Enough of this, Eli chastised himself. He positioned his fingers over the keyboard and began to type.

  Definitely the odds… but sometimes your odds are so bad you have to leap.

  Eli paused, watching as three little blinking dots indicated that Lincoln was typing, but before Lincoln could finish, Eli quickly sent another message.

  You’re very handsome. I’m sure you have plenty of admirers. I sent you that message on a whim. I’m going to delete my profile. It was a pleasure.

  Wait! Lincoln managed to type. You’re the one I want.

  Eli rolled his eyes. For all intents and purposes, Lincoln was talking to a stranger. How do you know?

  The odds.

  Goodbye Lincoln.

  For now. Lincoln signed off before Eli could reply.

  “I’m doomed,” he mumbled. “And what the hell is with I love eggnog?”

  He glared at the username until his face slackened.

  “Oh my God. It’s an acrostic.”

  More precisely, it was a backward acrostic and it spelled… Eli.

  Chapter Seven

  THE FLIGHT to Houston had seemed exponentially more appealing after Eli had completely muffed things up with Lincoln by spontaneously posting his dating profile and then striking up fruitless conversation as a shady catfisher. With a heavy heart and steeled resolve, Eli threw enough clothes for two weeks into a suitcase and bolted for the airport before he could talk himself out of it.

  By the time he got back to DC, Lincoln would have his boyfriend for Christmas, and Eli would have somehow pieced himself back together enough to invite Lincoln out for congratulatory drinks. He’d have to. It was the least he could do after suddenly fleeing the eastern seaboard like a coward. Lincoln would be mad at the abruptness of it all, but it was for the best. He’d need space to form a new relationship, and after finally stepping foot out of the friend-zone, Eli certainly couldn’t stand idly by as some stranger pushed him back into it.

  No, Houston was the only option. Besides, if Eli’s piecemeal memories were any indication, there were still a few things left to discuss with his father. Had the stubborn old codger really said he’d stop trying to wrestle, blackmail, and force Eli into his company? Had he really offered romantic advice and said I love you? It seemed unlikely, but if business wasn’t the first thing out of his mouth, then it would serve as proof of the truth of Eli’s memories. If nothing else, he was actually looking forward to a new chapter with his father. They had been at odds for far too long.

  As the plane moved south, a thick layer of gray clouds parted to reveal a slow transition from drab, leafless hardwood forests to the lush green of pines. The southeast was a green oasis even in winter. Eventually they passed over the bayous of Louisiana and descended toward Galveston Bay, the Houston skyline growing tall on the horizon.

  Eli gripped his armrests as the plane plunked to the ground and screeched to a halt. After reading that most airplane crashes happened in the first and last ten minutes of a flight, Eli found himself ill at ease until he was either safely in the air or safely on the ground. Still, he couldn’t decide which metaphor was more comforting—knowledge is power or ignorance is bliss—but he certainly knew which one was more useful.

  Eli switched his phone out of airplane mode as passengers began lining up in the aisle. There was no point in rushing. Per the advice of the article, Eli had selected a humble seat toward the back of coach. He glanced down at his phone as it vibrated to life with receipt of a message. For a breathless moment, he thought it might be Lincoln, but it was a notification from his father to let him know he’d arrived. Eli typed out a quick response.

  Be there in a few minutes. Exiting the plane now.

  As Eli waited, he logged back in to the dating website to see if Lincoln had sent anything else to I_love_eggnog. He hadn’t. Eli wasn’t sure if he felt relieved or disappointed. Even though Eli was pretending to be a stranger, he almost wished to hear from Lincoln even if it meant he was fishing for someone new.

  When Eli looked up from his phone, it was his turn to exit the plane. He meandered through the terminal, past security, and toward baggage claim. He wondered what Lincoln was doing. Eli hadn’t even told his friend that he was leaving. Perhaps it seemed obvious after a blatant brush-off and the publication of his dating profile, but Lincoln had always been terrible with hints. It wouldn’t surprise Eli one bit if he received a text later that evening asking if they would hang out as though nothing had happened and Eli’s heart wasn’t in pieces.

