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“Would you?”
“Yes. I’d miss you.” And I did. I missed him as much as Link, but in a different way. “You can still grovel a little more if you’d like, though.”
Was that a snort? “Oh great and generous Fallyn. I’d worship at your feet if you were here.”
“Not really a foot person.” Were we using playfulness to lighten the mood? Sure, but that was okay, wasn’t it?
“Hmm.” Elliot managed to put a lot of depth into a single grunt. “Higher, then? I’d still kneel at your feet and grovel with my tongue.”
Heat flooded me. “Then I guess it’s too bad I’m not there.”
“It really is.” His serious tone was back, squeezing my heart until I gasped.
We talked a while longer, about what happened to him at work—I made a note to congratulate Link later today—about my plans for Christmas—none—and about how King was doing—he tried to lick the screen when Elliot turned on his camera to show me.
It was all wonderful and bittersweet at the same time. Talking to Elliot… I’d never enjoyed that more.
But when I hung up, all I could think about was how much I hated that it took putting the distance between us to figure this out. Hated that our lives were in shambles. Hated that some of the problems didn’t seem to have solutions.
Link called me that night, from Elliot’s. I wanted to talk to both of them all night, but it also hurt too much. I put them off on Saturday and Sunday, too. I wouldn’t avoid them forever, but I needed to figure out what I was doing. With Elliot. With Link. With my heart.
When I woke up Monday morning, there was a plane ticket to Salt Lake waiting for me in my email. It had a short message in the notes.Sorry for the short notice. Come visit for Christmas. Link.
My heart soared. I got to see him again—them, I hoped. Even for just a little bit was something. And it wasn’t as though anything was pressing here. Sure, I’d need to figure out work soon, but my plane left in less than three hours, and I still needed to pack, get to the airport, and go through security.
I tried to call Link a few times, but his voicemail said he was in the middle of a work crisis, and Elliot’s said the same.
So I sent Link athank youtext, and I was on my way back to Salt Lake.
It wasn’t until I was in the air that it caught up to me how insane this was. I was flying across two states because a random guy sent me a plane ticket.
No, not a random guy. Two and a half weeks ago, it had been a little crazy. Insane and exciting and terrifying. But I knew who I was meeting now. I wasn’t worried about how things would go with Link. Few things had ever felt more right in my life.
When I landed, I was more nervous than the last time I’d made this journey. It felt like so much more was at stake. Wait, was I supposed to go to Link’s? I didn’t have his address. I’d call him again once I had my bags. He hadn’t replied to my text yet.
He should have a breather soon, and I’d be able to talk to him. Tell him I was here.
I was waiting for my familiar red suitcase to come around on the luggage carrousel when a hand rested at the small of myback. My heart leaped into my throat then plummeted into my shoes. Link? A stranger?
“Give you a ride?”Elliot.
Why hadn’t I put those pieces together, and why was my mind a traitorous bitch who was remembering the last time he pressed into my back in public? I spun to face him. “The tickets aren’t from Link.”
“No.”
“Does he even know I’m coming?”
Elliot grinned. “Nope. Christmas surprise. Also, I wasn’t sure you’d take them if you knew they were from me.”
“I would’ve thought about it a little longer.” But I still would’ve come. I was hooked on both men. “Did you fly me all the way out here so you could apologize in person?”
His smirk was almost enough to melt my panties off, and when he dropped to his knees in front of me, in the middle of the airport, I almost died.
“Get up,” I hissed, and tugged him to his feet. Heads were already turning in our direction. “You’re going to give people the wrong idea.”
“They’ll understand when I start pawing at your crotch.”
Oh. My. God. I probably matched my suitcase at this point. “How does Link take you out in public?”
