13. Wyatt
THIRTEEN
WYATT
Even as I made my way to Luna's Lodge the next day, I couldn't take my mind off last night. The dinner I'd shared with Ari, the stories we'd exchanged, the lingering glances.
Was it me? Was I hallucinating? Was I projecting?
He couldn't possibly be interested in me, that much was clear. So why did I keep catching him studying my features as if he wanted to explore them with his fingers?
And then there was the comfort food. As if he wanted to make me feel at home with dinner and good company.
"Nah, you're losing it, old man," I told myself and shook my head.
I was definitely projecting. Just because someone made me dinner from their homeland, that didn't mean they liked me romantically.
Besides, even if he did, he was most probably in a relationship with my brother.
If he had been flirting with me—which he wasn't—then it wasn't something to obsess over.
It was something to warn my brother about, but since I couldn't be sure of their relationship, I'd just have to keep my mouth shut for the time being.
Or until I had further information to go on.
As I reached my destination, I tucked away Ari and any thoughts or concerns about him before I made my way inside.
Autumn and Elliot were helping Mr. Rogers with breakfast, and Donovan served the guests in the dining room.
I tried to help out too, but Mr. Rogers sat me down in the kitchen and handed me a mug of coffee so I could wait out the rush.
They seemed to have everything under control anyway, especially a few minutes later when Elliot shooed Autumn away and took charge.
She sat down opposite me with her own cup of coffee, looking flustered.
"Are you all right?" I asked.
"That boy is a menace," she said and glared at Elliot, who stuck his tongue out.
"It's not my fault you can't boil an egg," he replied.
She gasped. "Excuse me! I can so boil an egg."
"Not well," he mumbled under his breath, and Autumn pouted. "Your ass was clearly not whooped enough as a child," she said, taking her slipper off and reaching for his butt.
He batted her hand away before she could touch him, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"What is this?" Mr. Rogers asked when he returned to the kitchen with an empty platter, and immediately, both of them returned to their previous positions as if caught red-handed.
"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Autumn asked as Mr. Rogers and Elliot worked in tandem to get through their orders and replenish the buffet items.
"Just checking in on the zoo," I told her with a pointed look, if only to hide the real reason.
I just needed out of the house. Out of Ari's way and his space and everything that reminded me of him.
I needed out of the house before I did something I'd regret.
"Excuse me! Who did you call a zoo?" she raised her voice.
Elliot cast a pointed glance at her, and I hid my laugh behind a cough.
"How are things?" I asked.
"As good as can be," she sighed. "Oh, Parker and Hwan dropped by. They were considering having their wedding here. I hope you don't mind."
"Why would I?" I huffed. "The Outpost is no more."
"Don't say that. We'll rebuild. As soon as the insurance kicks in, we can restore it back to its former glory."
I shrugged. "I don't know."
I didn't know if there would be a point rebuilding anything until Salieri, Wilson, whatever his name was, was down for the count.
"Any news from the other front," I asked.
She shook her head and looked up as Donovan entered the kitchen.
"How's the detail going?" she asked him.
Donovan put a few plates on the kitchen counter next to the sink and turned around. "Nothing. Everything he and his men have been doing these past few days has been above board," he said.
I huffed. "I hope you're being careful. All of you," I said. "I don't know what he'll do if he realizes we're stalking him."
"What more could he do? He already took our home from us," Donovan said.
"There's something even more precious than our home," I said, and everyone went quiet for a moment.
Our lives weren't something to be flippant about.
"Oh, Wyatt, a couple is leaving today." Mr. Rogers broke the silence and turned to face me. "You have a room if you want, for the next little while."
"Thank you, Mr. Rogers. I'll take you up on that," I told him without hesitation.
What was my other choice? Staying around Ari and Warren's place and tempted to lose myself in the Greek doctor and screw shit up even more than I had already?
"Great. I'll get started on the room as soon as breakfast is finished," he said.
"Oh no. It's okay. I can do that myself. You don't need to go into all that trouble."
"No trouble," Mr. Rogers said.
"I'll help, anyway. Since I'm not needed here," Autumn said in Elliot's direction and stood up, straightening her blouse before leaving the room altogether.
"Well, in that case, I'll be back shortly. I'll go pick my stuff up."
Before I could dash out, Mr. Rogers pushed me back down and shoved a plate full of protein and flavor in front of me.
What was it with everyone feeding me lately? Did I look gaunt or something? Or was it obvious I couldn't take care of myself, let alone all this business with Wilson?
