Page 12 of His Every Move

It was the fact that it’d be with Night. I could give him a show worth the money he spent and then chill and talk to him. Maybe even get some advice or just turn my brain off for a little bit.

I clicked Accept and leaned back.

“Hey, Night.”

Chapter5

Benji Morrison

I shouldn’t have followedEli when he left Stonewall.

It was wrong of me.

I crossed a line I wasn’t sure I’d come back from.

I just couldn’t help it.

Meeting him in person, it unchained something dark and twisted, something I tried to keep suppressed. My obsessive traits—present since I was a child—manifested into an overwhelming need to trail Elijah, to watch him from afar. It didn’t help that he reminded me so much of Michael…

At first, I rationalized following him under the guise of protecting him. He’d come to me for help, and so I was going to make sure he received it. Someone was clearly out to get him. This way, I could keep an eye out for any red flags from the people around him and would be able to intervene if this “Nomad” character decided to act out in public.

But as I hung back, blending into the busy crowd as Eli led me to a nearby gay bar, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasmewho Elijah needed protecting from.

No. No, I’m not a bad guy.

I just make bad decisions.

The bar itself appeared to be the size of a shoe closet. I knew I wouldn’t be able to go inside without him spotting me. I instead went across the street to a boba tea shop with a clear view of the bar’s exit. I ordered myself a drink (matcha milk tea with chewy boba) and sat at the window, pretending to be reading something on my phone but having a constant eye on the red door that marked the bar.

It didn’t take long for him to walk out.

No… tostormout. Elijah was pissed. His brow was furrowed, and he squeezed his hands together as he stomped toward the subway entrance.

What the hell happened in there?

Who did I have to fuck up?

Who hurt him?

I had a choice. I could go into the bar and find out what happened, or I could risk trailing Elijah home. Rush hour was over, so the trains wouldn’t be nearly as packed. Remaining undetected would be difficult. Then again, we weren’t all that far from Stonewall. It wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility that we’d bump into each other on the way home.

But…

Fuck.

Forget it.

I tossed my empty cup in the trash and walked down the street. It was wrong. Creepy.

I just… I wanted to keep an eye on him. I turned on my heels and power walked toward the subway station, changing my mind. NYC subways weren’t exactly known for their safety. What if he stood too close to the tracks and Nomad decided to give him a nudge from behind right as a train was speeding past? I could be there to stop him. I wouldn’t be able to give him twenty-four-hour protection, but at least I could keep an eye on him for now.

I hurried down the subway steps, running around a tourist who was clearly lost and searching for directions on her phone. I tapped my card against the turnstile and walked down toward the platform, making sure to keep my head down.

He’d given me his address during our initial meeting, so I knew he’d be taking the L train home.

The first platform was relatively empty. Five people milled about, either scrolling on their phones or chatting. One guy was shouting random profanities and shaking his fist at some invisible foe.

None of them were Elijah.

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