by Max Hudson
Charlie nodded, hope sparkling in his eyes. “Well, then, I guess it's a good time to say I like you a lot, Elias.”
“I don't just like you, Charlie.”
“What?”
“I love you. I care about you and I care about Scotty, even if he makes me sneeze. I want to figure out a way to share space with him so you can both come over.”
Charlie covered his face as tears rolled down his cheeks. “I can't tell you how nice that sounds. I felt so bad when you were sneezing all the time.”
“I'm going to the doctor next week to see about a better allergy pill. Maybe there's something I can take daily that will help with that.”
“And you'd do that for us? For me?”
Elias chuckled lightly. “Of course, I would, Charlie. I love you. I would do just about anything for you.”
“Can you promise me something?”
“Anything.”
“Will you let me know when something is bothering you? I don't want us to explode at each other because of something that we haven't spoken.”
“I can do that. Can you do me something as well?”
Charlie nodded. “Yes.”
“Can you keep me in the loop? It felt awful to discover you and Stanley. I know now that you weren't up to anything nefarious, but it would have helped if you had sent me a quick text saying what you were doing. It would have helped me.”
“I can do that from now on. Stanley and I are finally getting on good terms. We're meeting with our lawyers to draw up a way to share custody of Scotty. He's been very agreeable, and he even said he'll start therapy soon to help with his stuff with his father.”
“That's great, Charlie. I'm very glad to hear that.”
Charlie smiled warmly. “I'm very glad to hear your voice. I know it wasn't long that we didn't talk, but it felt like forever. I was so...”
He choked back a sob.
Elias shushed him gently. “It's okay. We're talking now. We're going to keep our next campaign night and it's going to be amazing, okay?”
“Okay, I believe you.”
“Do you want to come over? Theo is making burgers. The boys are coming, too. It would be a good time to get acquainted with Valerie.”
“Sure, I'd like that. Can I bring Scotty?”
Elias hummed curiously.
“Elias,” Charlie sighed. “You can say no if you want. All it takes is five minutes to drop him off with Stanley.”
“If you could drop him off with Stanley, that would be excellent. My throat would really appreciate it.”
Charlie smiled. “I'm proud of you.”
“I'm doing my best. I'll see you in a bit?”
“Of course. Let me get Scotty ready and I'll head out.”
“That sounds great.”
He took a breath, holding it for a second before whispering, “Hey, I love you, too.”
“It's...so good to hear you say that.”
“I'll be there shortly.”
After getting off the phone, Charlie returned to the living room and sat with his dog. He patted Scotty's head for a while as he relaxed, the tense muscles of his chest finally relenting. He glanced at the television and then turned it off, smiling as the apartment was blanketed in silence.
He focused on Scotty. “Are you ready to go see your dad?”
Scotty boofed in response, his tail wagging avidly. Charlie rose from the couch and went to his room, changing his shirt into one of his favorite button-downs. It was the collared shirt that Elias had gotten him for his birthday a couple of years ago, a denim blue with bright pink roses decorating every inch of it.
As he tucked the shirt into his pants, he studied himself in the mirror. He tightened his belt and grinned. After fixing his hair, he adjusted his glasses and posed in front of the mirror.
He chuckled to himself. “It's as good as I'll ever look.”
He slipped on his loafers, then grabbed Scotty's leash, attaching it to Scotty's collar. When he was ready, he grabbed his keys and guided Scotty out the door, turning to lock up.
He walked to his car with pep in his step, his confidence renewed. The sun seemed brighter than usual and the flowers bent to the will of the wind. He admired their gorgeous petals as he passed, watching the bees bouncing from flower to flower. As soon as he had Scotty in his car, he followed suit and buckled up, turning the key in the ignition.
He drove for a few minutes, listening to Scotty panting next to him. He smiled as he reached for his dog while keeping his other hand attached to the wheel. The light of the sun bounced off the road, long shadows cast by the trees that lined the neighborhood street. He pulled up in front of his old home—one he never thought he would find peaceful to look at—and hopped out.
Stanley opened the door. “Well, this is a surprise. I didn't think I'd get Scotty until Sunday.”
“I'm heading to hang with the gang and Elias has a dog allergy,” Charlie explained. “Would you mind watching him for the night?”
“I wouldn't mind at all.”
He grinned as he approached the porch. “I appreciate it. And thank you for sending a copy of that agreement to my lawyer. He said we can wrap things up rather quickly.”
“Good. I want this to be over—I mean, in a good way.”
“Of course. I want the same thing. I spoke to Chet earlier this morning, so everything is good to go for Monday.”
Stanley nodded while accepting the leash. He knelt in front of Scotty, ruffling his ears. “Hey, boy! Are you ready for a night of wine and romance movies?”
Scotty barked.
Charlie laughed, shaking his head. “I swear, he only ever barks in response to you. Everyone else gets a muffled bark.”
“He knows he's allowed to yell at me.”
“Well, I hope you two have fun. Let me know if you two need anything, okay?”
“Of course. Enjoy your nerd—I mean, enjoy your evening.”
Charlie smiled. “Thanks, Stanley.”
