Princes of the Universe

by Serene Franklin

  I knocked twice on Elijah’s door as I took deep breaths and willed myself to relax. I wasn’t the guy who let his nerves control him, but Elijah brought it out in me. I kept replaying Mac’s words in my head and tried my best to remind myself not to get too attached, but if I was honest with myself, it was probably going to be a losing battle.

  The door opened to those beautiful, rich brown eyes and a tentative smile. “Hi,” Elijah said, voice matching his smile.

  “Hi,” I echoed. I refrained from telling him how hot he looked in the white tee and blue basketball shorts he wore. The two times I’d seen him prior he was looking pretty spiffy and put together. Standing in the doorway in front of me, he looked relaxed—his clothing did, anyway. He looked hot in his work clothes too, in a different way. When I saw him all buttoned up I wanted to mess him up and make him pant. Seeing him all casual… yeah, all right, I still wanted to mess him up and get him all hot and sweaty, but I liked seeing a new side of him.

  He made no sign of letting me inside, so I held up the canvas bag I was holding and grinned. “I brought some snacks for the movie. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so there’s probably too much.”

  “Oh, shit. I’m sorry. Come inside.” He stepped aside, clearing the way for me.

  The moment I passed the threshold, I was assaulted by paws on my legs and the cutest little gray furbaby-face looking up at me. How I’d forgotten in the last few days that he had a dog was beyond me. Her tail was wagging like crazy and it looked like she was smiling at me. I held my breath so I wouldn’t gasp in delight, set my bag down, and let her sniff and lick my hand before I rubbed her cheeks and behind her ears.

  “Oooh my God.” She—Prince, right?—licked my face with even more enthusiasm now that I was down on her level. I heard the door close behind me, and Elijah circled around to stand in front of me and tried to call her back. She disregarded the command and rolled over so I could rub her cute little belly.

  “I’m sorry she jumped on you. She gets really excited with new people. I can put her in my bedroom if you want.”

  I shook my head and scratched under her chin while she licked my palm. “No need to apologize. She’s beautiful. Besides”—I turned my attention to Prince and matched the grin she gave me—“this is your house. Yeah, it is.” I looked back up at Elijah to see him smiling down at me. Or Prince. He was probably smiling at his dog and it was just wishful thinking on my part. “Is she a pit bull?”

  He nodded his head and rubbed his hands in front of him, like he wasn’t sure what to do with them. “She’s a blue nose pit bull. I don’t have papers for her or anything, but she’s healthy and happy.”

  “I can see that. Gosh, I bet you were one cute little puppy back in the day.” It slipped out before I could think not to say it. My eyes shot up in time to see Elijah’s smile had faltered and he’d crossed his arms over his chest. Right—no more inadvertently bringing up the past.

  I gave Prince’s belly one more rub before I stood up and asked where I could put the bag of snacks. Elijah rubbed the back of his neck and pointed over his shoulder to the right. I looked around him and saw a cream-colored granite island off to the right where the kitchen must have been. We made our way toward it and the rest of the kitchen came into view, displaying dark brown cabinetry and stainless-steel appliances. The island was huge, doubling as extra counter space and for entertaining, based on its location. Beyond the kitchen near large windows was the living room, adorned with a comfortable-looking brown suede couch, a rectangular glass table in front of it, and a small black TV stand with a bigger than what I was expecting TV on it—maybe sixty inches. I set my bag down on the island, and upon closer inspection of the space, I saw some mounted surround-sound speakers.

  So he really likes movies. Noted.

  “This place is really nice. I like the open concept. Did you move in recently?” It was neat and uncluttered, but almost to the point where personal effects hadn’t been unpacked. I saw no photos of family or anything he liked decorating the space.

  “Thank you,” Elijah replied. “But no. I’ve lived here for a couple years now. I know it’s pretty… plain, but it suits me.”

  Did he think he was plain? I wanted to ask what he meant by that, but it didn’t seem like something he really wanted to delve into, so I changed gears. “Well, I like it. I’m used to things being clean; Mac sucks in the kitchen, but he cleans the rest of our place when he needs a break from working.”

