Page 24 of The Lonely Hearts Guide

Elliot whimpered. He’d had so few kisses in his short life. Before the kisses he shared with Alexander, none had felt true. Never gentle. The kisses Jared forced on him were raw and filled with heat, but they were never for Elliot's pleasure. Just Jared's.

“Please?” Elliot whispered.

Alexander closed his eyes, and Elliot watched as his face came even nearer. The moment their lips connected, it felt as if the milky, silky sea had swallowed him up, the way it had with Mother. Alexander’s arms wrapped around Elliot, nice and snug, and his lips parted, welcoming Elliot in. The kiss deepened, though not by much, and Elliot could feel Alexander’s heartbeat through his lips. His thumb continued stroking back and forth against Elliot’s cheek, lulling him into an almost trancelike state.

He knew it would never last. Jared would find a way to get him back. He always found a way. But at that moment, with his lips touching Alexander’s, Elliot allowed himself a moment to dream of a beautiful life spent at Mr. Davenport's side. He imagined a cottage on Sugarplum Island, a purple picket fence lining their yard. And a little girl who looked so much like Elliot, the resemblance was uncanny. Picnics in the small park, just past the general store. Summers by the sea, teaching their daughter to fish and swim and search for seashells. At night, they would cuddle by the fireplace, Elliot in Alexander’s lap, their child in Elliot’s. It would be a happy life. Perhaps even the best life.

Elliot broke the kiss, not wanting Alexander to be the first to pull away.

“What do we do about Mother?” he finally asked. He still hadn’t processed what happened. Mother was gone. She was somewhere in the sea—either atop or below—lost in the dead of night. The silver moonlight did nothing to help Elliot’s search, so he knew it wouldn’t be much help for Clarence, either. “Do we alert someone?”

Alexander glanced across the water with Elliot, neither of them successful in the hunt. “We should find the captain. Let him know we’ve got people overboard.”

Elliot shook his head, the final moments with mother replaying in his mind. Was that remorse splashed across her face as she fell, or had she simply given up, knowing there was no way to avoid the inevitable? With as much as she hurt Elliot, he hadn’t wanted to see his mother die.

“There’s no way she survived the fall,” Mrs. Peppercorn said. “She hit the side of the boat hard, sugar. I’m so sorry.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled sympathetically at Elliot. “Are you okay, baby? I know this must be hard for you. Why don’t we go find a nice, empty cabin for you to rest in?”

He shook his head. “We have to tell someone,” Elliot decided. “Alexander, would you accompany me?”

Mrs. Peppercorn cleared her throat. “I’m not sure that’s our best course of action, considering we’re stowaways. We might be forced to walk the plank, son. Then where would we be?”

“In the sea with Mother,” Elliot said mournfully.

“I’ll go, then. I’ll tell them I saw her fall,” Alexander offered.

Mrs. Peppercorn shook her head. “If this is a voting matter, I’m casting my ballot for grabbing one of those life rafts like our dear friend, Clarence, and trying our luck on the open water.” She nodded at the vacant night. “I always fancied myself a seaman.”

Alexander scoffed, like it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “You can both hide in my cabin. You can stay there until we dock.”

Elliot stared down at the water and shook his head. “They’ll be looking for her soon. There will probably be a search.” His voice was flat, holding no trace of emotion; a tactic he mastered after years spent at Jared’s side. “She’s right, Alexander. I’m not a registered passenger, nor is she. They’ll alert the captain, then the authorities, and then they’ll contact Jared.”

“Listen,” Mrs. Peppercorn said. “I have another idea, but it’s slightly . . . unhinged. It probably won’t work, but I’ll be damned if I don’t try.” She stared at the stairwell leading down to the cabins. “I need to get into Ms. Broussard’s room.” She turned and pointed at Alexander. “I’m going to need you to find me a sewing needle, a pair of scissors, and as much thread as your hands can hold. See if the boat has a seamstress.”

“Why would a cruise ship have a seamstress?” Elliot asked.

