Page 73 of His Every Move

It felt like my friend was throwing me a life raft in that moment. He saw me struggling and reached out a hand to pull me up out of the hole I dug myself into. I could be stubborn and say I’d figure it out on my own, but that wasn’t the road I wanted to take. Not anymore. “Yeah, text me the name so I have it. I’ll reach out to them today.” I gave Jace a genuine smile. “And thank you. For hearing me out. Not judging me.”

“No judgment at all. I just want to see you happy and healthy. We all have our demons. It’s about how we live with them that matters.”

My phone buzzed on the coffee table. “There, sent it.” Jace stood up. “Mind if I use your bathroom real quick?”

“Yeah, go for it.”

Jace left the room, the space feeling extra quiet now. I was grateful I had a friend like Jace. Someone who didn’t judge, who offered help. I reached for my phone and was set on sending a message to this program. It could be my way out of this mess.

That’s when I first noticed the missed call. It had been from Eli, coming in last night when I must have been obliterated.

Fuck!

I dialed him back. I didn’t expect him to answer. Why would he? Maybe it had been a butt dial. Or maybe he had gotten drunk, too, and was now regretting ever calling me.

It rang and rang. I was close to hanging up—giving up. But I stayed on the line. I wanted to know why?—

“Hello?”

Eli’s voice came through the phone like a chorus of angels.

Maybe miracles were real?

Chapter26

Elijah Grant

I shouldn’t have answeredBenji’s call. For a second, I considered sending it directly to voicemail. Fuck him. And not literally.

I was still angry. Disappointed. He hadn’t really lied to me, but he had certainly skirted the truth about how he knew me. And to watch me through my cameras? That was something that I couldn’t quite move past yet.

And even with all that looming over my head, Istillpicked up the phone when Benji’s name appeared on the screen.

He sounded like he’d been put through the wringer.Yeah, you and me both, buddy.Now, as we sat in the hotel room I’d gotten myself, I could see that he not only sounded like he’d been through it, but he also looked like it, too. He must not have been sleeping these last few days or eating, for that matter. He looked thinner to me. The bags under his eyes were pronounced, and the bandage wrapping around his hand wasn’t doing him any favors.

“Eli, I don’t know where to begin.”

“Start with why you thought it was okay to spy on me.”

He winced. He wore a wrinkled white T-shirt and black gym shorts. Even in this state, and even with everything that had happened between us, I still couldn’t stop myself from finding him attractive.

God, what is wrong with me? Maybe I should have jerked off before this.

“Eli, I want to make it clear, I never spied on you. The camera incident was one time, and it lasted a total of probably three minutes. I deleted the app immediately after and have no way of logging back in.”

To be fair, I did make a living out of people watching me, but that didn’t give him permission to just set up cameras and enjoy a private show, no matter how brief it may have been. “That’s still fucked, man. I trusted you.”

I still trust you, for some stupid reason.

I didn’t say that part out loud.

He rubbed his face, covered his mouth as he took in a deep breath. I sat on the edge of the bed while Benji pulled up the chair next to the desk. The room itself could really only be described as opulent. The soft black-and-gray carpet matched the solid gray wood of the desk, which was pushed against a floor-to-ceiling window that offered a beautiful view of the city.

After everything that had gone on, I decided to splurge and get me and Fran a week’s stay at the Four Seasons. She freaked out when I told her, but it was literally the least I could do after having put her in danger, even unintentionally.

“I’ll earn that trust back, I swear it, Eli. I… I’ve been going through something. Fighting a battle. I haven’t really spoken about it, but I had a realization after all of this…” He looked down at his hands, squeezing tight enough to turn the skin red.

“What is it?” A flash of worry sparked in my chest. I snuffed it out, remembering I was supposed to be mad at him.

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