Page 96 of Beneath His Robes

“I’ve always felt a calling,” Elias said quietly, his voice steady, but there was something deeper in it.

He wasn’t just answering the question. He was explaining part of himself that didn’t often get shared.

“It’s not about giving anything up. It’s about finding where I’m supposed to be. Helping people…guiding them through the hardest parts of their lives.” He paused for a moment, meeting Travis’s gaze. “Maybe I’m just one of the few who answered the call.”

Travis scoffed slightly, but there was a genuine curiosity behind his smirk. He leaned against the doorframe, watching Elias intently.

“And you just…knew? Knew you were supposed to be some kind of holy man?”

Elias nodded, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know if I ever knew,” he said. “But I felt it. There was this pull one day like I wasn’t meant to be doing anything else.”

He shifted slightly in his seat, running a hand through his strawberry hair.

“It wasn’t an easy choice. There were doubts, but I trusted that this is where I’m supposed to be.”

I kept my eyes on the pasta, feeling the pressure of the silence between them. Travis wasn’t exactly the type to dig deep unless he felt like the person wasn’t going to fight back, but Elias didn’t seem bothered.

In fact, something about the way Elias spoke made it clear he wasn’t about to let anyone shake his faith or his decision.

Travis snorted, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the wall. “So, you just…gave up everything? Your whole life to do that? Sex?”

Elias’s eyes met mine for a split second as if he were checking to see if I was still listening. And I was. I was listening to every word, watching every movement. There was a calmness in Elias that didn’t need to fight for attention. He just was.

“I didn’t give up my life,” Elias responded, voice steady. “I found it. I found something greater than myself. Before I made my vows, I was…troubled.”

The words hung in the air, and I could see Travis’s usual bravado falter slightly. I didn’t know that Elias had struggled before becoming a priest. It made me wonder what that meant. For a second, I could almost see a flicker of something else in Travis’s eyes. Maybe respect. Maybe curiosity mixed with a little bit of awe.

“Damn, Father,” Travis said, breaking the silence with a low whistle. “That’s some serious shit. I’m not sure I could ever commit to something like that.” he leaned forward, squinting at Elias.

“No offense, man. I get that it’s your thing, but that’s a whole lot of ‘yes, Lord for me, and when I heard that, it’s usually by someone else with my cock in their mouth. Roney Boney knows a thing or two about that.”

I feared Elias would shut down at his wording, afraid that my world before him would be too much, but Elias let out a soft laugh, a slight smile curving his lips.

“It’s not about saying ‘yes’ every single time. It’s about knowing when to listen.” He glanced at me, his gaze lingering a little longer than it needed to like he was trying to gauge my reaction.

“I think that’s something I am trying to do more. We could all do with listening to one another speak. There is a lot unsaid sometimes, and when we listen to it, we can open the eyes of others. Without listening, we’re left with nothing but assumptions.”

I shifted, feeling the weight of Elias’s words like they were meant for more than just Travis. Maybe even for me.

What was I meant to listen to? What hadn’t Elias told me?

Travis grinned and clapped Elias on the back, almost too hard, but Elias didn’t flinch, just chuckled lightly. “Well, hell. I gotta admit, that’s pretty solid. I might have to take a page from your book sometime.”

“Yeah,” I chimed in, my voice a little rougher than usual. “Good luck with that, man.”

Travis shot me a lazy grin and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I’m so not doing that. I’m not built for the whole ‘sacrificing yourself for the greater good’ routine. But I respect it. You’re a rare breed, Daddy Cross.” He leaned back against the wall, his tone shifting from teasing to a little more thoughtful. “I just hope it’s worth it. You know?”

There was a brief moment of silence before Elias spoke again, his voice softer, like he was sharing something just a little more personal.

“It’s worth it if you feel it in your soul. If you can help even one person find peace, it’s worth it.”

Travis seemed to chew on that for a moment, then nodded more quietly than usual. “I can respect that.”

I was surprised by the shift in Travis’s tone. I hadn’t expected him to soften, not with his usual sharp-edged humor. But there it was, his defenses dropping for just a moment.

The weight of what Elias had said was starting to sink in for all of us. Even Travis wasn’t immune to the power of those words. There was something genuine about him that couldn’t be ignored.

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