  The sun was blazing when Eli stepped into the parking lot. It was a balmy sixty-five degrees. Apparently, winter was too busy in the northeast to worry overly much about Texas. Eli shielded his eyes and squinted at the row of cars, looking for his father’s red F-150. The massive truck stood out like Santa at a shopping mall, but Eli was greeted with a loud honk and a waving arm anyway. Eli grinned. His father had never been one to leave things to chance.

  “New hat?” Eli asked as he climbed into the passenger seat. His father looked more cowboy than aerospace engineer, but it gave Eli a sense of comfort and a feeling of coming home.

  “Stetson.” His father nodded. “How was the trip?”

  “Uneventful.”

  “Good.” His father navigated through the line of cars with ease. It seemed no one wanted to butt heads with a vehicle twice the normal size. When they reached the highway, his father glanced over curiously.

  “What is it?”

  “How’s your hangover?” His father’s face twitched in amusement.

  “Fine. Thank you,” Eli replied crisply.

  The truck rumbled with the sound of his father’s laughter. A reluctant smile slipped onto Eli’s face. It seemed his father had indeed decided to make peace.

  “Do you have to work this week?” Better to test the waters sooner rather than later.

  “Yes, but I’m off all next week for Christmas. Actually, I wanted to ask you for a bit of help.”

  Here we go, thought Eli miserably, feeling as though he had been lulled into a false sense of security. “If this is about working for your company then—”

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions. It’s not what you think.”

  Eli turned toward his father with barely contained suspicion. “Oh?”

  “Recruitment has been bad,” his father explained gruffly. “I’m understaffed and overworked. All my people are….” He paused and turned to Eli. “Why didn’t you want to join the company, anyway?”

  Eli had never been asked the reason for his decision. It was… refreshing. “I wanted a job that allowed for artistic creativity.”

  “You don’t think designing rocket ships is creative?” asked his father with a raised eyebrow.

  “And,” Eli continued unperturbed, “all of your doom and gloom is a little exhausting.”

  Eli’s father fell into thoughtful silence for several seconds before he finally replied. “Yeah.” The response surprised Eli. “I think you’re probably right.” He took a moment to adjust his hat and then turned to steal a glance at Eli. “Think you could help me rebuild my brand? I envision something a little more Earth friendly.”

  Eli’s mouth fell open. “You want help with graphic design?” He was stunned.

  “If it’s not too much trouble.” His father all but extended an olive branch of peace.

  “Of course. I’d be happy to.”

  The next week passed in a blur. After Lincoln failed to text even once, Eli threw himself into work designing logos, pamphlets, websites, and other material for his father’s company. On top of that, he had brought projects with him from clients in DC. It was the perfect distraction for a broken heart. Eli worked himself to exhaustion each day until he collapsed into dreamless sleep.

  At dinner each night, Eli’s father vacillated between worry over Eli’s health and pleasure at his progress. “Why don’t you take a break,” he finally suggested when the bags beneath Eli’s eyes had become too dark to ignore. “You could make yourself one of those internet dating profiles and find someone here.” He paused for a moment and then added, “Invite them over for Christmas dinner.”

  Eli looked at his father. “You want me to bring a boyfriend here?” It was an unbelievable suggestion from a man who had responded to his son’s coming out with silent indifference.

  Indeed, a subtle flush had befallen his brusque cowboy father as he wriggled in his seat like a child in trouble. “Wouldn’t bother me any. I was going to make steak.”

  “I don’t know.” It was hard to erase a half decade of feelings, but to do it in the span of a week was impossible. “I don’t think I’m ready.” I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.

  “It will pass, and you will find new love,” his father promised, reading the pain in Eli’s expression. “I’m saying this from experience.”

  Eli looked at his father alertly. “What do you mean?”

  Eli’s mother had walked out on them when he was in high school. For Eli it had been an unforgivable betrayal. You couldn’t miss someone whom you despised. But for Eli’s father, it had been heartbreak and loneliness for years. It was one of the reasons, perhaps the reason, that Eli’s father had turned to work with such backbreaking intensity, pressuring Eli to do the same.

