Page 45 of Tender
Emmett waited, but Miles didn’t finish his sentence. “And what?” He put a little command in his voice and heard Miles suck in a sharp breath.
“And I’ll get hurt. I’ll lose out on something good.”
“Like when you were in foster care,” Emmett said.
Glancing down at his shoes, Miles nodded. “I was a good kid. I was smart, and I was great at following rules. But everyone was afraid of having a medically complicated kid or whatever.” He sat back and leaned on his hands, looking over at Emmett. His face was soft, like he was so used to talking about this the pain wasn’t as deep. “I got used to being the odd one out. Even now, you know, my friends all reconnected, and it felt a little bit like I was an afterthought.”
Emmett wanted to reach for him but managed to hold himself back. For now. “Do you really think that?”
“I don’t…” He bit his lip. “I don’t think so. But it’s hard not to think that when I have been my whole life. I don’t get chosen.”
Emmett hummed softly, then decided fuck it and reached for him. He cupped Miles’s cheek, stroking a thumb over his jaw. “I chose you.”
Miles swallowed heavily, then pulled back. “Can you…this isn’t…” He growled in frustration. “I appreciate you so much, but this isn’t fair, okay?”
“What isn’t?” Emmett said, his hand dropping into his lap. He was pretty sure he knew, but he wanted Miles to open the dialogue first.
“You and Cosimo—you’re everything I have ever wanted. You’re gorgeous and kind and welcoming. You make me feel safe.”
“Why is that unfair?”
“Because you’re married to each other! You keep…oh God, I’m probably reading too much into this, and I’m going to have to bury myself on the beach later, but fuck! It feels like you’re flirting, and it sucks because you’re not available.”
“I am flirting,” Emmett said. “I’m also available.”
Miles’s eyes immediately narrowed. “That’s not okay. I don’t mess around with cheaters.”
Unable to stop himself, Emmett laughed as he pulled his phone out. There was only one way to solve this, and he could only pray that Cosimo was in between surgeries. “Neither do I. Let me fix this, alright? Then we can talk.”
Miles stared at him. “What are you doing?”
“Trust me?” Emmett asked.
Miles took a breath, then nodded.
That was all he needed to push the button. He rang up Cosimo on a FaceTime so Miles would be able to see him, and it didn’t take long for his husband to answer. He looked exhausted, and he was still in scrubs, but the background of the call was his office.
“Amore,” Cosimo said.
“Mo, honey, I wanted you to know that I’m flirting with Miles.”
Miles started choking. “Oh mygod?—”
“Are you tormenting him?” Cosimo demanded.
Emmett rolled his eyes and dragged Miles into the frame. “I am not. But things got a little complicated. I wasn’t being very subtle.”
“I’m so surprised,” Cosimo said flatly.
“He wants to make sure it’s not cheating,” Emmett said.
Miles sucked in another sharp breath as Cosimo shrugged. “It’s not cheating. You two have fun. I have to go force some food and caffeine into my face before my next patient. Be nice to each other. Love you.”
The call went dead before Emmett could say it back, and the silence rang around the room as thick and heavy as the water in each tank. Miles was stiff beside him, but second by second, his body began to relax.
“What’s happening here?”
Emmett reached for him again, and Miles didn’t pull back. He leaned in when Emmett cupped his jaw. “I’d like to kiss you.”
