Page 93 of Point Proven
Oren stepped in front of Matt. “He is, but he’s not available to talk to you.”
“Oren…” Matt breathed.
My best friend raised his hand, silencing him. “You can sit on the couch, Matt, and wait until we are done.”
Matt opened his mouth, but I interjected before he could speak. “Damn, the macadamia cookies are fucking delicious, Oren. Lev, I think these are his best batch ever.”
Lev glanced between the two of us before his olive irises settled on Oren. “If now is not a good time forbothof us to be welcome here, we can reschedule.”
Oren’s hands clasped behind his back. “You can both be here, but I’m requesting that you leave Thorne alone for the duration of your visit. If you’d like a drink or a snack, I’m more than willing to give it to either of you. I didn’t mean for it to seem like you couldn’t be here, Matt. You’re always welcome?—”
“I understand,” Matt said, cutting Oren off. “Lev, I’m good. I promise. I’ll sit on the couch with Liam.”
Tongue flicking against his canine, Levander’s distaste became evident as he spoke, but only to the man standing beside him. “Well, since the adults can’t seem to beadults,we’ll stay for an hour. Okay?”
“Alright. If that’s what you want.” Matt brushed his thumb across Lev’s cheek before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. “Get yourself some cookies. You talked about them the whole way here.”
Kicking off his loafers, Lev moved from the entryway and toward me without uttering another word.
Oren followed, and I trailed behind him once he passed me. “I made the cookies you liked again, Lev,” he said, pointing to the plate in the back. “And I bought extra supplies as I wasn’t sure if you wanted to do painting, clay modeling, or anything with pottery.”
Lev snatched a cookie from the tray without missing a beat. Turning on his heel, he shifted his gaze between us before responding. “Do you have graphite?”
“Mhm.” Oren pointed to the second drawer closest to Lev. “In there, I have a lot.”
“Where’s the modeling clay?” I asked.
Oren smiled, and it was a sight I was still getting used to after everything I’d done to him. “I set some on the desk to the right.Figured you’d want it instead of pottery clay with your classes and stuff.”
“Thanks, Oren.”
Spinning the stick of graphite between his fingers, Lev walked toward one of the paper canvases Oren had set up. “Well, should we get this party started, gentlemen?”
Picking up his paintbrush, Oren raised it before giving it a slight twirl. “Sounds fucking fun!”
Shaking my head, I sat down on the leather stool as I plopped open the different colored clays. With each of us in our respective elements, comfortable silence fell in the room, and I basked in it. To have friends like this was a lucky thing, and I couldn’t wait to see it continue to blossom.
We’d made it out of conflict for now, and I wouldn’t take this time with good company for granted. Because who knew when something would blow it all up?
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
MATTHEW
Running my fingers over the cushion, Liam was slowly starting to doze off to my right. I needed him to fall asleep faster so I could head upstairs, but the man kept talking in between bouts of near unconsciousness.
“Mhm,” I said for the hundredth time, not even looking at him at this point. If I provided minimal attention, would those pain meds finally knock him out?
As if he unknowingly wished to answer my thought, a gentle snore filled the room, the exhaustion he’d been battling finally sweeping him under. He needed the rest, and I twisted him to lie down before tossing the blanket over his frame. Liam was still healing, evident in the bags under his eyes, but the soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips told me everything I needed to know.
It was all because of Simon that he even made that expression again, and I hoped pleasant dreams found him.
Glancing over at the art room, a few bouts of laughter rolled from the space, but it wasn’t enough to hideallthe noise from me. Sliding forward on my sock, I felt fucking stupid, but the floorboards didn’t creak as I did it again.
Tiptoeing like a banished child, I took my time until my hand wrapped around the banister. Gripping it tightly, I hauled myself onto the first step, grateful for the carpet beneath the soles of my feet. It made it much easier to walk quietly as I guided myself up the steps.
I crossed the hallway to Thorne and Oren’s room and took a breath before nudging the door open. “Thorne?”
A high-pitched bark answered, growing louder as I walked through the threshold. Prince bounded over, weaving through my legs as I chuckled. “Good to see you too, buddy. You wouldn’t know where Thorne?—”