  “Sounds like the ideal roommate.”

  “Well, I’m not messy and I cook, so I think I’m the catch between the two of us.”

  Elijah smirked at me and relaxed a bit more. His arms were crossed again, though he looked more at ease and less defensive. “I’ll give you that. I’ve lived alone for a long time and am not as talented in the kitchen as I probably should be. Speaking of, it’s fairly obvious, but here’s the kitchen.” He motioned to the fridge, oven, and microwave against the wall. “The bathroom is right behind you. It’s the door on the left.”

  “And if I go for the door on the right?” I asked playfully.

  “You might end up having to buy me a new washer and dryer,” Elijah deadpanned.

  I snorted a laugh and clenched my teeth to hold back the huge toothy smile that threatened to break out on my face. It wasn’t that it was the funniest joke I’d ever heard, I was just happy that Elijah was joking with me at all. Sober. At least I thought he was sober.

  From where we stood I saw another door behind the couch. Process of elimination told me it was his bedroom, all other doors either having been explained or obviously closets. The door to his room was closed, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it looked like inside. Would he have pictures in there? Maybe something else personal? No shit, it’s personal. The door is closed.

  I pushed the line of thought from my mind and let my eyes fall on Prince where she sat at Elijah’s feet before I made eye contact with the man. “So, I’m really excited, but also pretty nervous.”

  His eyebrows drew together and his head cocked ever so slightly to the side. “You’re nervous? Why?”

  “The hype surrounding these movies is too damn big, man. There’s a lot of pressure to like them or face even more public shame than I do for having not already seen them.” I was only half serious, of course, but I made Elijah laugh, which I already knew he didn’t do enough.

  “I promise I won’t judge you for not liking the movies. However, I will continue to judge you until you’ve seen them.”

  “We’d better get started then.”

  Elijah told me what drinks were in the fridge and asked me if I wanted anything. I settled on a can of blood orange San Pellegrino, we popped some popcorn, and headed over to the couch. I realized I’d forgotten a snack in my bag and doubled back to the island to grab a bag of chocolate-covered almonds before making my way back into the living room.

  With a bowl of freshly popped popcorn in hand, I sat down on the opposite end of the couch, giving Elijah ample space. Prince was curled up around his feet, seemingly finished lavishing me in attention. For now. I’d win her back after the movie.

  Elijah asked me if I was ready, his tone tight and unsure. I could see the tension in the way he held his body, and it made me bite back a smile. I didn’t think he was nervous about being alone with me because of our past or that I was gay; I thought he was on edge over having someone else here, in his private space—who that person was didn’t really matter. It was his idea, yes, but it seemed spur of the moment. Elijah said he wasn’t very socially adept, and he was nervous having a drink out in public with me, so the rest was just an educated guess on my part.

  I gave him an easy thumbs-up and said I was good to go. He hit play and the instantly recognizable score filled the room, followed by scrolling text on the screen. “Episode Four—shouldn’t we start with Episode One? Is there an Episode One?”

  Elijah sighed and hit pause. He explained to me that Episodes one through three came out between ninetee
n ninety-nine and two thousand and five, but take place before the events of A New Hope, which came out in nineteen seventy-seven. When I understood, he hit play, gave Prince a rub behind an ear, and settled back against the couch.

  Oh, reading… a lot of reading.

  I stole a peek over at Elijah—he was completely enamored. His eyes were wide and attentive, darting back and forth, taking in all the words rolling by. He had the beginnings of a soft smile pulling at his lips and was so into this and so damn cute. It would be rude not to take this seriously. I turned my attention back to the TV and dug into the popcorn.

  The movie ended, but instead of turning it off, Elijah turned the volume down a few notches then turned to me.

  “Well? What did you think?” He’d relaxed once the movie was on, but now that it was over and his expectant brown eyes were on me, the tension was back in his lean body.