Regardless, I helped myself to breakfast since I skipped out on Ari before he could go into all the effort again, and filled my stomach before I went back to the apartment.
As I zipped up my almost-empty backpack and my laptop, I heard keys in the door and Ari walked in.
"Oh, hey," I said.
"Hi." He stood by the front door as if surprised to see me.
"Are you okay? Why are you back so early?"
My question seemed to push him into motion, and he closed the front door behind him.
"Oh, I wasn't feeling great, and if I'm coming down with a cold, I'd rather not infect my already vulnerable patients."
I took an extra step toward him and reached for his hand before I realized what I was doing and stopped dead in my tracks.
"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" I asked.
He shook his head and dropped his leather briefcase down by the armchair as he did every day when he was back from work. "I'm okay for now. I probably slept funny, but I just wanted to be safe."
"Are you sure?" I asked and put my backpack on the sofa too.
Ari glanced at it, then at me, and I couldn't help but feel a little weaker under his gaze.
"Are you going somewhere?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah. I...uhm...the Lodge has a spare room for a while, so I thought I'd go there."
"What?" Ari said, unzipping his winter coat. "Why? You don't like it here?"
Was it me or did he sound sad?
"No, of course I do. But I don't like feeling like...like a burden," I said.
"You're not a burden!"
"Thank you, but it's not just that. I don't want to be in your way—"
"You aren't in my way," he replied.
"Of course you'd say that, but my presence here is obviously affecting you guys. Warren hasn't been home all week, and I wouldn't want my being here to cause any problems."
"Problems? What problems?" he asked. "He's a grown man. He's probably chasing after a skirt or something."
I grimaced. "Oh. I assumed..." I said and stopped before I put my foot in my mouth.
"You assumed what?" he asked.
I shook my head, trying to dismiss the question, but Ari stepped in front of me and insisted.
It was hard to resist him when he was so close, when his lips were mere inches away from mine. When the smell of his sweet perfume made me salivate.
"I just assumed you two were...an item," I mumbled.
"A what?" Ari said, his brows knotted in confusion for a moment, then he started laughing. "You thought your brother and I are in a relationship? Oh my God! That's so funny."
"Is it?" I mumbled.
"It so is. Warren is so straight he can't even look to the side. And I'm definitely not interested in him."
Was it me or had the way he phrased that meant he was interested in another man?
Maybe I was projecting again, but the way he gazed into my eyes made me feel all weak and breathless. He made me feel seen in a way I hadn't felt in a very long time.
"Why would you think we're together?" he asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know. The way you are when you're together. How worried you were when he wasn't answering his phone."
"I worry about all my friends," he said.
"You also mentioned leaving Greece for love, so I assumed..."
Ari laughed. He laughed like I'd just told the biggest joke.
"Oh goodness. No. I didn't leave Greece for Warren. Not that there's anything wrong with him, of course. But I didn't even know him back then."
I nodded, feeling my cheeks turn red from the embarrassment.
"Well, in that case, even more of a reason to get out of your way. You've been sharing a bed long enough," I said.
"It's okay. You really don't have to go."
I was tempted to stay. To take him up on his offer, but it'd be even worse now that I knew he and Warren weren't a thing. Because now there'd be nothing stopping me from doing something stupid. And with everything going on, I couldn't do more stupid things.
"It's fine. I'd like to be close to Elliot anyway. In case he decides to do something rash."
Ari pressed his lips together and gave me a single nod.
I picked up my laptop bag, and before I could reach for my backpack, Ari grabbed it.
"Let me help," he started, then frowned. "This is super light."
I sighed. "I lost everything to the fire," I said. "There was nothing to pack other than a couple pairs of underwear I borrowed from Warren and a pair of pajamas."
Ari gave me another sad smile and put his hand on my shoulder for a moment before pulling it back as if he'd been burned. I couldn't blame him. I felt like I'd been burned too, but probably for different reasons.
"You should have said. I didn't even think. Why didn't I think? We need to take you shopping before going anywhere else."
"Oh no, I couldn't," I said.
"Of course you could, and you will. I won't take no for an answer."
"But you weren't feeling so great. You should rest."
He shook his head and put my backpack over his shoulder. "Well, I'm feeling perfectly fine now. So come on. Let's go get you some new clothes," he said, and this time, when he smiled, it was full of joy.
Joy I couldn't help but feel too, deep within my bones.
This was probably a bad idea. I was probably going to regret it. But at that moment, I couldn't find it in me to care.
Not when his gaze felt like it was everything I needed and so much more.