She rolled her eyes. “Plot armor, sugar. Plot armor.” She pointed her gnarled finger with its ruby-red nail at him. “You’re coming with me. I’ll need a pretty little head to rest my wig on while I style it.”

“Mrs. Peppercorn, as grateful as I am for all you’ve done, I don’t believe now is the time to worry about vanity.”

“For Heaven’s sake.” Whirling around, she lifted her hand into the air and snapped her fingers three times. “Chop-chop, boys. We don’t have time for me to explain it all.”

Alexander and Elliot shared a confused expression. Then Alexander’s arms pulled Elliot in for a hug. “I’m going to go try to find everything she needs.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a room key. It was placed in a paper holder with the ship’s Wi-Fi password hastily scribbled across the top. There was a four-digit number written inside the folded keycard holder. Alexander tapped the numbers. “That’s my room. I want you both to go there, and I want you to stay put. Okay? I’ll try to find a key to Ms. Broussard’s room somehow, for whatever plans your friend has concocted.” He chuckled softly. “I bet you’re going to look adorable in her wig.”

Elliot blushed. “Yeah?”

Alexander tickled his neck. “Yeah. Listen—I’ve got you, Elliot. I’ve got you, and I’m not giving you back.” He lifted Elliot’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “I think I’m a bit smitten with you, if I’m being honest.”

Elliot melted into the embrace. While he didn’t doubt Alexander’s sincerity, he also didn’t doubt Jared’s constant ability to destroy everything Elliot cared for.

“I may be a bit smitten with you, too,” Elliot finally said.

Alexander wasn’t able to find a seamstress, but he did find twenty travel-size sewing kits in the ship’s gift shop. He purchased all of them. Luckily, a beau Alexander had met and befriended during a trip to have Professor Plum serviced had been working the guest service station, and Alexander was able to spin a tale that earned him a key to Emily Broussard’s room. Did Alexander really buy Ms. Broussard an elaborate statue depicting her likeness that he wanted to surprise her with? No, but the man at the desk bought the story. Well, it was either the concocted story or the way Alexander batted his lashes at the man like a tramp, but he didn’t have time to hypothesize about the young man’s intentions. With the keycard tucked in his front pocket, he rushed back to his cabin, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

Alexander’s heart was racing in his chest, and it wasn’t out of fear. It was down to Elliot. It was down to the kiss they’d shared. The overwhelming sense of completion he found in Elliot’s soft lips. Alexander was no stranger to physical acts of intimacy, but when it came to matters of the heart, his track record was spectacularly disastrous.

There was his first boyfriend, Shane, who was arrested for kidnapping a barista shortly after he and Alexander made things official. Then there was his ex-fiancé, Esteban. They were engaged for six months before Estaban announced it was time for him to take responsibility for his life and settle down with a nice woman, and have a “real” family, as he called it. Alexander hadn’t known how he’d get over the feeling of betrayal, but a year later, he attempted romance yet again. Chase was a lovely bisexual man, just like Estaban. Alexander was wary to date another bisexual for fear of being hurt again, but he knew from experience you couldn’t judge a whole group by the actions of one horrible, hateful man. He was right to give Chase a chance, because the men were together for three years before one day, Chase sat Alexander down and told him he couldn’t handle the monopoly Alexander’s career held on his life. With a heavy heart, Alexander let Chase go, allowing him to find someone who could give him everything Alexander couldn’t. They were still very close friends, and often, Chase and his husband invited Alexander over for an adult’s night in. They were gentle lovers, and if Alexander’s heart hadn’t been dormant for the past five years, he may have even taken them up on their offer of bringing Alexander into their relationship. As much as he enjoyed the time they spent together, he couldn’t bring himself to relinquish his heart. It was already spoken for.

So, while Alexander didn’t know much about love, he knew the feelings he had for Elliot were strong, and he wasn’t willing to lose the chance to explore them. Sweet, broken Elliot with his feigned smiles meant to mask the hurt. Gentle, kind-hearted Elliot whose heart broke over the prospect of sending a lonely fieldmouse back into the wilds of Sugarplum Island. Alexander’s new friend who just tried to throw himself into the sea for a few precious moments of freedom.

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