Page 147 of Try Line Hearts
Lucas closed his eyes, letting it land.
Eli laughed, then sobered. “You okay?”
Lucas nodded. “Yeah.” He hesitated, then admitted the truth beneath it. “I’m still sad.”
Eli’s hand squeezed his through the pocket. “You’re allowed.”
Lucas’s throat tightened again.
God.Allowed.The word still hit him like a gift.
The left the restaurant hand in hand.
They reached the car. Eli unlocked it. Lucas slid into the passenger seat and sat for a second before closing the door, breathing in the familiar scent—Eli’s car smelled like coffee, gum, and the faint leather of a life in motion.
Eli climbed in and started the engine.
For a while they drove without music, the city slipping past in wet reflections.
Lucas watched the river flash between buildings like a ribbon of dark silver.
They pulled up outside Eli’s apartment building—a place that had become theirs in slow increments: Lucas’s books on the shelf, his boots by the door, a second toothbrush permanently installed, Maeve’s spare key hidden badly because Maeve believed subtlety was for cowards.
They walked upstairs together.
Inside, the flat was quiet and warm.
Lucas hung his coat up. Eli kicked his shoes off.
Normality settled around them like a blanket.
Lucas turned toward Eli in the hallway, something in his chest too full to keep quiet.
“Hey,” he said again.
Eli’s eyebrows lifted, amused. “What now?”
Lucas stepped closer. “I’m glad you came back to the glass,” he said softly.
Eli blinked. “What?”
“At the gate,” Lucas said, voice rough with feeling. “When I was staring at the plane like I’d lost my mind.”
Eli’s mouth softened. “You looked like you needed me.”
Lucas nodded. “I did.”
Eli exhaled. “Yeah.”
Lucas swallowed, the last of the day settling into him like a tide going out.
“I felt like I was watching you leave,” Lucas admitted quietly. “For a second. Before you kissed me.”
Eli’s face gentled completely.
He stepped in and wrapped his arms around Lucas, pulling him close.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Eli murmured into his hair.