  “I found someone new,” his father mumbled. “I was going to invite her over for Christmas dinner.”

  “You should!” Eli said. “I want to meet her.”

  “You do?” his father asked, surprised. “You’re not upset about it?”

  “Why would I be?”

  Eli’s father shrugged. “Kids can be funny about these things.”

  “I’m not a kid.” Eli hoped his father hadn’t waited all that time for his sake. “Tell me about her.”

  “Her name is Kristy. I met her at the grocery store when she couldn’t reach the top shelf.”

  “How chivalrous.” Eli grinned, trying to imagine it. He wondered if this woman was responsible for some of the changes he saw in his father. The man had been so closed off, so stubborn and broken. He seemed like an entirely new person, or perhaps an entirely old person was more accurate. He seemed like the man he’d been before Eli’s mother left.

  Eli smiled wryly. Is that how long it took to heal a broken heart? Ten years? He’d already been living in purgatory for five. Was his sentence only half complete?

  Eli was spared from the depressing direction of his thoughts by the doorbell.

  “Well maybe that’s her,” said his father in confusion. “Don’t know who else it could be.”

  After his father left the room, Eli ran his fingers through his hair so that he would look presentable for the new girlfriend. It was important to make a good impression, for his father and for himself.

  Muffled voices traveled through the entrance hallway. For a moment Eli thought his father sounded angry. The door opened and closed again. Whoever it was left just as abruptly as they had arrived.

  “You didn’t turn Kristy away did you?” asked Eli, twisting in his chair.

  “Well he didn’t turn me away, but he did threaten to blast me to the moon” came the sardonic reply.

  It was Lincoln.

  Eli stared with wide eyes. He had too many questions to choose just one. What are you doing here? How did you find me? Where did my dad go? His mouth opened and closed with the passing of each underdeveloped thought.

  “I intended to say something harsh,” said Lincoln, his angry expression softening into sadness. “But I’m just so happy to see you that—” His shoulders slumped as he aggressively swiped at a sudden rush of tears.

  Eli had never seen Lincoln cry before. He rushed to his side, grabbing napkins along the way.

  “Here,” he said, pulling Lincoln into a hug. “Can I get you anything else?”

  Lincoln muttered angrily between muffled sobs, his face buried in Eli’s shirt.

  Eli let him ramble for minute, just holding him close before he finally murmured into Lincoln’s ear. “I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”

  “I said you’re a jerk!” Lincoln sniffled, pulling away from Eli. “Who just flees town after….” Lincoln seemed unsure how to describe what their encounter had been. He finally settled on “Something like that.”

  “I didn’t want to get in the way of your exciting new dating life, and if I had stayed in DC, I would have.”

  “What exciting new dating life?” Lincoln’s tone was venomous. “You can’t possibly be talking about Eggnog.”

  Eli stared at Lincoln, dumbstruck.

  “Your desk was in the background.” Lincoln rolled his eyes. “After all this time, you didn’t think I would recognize it? Not to mention the username practically spelled your name….”

  Eli’s mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. He thought back to the conversation they’d had online when Eli was pretending to be I_love_eggnog. He’d said “You’re the one I want.” Had he meant it?

  There was no point in hiding anymore.

  “Lincoln, I love you,” Eli said sinking to his knees. He wrapped his arms around Lincoln’s waist. “I’ve loved you since the moment you plastered my art to the FitzRandolph Gate.” Eli took a steadying breath, trying to control five years worth of feelings. “I followed you to DC. I’d follow you anywhere.”

  “Even to the moon?” asked Lincoln.

  “Yes.”

  “Then why did you agree to help me with a dating profile?”

  “Because you asked me to,” Eli replied.

  “I don’t want a boyfriend for Christmas anymore.”

  Eli’s heart sank as he glanced up to look at Lincoln.

  “Unless it’s you.” Lincoln pulled Eli back to his feet and wrapped his arms around his neck. His clear green eyes glistened with unspent tears. “What I’m trying to say is I love you too,” he added, stretching to press his lips against Eli’s.

