William winced. “Don’t rejoice too much, it’s—” He gasped and lurched forward as Adathan lost his balance, grabbing Adathan’s arm to keep him from falling.
They froze, staring at each other as Adathan’s chair hit the floor with a thud. It took William a second to process what had happened before he pulled Adathan back to his feet. If not for him, Adathan would’ve fallen straight onto the chair he’d clearly forgotten was behind him.
The twitch in Adathan’s eyebrows gave away his rising anxiety, so William grinned, doing his best to look unfazed as he stood up. “That was close.”
“Thank you, William,” Adathan said quietly. “You have incredible reflexes.”
William let out a chuckle as he circled Adathan to pick up his chair. “It just means I’m not drunk enough. You, on the other hand, probably had a little too much. Only water for you from now on, mister.”
“As you wish, William.”
William reassured himself—it wasn’t an order from a master to his slave. Oliver had forced him to switch to water countlesstimes before when they were stupid teenagers. Good friends just didn’t let each other get blackout drunk. Besides, it would suck for Adathan to throw up all the delicious food they’d just eaten.
William opened the fridge and grabbed a stupidly expensive-looking bottle of water. He twisted the cap and sat back down before placing the bottle on the table.
Adathan didn’t join him. He stood in silence, holding William’s gaze.
William suppressed a sigh. Would he have to remind Adathan he was allowed to sit for the rest of his life?
“William,” Adathan said in a small voice. “May I ask you a question?”
William miraculously hid his surprise. He still had some bluffing energy left, it seemed. “Of course,” he said, serving himself the remaining champagne. “You don’t need permission to ask me questions.”
“Do you intend to sell me?”
“No,” William said earnestly, his heart fluttering and squeezing at Adathan’s display of vulnerability. He was glad Adathan felt safe enough to ask him such a heavy question, but he wished they lived in a world where these kinds of words were only uttered in dystopian fiction. “You’re coming home with me. But I have to warn you, my place is uh...”
This conversation was happening after all.
William looked around the room. “... not much bigger than this. Or at all. You’ll have to sleep on the sofa until I can afford to move.”
Adathan nodded as he took a seat.
“I’m not exactly wealthy, so, uh, you won’t be drinking champagne, or...” William gestured at the plates. “... eating any fancy foods.” He paused for a moment, drawing courage from the soft smile on Adathan’s face.
“But I have a decent TV. You’ll get to watch all the documentaries you want. And there’s a public library nearby. And a nice park, too. Oliver doesn’t live very far. You’ll like him. He’s way kinder than me.”
By the time he was done talking, Adathan’s smile had reached his eyes and beyond.
“I’m not sending you away,” William said softly. “I promise.”
CHAPTER 7
Predator
“Do you drink coffee?” William asked as he studied the selection of pods next to the fancy coffee maker. A heavy weight had lifted from his shoulders after their talk, which he owed to Adathan’s courage. Paired with the cozy blanket of numbness the champagne had wrapped him in, he found himself bordering on euphoric—a welcome feeling after the day he’d had.
“I’ve never had coffee before.”
William looked over his shoulder. “Really? Wanna try it?”
Adathan took a sip from his water bottle and smiled. “I would love to!”
William returned his smile before reaching for a decaf pod. He had to admit that making Adathan try new things was kind of fun. Maybe having him around wouldn’t be so weird after all.
He made a decaf latte for Adathan and a dark roast cappuccino for himself, into which he poured a generous dose of Irish cream. He cleared the table, piling their dirty dishes next to the untouched desserts they wouldn’t finish. They served as a reminder that he shouldn’t make decisions while he was worked up. At least he wasn’t paying for his impulsiveness this time.
He sat down and slid the latte toward Adathan, who took it with both hands and inhaled its scent with a smile. Adathan tooka sip, and this time, William didn’t need to see his toes to tell he liked it.