  “Overall I really liked it,” I started. “Honestly, it didn’t feel like I was watching a movie from the seventies at all once I got sucked in. I don’t usually like classics, but I was pleasantly surprised.”

  Elijah’s shoulders dropped back to a relaxed state, and I saw his chest deflate when he released the breath he’d been holding. “Really? You liked it?” His voice took on a hopeful edge.

  I smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I mean, the ‘Evil Galactic Empire’ bit from the prologue was a little cheesy, but I tried not to judge and watched with an open mind. Vader was pretty cool—he’s so mysterious. Oh! And why are his powers so much stronger than the old guy’s? Obi… the old white-haired guy.” I tried to remember all the names, but there were so many characters and places and ships and… everything.

  “Ben. Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’d love to tell you why, but I can’t without spoiling way too much.” The corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly, and the tips of his ears flushed. “I’d love to discuss it with you more once you’ve seen the rest of the movies.”

  Prince had jumped up on the couch halfway through the movie and rested her head on Elijah’s knee. He patted her until she’d fallen asleep again, but she’d woken up near the end of the movie. She stayed next to Elijah, staying in constant contact with him at all times. The pair of them were really something.

  “I can see why you like Leia,” I said, gently stroking Prince’s back. “She’s strong, feisty, and doesn’t take any bullshit from anyone.”

  Elijah nodded. “She’s amazing, especially for when this came out. When I found Prince years ago she was underweight and sick. I didn’t know what to do with her. After I’d had her for a couple days, I knew I couldn’t give her up. I named her after the strongest heroine I knew.” He spoke so fondly, petting Prince the whole time.

  “She’s lucky to have you.”

  He shook his head and smiled weakly at me. “It’s the other way around, really. She saved me.”

  I wanted to ask what he meant by that, though I thought I already knew. Loneliness, perhaps. He seemed content enough not having a lot of friends, and I’d bet that that had to do with how much he loved his dog. It was sweet, but it also made my chest ache. Elijah was too damn young to be as jaded as I thought he was.

  “You’re both lucky.” I looked over at Elijah and saw he had his attention on what must have been a particularly interesting series of folds in his shirt. “R2-D2 is irrationally adorable. Why is a robot so damn cute?”

  Light flooded back into Elijah’s eyes, and his head rolled back against the couch. “Isn’t he, though? They gave a speechless droid so much life with just a series of beeps.”

  “He’s kinda sassy. I dig it. The gold one is funny too. And Han… Young Harrison Ford was way too sexy. He had so much swagger.” I was deliberately holding back on the comment about Ford, planning on not saying it at all. I decided I’d trust when Elijah said my homosexuality wasn’t an issue for him and speak candidly, like I would with any of my other friends—okay, maybe not quite as candidly. Not yet, anyway.

  My comments about Ford didn’t faze him in the least. He laughed and nodded, stating that Han was a really cool guy and someone he’d always admired. We both agreed that Luke started out too whiny, but he promised me that he got better by the next movie.

  “Are we going to watch that one too? Not necessarily today in case you’re busy, but, like, eventually?” Smooth.

  “Yeah, if you want to keep watching them, we can arrange another evening. I can’t do it today, though. I have to take Prince for a run soon.” He sounded almost apologetic, which was silly.

  “That’s okay. Once we check our schedules we can pick another time.” I added a grin to show that there were no hard feelings about us not continuing today, but more so it was because he’d effectively told me it was time to leave, and I didn’t even think he realized he’d done it.

  I stood up, followed almost immediately by Elijah and Prince. Her tail was going crazy, and she ran to the front door and sat down. I guess she knew it was time for that run as well. “Do you go running with her every day?”

  “Yes. We go for a walk or light jog in the morning and a run along the Lakefront Trail in the evening. I feel bad about her being home all day and like to see that she gets plenty of activity.”

  “You’re a good dog-dad, Elijah.” I knelt down to pet Prince once more, and she showered me in eager kisses again.

  “Eli.” I looked up at Elijah, momentarily startled by his voice. “You can call me Eli. And thanks.”

