Chapter 8
Eight
As a rule, Milo tended to skip birthday parties, especially when they were for someone who was well-liked. Too many people would be there and the odds of receiving a decent-sized piece of cake were low. He preferred to call or drop by and wish them a happy birthday at a quieter time.
That wasn’t an option when the party was at Briarwood Terrace and it was his Uncle Gavin’s birthday.
Everyone was there, including both of Milo’s dads and his mother and sister so he had taken his three-inch square of cake outside, and was enjoying the music and cheerful atmosphere from a safe distance on the back terrace.
Milo’s Uncle Morris had brought a guitar and Reid pulled out his keyboard.
They convinced Gavin to play his clarinet, filling the apartment and the building with upbeat jazz and R&B.
The music was always good and Milo was glad he hadn’t missed out when they played “September” and had even consented to dancing with the triplets.
If you could call Milo’s flailing limbs and random kicks dancing…
“Come and sit with me!” June ordered, hooking her arm around Milo’s and dragging him to the bench at the back of the terrace.
“Too much second-hand embarrassment?” he guessed and his cousin cringed sheepishly.
“They’ve had enough dancing but Bea said I should save you. The von Hessens have arrived and we wanted to preserve your dignity. It looked like you were having a seizure or there were bugs under your shirt,” she said, causing them to burst into giggles.
“Thanks. They’ve seen my dancing before and once is more than enough,” Milo mused but she groaned and gave his arm a hug.
“I think it’s adorable, personally. You let the music move you and you don’t worry about looking silly.”
“No…” Milo shook his head. “I’ve accepted that I’m going to look like a fork in a garbage disposal so I just let it happen.”
They laughed and she straightened and her neck stretched. “Do you think one of them will come outside?”
“Them? Amy, Bea, and Charlie just went inside.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Not them! The von Hessens. Matteo and Elio are here with Truman Tennyson.”
“The von Hessens are pretty cool but I don’t know about Truman,” he confided in a whisper. “Mom says he’s lowkey a gangster and has almost every politician in the state in his pocket.”
“That’s what my mom said too but she likes him!” June whispered back, causing Milo to snort.
“Your mom would like a crooked attorney.”
They shushed each other as they burst into another fit of giggles. Both of June’s mothers were free spirits but Agnes was rebellious and occasionally mischievous where Penny was a wild child and loved nature.
“They’re both so gorgeous,” June said, sighing at the kitchen door.
“Who? Matteo and Truman?” Milo asked and she shook her head.
“Don’t get me wrong, Truman’s pretty hot. But Matteo and Elio are gorgeous.”
“That does seem to be the consensus…” Milo narrowed his eyes, considering the age ranges of his sources.
His mother had said the same thing, as had several of his coworkers at Starlight.
But June was closer to Milo in age, being only two years younger.
“They’re very different but they’re both gorgeous? ”
Attraction was obviously subjective but Milo was curious about what someone his age should find attractive.
And the younger von Hessen brothers had vastly different appearances, aside from their shared features.
Matteo was immaculately groomed and wore expensive suits.
He was charismatic and tended to be the center of attention.
Elio, on the other hand… He was dark, unruly, and unsociable.
At least, he pretended to be. Beneath his intimidating exterior, Elio was considerate and sensitive. Protective. Milo no longer braced himself when Elio entered the room and looked for him in the Olympia’s lobby in the evenings instead of sneaking to the elevators to avoid him.
“It depends on what you’re into,” June began. “If you like pretty boys who know how to dress, Matteo is your guy. If you have a weakness for bad boys, Elio checks all the boxes. He’s tattooed, moody, and he comes with a skateboard.”
“And tennis balls,” Milo added. “They used to get on my nerves but now they’re kind of soothing, like listening to a clock or a metronome tick.”
“Ohhh! What’s it like, working with Elio?” she asked excitedly but Milo shrugged.
“It’s fine. A lot better than I expected. He lets me make most of the decisions and he actually listens to me. That’s weird and has taken some getting used to,” he admitted and June’s lip pushed out.
“It’s so sad! Why is Elio the first person at Starlight to treat you the way you deserve to be treated?”
Milo wrinkled his nose. “You guys think I’m special because you love me, but at Starlight, I’m just another kid from a wealthy family with a high IQ. Everyone’s ‘special’ at Starlight.”
“Not as special as you,” June said with a threatening look. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I know you’re better than all of them.”
“Maybe… Elio said something like that, but he doesn’t hold a very high opinion of the rest of our coworkers so that might not be saying much.”
“Oh, no!” She covered her mouth, laughing. “I wouldn’t be able to work around him. I’d have a mega crush and be useless.”
“A mega crush? I’ve never even had a crush. What’s a mega crush like?” he asked and June rolled her eyes.
“You’ve come to the right place if you want to know. I’m the Queen of Crushes and I’ve seen them all! Easy, breezy spring crushes and the kinds of crushes that take over your life and become your identity. I could write a book.”
