Chapter 3 #3
Selene rolled her eyes and scoffed.“You're not invited. It’s just for me and some friends.”When her dads gave her looks of offense, she scoffed.“What?It’s not like he could afford a ticket anyway.He’s getting a doctorate in English literature.”
“History,” Miles muttered. “My program is ancient history.”Something tightened in his chest.He’d gone around and around with Selene about how little she paid attention to him.
But it always ended with him apologizing and letting her have her way.
He didn’t know why things felt like they were shifting now though.
He'd never found it in him to care enough, but something in his chest felt like it was cracking open.
It was over. He couldn’t keep going. She was obviously cheating on him, and she was probably going to Ibiza with fucking Jake and her crew of people who were all clearly laughing at him behind his back.
His only comfort in that moment was the look on her dads’ faces because it was obvious they didn’t know.
They’d been as fooled as him.
He couldn’t keep looking like a moron. He couldn’t keep being the butt of every joke she told.
It was time to walk away.
He closed his eyes in a long, slow blink and felt the cold reality set in.He had nowhere to go, no money, no car, and no family. Selene had become his world, and that was crumbling before his eyes.
“…some respect.I don’t know why you think you can just plan some trip and expect us to pay while you’re busy treating the person you love like this.
” Miles had tuned out, but now he zeroed in on Cosimo’s lips.
He was not pulling punches with her.The man looked furious, and his expression terrified him.
The last place Miles ever wanted to be was on the receiving end of a glare like that.
She scoffed. “You’re being so dramatic right now. He’s fine, right, Miles? And, like, love is kind of a stretch, don’t you think?”
That might have hurt once. Hell, even yesterday that dismissal might have gutted him, but right then, all he felt was a numb sort of acceptance. She didn’t love him. She never had. And he very much doubted whatever he felt for her had been that either.
“Why do you think we’re going to reward you for this?” Cosimo demanded. His gaze shifted over to Miles and they locked eyes. For a second, Miles couldn’t breathe. Then Selene’s annoyed whine broke the spell.
“Uh.Because you always pay.And I don’t see why it’s a big deal now.” Selene waved her hand at them. “It’s not like anything’s changed since last time I went out of town.”
God, he couldn’t take this. He needed a moment to breathe—to escape. He was going to do something embarrassing, like start laughing. Or crying. He was not equipped to handle all this emotion all at once. Not in public, anyway.
The room was massive but suddenly it felt like the walls were closing in.
“Do you mind if I excuse myself for—” he tried to say, but Selene slammed her hand on the table, cutting his words off.
“See!” she all-but shouted. “You’re embarrassing him.”
“No, they’re not. You’re—” he tried. It wasn’t them at all. He felt like he was going to buckle from the weight of their stares so full of pity he could almost taste the bitterness on his tongue. But he deserved it. This whole thing was pathetic.
“You do this every time,” she continued to shout at her dads.“This is why I never invite you to meet the people I’m dating. It's bad enough I have to explain the whole gay marriage thing, let alone how you even had me. Now you have to make a damn scene in a restaurant. Everyone is staring.”
Cosimo blinked slowly at her. “And you think that’s my fault?”
“Look at him!” she said, her voice going higher. She pointed to Miles and it felt like the entire room had turned around to watch him. Fuck. He wanted to die.
Miles’s cheeks blazed. “Seriously.It’s fine. Can you please stop screaming.”
Selene turned a furious look on him.“I’m not fucking screaming. And stop saying it’s fine when it isn’t.God, you are such a doormat , Miles. You’re so embarrassing. I don’t even know why I let you come out in public.”
“Selene!”Cosimo’s voice boomed. She went quiet, but her glare rivaled his. “We didn’t raise you to be like this.”
At that, she laughed.“No.You just shoved money in my mouth like a pacifier.This is definitely not your fault.”The sarcasm was so thick, he could almost see it dripping from her smile.
“Maybe I should go,” Miles said very quietly.
At that, Emmett turned to him, his face soft and his gaze cautious.“Please don’t.This isn’t the impression I wanted to make on Selene’s…boyfriend. We’re all better than this.”
