“Hold on! Who the hell would pick onMilo? He’s…adorable and brilliant. Why would anyone have a problem with him?” Matteo asked angrily.
“My thoughts exactly, Teo! But Starlight is a joke. It’s a daycare for entitled, overindulged, high IQ brats and it’s run by spineless administrators. The only one who knows what he’s doing is Milo but he was living in fear of the Mean Guys.”
“Where can I find these Mean Guys?” Matteo said in a lethal purr. “I just want to talk.”
“Trust me, I’ve thought about catching them in a dark alley but I think it would be better if Milo was the one to put them in their places.”
Matteo made a thoughtful sound. “You’re right… Is there a chance Milo could take any of them?”
“In a fight?” Elio laughed and shook his head. “Milo is a lot more fit than he looks or lets on, but he doesn’t have an aggressive or violent bone in his body. Unfortunately.”
“I didn’t think so. He doesn’t seem like he’s cutthroat or vindictive either.”
“Not even a little bit,” Elio confirmed but chuckled softly. “I like that about him. He’s so good, Teo. No matter how low they go or how much shite they heap on him, Milo never stoops to their level. I would have cracked—Ididwithin the first week—but Milo keeps his chin up and tries to keep smiling.”
“Milo’sgreatbut he shouldn’t have to do any of that. How are we going to fix this?” Matteo asked, ready to get to work.
Elio smirked, envisioning the Mean Guys’ downfall. It was all but guaranteed now that Matteo was on their side and he would be the key to getting Leo on board and Truman’s legal connections and resources would come in handy.
“Poldi isn’t going to like this and he’s going to be suspicious because he always is when a collider is involved…”
It took a great deal of explaining for Matteo to understand the intricacies of Elio’s plan. And a lot of promises because of the collider. But eventually, Matteo agreed that it was a clever idea and would give Milo a chance to shine and show the Mean Guys who was the real star at the Starlight Institute.
Like the erase boards back at the Olympia, Elio pushed his fears about his ability to work and his life’s work into the corner and focused on what he could solve in the present. The odds of solving time and saving his parents were extremely slim, even with Milo’s help. But Elio could change Milo’s life by proving he was better than the Mean Guys and helping him beat them.
And there was all that Elio had to gain if his brothers and Felicity were right. He could spend the rest of his life working to resolve the problem of time and quantum mechanics and never succeed, but Elio would also miss out on a chance to find his soul mate if he chickened out now. As much as Elio wanted his parents and worried that he was letting them down, his heart told him they’d be even more disappointed if he blew his shot at happiness with Milo.
His three annoying and ever meddling older brothers were proof of his parents’ love for him and each had made it clear that they approved of Milo. Wholeheartedly. Elio could appreciate that his brothers knew him almost as well as he knew himself and that they were far more qualified in matters of romance. Soit was reassuring to know that they were optimistic about Elio’s odds of success and believed he’d be a good fit for Milo.
Elio just had to prove it to himself and convince Milo that he was a badass too.
Eighteen
So far, Milo’s first week as Elio’s boyfriend was going remarkably well. The news had spread quickly in just a few days and most of Milo’s coworkers had quietly congratulated him. A few had asked if Elio was as scary outside of Starlight and Milo had assured them that beneath all the tattoos and dark scowls was a sensitive, charming, chivalrous soul. They didn’t seem to believe him and Milo was hearing whispers about how bravehewas and that Elio was the lucky one, having found someone who was willing to put up with his unruly behavior.
But Elio was behaving like a gentleman and Milo had even caught him smiling at Carmen in the cantina. Even more shocking, Elio was coming into work on time! Milo found him waiting in the Olympia’s lobby every morning and they rode the train home together after work. They were making progress on their P versus NP research and thatshouldhave been a sign that things had been a little too calm and Miloshouldhave been prepared for a stunt or a surprise out of Elio.
It came shortly after lunch on Thursday.
“We need to be in Hector’s office in…” Elio checked his watch. “Two minutes.”
“Two minutes?” Milo asked, alarmed as he set down his tablet. “Why?”
Elio shrugged. “Secret meeting. I forgot that Hector wanted to see us all at 2:00.”
“About what?”
“It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you, would it?” Elio asked as he got the door and gestured for Milo to hurry.
“Is it a good secret or a bad secret? Can you at least tell me that so I’m not going in blind?” Milo asked and Elio halted them.
“It’s nothing bad. For you,” he qualified. “I’m a bit hacked off and it’s bound to lead to jackassery, but I’m ‘making the best of it.’” He curled his fingers sarcastically, then steered Milo through the lounge.
“Okay,” Milo laughed and shook his head, now curious to see why Elio was so annoyed. He had his first inkling when he saw the Mean Guys filing into Hector’s office. “This can’t be good,” Milo whispered to Elio out of the side of his mouth.
“I pulled some strings but a certain board member didn’t want his son to miss out,” Elio whispered back, his lip curling as he nodded at Hector.
“Come in, come in! Everyone take a seat!” Hector made sure everyone had found a place to sit or lean before closing the door.