  Eli complied with a pleasured groan, savoring the feel of Lincoln’s tongue pleading for entrance.

  “Ahem” came a gruff cough.

  Lincoln and Eli jumped apart and spun to face the door. Eli’s father had returned.

  “You said you’d give me an hour!” Lincoln groaned, his cheeks flaming.

  “I forgot something.” He turned to Eli. “Is he staying for Christmas or are we sending him to the moon?”

  Eli stole a glance at Lincoln and laughed when he saw his nervous expression. He turned back to his father. “No need to break out the rockets. We’ve worked things out. He’s staying.”

  Eli’s father nodded, a relieved expression relaxing his face.

  “Thanks for checking on me, Dad.”

  “Anytime, son.” He smiled. “Well…,” he said awkwardly. “I’m going over to Kristy’s for the night. I won’t be back until lunchtime tomorrow.” He winked at Eli and left.

  ELI TOOK Lincoln’s hand and led him upstairs to his childhood bedroom. Though the room was embarrassingly juvenile, Eli suspected Lincoln wouldn’t find it wholly unexpected. The comforter proudly displayed the solar system, glow-in-the-dark stars had been haphazardly spattered across the ceiling, and a dust-covered telescope hovered by the window. It was the room of a child predestined to be an astronaut—or a graphic designer.

  Lincoln smiled. “I think I could’ve guessed your room would look like this.”

  “I do like the stars, despite my defiance.” Eli grinned, pulling Lincoln onto his bed. They lay next to each other like two young boys sharing secrets. “So how did you find me here?”

  “The dating profile and a little research,” Lincoln admitted sheepishly. “Eggnog’s active city changed to Houston. It wasn’t hard to find your father’s address. Turns out there is an abundance of information about world-class scientists on the internet.”

  “Only a little research?” asked Eli, teasing. “It took you a week to find me.”

  “Correction,” Lincoln said, index finger raised. “It took me less than a day to find you. I waited for a reasonably priced plane ticket…. Teacher’s salary,” he added by way of explanation.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” Eli murmured, rolling onto Lincoln. “It feels like a Christmas miracle.”

  “For me too,” Lincoln whispered. “I was so sure you didn’t have feelings for me after you finished that profile and left, but I just couldn’t let go.”

  “I’m so glad,” Eli replied, leaning in to nibble Lincoln’s ear. “You are everything to me. Never doubt that.” He trailed kisses along Lincoln’s jaw and down his neck.

  “We’re not going to stop in the middle again, are we? That was sheer agony.”

  Eli laughed quietly, the tremors dissipating in the hollow of Lincoln’s neck. “No, love. You’ve already slipped from my grasp once. I’ll be damned if it happens again.”

  Eli pulled away only long enough to divest Lincoln of his shirt and then resumed his sensual kisses down Lincoln’s chest and across his muscular abdomen. His skin was soft to the touch, lightly illuminated by the glow of artificial stars. Eli stretched his palm across the smooth rippling surface of Lincoln’s stomach, sliding down until his thumb slipped beneath of the hem of Lincoln’s pants.

  “Wait, why am I the only one losing clothes? I want to see you too.”

  Eli pulled his shirt over his head and unfastened the button of his pants. “Better?” Tender affection radiated in his chest. His awareness was so clouded by lust that he’d nearly forgotten the vast extent of Lincoln’s inexperience.

  Lincoln nodded. A rosy tinge spread across his cheeks and over the bridge of his nose, betraying his unease.

  Eli lingered for a moment longer to whisper words of comfort into Lincoln’s ear before slipping his hand back into his pants and popping the button. He slowly tugged off the pants, brushing his lips down the length of Lincoln’s body as he progressed. He then took position next to Lincoln and slipped his hands into the back of his boxers, gently groping his firm, rounded cheeks. He used the purchase to pull Lincoln against himself. The evidence of their shared desire wedged between them in searing rigidity.

 

1 2 3 4 5