  Eli. Yes! I managed to maintain my composure as he clipped on Prince’s leash and rode the elevator down to the lobby with me. I ordered an Uber in the elevator, and he waited with me for the car to come. We talked more about the movie for a few minutes until a blue Fusion pulled up and I got an alert that my ride had arrived. We said a quick goodbye, and I got in the car. As it pulled away, I turned back and watched Eli and Prince jog off toward the lake. Yeah, it was too damn late to not get attached.

  Five

  Eli

  I’d been restless at work all morning. My concentration was nonexistent, which was very uncharacteristic of me. Eve had to have noticed, but she didn’t comment. I’d been feeling this way since Bryan went home after the movie last week. Having someone in my space wasn’t half the nightmare that I was expecting it to be, and I’d even managed to have fun once I relaxed. Bryan said he wanted to continue with the franchise, but we hadn’t set a night.

  I was a coward and was waiting for Bryan to text me first. I didn’t want to seem like a desperate weirdo, even if that was what I was. I hadn’t had a male friend since university. Samir was exempt since I wouldn’t know him without Eve. The two of us have never hung out without her. Bryan was an unexpected chance for something new. For whatever reason, he seemed to really like my company, and I didn’t want to mess that up by being overbearing.

  That was the plan, at least. As I sat at my desk and alternated between shuffling around the same stack of papers and scrolling through depressing news articles, the plan fell to pieces and I pulled up Bryan’s cell number. I dialed out using my work phone figuring I could use the pretense of a work question to mask my true intent.

  He picked up on the third ring.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, good morning. It’s Eli. Harper, in case you know more than one guy named Eli.” I cringed at myself in silence, looking up to see Eve watching me with a raised eyebrow. I’d deal with her later.

  “Oh, hey.” His voice changed; it softened, maybe. “What’s up?”

  I heard banging in the background as well as a few muffled voices. “I had a question about the bakery, but if now is a bad time, I can call back later.”

  “No, no, now is fine. Just let me step into another room.” Footsteps took prominence in my ear as the voices and banging quieted. “Is this better?”

  Oh. He moved for my consideration? “Yes, that’s great.” Unsure of what else to say now that he was actually on the line, I chewed my thumbnail and doodled on the edge of a paper in front of me.

  “Are you still with
me, Eli?” Bryan asked. He sounded like he was smiling. Oddly enough, I could easily picture it—did dimples always stand out to me?

  “Ah, shit. Yes, sorry.”

  “Busy day?”

  “Yes.” I lied. It wasn’t like I could tell him I was stressed about potentially fucking up our budding friendship. Jesus Christ, I was pathetic.

  “I won’t keep you then. What was your question?”

  “My ques—right.” I’d completely forgotten about that. “It was regarding the… color scheme for the seating area. I don’t seem to have any notes for that.”

  Bryan proceeded to tell me his plan for white-ash-stained tables, textures, off-white paint on all walls except for the restored brick one, and splashes of bold colors with fresh flowers and accents. I paused again when he finished explaining his vision for the space, trying to work myself up for the actual reason for my call.

  “Thank you for filling in the gaps. I had another question as well.”

  “Yeah, fire away.”

  “Do you want to watch the next movie this week? Star Wars, I mean.” Because we were watching so many other movies together. “It’s all right if you’re busy.” I hated that I sounded like an insecure teen girl asking the popular guy to prom.

  “Absolutely,” Bryan replied immediately and enthusiastically. “I can do any night this week except Saturday.”

  Relief washed over me in a crashing wave. “How about Friday? Is seven too late?”

  “Nah, seven is perfect.”

  That would give me enough time to take Prince out for a run so I wouldn’t have to shoo Bryan immediately out like I did last week. I thought about that after and felt shitty about it, despite not having noticed how it appeared at the time. Utterly relieved that Bryan wasn’t mad at me, we said our goodbyes and I ended the call. As soon as the handset was back in its cradle, I groaned and banged my forehead against my desk, letting it sit there while I wallowed.