When he returned to his car, he watched Stanley take Scotty inside. He was lit from within with a fire of understanding, one that helped him bridge the gap between him and the people around him.
If only we had figured this out sooner, he thought. Maybe we could have avoided this wild battle for the last six months.
He shrugged as he adjusted the rearview mirror.
No, that's not right. Everything happened as it should. We're learning from it, every one of us.
Satisfied with his mirror, he put the car into gear and drove off, heading in the direction of his favorite human.
Chapter Fourteen
Elias
“Think again, bard. I'm coming for you.”
Elias lifted the dice from the table, shaking them in his closed palm. He eyed Charlie carefully with a mischievous smirk before letting the dice loose, not even bothering to see how they landed. He planted his hands on his hips.
“How about them apples?”
Charlie laughed. “One of them went off the table.”
“Play it where it lies!” Theo reminded them. “What do we have, Valerie? It's near your foot.”
Valerie glanced down to peek at the die sitting near her boot. She sat up with triumph. “It's a three! The camp has officially destroyed the massive troll!”
“Victory!” Elias cried while raising his hands above his head. “I finished him off!”
“Because I helped,” Charlie added.
“Your music was divine. Thank you for the help, darling.”
Elias took Charlie's hand and squeezed it lovingly. He let his smile linger over his lips, feeling a sense of liberation in being able to express his affection.
He leaned close to Charlie's ear, whispering, “This is nice. Valerie is great.”
“Isn't she? I'm glad Theo could think on her feet and bring Val on board. And I'm glad you stood up for me.”
“Me? Oh, I was just doing my part as an elf cleric.”
“You used your short bow and it was effective.”<
br />
Elias blushed. “Stop. You're embarrassing me.”
“I'll do much more than that later if you keep being adorable.”
“Don't tease.”
Charlie raised his eyebrows curiously. “Or what?”
“Or else.”
Elias chuckled as he turned his attention back to the group. Theo and Ivan were sitting close, talking intimately. Valerie and Mike were in a heated debate over something—it sounded like whether dwarves were able to surpass the level of mage into higher magic and it nearly appeared to be flirting.
“What should we do now?” he posed to the group. “Should we order pizza?”
“Oh, yes to pizza,” Valerie agreed. “And it's on me. Y'all didn't have to pull me in this late into your game.”
“We needed someone who wasn't a total jerk,” Theo responded. “And I can totally split on pizza. How about you, Ivan?”
“I can cover the tip!” Ivan offered.
“I can add some, too,” Mike added. “You don't have to buy it, Val. But that's very sweet of you.”
“Dang, can we keep Valerie forever? This whole Wednesday campaign thing just got so much better,” Charlie said. “I mean, we can't tell you how relieving it is to have you here.”
Valerie smiled shyly. “I go where I'm needed! Theo had asked me before, so I was happy when she asked again.”
“I hope Roger is okay.”
Elias curiously glanced at Charlie. “Always seeing the good in people.”
“I mean, if I learned anything from Stanley, it's that stress can play a huge factor in how someone treats people.”
“That's true. But I think Roger might have been worse than Stanley and I'm pretty sure he didn't even have a reason.”
Charlie shrugged. “You never know. He could be struggling with something that he wasn't telling us.”
Valerie looked confused.
Elias leaned forward. “Roger considered personal business to be too much for the campaign, but the five of us always kept tabs on each other. He chose not to share. And we respected it, but maybe it could have helped.”
Valerie nodded. “I get that. Some people like to keep business as business, you know. I'm kind of an open book. I don't mind sharing!”
“So, tell us more about you,” Charlie invited. “How long have you been playing Delver's Guild?”
“I guess I've been doing this since high school. I can't help myself. I just love creating worlds and maps and all sorts of things. It's my favorite thing to do.”
Elias nodded. “We can tell. You absorbed our information with less than a week until your first campaign with us. I'm impressed!”
“Photographic memory,” she said while tapping her temple. “I can literally remember every map I've ever seen. But don't ever ask where I put my lighter.”
He cackled. “We'll keep an eye on it for you. That's what we do.”
“I appreciate that a ton. So, what does everyone want for pizza?”
“Pepperoni!”
“Sausage!”
“Peppers!”
“Bacon!”
She blinked while holding up her phone. “Uh...all on the same pie?”
Elias laughed. “Sorry, we tend to order three different pies with a combination of those. Here, I can help.”
He rose from his spot on the ground, releasing Charlie's hand with a sigh. He relaxed into the couch next to Valerie and helped her order three pizza pies. When he was finished, he returned to Charlie and took Charlie's hand, noticing how it hadn't gone cold since he had left.
“Do you want anything special to drink?”
Charlie shrugged. “I'm fine with my soda here. What about you?”
“I'm good, too.”
“Good.”
Elias cracked a grin. “Great.”
“Do you want to step outside with me? I need some air.”
“Are you okay?”
Charlie nodded. “Yeah, I just want some time with you.”
Elias huffed with amusement as he rose from the ground. He held Charlie's hand all the way to the porch, only releasing it to lean against the porch rail as he studied the trees.
He inhaled deeply. “I think this new allergy medicine is working wonders.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, I should be ready for Scotty again really soon. He will be the true test.”
