Page 42 of Margins

And Alex is—he’s so far gone. His hand inches closer to where Elijah’s rests on the table while they wait, but he looks toward his daughter and then up to Elijah, who’s watching him carefully and just nods.

“Hey, bug, there’s something I want to tell you before we all get a few bites of cheesecake, and if you have any questions about it, you can totally ask, okay?”

“Okay,” Elena says, experience leaving her just a bit wary.

“It’s not bad, I promise,” Alex hurries. “But you know how your mom and Michael are dating now?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, well,” he starts, moving his hand the rest of the way until he’s holding on to Elijah’s. “Elijah and I are dating, too.”

Her eyes dart between them, back and forth and back again. “No way. So Elijah’s coming to all our Friday dinners now? That’s so awesome, I’m gonna scream and I—”

“Whoa, slow down, Laney-bug,” Alex laughs. And he’s just—he’s blown away that it was just that easy, and that her only question has to do with how many times she might get dessert with her new partner in crime. “We appreciate the screaming, but don’t actually need to hear it. And Elijah usually works Friday nights, so he won’t be here for dinner, but I’m sure we can have him over to the house some other times, okay?”

“I will definitely come over to your house if that’s okay with you,” Elijah promises. “Maybe you and I can bake cookies or brownies sometime.”

Alex sits back with the realization that every dream and nightmare in his future might feature Elijah, Elena, and Cassidy hanging out in his kitchen. With cocktails, sugar, and way too much honesty, probably.

But after their shared slice of cheesecake, they finish up and head back to the house, the three of them piled on the couch for a movie Elena insists she can stay up to watch, even while Alex already knows better. She falls asleep between them, but Alex waits until the movie is over to bother picking her up and taking her upstairs, changing his clothes as long as his room is right there.

Elijah eyes his joggers and hoodie as soon as Alex makes it back to the living room. “Looks cozy.”

“Would’ve brought you something to wear, but I have a feeling you won’t stay long enough for that.”

“No, I won’t,” Elijah admits. “It’s been a big night, though.”

“How are you doing with everything?” Alex asks, folding himself onto the couch next to Elijah, his hand landing on his thigh, still cautious when so many things feel fragile.

Elijah leans in for a kiss, just as careful. “Still sort of stunned, I think. Off balance, maybe.”

“Because of what was hidden in the book, or because of me?”

“Isn’t it all kind of the same thing by now?” Elijah huffs.

Alex doesn’t bother to answer, because they both know Elijah’s right. “Obviously it wasn’t kept with all the other books. Where did you find it?”

“Under my grandpa’s bed, of all places,” Elijah tells him. “I guess when my brother and sister-in-law moved in and packed some stuff up, they just never bothered with anything he’d kept there. Wasn’t really in their way, so it was easy to ignore, I guess.”

“And when you were going through the house to find stuff for the garage sale, that wouldn’t have been a top place to look.”

“Nope. And I broke down the bed from the spare bedroom, and sold all the dressers and whatnot, but I’d kept his bed just so I’d have a place to sleep when I crashed there. Figured I could sell that easily enough down the road.”

“So, it’s a mostly empty house now, but it was able to keep one last secret until today.”

Elijah nods. “Probably right when we needed it.”

Alex looks down at Elijah’s lap, where his hand is now covered by Elijah’s, their fingers loosely threaded together. It’s such a small thing, but several days ago, he didn’t know if he’d ever touch Elijah again. Even after his talk with Cassidy, he didn’t know how he’d be able to touch Elijah again.

“I’m sorry,” Alex whispers.

“Hey, no, look at me,” Elijah urges. But when Alex does, whatever Elijah was about to say has to wait, another kiss taking them both by surprise. It’s so tender at first, but then maybe they both remember the night Elijah had left Alex by the front door, when they were both walking away from what they wanted because neither could quite find the right way to fight for it. So, they curl around each other now, their mouths open and warm and needy, Elijah breathless when they finally part. “There are no bad guys and we both made some mistakes. And I think it’s good to apologize for those—it’s not that you can’t say you’re sorry. But I’m sorry too, because I was trying so hard not to push you, that I convinced myself I could just let go, and I—I don’t want to. I never wanted to.”

“And how much of that was always Peter and Edgar’s story, too?” Alex muses. “Peter scared. Edgar not wanting to push too hard for more. Neither one of them ever wanting to let go. You think they ever got close?”

“To letting go or loving each other out loud?”

“Both, I guess.”

---