Suddenly, Bryan shot to his feet.“They’re back!The car just came back in through the gate.”
Clement sighed.“The human will have made himself ill again.I’ll head downstairs.There’s no telling what state he’s in.”
“No,” Bryan said.“If you go and wait for them, they’ll think we missed them.”
Clement heaved himself back onto one of the couches.“We didn’t miss them.Why would we miss them?It’s a lot quieter with them gone.”
Bryan nodded.“Exactly.”
“Well, Ume did miss Raven quite a bit,” Maxim said.“We should leave the board out so they can see we’ve been otherwise occupied.”
Bryan nodded.“Good idea.Oh, let me arrange my new tangerines in the bowl.”
He grabbed the fruit and walked over to his desk.He put them all into his bowl, going one by one and making sure to arrange them prettily.Maxim could see he was keeping one eye on the elevator though, and that didn’t help, not when Maxim himself had a strange urge to rush downstairs and make sure all was well with the three of them.Rather, I should make sure Raven is well.Jason can take care of himself, and so can Heath.Raven certainly can, too, but I’d rather he doesn’t have to.
“Humans are odd, aren’t they?”Clement asked suddenly.He was fussing with his own fruit basket—not as obviously as Bryan was, but making sure each item sat perfectly among the others.
Maxim turned to him, the Monopoly board between them forgotten.
“In what way?”
“They are…like those pale green flies, I used to think.They barely do any living before they die.And then, before you know it, there is one who is bright in the most surprising ways, and his life is like an invisible fire in your heart.”He sighed.“I hate that about them, I truly do.”
Maxim huffed.“Do you?”
Clement met his gaze but didn’t answer.His mouth was pinched, but not even that sour expression could do much to hide his fine features.
“They’re here!”Bryan said again, and in the next instant, the elevator chimed and opened.
“Oooh, we stopped spinning,” Heath said.
“Erm, this is just the lobby, stop—” Raven said.
But Heath was already stumbling out of the car.Maxim could hear it, and he stood.Umeboshi did not move.For a dog with so much attitude, Maxim truly had expected better from him.
“Darling, are you back?”
Heath had undone two buttons on his shirt, which made it so that he showed a sliver of skin.It was still quite modest in Maxim’s best estimation, but it was a lot for his baby boy.Behind him, Raven was reaching out a hand as if to stop Heath from stumbling blindly.Jason was leaning on him heavily, his head resting on Raven’s right shoulder, and thus stopping him from grabbing Heath.
He looks well,Maxim thought.I should have known he’d be the responsible one.
When Heath saw Maxim, he pouted.“Dad.That man called me sugar bear.”
Maxim covered his mouth with his hand.“Oh, no.Did he really?What man, darling?”
He moved to intercept Heath while giving Raven a smile that was meant to say,relax, this is my charge.Heath allowed himself to be hugged, if only so he could lean on Maxim.
Raven let out a relieved breath.“He means the bouncer from the Red Clover.The two of them were dancing when Jason and I came back from the bathroom.”He glanced at Jason.“Jay wasn’t feeling too good.Apparently, champagne isn’t for him.”
Heath whimpered.“He made me do the paso doble, Dad!”
“Jason?”Maxim asked.
Heath’s whimper intensified.“No, that barkeep!”
“Bouncer,” Raven said.
Maxim petted his son’s hair.“Did he?Well, you’re quite good at the paso doble, aren’t you?”
