stepped into, and why does Elias look so conflicted?
“I should get going. I’m sure you’ve come a long way, and I’d hate to ruin your visit.”
“I still don’t understand how you two know each other.”
“Oh, Arien here is a sleep-paralysis demon and I’ve seen him in my hallucinations a few times. We quickly became friends after that.”
“Wait.” Brody’s eyes glimmer. “Those are real? Wow. So I’ve had an actual person in my home a couple of times? That’s a little creepy if you think about it.”
“Yeah, real creepy,” I say flatly. “I’ll uh, talk to you later, Ellie.” He said friend. I’m his friend. As in the same kind Brody is. My eyes burn when Brody leans against him, laying his head on his shoulder and stroking Elias’s chest.
Fingers grip my arm as I turn to leave, holding me in place. “Wait. Where do you think you’re going?”
“You look busy,” I say under my breath, trying to tug my arm away, but his hold tightens on me.
“But you just got here, and that’s a whole three hours we get to have.” His breaths tickle my ear.
My next words stick to the back of my throat when Brody says, “Aren’t we still going to dinner? I thought you were going to show me the town and give me a tour of your new place.”
I grit my teeth, feeling like I could fold in on myself at any moment. “It’s okay. I’ll catch you another time. Nice meeting you,” I say, looking back at the man who I worry still has a large place in Elias’s heart.
I rush out into the sickly heat, tears wetting my cheeks. I wipe at my eyes, realizing I’m not the only one of us who’s made the other feel a lot lately. The ache in my chest is almost crippling as I drag my feet to a nearby bench. I bury my face in my hands, the scent from Elias’s hoodie wrapping around me as I rub my eyes on the soft worn material.
The bench’s wood makes a muffled squeak when someone lowers themselves beside me. A large hand on my back has me looking up, heart all over the place, at Elias’s eyes searching for something in mine. He wipes my cheeks. “Why did you leave? What’s wrong?”
“I felt like I was intruding on something there. If you want to be with Brody again, I understand and—”
“Woah, woah.” Scooting closer, he takes my hand in his. “Who said anything about us getting back together?”
“I . . . He called you his boyfriend, and he looked pretty cozy with you. You two were planning to do so much together before I showed up.”
He blows out an irritated breath, shaking his head. “No, he did. Not me. I’d already told him I couldn’t go, several times, and was about to meet you in my room for a short rest, but then you showed up causing chaos in my coffee shop.” His eyes crinkle in humor.
“You aren’t getting back together with him then?”
“What?” He gives me a disapproving look. “Not at all. I can sense he wants to, though. Before I came out here, he kept rubbing my back and telling me he hoped he hadn’t upset my friend. I told him you’re more than that and that I think he should go back home.”
“Really?” A flicker of light shines inside me.
“Really, baby.” He kisses my lips. “You’re what I want. Only you.”
“That’s a relief, because I was coming here to tell you how you’re about to get a whole lot more of me soon.”
His face wrinkles. “What do you mean?”
“I got the visa approval. My boss put in a good word for me and my application was moved to the top of the list.”
His mouth hangs open and then he bounces in his seat. “Oh, that’s wonderful. That means you did it. They finally see what I have since the first day I saw you.”
“What’s that?” My words hang in the air.
“How much you’re worth all the extra steps.”
Heart bursting, I kiss his lips, and he pulls away, pressing his head to mine. “There’s somewhere I’d really like to take you in three weeks. I’ve been seeing flyers everywhere about this aquarium off the beach. It’ll be opening up to everyone soon, and it’s going to accommodate salt-water creatures. I think it’s perfect timing. We’ll have dinner there, wine, and free chocolate while all the different aquatic life swims around us.”
“I think that sounds wonderful. I’ve never done anything on Valentine’s Day before.”
“Me either. Brody hated the holiday, and for a minute I thought I did too, but then I thought about having you to celebrate things like this with and couldn’t stop wanting to take advantage of the opportunity—of all the opportunities I get to be with you. So, now that I know it’s possible, I’d really like you to join me. As my boyfriend.”
Squealing on the inside, my lips turn up and I nod. “I’d love to.” I kiss him softly and he laughs against my lips.
“Good.” He looks down at our joined hands, eyes flickering back to mine. “So, since you’ll be here for another two hours or so, would you like to come read and nap with me?”
“I’d love to.” My nose brushes over his and we head back to the coffee shop, rushing toward the stairs as soon as we enter. Ian whistles in our direction and the door slams, cutting off his catcall. Both laughing, we kiss again, and Elias tugs off my clothes. His lips don’t leave mine for long as he removes his own shirt and pants. Dragging me to the bedroom, he looks back at me, smiling. “I got some new sour-belt flavors this morning that I’d like you to taste test with me.”
“I’m always up for a good taste test.” He pulls me down onto the mattress with him, capturing my lips with his, grinding his hips against mine while reaching for something in his nightstand.
He rips the top off the candy package with his teeth the way you would a condom wrapper, forcing a laugh from me, and drags a red sugared strip over each of my nipples. As the candy slides all over my body, he licks every place it touches and then shoves it between his lips, feeding half of it to me from his own mouth. I lock my lips around the sweet taste, licking into his mouth, and the next hour is spent with us trying the other flavors and getting as much of each other as we can.
I revel in his company, and I love knowing it won’t have to come to an end after all. If anything, this is only the beginning, and what a great start we’d got off to. Rocky at times, but still something I’d never change.