Chapter 7
Seven
Motion.
Be it on a train, riding his skateboard, or falling or flying through the air, nothing soothed Elio more than the physical experience and expression of motion.
It was why he couldn’t work at a desk or sit still and why he preferred to hop on a train or his board when his thoughts lingered somewhere heavy or he was stuck on a problem.
Riding his skateboard on the pavement in Manhattan was a nightmare, so Elio was on a train, attempting to ground himself in a podcast as the rocking of the car lulled his restless nerves.
He ate a piece of pizza as he made a half-hearted attempt to focus on a discussion about peer review in the age of artificial intelligence.
Unlike many of his peers, Elio loathed the rise of artificial intelligence and distrusted it.
Computers weren’t smarter than the smartest people or they would have already solved the problems scientists like him toiled over.
Algorithms couldn’t analyze and reason past data sets the way humans could, therefore were bound to be fallible.
The banter was dry and the observations were recycled and stale so Elio’s thoughts meandered to Milo and how much had changed at Starlight since they began their research on P versus NP.
Coming into the institute was less of a chore and Elio was happier, now that they had a worthwhile project and less exposure to the rest of the Computational Astrophysics department.
Milo was finally thriving and Elio’s moods were rarely heavy lately but he was having a hard time focusing in his new office or at the Olympia.
He had no idea why, but Matteo’s wish for Elio to find romantic and sexual bliss and Leo’s “observations” about Milo had a destabilizing effect.
More than that, they had thrown Elio’s world out of orbit, if he was being academic and honest about the matter.
Sex was usually the last thing Elio thought about and only perked his interest when he was bored and uninspired with his work.
That rarely happened but when it did, Elio’s social antenna would flicker back to life and if he detected interest and the conditions were right, he would engage.
For Elio, the basic chemistry and simple mechanics of sex held no mystery and he found little inspiration in the brief euphoria of an orgasm.
He had been confounded by his brothers’ fixations with sex, particularly Theo’s.
But Elio had been content to observe from a distance and experience romance vicariously through them.
Had Matteo and Leo cursed Elio? Was he too much like his father and brothers?
Or were his useless, primitive instincts and hormones finally rearing their heads?
Why now and why with Milo Ashby?
Coming to Manhattan was supposed to be the turning point but every time Elio cleared one hurdle, another presented itself and threatened to derail his progress.
And it wasn’t lost on Elio that after railing about Starlight and his peers there being jokes, he was the one who couldn’t pull his head out of his arse and had deeply unprofessional thoughts about his new project partner.
Elio’s self-flagellation was interrupted when he heard an aggressive “Come on, baby!”
Elio took another bite of his pizza and scanned around him, chewing as two university-aged men—one white and the other Black—crowded a young Black woman as she did her best to ignore them and read something on her phone.
“She isn’t into you, Todd!”
But Todd waved his friend off and gave his blond fringe a confident flip, then lowered so he was almost in her face. “You’ve got a phone. Why don’t you give me your number so we can get to know each other?”
The middle-aged business man next to the young woman looked annoyed but raised his paper and pretended he was deaf.
“What’s the matter? You too good to talk or what?” Todd challenged and Elio noted the way her hand shook as she swiped at her phone’s screen. “Hey! I know you speak English. I can see what you’re reading.”
An older Asian man on the bench across from her appeared concerned and offended but cowered as Todd’s posture and gestures became more intimidating.
“What’s your problem?” he demanded, making the attractive young woman shrink behind her phone. Her pixie cut did little to hide the mortified blush that tinted her cheeks and ears.
Elio slipped his free hand into his pocket and squeezed the tennis ball, calculating the distances between him and Todd and between Todd’s head and the nearby pole and the door.
“Hey, bitch! I’m talkin’ to you!”
Bitch? How about this?
Repulsed, Elio whipped the ball at Todd’s head.
It made contact with Todd’s temple with enough velocity to stun him, causing his head to strike the pole with a loud bong!
before he tipped forward and his face slammed into the door.
He slid to the train’s floor, his eyes rolled back.
There were a few claps and snickers but most of the other passengers minded their business.
“Todd?” His friend used his foot to give Todd’s shoulder a nudge, receiving a slurred mumble.
