Chapter 22
Optimistic about life in general, Pyxlevir smiled as his parents walked into his office. He was hugged by both men, and Kalthekor brushed a chunk of Pyxlevir’s hair behind his ear.
“How was your morning?” the Valzadari Chieftain asked.
“Pretty good, how about you?”
“Excellent,” his father replied. “Should we head out to grab lunch?”
Movement out of the corner of his eye had Pyxlevir glancing at the door, and his smile grew as a frazzled Gramlithyn walked in.
It was the hybrid’s second day employed at Elven D’Vaire, and he’d been bombarding Pyxlevir with questions about the company and how to best aid Ardusian.
Pyxlevir answered as thoroughly as he could and loved the reminder of how Gramlithyn had handled projects as a teenager.
Completing them hadn’t been enough for Gramlithyn, he’d insisted on going the extra mile and finishing early.
Gramlithyn did nothing halfway, which was probably why his only solution to believing Pyxlevir hated their matebond was to run far and fast. Since those days were over, Pyxlevir refused to focus on their lost years.
Instead, he stepped around his father and raised his arms to get a hug from Gramlithyn.
The zebra-elf gave no hint of hesitation as he scooped Pyxlevir into his embrace.
It was brief but lovely. As Pyxlevir stepped away, he took an extra heartbeat to appreciate the earthy scent of carrots surrounding Gramlithyn.
“Gramlithyn is joining us for lunch,” Pyxlevir told his parents as his mate stood behind him and offered Kalthekor and Aristos a quick wave.
Pyxlevir’s folks exchanged a glance, but it was too brief for Pyxlevir to figure out what was on their minds. Aristos nodded and held out a hand, which Kalthekor took.
“Gramlithyn, we are happy for your company,” Kalthekor remarked.
“Should we go across the street?” Aristos asked.
Little was said as the four men took the elevator down to the lobby and returned to the restaurant Pyxlevir had first taken Gramlithyn to the previous week. They were seated and had menus before the silence was broken.
“How are your parents?” Kalthekor asked.
Gramlithyn’s mouth thinned for a second, and Pyxlevir noticed the sag in his shoulders. “Well, I guess. You’ve probably spoken to them more recently than I have. Everything has been a whirlwind since I returned, and I’m not doing great at prioritizing.”
“Pyx keeps telling us the five of you are getting along well at the apartment, but I’ve lived with him, so I know that can’t be the whole truth,” Aristos teased. “Give us the real gossip.”
They had to wait to speak so they could give their orders to their server, but as soon as she stepped away from their table, Gramlithyn met Aristos’s brown gaze.
“The first month or so was awkward,” Gramlithyn confided. “Last week, we started having dinners together, and it’s gotten better. I think the comradery is building. Colby and Dasan have even bonded over freaky ice cream combinations.”
“Dasan is friendlier than Gramlithyn,” Pyxlevir said with a wink for his mate. “But we’ve finally dragged Gramlithyn out of his room to be sociable.”
“Ardusian was thrilled when you called him last week,” Kalthekor told Gramlithyn. “I know you only started yesterday, but how is it going?”
“It’s scary. For the past six years, I’ve worked jobs that have required little from me other than manual labor of some kind.
Now, I’m expected to use my brain, and I think it might take a few weeks to grind my rusty gears into motion.
But Ardusian and his assistant are incredibly kind and helpful. I’m glad Pyx told me to call him.”
“I keep telling you nothing can go wrong in your life if you listen to me,” Pyxlevir joked.
“Every punishment I ever received growing up was a direct result of me listening to you,” Gramlithyn replied with a rueful shake of his head.
“Pyx is definitely a troublemaker,” Aristos agreed.
Their server returned with their meals and drinks, and Pyxlevir eagerly dug into the extra helping of carrots he’d ordered.
“That would be the influence of so many centaurs in his life,” Kalthekor muttered.
“Agreed,” Pyxlevir said. “My uncles are dreadful, especially Timotheus. The man is an absolute menace.”
Aristos snorted. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
Kalthekor’s gaze slid to Aristos. “Really, because if anyone asked me, I’d say that you are the biggest pest in our household.”
Leaning close to his mate, Aristos stole a kiss. “Then I guess you love pests.”
“Fate gave me you and Pyxlevir, of course I do.”
