I sighed. I was going to kill him, bring him back to life, and kill him again.
“Um…” Eli was looking back and forth between us.
“We’ll have to exchange Shaw notes sometime. I mean, not that kind of notes because we’ve never.” Will made a circle with one finger and thumb, then pushed the index finger of his other hand in and out of it.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Will. What’s wrong with you?” I turned to Elijah. “He’s leaving now.”
Damned if the little traitor didn’t begin to laugh. They were ganging up on me, and I didn’t like it. “Should I leave you two alone?”
“Aw, come on. I’m giving you shit.” Will put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “Have fun.” He turned to Elijah, held his hand out for him again, and they shook. “It was nice to officially meet you.” He put his hand to the side of his head like a phone and mouthed, “Call me.”
Elijah laughed again, and I pushed Will toward the door. “I don’t think I want to be friends with you anymore.”
“Yes, you do.” He smiled and left.
“I like him,” Elijah said.
“Of course you would. I hate him.” I sighed. “Let me go get my stuff.”
Elijah was wearing dark-blue jeans and a long-sleeved, dark shirt that had been cut off to make it a crop. He had a bag slung over his shoulder. I had no idea what was in it and what all his plans and being prepared meant, but I was eager to find out.
I put the battery in my camera and all the stuff in the case. “Do I need anything else for this passion adventure we’re going on? I always thought a passion adventure would include a bed, but you know, to each their own. I don’t mind going at it in public.”
“Ha. Ha. So funny,” Eli replied, and then we left.
It was a short walk to Piedmont Park. We crossed the rainbow-painted crosswalk, which was one of my favorite things in Midtown.
“How did you and Will meet?” Elijah asked as we turned onto one of the paths in the park. It was a large space, with lots of greenery—trees, grassy areas, small hills, and paths throughout. They had a lot of festivals in the park, and Pride was held there every October.
“I felt sorry for him.” I shrugged.
“I’m being serious.”
Of course he was.
“It’s not a real exciting story. We met at a party when we were twenty. We started flirting, but then we ended up talking all night. We got along, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why.” It had simply felt right…almost like it did with Elijah and yet different because now I got to suck his dick and blow my load in his mouth…and maybe there was more to it than that.
“And he’s…”
“An idiot? Yes,” I answered, and he nudged me. “Bi. Single and ready to mingle and all that. Why? You want me to hook you up?” It was a joke, but the bitter taste of jealousy burned my esophagus.
“Nah, I think I’m good. I have my hands full, if you know what I mean.”
“If you’re referring to me, I’m incredibly easy to deal with. And worth it when I’m not.”
Elijah chuckled. “That’s a given.”
We were just walking around at this point. I didn’t know if we had a plan or if this was it, but I thought I would be okay if there was nothing else to it. Actually, I knew I would be. I enjoyed Elijah’s company, and it was a nice day, the sun just right against my skin.
There was a large bush of pink flowers ahead of us and to the left. “Hold up a sec.”
We stopped, and I pulled my camera from the bag and prepared it. We got closer, and I took a couple of photos with different angles and specs, before seeing a ladybug on a leaf, which I took a photo of too.
When I turned around, Elijah was watching me with his head cocked. He looked cute and confused, so I raised my camera and snapped a photo.
He held his hands up to block me. “Hey, I’m not supposed to be the subject.”
“Is this my passion adventure or not?” I took another picture. You could just see one of his eyes through his fingers. He lifted his arms then, his hands over his head in what almost looked like a dance pose. I couldn’t help but to snag that shot too. Fuck, he was gorgeous.
“Ugh. I guess.” We began walking again. “How did the photography thing start?”
“Crazily enough from my dad. He had this old camera in the house. My parents were being their typical arguing selves one day. I was bored. Richie wasn’t around, he was on a trip with his family, so I took the camera out, started taking pictures and enjoyed it. After that it was sort of my thing. My dad saw some of my pictures once and bought me a new camera. He said he liked photography when he was younger, and at the time, I thought it would bring us closer. That maybe it would make him happier and it would help with all the other shit. I was a kid. It was dumb.”