Adathan pursed his lips and tapped them with his finger as he pondered his question. “Strawberry jam and toast?”
William blinked. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that. At least it wouldn’t be hard to find. “Sounds good,” he said with a smile.
Adathan bounced on his heels. “I’ll go get my box!”
“No.”
Adathan froze. “No?”
“Fuck that box. We’ll get you new things.”
“Oh . . . very well.”
William frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Could I, um, keep my shampoo?”
William mentally kicked himself. Adathan was a free person—free to make his own choices, whether or not William agreed with them. “Of course,” he said earnestly. “You can keep whatever you like. But we’ll put them in my suitcase because that box is not coming with us.” He almost added, “Unless you want to keep it,” but he refused to let that thing get anywhere near his home.
Besides, he wasn’t allowed to refer to Adathan as a Serviteur anymore, so it was the smart thing to do.
Adathan carried his box to the dining table and took out his shampoo. He put it on the table and hummed pensively as he looked through the box’s contents. He grabbed his toothbrush, but not the toothpaste. William was almost tempted to slip the tube into his suitcase to try it later. Adathan took out a teal shirt and unfolded it, studying it for a moment before looking at William. “What do you think?”
“The color is nice,” William said, even though he wanted to tell Adathan he’d get him an identical one that hadn’t come straight from hell.
Adathan folded it neatly and placed it next to his bottle of shampoo. He spent the next few minutes taking things out, studying them carefully, before putting most back into the box.
William wished he could tell Adathan he was proud of him without sounding patronizing. The objects Adathan put on the table would make up the entirety of his possessions, yet he was choosing to keep almost nothing. William knew very few non-slave people who would manage such a feat.
Adathan’s hand hovered over the manual.
No. Don’t. Please don’t.
William struggled to conceal his emotions as Adathan softly ran his fingers across the cover as if he were caressing it. Giving Adathan space was the right thing to do, but still, William regretted not ripping the thing apart and flushing it down the toilet—especially when Adathan tenderly traced the word “Serviteur” with his index finger.
“I’m done!” Adathan said as he pulled his hand out of the box.
William’s heart swelled at Adathan’s awe-inspiring display of strength.
The universe didn’t stand a chance—Adathan would send it to its fucking knees and show it who’s boss. He’d never let anyone break him again.
William would make sure of it.
CHAPTER 11
Home
The gate came alive with the murmur of chatter, the shuffling of bags, and the irregular rattle of luggage wheels against the floor. William paused the documentary on his phone and glanced over his shoulder. “Looks like we’ll be boarding soon.”
He took out his earbud and motioned for Adathan to do the same. “We’ll watch the rest on the plane.”
Adathan gave him the right earbud with a heavy smile. He was doing his best not to let it show, but William hadn’t missed the way he’d gradually tensed as they made their way through the crowded airport labyrinth.The security checkpoint, in particular, had seemed to distress him the most. William could only speculate as to why, but he’d done his best to make it clear he had no intention of leaving Adathan behind. He wasn’t sure his efforts had made a difference.
“Families with young kids and people with disabilities board first,” William said as they got up from their plastic seats.
“They’re very considerate,” Adathan said.
William stretched his arms over his head with a groan. He took a deep breath, his mouth watering as the scents of greasy pizza and gooey pastries teased his nose. Those crooks knew what they were doing, but William would never succumb to theirploy. At five times the price, airport food was literal thievery—and probably tasted like ass, anyway.
