Chapter 5 #2
“What I do know is…” Leo began, his voice catching with emotion and bringing tears to Elio’s eyes.
“Is that they wanted you. You weren’t planned and they had thought that Matteo would be their last, but you came along six years later and we were all so happy.
I have always suspected that Mamma knew you would be a handful but wanted you to be the center of our family’s universe.
It’s why I put up with all of your nonsense. ”
That was why Elio would always tolerate Leo’s meddling and tried not to disappoint him. Too much. “Thank you. Being here feels like a mistake but I’ll make it work with Starlight.”
“You don’t have to stay,” Leo noted gently. “I haven’t been secretive about how pleased I am that you’re with Matteo and trying something new, but you can always come back, Sternchen.”
Leo had been ecstatic to have an ocean between them so Elio could be someone else’s problem for a while. He still meddled and kept his nose in Elio’s affairs but it had to be a comfort to Leo, knowing that Truman had the connections and resources to handle just about any catastrophe.
“I have to stay. Milo Ashby is here and he’s the only one who can help me.”
“With what? What can’t you do with that unfathomable brain of yours and why can’t you do it at someplace like Cambridge?”
“Milo is…” Elio searched for a way to explain what he saw in Milo or what he felt whenever they spoke.
“He is the only person who has a chance of understanding the things I don’t.
He may already have the missing piece of the puzzle I’ve been working on inside his head.
If not, he’s the only one who can help me find it. ”
“He did strike me as an extraordinarily intelligent young man but I didn’t realize he was on your level.”
“Pffft! No one is on my level. He is the closest I’ve ever met, though, and I can’t afford to waste this opportunity,” Elio accepted with a weary groan. “They’re all so basic and boring here and they have no drive, no passion. Except for Milo. Although he could have a little more ambition.”
“Is that your only interest in Milo? Bist du verliebt?” Leo asked, his tone rising suggestively and making Elio snort.
“Bist du deppert?” he replied. “I have more important things on my mind and Milo doesn’t give off that kind of vibe. He doesn’t give off any kind of vibe and he isn’t my type.”
“Nein? Bist du deppert?” Leo countered and laughed. “I’ve seen Milo and his father and they would be most people’s type.”
Elio gasped and stared at the phone, scandalized. “Does Jonathon know you’ve been looking at other men like that?”
“Do you think he hasn’t noticed?” Leo laughed again, this time lighter. “Muriel tried to set Jonathon up with Giles and Jonathon said he would have gone for it if he wasn’t still in love with me.”
“How romantic,” Elio said dryly. “I suppose they are very handsome men, if you’re into that. I don’t care and I don’t worry about sex the way that you and Theo and Teo do. My brain actually works.”
He got the impression that Milo didn’t care about his looks either or understood how attractive he was.
The rumor around the office was that he was a virgin and Elio was inclined to believe it.
Milo seemed completely unaware and indifferent when they danced at the wedding or when they met in the elevator.
Or the bathroom or when they were alone in Elio’s office.
Milo was usually flustered and blushing but that was his general state as far as Elio had observed. The only time he had ever seemed relaxed and truly happy was with his family—especially his sister—and close friends. That was appealing to Elio but not in a romantic way, of course.
There was a thoughtful sound from Leo, which meant he was plotting. “I don’t know about the Ashbys but I would be over the moon.”
“Wie bitte?” Elio barked, shaking his head. “My interest in Milo is professional. At the most, I might consider him a friend. Let’s see how he holds up.”
“It seems like your interest in him is…intense. Are you sure it’s only professional?”
“I’m an intense person, Poldi. Especially when it comes to my work. You know this.”
“I do… But one day you will get tired of solving problems and you’ll want someone who can keep up with you. You could do a lot worse than Milo Ashby.”
“What has gotten into you and Matteo lately?” Elio asked as his frustration grew.
“You’ve both found happiness and you’re trying to inflict it upon the rest of us.
At least Theo’s minding his own business.
And why would anyone wish me upon Milo?” he added and Leo burst into laughter, making Elio more exasperated.
“Truly. What is wrong with you lately? I like you better when you’re at your wit’s end. ”
“You’re growing up, Eli. I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’ve had enough of this.”
“Fine. One last thing, though: we’re already proud of you, but I can’t help but wonder if being a happier man could make you a better scientist.”
“I’ll keep that in mind!” Elio said sarcastically. “Give Jonathon my love and let Muriel know I’m taking good care of her place.”
He winced at the floor around him, strewn with jeans, tennis balls, and T-shirts.
The wastebasket was full of coffee cups and the recycling bin needed to be emptied, Red Bull cans toppled off every time he added another.
There were five more rolling boards and another full bin of cans in the sitting room but the rest of the apartment was untouched.
With the exception of the windows and the bathroom mirrors.
Elio rarely ate while he was there. Far too busy—lazy—to cook or clean the kitchen, Elio preferred to grab a salad, a slice of pizza, or falafel before he caught the train to or from the institute.
“Don’t work too hard, alright?” Leo asked.
“Stop worrying about me. I’m fine.”
“I love you.”
“You too. Ciao.” Elio ended the call and tossed his phone at the bed. “We’ve had worse conversations.”
Although, he almost preferred it when Leo scolded him and lamented over his moodiness and behavior.
Leo had put a strange and unnecessary idea in Elio’s head and the last thing he needed was another distraction.
Who cared if Milo looked like a young Superman behind his sexy, thick-framed glasses or that he only grew more adorable when he blushed and babbled?
Now that Leo had mentioned it, Elio recalled that Milo had very nice lips.
And he couldn’t help but wonder if Milo might have noticed him in that way too.
Elio had yet to detect any kind of awareness or interest in anything but work from Milo.
Was that because he was a virgin and indifferent or was Milo put off by all the tattoos and piercings?
Each one was an act of rebellion and a means of keeping people out of Elio’s sphere, but what if they repelled the one person he might want to be close to?
Shaking his head, Elio cast the whole matter aside.
He didn’t come to Manhattan to woo Milo Ashby or get his heart broken.
He had come too far and achieved too much to go down like his brothers.
Elio had come to push the boundaries of time and physics and to achieve the impossible.
He would let lesser men fret over the problem of love.