“I usually don’t,” Silas said. The light brown color of Elijah’s eyes was particularly vibrant that morning, and Silas had a hard time looking away. Every day was worse. He’d been right to file the transfer—there was no way he could continue to work with Elijah when he felt so strongly for him. “I came out to see you. How are you doing this morning?”
“I’m doing okay.” Elijah folded his hands against the small of his back, rocking back on his heels. “Are you impressed I’m awake this early?”
“Very.” Silas said. Counselor Truman nodded as he passed, following the last of the omegas out of the room.
“I went to bed early last night, and I was wide awake this morning. I figured that I might as well invest my time wisely. Aiden invited me to group, and well, I thought it couldn’t hurt to sit in.”
The stubborn resistance was gone. It was hard to believe that the Elijah talking to him was the same one he’d been speaking to the week before. Taking Elijah out had been more beneficial to his mental health than Silas ever could have thought.
“I’m proud of you.” Silas was half-expecting Elijah to resist his praise, but instead of fight, Elijah blushed. “Why don’t we do something fun this afternoon? What do you think?”
“Something fun?” Elijah grinned. “Can we go out again? I want another boyfriend field test.”
Not only would it be Silas’ last chance to get through to Elijah, but it would be his last chance to spend time with him. One last excursion wasn’t going to change how he felt, and he was sure that he had enough willpower to resist Elijah one last time. He’d worked out his fantasies the night before.
“We can do that.” There was no one around to approve the paperwork on the weekends, but if Silas deemed it a necessity, Torres would have no issue with him removing a single omega from the grounds—especially an omega she’d already approved to leave once before. “What do you think about going out for lunch somewhere? I want you to handle the social interactions. Do you think you can manage?”
“As long as you’re paying.” Elijah took a tiny step forward, closing some of the distance between them. “The food here is uh… well, let’s just say I’m happy to have a chance to eat somethingreal.”
Silas propped himself up from the door and led the way from the room, and Elijah traveled at his side.
“Were you fed well, where you were before?” Silas asked. It was a delicate question, but at this point, the trust between them was well-established.
“Better than this place,” Elijah laughed. “Not that I ate too much, anyway. Getting fat wasn’t on the agenda. I mean, I was getting a lot of exercise, but I was always pretty conscious about my figure.”
With a flourish, Elijah traced his hands down his sides and laughed. Silas was glad they were on the move and he could only catch a brief glimpse—he had become very aware of Elijah’s body, and he didn’t need any help remembering it.
“What do you feel like eating?” The question was designed to draw Elijah’s attention away from the topic of conversation, and it worked. With a carefree laugh, Elijah sprang forward and turned so that he faced Silas. He walked backward as he spoke.
“I don’t care—I’m not picky. I want to go back to that place we were in before, though. With the cobblestone streets and the cute little shops. Can we find some place to eat there?”
“Of course.” Silas shared a reassuring smile.
As long as Elijah was making an effort to change for the better, Silas wouldn’t deny him what he wanted—no matter how challenging it was to remain professional. Come the end of the day, the fantasy would end for good. Once they parted ways, Silas would never work with Elijah again. Life would return to normal.
A meal together wouldn’t hurt, and maybe it would help open Elijah up for the next counselor he’d be matched to.
They left through the front doors and exited Stonecrest’s iron gates for the last time.