“Now I’m starting to think I’m terrible because of my Valzadari blood,” Pyxlevir commented.
“I think elves are definitely more horrid than any shifter,” Gramlithyn teased.
“You’re insulting yourself along with me,” Pyxlevir pointed out, resisting the temptation to poke Gramlithyn with his fork.
“I like to think my zebra makes up for the inadequacies of my elfness.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Pyxlevir scoffed and rolled his eyes at Gramlithyn’s grin. Their little group ate their lunch while chatting about mundane things surrounding work, the weather, and their meal. Soon, Pyxlevir was walking out of the restaurant and riding up the elevator to his floor.
He waved goodbye to everyone, but Gramlithyn walked out of the elevator with him.
“This isn’t your floor,” Pyxlevir said.
“Yeah, I know,” Gramlithyn replied. “I wanted to talk to you for a minute before I go back to work.”
“Okay, anything wrong?”
“No, I wanted to invite you on a date with me on Friday,” Gramlithyn said. “After dinner with our roommates, maybe we could go play mini golf or something.”
“I’d love that. Thanks for inviting me. And your reason for asking me right now had nothing to do with spending another minute or two alone with my parents in the elevator?”
Gramlithyn chuckled. “Oh, I could’ve waited until later, but you’re right. I’d rather avoid any other awkward questions about my family, my life in the last six years, or any of the other topics on their minds.”
“Give me a hug and get upstairs,” Pyxlevir ordered.
The hybrid wrapped his arms around Pyxlevir, and once again, the elf reveled in Gramlithyn’s scent.
He wished they were at home so he could steal another soft kiss.
They had shared a few chaste brushes of their lips since their first one, and Pyxlevir hoped they could experiment more soon.
In the meantime, he had to keep from getting hard at the thought because his silk pants hid nothing.
“Have a good afternoon, Pyx,” Gramlithyn said, stepping back and hitting the button for the elevator.
“See you in a few hours.”
“Can’t wait,” Gramlithyn said as he stepped into the elevator.
Thrilled at how easily they were growing comfortable around each other again, Pyxlevir turned toward his office to start his afternoon.
∞∞∞
After dinner, Gramlithyn had volunteered himself and Dasan to clean up the table while Pyxlevir and the twins chatted in the living room about what they wanted to put on the television.
“Pyxlevir is in a good mood today,” Dasan said to Gramlithyn with a waggle of his eyebrows.
“He’s an optimistic person,” Gramlithyn replied noncommittally.
“Oh, shut up, you’re getting along well, and I’m excited.”
“Don’t start planning a matebond ceremony yet,” Gramlithyn said as soon as they were in the relative security of the kitchen so their roommates couldn’t hear their conversation.
The last thing he wanted anyone to believe was that he was reluctant to be with Pyxlevir.
But he was also a realist, and he had a lot to make up for thanks to his inability to have an adult conversation with Pyxlevir before he took off to whereabouts unknown.
“So, you’re already thinking about it,” Dasan hissed with excitement.
“It’s literally been on my mind since I was six and met him.”
“I can’t believe how fucking pretty he is. Like, how does Fate like you so much?”
Gramlithyn shrugged as he plunked silverware into the dishwasher. “No idea.”
“My mate better be so hot that I come whenever he smiles at me.”
“You’re not thinking about how impractical that would be,” Gramlithyn remarked.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. But it’d still be fun.”
“Be careful what you wish for.”
“Of all the problems to have, I’ll take that one.”
“Definitely far from the worst issue on the planet,” Gramlithyn said, hitting the button to start the dishwasher. The doorbell rang, and Dasan dashed out of the kitchen.
“I’ll wipe the table, you go answer the door,” Dasan instructed.
“On it,” Gramlithyn replied. No one had mentioned inviting guests over, but the D’Vaire family was enormous and close. It wouldn’t be unusual for any of them to pop in to say hello. Gramlithyn pulled open the door and was surprised to find his parents standing in the hallway.
“Hi,” his mother offered with a bright smile. She shoved a basket at him. “We brought you a housewarming gift. I’ve been grabbing things for weeks and tucking them into the basket thinking you’d have a party, but you didn’t, so here we are. Surprise! I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”
“Honestly never occurred to me to have a housewarming party,” Gramlithyn replied as he stepped out of the way to allow them inside the apartment. “Come on in.”
