Why in the world would Elio take his clothes off for Milo? If that didn’t give him a giggle, the fact that Milo wouldn’t know what to do next or what he even wanted would be both humorous and pathetic. They weren’t separated by many calendar years but Elio was light years ahead of Milo in just about every other way. Most importantly, Elio was a man and Milo was a teen—at best— cosplaying as an adult.
To make matters worse, Milo was barely passing. He still carried a backpack and often caught himself wearing both straps like he was in elementary school and waiting for the school bus. He only drank at family gatherings, when it was a special occasion, and swearing made him queasy. His idea of a wild time was eating too much sugar and trying to see if he could chug a whole bottle of Dr. Pepper. Burping the alphabet was still the height of comedy for Milo and he looked strange, like a baby lumberjack, if he grew a beard.
Milo would never be in the same league as Elio, despite what his mother said.
“I’m gonna take off for a bit,” Elio decided and Milo heard his leather jacket zip and the skateboard was collected before the office door was pushed open.
“Thank goodness!” Milo whispered once he was alone. “It’s so hard tothinkwhen he’s here.”
That wasn’t Elio’s fault and Milo was being unfair. Elio rarely laughed but he wasn’t the kind to laugh at others when he did. As abrupt and impatient as Elio was, he didn’t appreciate rude anddisrespectful behavior. Particularly when it involved Milo. For whatever reason, Elio had taken on the role of Milo’s protector at Starlight and saw his potential as a leader.
Could he rub off on me?
Ignoring the nebulous sensual possibilities, Milo wondered if he could be more like Elio. How much easier and more comfortable would his life at Starlight be if he could tell Brad to take a hike? What if Milo could shut Tyler up with a withering glare or make Bryan flee the room like Elio could?
Elio wanted to see Milo stand taller and hold his head higher. Maybe he would share his secrets and give Milo some advice if he was brave enough to ask. Unlike the Mean Guys, Elio was a bad boy in therightway. He didn’t pretend to be confident and cool and heneverpunched down or used other people as the butt of his jokes. None of his attitudes or moods were postures and he had integrity and true passion for his work.
Suddenly, it seemed likely that the solution to all of Milo’s problems at Starlight was right in front of him and within his grasp.IfMilo could work up the nerve to ask Elio for help.
Eleven
The incident on the stairs would have played outdifferentlyif Elio had been aware of what was said before he appeared. He saw Milo go into Starlight and hurried to catch up but was too late when he ran up the stairs and found Milo cornered by Brad and his gang of brats. Elio could see that they were enjoying themselves and that Milo was in distress. But instead of sticking around to interrogate the suspects, Elio had rushed to comfort Milo.
For the life of him, Elio would never understand howhehad a dark reputation when people like Brad and Tyler were rotten to their cores. Knowing that little would change at Starlight and that Brad and his cronies would continue to fail upwards infuriated Elio and he escaped for fresh air and a change of scenery. Milo may have talked Elio down that morning, but a confrontation was inevitable and there was no doubting where the blame would be placed. No matter how despicable they behaved, Elio would be the one who blew up and went too far.
Thankfully, Elio didn’t care if he was blamed and it was chalked up to him being difficult and combustible. He just found it ironic thathewas the most appalled and offended by their accusations and backhanded comments. They were implying terrible things about Milo but Elio had a real problem with what they were suggesting about him.
He had been calledmanythings: irrational, unpredictable, impetuous, inconsiderate, volatile,mad…Those were all fine and possibly true. But Elioneverallowed his baser instincts to override his decency. He would never take advantage of a vulnerable peer or use his position to manipulate anyone into having sex with him. That kind of behavior offended Elio to his core and he didn’t want that added to his reputation.
He was a lot of things, but Elio wasn’t a creep.
The fact that Brad and Tyler automatically assumed that Elio couldn’t see more in Milo also ticked him off. What if Elio wanted to be Milo’s pet? What if it was Milo getting unlimited head? That never occurred to them, did it?
Well, it had occurred to Elio and kept him away from the institute for the rest of the day. The odds of crossing paths with Brad or Tyler while he was still in a reckless mood was high and Elio knew he wouldn’t get a thing done in the office with Milo there. It had been easier to think at the skatepark and after he returned to Muriel’s and Elio was finally able to put the morning and Starlight behind him.
Most of the day was over, Elio finally realized when he looked away from the dry erase board and noted how dark it had gotten. The clock on the mantle in Muriel’s sitting room informed him that it was almost 9:00. He turned on the nearest lamp, pleased at how long he’d gone without thinking about Starlight or Milo.
It had been hours and Elio felt more like himself as he switched to a fresh red marker and returned to the board. Ready to burn up what was left of the day, Elio honed in on the stringhe was working on but his focus was snatched away by a knock at the door.
“Oida!” he shouted around the marker’s cap and spit it out as he dropped the marker and hunted for his shirt. He spun as he recalled kicking off his boots in the bedroom, then flailed a hand as he headed for the door. “Uninvited guests deserve what they get,” he said as he yanked the door open.
“Hi!” Milo flinched and squeaked. He was dressed for bed in a Weezer T-shirt, plaid pajama pants and white socks. “Sorry to bother you but I was afraid I’d chicken out if I waited until tomorrow.”
Elio should have put on a shirt. “Hello…” He looked down and swore when he noticed his fly was undone and quickly zipped and buttoned it. “Sorry. I was undressing…an hour ago?” he guessed, then shrugged as he turned on his heel, gesturing for Milo to follow. “What did you need? I’d offer you a drink but I don’t know where anything is and all I have in my bag is a warm Red Bull.”
“That’s okay, I’m not thirsty.”
“Good.” Elio searched for the marker he dropped and chuckled when he found it. He swiped it off the floor and raised a brow at Milo. “What can I do for you?”
“Uh…” Milo had leaned to the side and his neck swiveled as he took a few steps closer, squinting at Elio’s left pec. “I wanted to ask a favor,” he said distantly, then let out a small gasp. “Higgs boson,” he mouthed, smiling at Elio in delight.
That look shouldn’t have made Elio’s heart skip, but it did as he bowed his head. “Yes. Your favor?” he prompted and Milo bit his lip, tucking away a shy grin.
“Remember how you said earlier that you might rub off on me?”
Elio nodded, picturing something very different, very literal. “I think so,” he answered weakly. Suddenly he was thirsty asMilo licked his lips and moved in to read the equation on Elio’s right bicep. “You should stand up for yourself.”
“I want to. Could you teach me?” Milo asked and finally lifted his eyes to Elio’s.
