He couldn’t stop the smile that appeared when he thought about his mate in Whitfell. He couldn’t wait to show him his favourite spot, and goddess, Chi couldn’t wait to take him to his house. Axel had made Malek’s house a home, and Malachi was excited to see how Alfie would do the same to theirs.
His mate interrupted his musing.
“Is that where Axel is? In your… I mean, where you live?” Alfie asked.
“Yes, it is.” Malachi nodded. “Oh crap! I was supposed to call Axel once I got here.”
Malek was going to be pissed at him, especially since Axel had probably worn a hole in the floor pacing, worried for his brother.
He finally glanced down at his phone, and yup, there were missed calls from Malek, Axel, and even his papa.
“Fuck,” Malachi groaned. “We need to call your brother before he gets my brother to drive him down here.”
He glanced at his mate and caught him worrying his lips. “I have like fifteen missed calls from Axel, and a couple from Malek, and even my dad too.”
Alfie sighed and leaned back in his seat, then took a deep breath and held it. He sighed again before he began speaking. “I knew I shouldn’t have called Axel. He’s such a worrier.”
“I, for one, am glad you called him,” Chi murmured, making sure to hold his mate’s gaze, hoping Alfie heard the meaning behind his words. He must have because his cheeks pinked, and Malachi heard his mate’s heart rate pick up. Alfie suddenly became very interested in the non-existent spot on his jeans again.
“We’d better call him and let him know you’re okay, and then we’ll get some food for you and figure out our next move.”
Alfie nodded and slumped down further in his chair. Chi took in the shadows in Alfie’s eyes and how tired the man looked.
Yeah, he was very glad Alfie had called Axel. He looked absolutely done in. The man looked like he needed a hug and maybe a whole day’s sleep. Malachi would make sure he got all that.
Alfie didn’t know it yet, but from now on, wherever he went, he would have someone by his side, and whatever—or whoever—was troubling him… well, they didn’t stand a chance.
Chi dialled Axel’s phone. As he waited for him to pick up, he kept studying his mate… He couldn’t wait to get to know the man better.
Six
Alfie
Alfie could feel Malachi’s eyes on him…crap,just thinking the man’s name had his belly feeling all funny, but he wasn’t going to focus on that. Or the fact that Malachi had clearly been flirting with him. But he couldn’t focus on that now either. Alfie had been trying to find a comfortable position in the chair since he sat down, but sitting up was already getting tiring for him.
His body was aching. He realised he was hungry as fuck now, and he really needed a shower. Gosh, a shower sounded amazing—especially on his sore body.
It was almost like Malachi’s presence had reduced his anxiety, and it was now easier for Alfie to focus on his other needs. There was something very compelling about Malachi—he couldn’t help sneaking looks at the man.
When Alfie realised he was actually checking Malachi out, a voice in his head called him all kinds of fool.No more guys, Alfie… he was on a guy hiatus…a guyatus…? That made him chuckle, but his amusement only lasted a second before the reason he was even in the hotel room came flooding back.
The worst part about the whole situation was that Alfie was madder at himself than he was at Rupert. He shouldn’t have dropped out of school just because a guy wanted him to go travelling with him.
He was basically booty on call… Sure, he’d been to Paris and seen the Eiffel Tower, and he’d gone to Greece and seen the clearest blue ocean, then Italy and he’d tried real gelato… he’d even gone to America, New York and Boston… but all that made him was an internationalmanstress.
Damn, he was such a fuck up!
Just as he was about to beat himself up more, Alfie felt his knee being tapped. He couldn’t stop the flinch that followed, and he pulled his knee back.
When he met Malachi’s gaze, the man had a speculative look in his eyes.
“Sorry, I was a little preoccupied. What did you say?” Alfie tried diverting Malachi’s attention. He didn’t want the man focusing on him.
“Axel.” Malachi glanced down at his phone.
“Oh, right.” He took the phone from Malachi and had to take a deep breath before he began speaking to his brother.
“Axel?” Alfie said.