“Probably,” he said with a soft laugh.
June loved falling in love. She regularly shared the details of her latest crush but none of June’s relationships ever made it past the second date.
Milo had no idea why and assumed that June must have had bad luck when it came to the men and women she dated.
As far as he was concerned, June was one of his favorite cousins and one of the coolest people on the planet.
“A regular crush doesn’t derail you from your regular routine or mess with your appetite. You say hi, wave at each other, wonder if they’re single… But you’re not ready to play phone tag or shave things on a regular basis so you let it sit on the back burner and go about your life.”
“Okay…” Milo nodded along. “What about the mega crush?” he asked and June snickered wryly.
“I haven’t had one of those in a while, thank goodness.
You will go out of your way to ‘accidentally’ run into them and you’re always too nervous to eat.
And God help you if you have to eat in front of them, it’s like you’ve never seen a utensil before and you forget how your mouth works.
Your sleeping cycle goes all out of whack and you start shaving things you probably shouldn’t, just in case. ”
“In case of what?” Milo asked, looking down at his lap. He was beginning to notice more hair in strange places but he hadn’t considered shaving anything below his face.
“You know… Just in case things happen with your crush.”
“Things.” Milo almost asked her to elaborate, then remembered that he didn’t want to know about those sorts of things. “They talk about me and Elio at Starlight and they think I have a crush on him.”
June scooted closer on the bench. “Do you?” she asked in a hushed whisper but Milo shook his head.
“I don’t think so… I like working with Elio and it’s nice when it’s just the two of us. But we eat lunch together almost every day and I haven’t had any problems with my mouth or sleeping at night.”
“Results may vary,” she said with a shrug, then muffled a shriek when the back door opened and Penn and Elio stepped out onto the stoop and waved at them. “Smile and act natural!” she whispered out of the side of her mouth.
Milo frowned as he waved back. “How else would I act?” he asked, grunting when she elbowed him.
“Try not to stare,” she ordered and took out her phone. “Pretend we’re watching something.”
“This doesn’t seem natural,” Milo noted but kept his eyes pointed in the direction of her phone.
“I knew it!” she hissed when Penn took out a joint and lit it, then passed it to Elio.
“I just assumed,” Milo murmured with a dismissive snort. “It’s Penn and Elio likes anything ‘bad.’ He’s probably doing it to get on Leo’s nerves.”
“Milo! He’s staring at you!” She made a giddy sound and poked his thigh. “Maybe Elio has a crush on you.”
“Stop it! That’s bonkers. Why would he have a crush on me?”
“You, stop it!” June replied. “You’re gorgeous too, Milo, and you’re the sweetest and the smartest boy in the whole world. He’d have to be blind, honestly.”
“You’re just saying that because we’re cousins and you love me.”
June gave him an offended swat. “I am not! You’re a hottie, Milo! And you are the sweetest and the smartest boy I know. You should go for it!”
“Go for it?” He blinked at her.
“With Elio! If he has a crush on you and asks you out, go for it!” she urged but Milo flinched and shushed her.
“Are you high? Elio isn’t interested in me like that. We’re friends and research partners, that’s it. And could you imagine me ‘going for it?’ I’ve never gone for anything in my life, outside of academics.” he said, making her grin.
“I can, actually. You’re brave when you want to learn something and you can be stubborn when you’re locked in.”
“Maybe… But I doubt he’d be interested in me.”
“Take my word for it,” she said with a heavy sigh. “And promise me you’ll go for it.”
“Nope, I’m not promising anything.” He shook his head. “Knowing me, I’d make a total fool of myself and then I’d have to find a new job and move to a new state and I can’t move.”
“Calm down! No one says you have to move or get a new job.”
“I do,” Milo said, shuddering as he imagined how awkward it would be if he had to face Elio after a disastrous first date. “I feel like an alien or a baby whenever that comes up.” He widened his eyes so she knew that he meant sex and romantic relationships.
“That’s because you’re so sweet and it’s totally cool if you’re not ready for that or you don’t want to talk about it.”
“Thanks, I don’t.” Milo scraped the frosting and crumbs off his plate with the side of his fork. “Think you could score me another piece of cake?”
“On it!” she said and popped up.
Milo watched as she skipped across the back terrace and rolled his eyes when she accepted a hit off the joint before going inside. Penn and Elio went in after her, leaving Milo alone with some strange questions to ponder.
Did he have a crush on Elio? Should he “go for it” if he had the opportunity?
The idea made Milo dizzy and queasy because “it” always did, but what if this was the closest he was ever going to get? The scientist in Milo was intrigued by the possibility of finally exploring the unknown—for him—with a trusted peer.
Intrigued enough to actually act, though?
Milo scoffed at himself and dismissed the idea. When it came to sex, dating, and crushes, he was a clueless kid and Elio was in an entirely different league. The last thing Milo wanted was another reminder. Not when he was beginning to feel accepted and finally had a chance to shine at Starlight.