Page 25 of The Lonely Hearts Guide

Alexander made a vow to himself, and, he supposed, a vow to Elliot. Even if they didn’t share a romantic spark in the end, he wouldn’t allow Elliot to be returned to Jared Price.

When he entered his suite, Alexander’s heart raced. Elliot was sitting on Alexander’s bed, looking like he hated the world. He was wearing one of Mrs. Peppercorn’s wigs as she stood in front of him, styling it with her curling iron. When Elliot noticed Alexander, his cheeks darkened.

“You’re back,” he said, sounding surprised.

Alexander cocked a playful brow. “Did you think I was just going to leave you here?” Elliot shrugged, but he didn’t respond. Alexander couldn’t stand the thought of Elliot thinking he might abandon him, so he took a seat beside the man and rested his hand on Elliot’s knee. He stared at the half-styled wig on Elliot’s head. “You look adorable.”

“I look ridiculous,” Elliot muttered.

“Well,” Mrs. Peppercorn said. “The good thing is, you’ll only have to wear it once. After that, we’ll be right as rain.”

As Mrs. Peppercorn continued styling the wig, Alexander couldn’t keep his eyes off Elliot. The way his short, blond hair brought out the browns in his eyes. How each freckle on his face seemed strategically placed. The smooth skin of his neck, just begging to be kissed.

“Alexander?” Elliot whispered as if he was hoping Mrs. Peppercorn wouldn’t hear, despite the fact she was standing directly in front of him. “May I hold your hand?”

Alexander swallowed, nodding. “Yeah. You can hold my hand whenever you want. I don’t mind.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” To prove it, Alexander weaved their fingers together and squeezed.

“I’ll tell you,” Mrs. Peppercorn interrupted. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cuter couple in all my life.” She furrowed her brow, staring sternly at the men. “Don’t you dare tell Periwinkle and Arthur I said that. You’d break the poor boy’s heart.”

Once Mrs. Peppercorn’s wig was styled to perfection, she excused herself to Alexander’s private ensuite. Alexander and Elliot remained on the bed, their hands locked, and their bodies tense with nerves. Alexander couldn’t remember the last time he felt so shy. Slowly, he stroked the side of Elliot’s hand with his thumb.

“Are you okay?” Alexander finally asked. “I know today must have been hard for you.”

“I’m okay. Just embarrassed.”

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You did nothing wrong.” Alexander looked over to find Elliot’s jaw trembling.

“But, Jared—”

Alexander tightened the grip on Elliot’s hand, cutting him off when he said, “You wanted to be free. There’s nothing wrong with that, Elliot. I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself.”

Squeak, squeak.

Professor Plum peeked his head out from Alexander’s shirt pocket and looked up at Elliot before twitching his tail rapidly. Alexander smiled at the mouse, stroking his forehead with his thumb.

“This little guy missed you,” Alexander said. “I think he knew you were here earlier. He led me right to you.”

Elliot was staring at Professor Plum with an awestruck look in his eyes. “Is this the same mouse from before? From the island, I mean.”

Alexander nodded. “Yeah. I promised you I’d keep him safe. He’s been a really wonderful friend to me these last few years.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled the little guy out. “I had him for six months before his health started to decline. I probably should have just let him pass naturally, but somewhere along the way, I fell for him, and I couldn’t stand the thought of letting him go.”

“I don’t understand. How were you able to keep him alive for . . .” Elliot’s face fell. “Five years.”

It pained Alexander that Elliot had lost so much time, thanks to Ms. Broussard and Jared Price. “Ms. Broussard helped me, actually. I’ve been trying to find the perfect beau for years. I had one commissioned, but after losing him, I decided to try to find a beau who had been returned. When I told her about Professor Plum, she was able to work her magic.”

Elliot shook his head. “There’s no such thing as magic, though.”

“I know.” He tickled Professor Plum’s head. “She recreated his body, then she placed his brain inside.”

Elliot’s jaw dropped. “She cut his head open and scooped out his brain?”

Alexander winced. “Yeah. Sorry, I know it’s not a pretty mental picture.” Alexander stared down at the mouse, his heart swelling when Professor Plum rubbed his furry cheek against Alexander’s thumb. “Like I said, I probably should have let him pass in peace, but he’s the closest thing to a friend I have.” Alexander brought the mouse to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before handing him to Elliot. He watched as Elliot’s eyes lit up while holding him. Elliot’s touch was gentle, almost shy.

“Well,” Elliot said, mirroring Alexander’s actions by pressing a kiss to Professor Plum’s forehead. “I, for one, am very happy you kept him around.” Elliot lifted the mouse even higher until they were eye to eye. “It’s lovely to see you again, Professor Plum of Sugarplum Island.” Then, after a pause, he added, “I hope we can be friends.”

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