5. Elias
Elias hadn’t wanted to tag along with Theo and Levi, but when he walked into the pizza place, he was eternally grateful to his big brother.
Kate was there.
Her cheeks were rosy—probably from the wine she’d drunk at the gallery. Yes, he’d noticed. It couldn’t really be called stalking when she was in his space, right?
She smiled at something Alexis said, and he noticed how glossy her lips were. Probably grease from the pizza, but he liked it all the same.
‘Kate,’ Levi said with surprise when he noticed her sitting at the table.
‘Levi, hi.’
‘This is Theo,’ Levi said, and Kate’s cheeks flamed as she tried not to stare.
Fucking Theo.
Theo gave her a small smile and greeted her politely before going to Sarah and pecking her on the lips. It was the only thing that saved him from Elias breaking his pretty nose.
Okay, not really. He knew Theo only had eyes for Sarah, but Elias couldn’t stop the sudden bloom of jealousy he felt when Kate looked at his friend.
‘Doc,’ he said, sliding into the chair beside Kate and slinging his arm across the back of it. ‘Fancy seeing you here.’
She turned and smirked at him. ‘Is that your way of asking if I come here often?’
He laughed. ‘Touché.’
‘Alexis invited me. You don’t mind, do you? I can leave?—’
‘Don’t you dare,’ Elias said, resting his hand on her opposite shoulder.
‘Yeah. Please don’t go. We’ve only just started getting to know you,’ Alexis said.
‘What’s there to know? I’m an emergency doctor, and I have no social life.’
‘You should have gone into a specialty,’ Levi said.
‘Emergency medicine is a specialty,’ Kate replied.
Elias got the feeling this was an old argument between them. The last thing he wanted was for Levi to monopolise all her time with work, so he butted in before his brother could respond.
‘But you’re on holidays now, right? It’s the perfect time to be… social.’
She turned that knowing smirk on him, and his gut clenched. ‘Oh really? And who do you suggest I get social with?’
He returned her smirk. ‘I have a few ideas—ow.’ He glared at Levi, who had just kicked him under the table. ‘What was that for?’
‘Leave Kate alone. We’re ordering. What do you want to eat?’
‘Barbecue chicken and bacon with pineapple,’ he replied without even thinking.
Kate screwed her nose up. ‘You like pineapple on pizza?’
‘You’re not one of those purists, are you?’
She shrugged and folded her arms as she leaned back in her chair. He hadn’t removed his arm, and she didn’t seem to mind.
‘Fruit does not belong on pizza.’
‘Technically tomato is a fruit.’
‘Touché,’ she murmured.
The table had gone quiet, and Elias realised he had leaned further into Kate’s space. He slowly leaned back and removed his arm from the back of Kate’s chair. He reached for the water bottle and poured himself a glass.
‘What? Is having pineapple on pizza that alarming that you all have to stare at me like I have a second head?’
He took a long drink from the water glass. Probably best not to drink anything stronger. He knew they weren’t staring at him because of the pineapple thing, but he refused to embarrass Kate by calling them out. Hopefully she hadn’t noticed.
‘Um, yeah,’ Alexis said and then cleared her throat as she shifted in her seat. ‘If you like pineapple on pizza, then you must have two heads.’
‘I don’t think it’s that offensive,’ Theo said, and Elias reached out a fist for Theo to bump.
Sarah shook her head. ‘The things I’m finding out now… I don’t know if I can be with someone who likes pineapple on pizza.’
‘Coming from someone who has tomato sauce on French toast,’ Theo said.
‘It’s a savoury dish! Eggs and toast. Why would you put sugar on that?’
‘It’s more like cake,’ Theo argued.
‘Enough, children,’ Levi said.
‘Yes, Dad,’ Elias drawled.
‘See? This is why we can’t dine out at nice places,’ Levi said to Alexis.
‘Please excuse them,’ Alexis said to Kate.
‘Nothing to excuse. It’s actually quite entertaining. Almost as entertaining as the emergency room at midnight on a full moon.’
* * *
They stayedat the pizza place until they were kicked out by the owners at closing time. For the first time since Levi and Alexis, and Theo and Sarah had coupled up, Elias hadn’t felt like the odd man out. He had actually enjoyed himself, thanks to Kate.
He had to admit, it wasn’t all because of her. It was a fun night, and he’d appreciated reconnecting with his brother and friends. But Kate’s presence was the catalyst for him actually relaxing enough to enjoy himself.