Miles took in a shaking breath. All he wanted in the world was to run. To escape. To get the hell out of the room where people were still staring at them. But all of his childhood training to do nothing but make people around him happy kicked in.
How could he run when Emmett was now smiling at him?
“It’s fine.”
Emmett shook his head and reached for his hand. His skin was very warm and very soft. Miles couldn’t remember the last time someone had touched him like that. He felt an inexplicable urge to let himself fall into this man’s arms.
“I’m so sorry, Miles.” His gaze flickered over to Cosimo who was still staring at him with that same intensity. He didn’t say the words the way Emmett had, but he nodded, and Miles swore he could feel them.
Emmett looked at his daughter, but Selene just scoffed and flipped him off before picking up her phone and typing furiously. So…that was that.
“Christ,” Emmett breathed out. He slowly withdrew his hand and placed it on his lap before meeting Miles’s gaze again. “Can we start over?”
Say no, his mind screamed. Say no. Say you need to leave. Make up a lie and tell them you’re late for something. They won’t call you out on it. Not after this.
But the words wouldn’t come. For some reason, he felt almost compelled to do whatever Emmett was asking him. He found himself nodding. Licking his lips. Smiling.
“Yeah.” His voice felt a little rough in the back of his throat, and his only saving grace was that he couldn’t really hear it. “We can start over.”
Emmett smiled and warmth bloomed to life in Miles’s chest because dear god, the grin was so sincere. “Why don’t you tell us about yourself? You said you’re getting a degree in ancient history? That sounds like a difficult program.”
Was he really expected to answer that? After everything that had just gone down. The silence was still ringing as loud as a goddamn church bell around the table. But Emmett was smiling, and Cosimo’s attention had zeroed in on him completely.
He took a calming breath, then looked between both men before answering.“Yes. I’m a Ph.D. student,” he said. “I’m almost done. I defend my dissertation in November.”
Selene scoffed. “Pointless fucking bullshit degree.” Then she went back to her phone.
Emmett looked at her, and there was something in his eyes, something almost…crushed. The disappointment in her was tangible.“Go on,” he said.
Miles laughed tiredly and shrugged.“There’s not a whole lot else to tell.I’m working on my last chapters now, and I’m teaching a couple of online classes this summer…”
“Seriously?” Cosimo asked, his tone flat.
Miles hunched into himself.“I know I don’t seem, um, that smart, but?—”
“No,” he barked.“You seem incredibly smart.I just meant I’m surprised Selene is dating someone like you.”
Miles genuinely couldn’t tell if that was an insult toward him or her.“Well.Um.We met in a group for deaf kids.Not, like, deaf with a capital D, you know?”
Emmett laughed softly and squeezed his hand again.“We know the difference.”
Miles’s ears were burning.Why was he so awkward ?“Right, sorry.Yeah.”
“What about your parents?” Emmett asked. “Are they coming down to see you graduate?”
Miles hadn’t realized Selene told her dads nothing about him at all. But he also wasn’t surprised. He caught her gaze and she shook her head, but he was done letting her bully him about who he was.
“I don’t have parents. I grew up in the foster system.
Mostly in group homes, so I wasn’t able to learn sign or anything like that.
I want to,” he added, feeling a tiny spark of shame in his gut, though he knew none of that was his fault.
“I really wanted to, but I ended up needing German, Latin, and Attic Greek for my degree. Then I did two semesters of Italian because it made studying Dante’s writings a little easier, and I wouldn’t have to work with poorly done translations. ”
Emmett whistled.“Impressive.”
Miles shrugged.“It’s not.There are way more accomplished people in my program, but I’m hoping it’s enough for me to get a job right after I graduate.”
“Where?” Cosimo asked, his tone almost like he was conducting a job interview.
Miles licked his lips nervously.“Um.Anywhere?”He laughed, feeling tense all over.“My friend just got hired on at the University of Rhode Island, so I might ask him for some contacts.I’m hoping I can stay on the East Coast.I don’t have any family, but I have friends here.”
Emmett and Cosimo looked at each other again, communicating silently before Emmett shifted in his chair to look at Miles properly.
“Well, I think you’ve got a real shot at staying close.