His folks walked in, and Gramlithyn followed in their wake. Ahead of him, he heard the cheerful greetings of his mate and their roommates as they caught sight of Laconifel and Semira.
“Can I get you guys anything to drink?” Gramlithyn asked as he set the basket on the table.
“I guess I don’t have to ask if you have beer?” Semira ventured.
“Are you kidding?” Pyxlevir asked. “I think the centaurs send over a case every couple of days. Either they think we have a serious drinking problem or they give us far too much credit for having friends, because it’s building up in the pantry. Can I grab one for you too, Laconifel?”
“Thanks, Pyxlevir, I’d love one,” Gramlithyn’s father replied.
Before Gramlithyn could get beers for his parents, Pyxlevir was already in the kitchen grabbing beverages.
“We’re glad you stopped by,” Colburn said.
“Come have a seat on the couch. We just finished dinner. Dasan and Gramlithyn were nice enough to volunteer to clean up tonight while the rest of us were arguing about what we wanted to watch. Now we can visit with you instead so no one draws blood fighting.”
It saddened Gramlithyn that his friends were more at ease talking to his parents than he was, but he’d lied to them and was defying a tradition they treasured.
Would they ever forgive him or understand why he’d left?
They adored Pyxlevir, and it wouldn’t make it any easier when they discovered that Gramlithyn’s abandoned mate was the same elf they’d welcomed with open arms since he was six.
So, he kept his trap shut and allowed everyone to get comfortable in the spacious living room. Gramlithyn picked the armchair farthest from the sofa where his parents were sitting. They took the beers Pyxlevir handed them.
“Gramlithyn, Ardusian told us you took a job in his office,” his mother said. “How do you like it?”
“It’s only been a couple of days, but I enjoy working for Ardusian. His assistant, Walker, is great too,” Gramlithyn. “Pyx has been letting me bounce countless questions off him about Elven D’Vaire, which is helping too.”
“Plus, you had lunch with Pyxlevir’s parents too,” Dasan interjected. “Doesn’t hurt to suck up to the big boss.”
Gramlithyn’s parents shared a charged glance, and their disappointment was easy to read. They’d done nothing but support him, and he had repaid them by hurting their feelings and cutting them out of his life. It made him feel small and horrible.
He cleared his throat. “Pyx and I have agreed to grab lunch every day if we can manage it. Maybe you could join us one day next week?”
His mother grinned. “We’d love that.”
“I’ll text you,” Pyxlevir promised. “We’ll figure out a day that works for all of us.”
“So, what’s in the basket you brought?” Dasan asked. “I need to figure out what I want to steal.”
“It’s for all of you,” his mother replied with a chuckle.
“There are tons of goodies in there. Some tasty stuff, but a lot of boring stuff I thought five young men could use in their first apartment together. Like I mentioned to Gramlithyn, I thought you’d be having a housewarming party, which is why I didn’t bring it by earlier. ”
Pyxlevir’s eyes widened. “Were we supposed to do that?”
“No one told me we needed to plan a party,” Colburn added.
“Well, it’s not a necessity,” his mother said. “But I assumed with so many nosy D’Vaires, someone would insist you put one together so they could visit the apartment.”
“Planning a party is too overwhelming,” Crispin muttered. “I’m glad no one mentioned it.”
“We don’t want hordes of people traipsing through here,” Gramlithyn stated. “But you’re welcome to visit us whenever you want, Mom and Dad.”
“Thank you, we promise not to be pests, but we might pop in now and then,” his mother replied.
“Don’t expect a basket full of gifts each time though,” his father teased.
“But if I find anything I think you guys can use, I’ll be sure and bring it by,” Semira added.
“I’ll give you a list of my favorite stuff in case you’re somewhere and see something on sale or something,” Dasan commented.
“I’ll buy it even if it’s not on sale,” Gramlithyn’s mother assured the hummingbird. “So, be sure and give me a full list.”
Gramlithyn rolled his eyes as Dasan yanked out his phone to text Semira everything he’d ever enjoyed in his life. At least his mother would have someone to shop for besides Gramlithyn. She had a generous spirit, and Dasan was about to learn that she wasn’t kidding about spoiling him.