They stepped out into the warm night, and Levi turned to Kate.
‘Can we give you a lift?’
‘Um… I’m that way,’ she said, pointing in the opposite direction of where Levi and Alexis lived.
‘I’m that way too,’ Elias said, jumping in. Knowing Levi, he would offer to take Kate home even if it was out of his way. ‘I live in Paddington.’
‘Oh. Okay. I’m in Bardon.’
Elias smiled. ‘Perfect. We can share an Uber.’
‘Are you okay with that, Kate? I don’t mind—oof.’
Did Alexis just elbow Levi in the gut? If so, Elias was going to buy her a box of her favourite donuts as a thank you.
‘I don’t mind,’ Kate said, turning to smile at Elias. ‘What’s your address?’
Elias dictated it to her as she typed it into the app.
‘It’ll be about ten minutes,’ Kate said, looking up at him.
‘We’ll wait with you—oof.’
‘You guys don’t mind if we head home?’ Alexis asked, faking a yawn that deserved an award. ‘I’m beat, and I’ve got a big day tomorrow.’
‘We’re good,’ Elias said.
Levi hesitated before letting Alexis lead him away. He narrowed his eyes at Elias in warning, but Elias just smiled back innocently. They waved goodbye to Theo and Sarah, and then it was just the two of them.
‘I really am sorry for not knowing you were the artist tonight,’ Kate said.
‘It’s okay, Doc,’ he replied.
‘I feel bad about it. I know what it’s like not to be acknowledged.’
‘You’ve been called a nurse before, haven’t you?’
‘I admire nurses immensely. I sometimes think they have a harder job, but yeah. There’s been a time or two when a patient has demanded to see a doctor when I’m standing right there.’
‘Male patients, am I right?’
‘Mostly, but not always.’
‘I get it,’ Elias said with a sigh. ‘I didn’t tell my family what I did for a really long time. They just thought I was bumming around. As far as they were concerned, if I wasn’t studying medicine, I wasn’t doing anything worthwhile.’
Kate laid her hand on his arm, and he turned toward her. ‘It’s their loss,’ she said.
It was refreshing to be with someone who knew the family drama. He felt like the last two years of his life was spent hiding who he really was. But Kate knew him. Knew his family. He didn’t have to hide anything from her.
He lifted a finger and slid a lock of hair off her forehead, tucking it behind her ear. He paused, his fingers resting against the side of her neck. Her pulse raced, and he imagined it matched his right then. She looked up at him and blinked slowly. His eyes were drawn to her lips, and her tongue swiped across the bottom one. He held back a groan.
‘Doc,’ he whispered, leaning forward.
But before he could complete the thought, a car pulled up beside them. She pulled away and checked her phone.
‘This is us,’ she said.
Was her voice a little rough?
She opened the door and slid in. He slid in after her.
‘So… you live in Paddington?’ she asked.
‘Yeah. I bought a house with a retail space in front. I eventually want to have a small gallery, but right now it’s an extension of my workshop.’
She turned in her seat to face him. ‘Do you have some more of your work there?’
He nodded slowly. ‘I do… would you like to see…?’
She bit her lip, and he found his eyes drawn there once more.
‘Yes,’ she said softly.
His gaze darted from her lips to those sapphire-coloured eyes that had filled his dreams. Was she saying yes to just coming in to look at his work, or was she saying yes to something else?
‘It will just be one stop,’ she said to the Uber driver without taking her eyes off Elias.
Elias smiled. ‘You want to see my work now?’
‘There’s no better time than now, right?’
‘My place is a mess.’
‘I don’t mind a bit of mess.’
He grinned. He wanted to kiss her right then and there but… but he didn’t want an audience, and the Uber driver kept glancing back at them in his rear-view mirror. Elias shifted, settling into the seat and putting his arm around Kate’s shoulder. He pulled her against him.
‘Is this what I think it is?’ he whispered in her ear so only she could hear.
‘Maybe,’ she replied.
‘Okay. I understand.’ He made to move his arm from around her shoulder, but she grabbed his hand, stopping him.
‘I said maybe, not no.’
He looked down at her, cataloguing her features. ‘Okay.’
He relaxed back into the seat, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Whatever happened, he would be happy. Just getting to be with her like this was more than he’d ever imagined. He would take it one step at a time. There was no rush.
For the first time in what felt like years, Elias let his body fully relax.