Page 45 of Private Exhibit
Oliver hissed in a breath through his teeth and leaned to one side, peeking between their monitors. “Shit.'Had?'As in…”
“Yeah.”
“So he knows you–”
“Yeah. I told him all about not getting adopted and everything.” Devon paused, shaking his head again. “He's so easy to talk to,” he murmured. “It felt like…like I could just dump everything on him, and he'd hold it for me, you know? I mean, maybe he was just being nice, but it didn't feel that way. And he told me his darkest secret. But not like he expected me to carry the weight of it in return.” Devon paused again. “It felt more like he couldtrustme with it.”
Oliver blinked. “That's kinda huge.”
Devon nodded.
“You really like this guy, don't you?”
Devon felt himself blushing all over again. “I really do. I know I shouldn't, but I do. He's my boss, for gods' sakes. But…” Devon cursed. “Not like it matters. Not when I could die at any–”
“Don't say that,” Oliver interrupted.
Devon flashed him a smile of apology and looked down. Something out of place caught his eye, and he looked over to see the Rosses' check.
“Oh!” Devon snatched it up, grabbed a pen, and signed it over to Oliver before holding it out between their monitors. “I want you to have this.”
Oliver stared at him, holding his breath for a long moment. “Wh-Why?” he gasped.
“Because you need it more than I do.”
“Dev–” Oliver gulped, glancing at the check. He clearly wanted to take it—needed to take it—but didn't make a move to do so.
“Please,” Devon said, waving the check. “I insist. Use it to pay down some of your debts.”
Oliver still didn't move. “But what about you?”
Devon shrugged. “As long as I can keep this job, I can afford all our basic bills. That's all I need. But you've got all this weight on your shoulders, and I want to see at least some of it gone before I die.”
Oliver looked down, his face pinched. He sniffed and coughed into his fist, then shook his head. “They gave that money to you.”
Devon lowered his hand but didn't take the check back. “I don't want anything from them,” he realized aloud. He'd secretly hoped for friendship. Maybe even a tiny sense of family. Clearly, neither of those things was going to happen. “They can't buy my forgiveness,” Devon went on. “And I know you don't like handouts. You want to be your own man, and I respect the hells out of that. But you've also literally saved my life more times than I can count–”
“That was part of our deal,” Oliver said, waving as though to point out the apartment as a whole.
“I know that. But still. Let me do this. Please.” When Oliver still didn't reach for the check, Devon chuckled. “If it helps, this is purely selfish on my part. It's not a gift or a handout. It's a trade. Because when I die, I don't want to be wandering around as a ghost, all alone, totally helpless, watching you go right back out onto the streets. I need to know that you're gonna at least have a way to start over. I mean, I know it won't cover everything, but it'll help, right?”
Oliver blinked, a tear running down his cheek as he rolled his eyes and laughed. “Fine,” he gasped, taking the check andshoving it under his keyboard. He turned away and quickly scrubbed a hand under his eyes. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
“You're welcome,” Devon replied, feeling another weight lift off his shoulders.Gods. Between that and his talk with Andy, he thought he might float away. He'd never felt this light in his life.
The Rosses' rejection still stung, but he was used to that sort of thing. Even that couldn't dampen his mood now. Besides, he had his closure. The Rosses hadn't wanted him back then and they still didn't want him now. Devon could officially put that part of his life behind him and move on.
Besides, how could the Rosses possibly matter when someone like Andy wanted him?
Devon felt himself blushing again.
Oliver chuckled. “You're thinking about the hot doctor again, aren't you?”
Devon's blush spread all over his face and down to his chest, the heat of it almost too much to bear. “Maybe.” He breathed a laugh. There was nomaybeabout it. It felt way too good to be wanted. To have someone come right out and say it. Maybe Andy would change his mind. Maybe the man would come to his senses once he really started thinking about how hopeless the situation was. For now, though, Devon was going to enjoy the feeling.
Chances were, he'd never get to experience anything like this ever again.
He sat up with Oliver for another hour, working on the job forGrim, then went to bed, knowing he was going to need a good night's sleep if he was going to work tomorrow. Devon drifted off with a smile on his face, thinking of Andy, counting down the hours until he could see the man again.