And I’ve had work with several Universities so I could probably call in some favors.
”He tapped his chin thoughtfully.“Where are you living now?Campus housing, or?—”
“Selene asked me to move in with her,” Miles said slowly. “I’ve been there…a while.” He was a little afraid to tell them how long considering they didn’t even know about him.
“Oh my God,” Selene said against her dads’ sudden and profound silence, “shut the fuck up.That’s none of their business.”
Miles had a feeling the looks on Emmett and Cosmio’s faces didn’t have anything to do with them disapproving of their daughter living with him.
“And you two have been together how long?” Emmett asked.
Miles swallowed thickly, but he wasn’t about to lie to this man. He couldn’t. “Four years.”
Emmett’s eyes widened, then he cleared his throat.“I see.”He reached for his water and took a long drink.“Did you two drive separate today?”
Miles looked over at Selene who rolled her eyes and said, “Might as well tell them since you can’t keep your fucking mouth shut.”She leaned on her elbow and rested her chin on her hand, smiling sharply.Meanly.“I forced him to sell his shitty-ass car and use mine since I hate driving.”
Cosimo rubbed a hand down his face, and Emmett sighed.The silence continued.
Then Miles cracked. “I feel like the damn court jester here, except I'm not in on the joke.”
“Miles, I’m so sorry,” Emmett started. "Selene apparently hasn't been very truthful with us, and I think Cosimo and I have some very serious thinking to do about, well, everything.”
Selene slammed her hand on the table.“That’s enough.Miles, let’s go.”
“I don’t think—” he started. He was suddenly afraid to leave. Afraid to step away from the warm comfort of the two men who actually seemed to be on his side. Once they left that bubble, there would only be chaos.
Either he accepted life as it was now, or he cut things off. He already knew what he had to do, but he had no contingency plans. No back up. No savings.
No nothing.
And the only person who could afford to bail him out right then was on his honeymoon. Oliver would move heaven and earth to make sure Miles was safe, but Miles had already damn-near ruined his wedding. He wasn’t going to fuck up his honeymoon too.
He took a deep breath. “We don’t need to rush home.”
Selene glared at him. “Either we leave, or I leave, and you can find your own ride home.”She was up and walking away before he had time to react.
A part of him wanted to stay where he was.He had a feeling if he asked, her dads would tell him every ounce of truth he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear.But that was doing what he always did. That was avoiding the actual problem.
It was time to be an adult about this. It was time to take charge of the independence he claimed to want so badly. If he ended up in a shelter for a few weeks, so be it. He’d been in worse. He could do this. He had to.
“I’m sorry.I should go,” he said. “I need to…” He paused for a beat. “I need to figure this out.”
Emmett caught his wrist as he stood and held him fast.“Let me see your phone.I’d like to give you our numbers.”
Miles hesitated. The longer he took, the angrier Selene was going to be, and he wasn’t sure he could take more of her insults today. All of this had been more than enough.
“It’ll only take me a second. I just want you to have someone to call if it all gets…” Emmett glanced at Cosimo as he hesitated, then said, “out of hand.”
Miles hated that Emmett was right. He had a feeling if anyone could control her and stop her from flying off the handle, it was them.
Digging his phone out of his pocket, he unlocked it and handed it over.Emmett only took a second before handing it back, but he didn’t let Miles go.He squeezed his wrist tighter.
“Promise me that you’ll call us if anything happens, okay? Or if you need us. For anything.”
“That’s nice of you, but?—”
Cosimo cleared his throat and leaned forward.
“Miles, she’s our problem too.I don’t like getting involved with her personal life, but it’s the least we can do after everything she put you through.
If you need anything,” he added, like he was afraid Miles would call in the middle of the night to chit-chat about the latest update of Bridgerton, “we’re here. ”
Unable to form words, Miles just nodded at them, then slipped his phone into his pocket and made it out just in time to see Selene turning back toward the doors.
Her glare was impressive, but it didn’t scare Miles the way it might have before.
He was resigned to what was about to happen, which meant she no longer had power over him.
“Get the fucking car,” she snapped.
He obeyed this time, but he had a feeling it would be the last time he ever did what she said again.