Page 67 of To Catch a Firefly

I ease back just a touch as I come to, and Lucky’s eyes are blazing.

“Ellis,” he groans, hand jacking himself quickly now.

I take over, wrapping him in my fist, pumping as he clutches my arms tight.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispers among his panting breaths.

I brush his hair out of his eyes as I jerk him, unable to make my voice cooperate enough to tell himhe’sthe beautiful one.Always has been. But then Lucky’s eyes are rolling up and he’s swelling in my hand. My gaze snaps downward in time to catch his cum striping across his stomach and my fist. I can hardly look away, even as I catalogue each and every gasp and stuttered moan that leaves his lips. I bring my eyes to his when I hear my name.

“El.”

Lucky’s gaze is hooded, and he gently brushes my hand away before pushing off from the wall. In an instant, his arms are wrapped around me, head tucked under my chin, and I can do nothing but hug him back.

He hasn’t washed his hair yet, and it still smells like citrus. And the feel of him nestled against me is the best sort of normal. It’sus, El. Me and you. For always.But it’s also something more. Something that has yet to settle into the dirt. A seed, so full of possibilities it’s blinding, yet fragile and new, not yet sowed into the earth. It could still fly away, that seed, taken by the wind before it has a chance to grow.

I want to believe that won’t be us. That after all we’ve been through to get to this point, nothing will take Lucky from me. But how do I keep him? How do I hold onto a creature that’s meant to fly?

“Ellis,” Lucky says quietly, pulling back from my chest. The steam from the shower has stopped, which likely means we’re running out of hot water, but Lucky doesn’t seem remotely concerned about that. His focus is on me. “I know today has been a lot, but we’re going to figure this out, okay? After we visit with our folks, I’m going to bed with you. Whether that’s here or at my parents’, I don’t care. But I’m not leaving you tonight.”

He raises a brow as if in question, and I nod quickly.

Satisfied, he goes on. “And tomorrow, we’ll talk. I won’t stay gone so long again. I can’t…” He swallows a little roughly. “There’s no going back for us, El. Not after this.”

No, there’s not.

“Okay,” he says, almost like he’s talking to himself. “Okay. Come on then.”

Lucky hands me the bar of soap, and we make quick work of cleaning up in the cooling water. We do spend most of the evening with our parents, all of us reassuring ourselves that we’re safe and healthy and whole. And when the night is over, Lucky follows me home and climbs into my bed as if he’s done it a million times before.

He cries for a short while as the day catches up to him. But I hold him through it, thankful for the privilege, and eventually, his tears dry. It’s some time later when he speaks, his voice so quiet and sleepy I almost miss it.

“This is real, El. Me and you, it’s real.”

I grip him tighter, my heart pounding so hard I’m sure he can hear it. He places his hand over my chest as if in acknowledgement, and his breaths puff lazily across my skin. With the moon lending its soft glow through the window, Lucky falls asleep.

And I learn what it is to cradle a firefly in my palms.

Chapter 24

Lucky

When I wake, Ellis isn’t in bed. My body is stiff after the events of yesterday, so I take a minute to roll around and stretch. The light coming in the window tells me it’s likely late morning, so I’m not all that surprised Ellis is gone. Nor am I offended. In fact, I have a feeling I know exactly where he’s at as he processes everything that’s happened between us these last twenty-four hours.

A smile slips onto my face, and with it comes a familiar swell of butterflies in my stomach. I feel sixteen again, a little love-drunk as thoughts of Ellis fill my mind. Except now, my daydreams are rooted in reality, and Ellis is no longer a boy but a man. A man who had his hand wrapped around my cock just last night. A man who was looking at me as if I was the key to something greater.

I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. The only explanation I have is that Ellis didn’t want me to know. He kept his feelings locked down tight, and I can’t even blame him for it. I didthe same, assuming they’d never be returned. Ellis isn’t like anybody else; I’ve always known that. He’s important to me. Too important to lose.

And maybe that’s part of why I never said anything myself. I couldn’t stand the idea of losing my friend.

The smell of coffee is the first thing to hit my nose when I step out of the bedroom. I swing by the bathroom first, taking care of morning necessities. Same as last night, I notice the grab bar along one side of the shower. It wasn’t there a few years ago. There’s a portable shower seat, too, tucked beside the toilet. My chest tugs at seeing the evidence of Mrs. Cole’s progressing symptoms.

I find the coffee exactly where I expect to: in the kitchen. It tastes somewhat burnt, having been warming for however long in the pot, but I doctor it with a splash of creamer and drink it all the same. I’m antsy to get to Ellis, but first, I check my phone, knowing Danil will have sent over an updated itinerary for the remainder of our visit to Crete. My sigh is more than a little heavy as I see my new flight plan. I leave tomorrow before dawn.

Once I’ve drained my coffee, I clean the mug and set it on the drying rack before heading for the back door.

“Morning, Lucky.”

I nearly jump at Mrs. Cole’s greeting. She’s sitting in the living room, a cream-colored blanket on her lap. There’s an iced tea on the table beside her and a tablet in her hands, opened to a crossword puzzle. I’m not sure how I missed her when I passed through.

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