Page 62 of Solo Stan
“Something funny?” Moodie asked.
“I’m sorry, but what is there to listen to?” Elias replied. “The only time she talks to me is when she’s telling me to watch Nia or take out the trash or do whatever the hell else Dad used to do around the house. It’s either that or she’s complaining about him, even though I keep telling her I don’t want to hear it. Dad does the same thing. And they both let William do whatever he wants, and I’m stuck having to listen to it.”
Taking a step closer, Moodie placed a hand on Elias’s shoulder. “To be honest, Eli,” he began, and Elias was tempted to correct him on the nickname, but in the moment, he didn’t mind it as much. Moodie continued, “I’m surprised by the young man you’ve become. You take on a lot of responsibility, and you care more than you like to show. I get that it can be frustrating when people don’t see that.” Elias was having a hard time meeting Moodie’s eyes, but he could feel his gaze on him as he leaned in closer to say, “You can forget about all the rules. I want you to be comfortable here. But can you just promise me that you’ll try to see things from your parents’ perspective? I’m not saying that they haven’t made mistakes. But you’re grown now, and maybe your relationship with them can grow too. You’re mature enough to decide what relationships you want to have in your life. That goes for your parents, me, your brother and sister,andwho you choose to date.”
Finally lifting his eyes to meet Moodie’s, Elias asked, “You mean Dakarai? I thought you wanted me to stay away from him. That’s the reason you even came up with all these crazy rules in the first place.”
“Like I said, you’re old enough to make your own decisions. And now that I’ve heard your side of things, I trust you’ll make good ones.”
“This is— I lowkey thought you just had a problem with me dating boys,” Elias said.
“I don’t have a problem with you dating boys. I have a problem with that hard head of yours.”
Elias’s mouth dropped open in indignation but slowly softened into a smile.
Moodie continued, “I hope you use this as an opportunity to figure some things out. And I don’t mean you have to plan out your entire future. But do you think you know what your next step is?”
Elias’s tone softened. “I think I want to talk to my brother.”
“You’re a good man, Eli,” Moodie replied, smiling warmly. Again, Elias decided not to correct him on the name. It annoyed him every time his brother, sister, and parents used it, but perhaps Moodie had earned the right to annoy him too.
Moodie wrapped his arms around Elias’s shoulders and delivered one sharp pat to his back as if trying to dislodge food from his throat. The hug was over before Elias even got a chance to participate in it; his arms remained hanging uselessly at his sides.
“You’re a back patter, Mood,” Elias said dryly.
“Shut up,” Moodie said, releasing him. “Now, go get some rest. Take the day off. I’ll work with Kai today.”
“No, Dakarai and I will—” Elias pulled his lips between his teethand exhaled deeply. His eyes flickered to the apartment door before he had a chance to stop himself.
Moodie trailed Elias’s gaze. “Is Kai in there?” His eyes lingered on the door, but then he swiftly lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Actually, that’s none of my concern.”
“I’ll work with Dakarai today,” Elias said, his cheeks getting hot.
“Teenagers,” Moodie mused. “I’m not built for this.” He then headed toward the stairs.
“Wait,” Elias said. Moodie raised a questioning eyebrow. “Could I…Can I come over for dinner later?”
“Food tastes better when someone else makes it for you, doesn’t it?”
“Don’t get all sentimental on me, Mood. I’ll come over after we close.”
With a warm smile, Moodie left without another word.
When Elias reentered the apartment, Dakarai was fast asleep on the couch. He snored and rolled over, one of his legs falling to the ground with a thud. Elias froze like a statue, waiting to see if Dakarai would wake up. But he simply readjusted his position and continued snoring. Elias moved to the couch, gently lifting Dakarai’s leg back up and covering it with the blanket from his bed.
Tiptoeing to the bathroom, he shut the door as quietly as he could. He leaned over the sink, bringing his face just inches away from his reflection, and gave his tired eyes a rough rub with his palms, making himself wince. Touching his fingers to the tops of his cheekbones, he was comforted by the fact that it didn’t hurt much anymore. Lowering the toilet seat, Elias sat down and let outa deep sigh. He turned on the faucet so Dakarai couldn’t hear his fidgeting, as every movement made the rickety toilet seat creak.
There had been so many moments all night when the two of them could have turned back, but they just kept stepping over the line every time they drew a new one. Maybe Moodie had been right to tell him to stay away from Dakarai, but it already felt too late.
There was just something about Dakarai that reminded him of a very specific time in his life, one he didn’t often think about. It was from when he was a child before Nia was born. When he and his parents would walk around the city, they always held his hand and had him walk on the inside of the sidewalk, where it was safer. Yet, somewhere along the way, the dynamics shifted. Elias found himself always being the one on the outside. It wasn’t until tonight that he realized that he missed the simplicity of just holding on to someone’s hand, shutting off his brain, and trusting them to take him wherever he needed to be. Now that he’d been reminded of this feeling, he never wanted to be without it again. He’d let Dakarai stay in Raleigh with him for a reason, even though it felt more natural for Elias to tell Dakarai to go.
Elias flicked off the bathroom light and stepped quietly back into his apartment. Dakarai was still sleeping soundly, but he stirred as Elias knelt beside him. He studied Dakarai’s face as he opened his eyes.
36
Kai
7:45 a.m.