One of the commenters in Elio’s earbuds said something about new standards for peer review and he grunted dubiously as he took another bite of his pizza. He was getting off at the next stop so he stuffed what was left in his mouth and grabbed his skateboard as he stood.
The young woman was waiting on the platform when Elio got off. “Here!” She held up the tennis ball, smiling brightly. “Thank you!”
Elio offered her a nod but kept going. “I have others,” he said, referring to the ball. She tucked it into the pocket of her trench coat and followed him up the stairs.
“That was amazing! You threw that ball like a ninja star and took his ass down. I didn’t think you were even aware of what was happening.”
“How could I not be aware? He was annoying everyone.”
“No one else seemed to notice,” she said and Elio snarled as he recalled the man with the newspaper. That was to be expected in cities like New York, unfortunately. There were too many people and something absurd or disturbing was always happening. People became numb and kept their heads down.
“I don’t like bullies and I don’t condone sexual assault,” he said simply, giving her a final nod but she grabbed his arm, halting him.
“I love your accent. Are you British?”
Elio shook his head, looking longingly in the direction of the skate park. “I’m Austrian and Italian but I’ve spent most of my life in England at university.”
“Oh! What is it you do?” she asked and he stopped, squinting down at her impatiently. That usually worked but she smiled up at him with beautiful, adoring brown eyes and obscenely long lashes.
“I’m a physicist and I’m sure you have someplace else you need to be.” Elio noted a sleek blue dress under her coat and her tasteful tan heels were high end. “A meeting or a merger, maybe?” he guessed.
“Lunch with a client. But not for an hour or so,” she said as she checked her watch. “Can I get you a cup of coffee? There’s a great place just up the street.”
“I have work—” he attempted but she gave his sleeve a tug.
“At the skatepark?”
Elio answered with an irritated grimace. “Eventually.”
“Let me get you a cup of coffee. I owe you for saving me back there,” she said sincerely.
“You’re persistent,” Elio sighed and gestured for her to lead the way.
“I’m Felicity,” she corrected cheerfully, making him chuckle despite his intentions to remain aloof.
“You can call me Eli,” he decided.
“So, Eli… Are you visiting or do you live here?”
He wasn’t entirely sure. “I’m staying for the time being. But I can’t see myself getting a place and living here indefinitely.”
“That’s too bad. Maybe you’ll find someone special,” she said with a hopeful lift of her brows.
Elio knew she meant herself but he saw Milo, flustered in the bathroom stall, clutching his notebooks and reports. “Are we to assume this special person would be interested in someone like me?”
“I know you’re joking,” Felicity said with a loaded look. “Who isn’t into bad boys? Especially chivalrous ones that save damsels on trains. I was hoping you would notice me and that we might exchange numbers before Todd killed the vibe.”
“Trust me, I am not a knight or a pri—” Elio recalled that he technically was a prince, but shrugged. “Either way, I am not likely to seek a…damsel, if you take my meaning,” he added apologetically and she bit back a giggle.
“That’s even better. I have a cousin who is way too fine and too sweet to be single. How do you feel about animals and do you have any allergies?” she asked, the gleam in her eyes switching from adoring to calculating as she went into matchmaking mode.
Elio grimaced and leaned away warily. “Why? Is he a cat?”
“No!” She laughed and gave him a shove before linking their arms. “He’s a veterinarian and has a practice in Brooklyn.”
“I see…” Elio paused and placed his hand on hers.
“I do like animals but I’m going to stop you right there.
I am cranky, self-absorbed, single-minded, and prone to mood swings and emotional outbursts.
Nothing about me would be ideal for anyone decent and I have no interest in a romantic relationship.
My work always comes first and I don’t want to make time for anyone else,” he explained clearly and carefully.
Her lips pursed as she considered. “Alright, I respect a man who’s self-aware and a straight-shooter. Well, not a straight-shooter,” she said with a cheeky wink. “Just coffee,” she promised as they came to a stop in front of a coffee shop.
“Very well,” Elio said, reaching for the door. He suspected that getting coffee with Felicity would be entertaining and resolved to be less grumpy.
“At least look at a picture of Daniel.” She waved her phone at Elio. “When I tell you he is fine…”
“Don’t push your luck, Felicity.”