Charlie chuckled lightly. “Don't hurt yourself on my account.”
“Yeah, I learned my lesson from that last week.”
“How are you feeling now? Do you have anything you want to talk about?”
Elias hummed curiously as he folded his arms, leaning on his elbows. He drank in his surroundings with contentment, absorbing the sounds of the birds chirping and the crickets buzzing all around them. The earth was creating a soundtrack that he wholeheartedly wanted to hear.
He smiled and offered a shrug. “I don't feel like I need to talk about anything. Why?”
“I just wanted to make sure. I want to practice communicating better. I felt bad when I didn't text you, but I didn't react to my regret. I just let it sit without doing anything about it.”
“I understand that. I mean, it will take practice. We're going to learn along the way.”
Charlie nodded. “I just don't want to hurt you again.”
“I'm pretty sure we can't entirely avoid harm. But we can learn how to meet each other in the middle and compromise. As long as we're willing to do that, we can have a good relationship.”
“I promise I'll always let you know how I feel. I know that's important to you and I never want to leave you in the dark.”
“I appreciate that, Charlie. It means a lot to me.”
Charlie grinned as he stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Elias's waist.
Elias leaned into him. “You mean the world to me.”
“I feel the same, sweetheart. I never want to compromise our bond again.”
“Does Stanley know?”
“About us?”
Elias hummed in agreement. He leaned further into Charlie, bracing himself for the response that was sure to come.
Charlie exhaled slowly. “I haven't said anything yet. I feel like that will come with time, you know. I don't want to agitate anything.”
“I mean, I'm sure he's seeing people, too.”
“Oh, I know he is. He's mentioned it a few times.”
“Will you tell him soon?”
Charlie withdrew, leaning against the porch rail to meet Elias's gaze. “Why do you want me to tell him?”
“Well, I want to make sure we all get along. You two have Scotty together. I know Scotty isn't a human kid, but he's a lot like a kid. I want to be on good terms with Scotty's dad.”
“I appreciate that a lot. If you want, I can introduce the two of you once the papers are signed next week.”
Elias laughed. “That would probably be best.”
“I think it'll be nice, actually. Stanley seems to be doing a whole lot better than a couple of weeks ago.”
“I'm glad. I know that's important to you. And if it's important to you, then it's important to me.”
“How did you get so sweet?”
Elias grinned wide. “Don't you know? All elves are like this.”
Charlie shook his head, smiling mischievously as he leaned in. The sun took one last peek over the horizon, casting an orange glow around them. As the chirping of crickets and frogs intensified, the air shifted, cooling Elias's skin wherever the wind kissed it.
Elias melted into Charlie. He dragged his fingers through Charlie's hair, luring all manner of pleasant moans from Charlie's lips. As Charlie's lips vibrated against his, he smiled again, breaking their kiss.
“Sorry,” he said with a chuckle. “You're just really cute.”
A knock came from the porch door. Elias turned to see Theo waving and pointing to the porch. He nodded and gestured for her to come out.
“Hey, you two love birds,” she teased. “I didn't want to crash the party,
but I needed some air myself.”
“Me, too,” Ivan said, filing behind her. “But, you know, we wanted you two to finish up.”
“We weren't having sex. The porch is free to use,” Elias joked. “But thanks for being mindful.”
Theo giggled. “Of course.”
“I brought beers!” Mike announced in the doorway as he held up a few cold brews. “Who wants one?”
Elias raised his hand. Mike handed him a beer and he smiled, accepting one for Charlie as well. When he popped his open, he held it up to the ground.
“Where's Valerie?”
“I think she's getting the pizza,” Theo replied. “She'll be along soon.”
“I'd like to propose a toast to our new campaign manager,” he offered. “But I'd like it to also be when she's on the porch.”
“Hey, Val!” Theo cried out. “Come here!”
Valerie appeared on the porch, holding her own can of cold brew. She mimicked the people around her. “What are we doing?”
“This one is for you,” Elias said warmly. “Thank you for stepping in and stepping up on such short notice. You're officially one of us now.”
She smiled wide. “Thank you. It means a lot that I can help.”
He returned the smile. “And for Charlie—he survived the worst part of his life and it's smooth sailing from here.”
“Aw, baby,” Charlie whispered. “That's sweet.”
“Here's to all of us,” Ivan said. “And to our budding relationships.”
“Here's to beer,” Mike joked.
Elias fell into a giggle fit, following his crew. After sipping his beer, he sighed, relaxing into the porch rail with Charlie. He leaned into Charlie again, enjoying the warmth that boiled between them.
He smiled up at Charlie. “What should we do after this?”
“Whatever you want. Scotty is with Stanley tonight, so you're welcome to come over.”
“Oh, I'm welcome at your apartment? That's new.”
Charlie cocked his head to the side curiously. “I guess you haven't been there yet as my boyfriend.”
“Damn, I get a title and everything,” Elias joked. “What else do I get? I feel like there's just too many prizes waiting.”
“Well, if you come over, you'll be sure to find them.”
“Gross.”
Charlie grinned and nuzzled Elias's nose. “You like it.”