Page 91 of Ravenous

“He’s getting better. Hopefully, he’ll be released soon.” That all depended on Ollie reaching a healthy weight and maintaining it, which he was closing in on. Since he’d struggled so much in the beginning with both food and the boot, he needed to stay at least three months; however, Ollie had been taking it in stride, especially with a newly freed right foot. His movement was still restricted but he positively beamed the first time he walked to Finn without it, and it seemed to spur him on, keeping his improvements steady and consistent.

“That’s great!” Luckily, she didn’t ask any follow-up questions, somehow intuiting that Finn would share if he could.

“Hi.”

The two of them jumped, their heads snapping to the side where Jax stood, and Finn froze. Most of Jax’s photos had been blurry selfies so seeing him in person was a pleasant shock.

Almost a decade younger, Jax was striking, with the same cheekbones and eyes as Finn, but his features were far more chiseled, as if they were contoured, complimenting his white-blond hair which had been swept up artfully, the sides shorter than the front. He had too many piercings and bars in his ears to count and he was definitely wearing eyeliner, his fashion sense on the side of video game survivalist as he sported a black tank top and cargo pants that were laced into mid-calf steel-toe boots. Some of the other patrons stared as well and the first thought that came to Finn’s mind was that Ollie would love him.

“Hi!” Megan jumped up first, latching onto Jax, and he carefully returned the embrace. It wasn’t that he shied from it, for his emotions were genuine, but he held his body stiffly.

“It’s really good to meet you, man.” Finn stood, and they exchanged a handshake that turned into a quick shoulder-bump hug.

“Same.” They all settled down and Jax swung his head around, taking in the place. “I thought you were joking when you told me about this restaurant but a friend of mine knows the chef. You have great taste.”

“Naturally,” Finn winked. “I never joke about Thank Goodness It’s Tasty, you have to trust the name!”

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Now that their whole party had arrived, Quinn sauntered over with menus, her hair still bright magenta but this time the roots and tips were black. After a few moments of browsing and placing orders, there was an awkward silence, which Jax broke like a pro.

“I wonder if there’s more of us.”

Finn couldn’t help but laugh. “Probably, considering the age difference.” Finn gestured between himself and Jax. “I’m pretty sure Ron wasn’t a monk for ten years. He seemed proud of being a deadbeat when he told me the news.”

“Ew.” Megan made a face that Finn had seen a few times, in the mirror. “I hope you told him off.”

“Didn’t have to,” he grinned, remembering the way Ollie went to bat for him, his words ripping Ron down from his high horse. “My boyfriend tore him a new asshole.”

“I like him already!” Megan declared as Jax let out a quick chuckle. “Oh!” She held up her phone again. “Now that Jax is here, let’s get that photo.”

After unsuccessfully trying to squeeze themselves into the selfie frame, they grabbed Quinn, who took pictures for them on each of their phones. Finn reminded himself to tip her fifty percent, shutting off the screen, but he tapped it one too many times and it woke again, showing off the photo of him and Ollie in front of Uncle Joe’s porch.

“Whoa,” Jax commented, his eyes flicking from Finn’s lock screen to his face and back again. “I thought you looked familiar.” Within seconds, he scrolled through his phone, pulling up an Instagram profile and showing it to Finn. “You’re dating Olleelicious.”

When Ollie had shown him his account and the number of followers, Finn only knew that it was a lot. He hadn’t taken into consideration that, aside from the bots, a good chunk of those followers were real people who knew Ollie’s persona, and in turn, Finn as well. It suddenly struck Finn how truly public it all was and why it had been so easy for Ollie to unplug, especially when his self-worth and appearance were all wrapped up in it.

“Yeah, I am.” Finn hoped he sounded breezy and not too shell-shocked.

“Wait, I’m confused,whoare you dating?” Megan leaned in, all ears.

Finn rubbed the back of his neck, simultaneously a little freaked out and a little proud. “My boyfriend is kinda big online, he’s um…I forget what you call it-”

“An influencer. I’ve been following him for years, he’s amazing with makeup. I can’t believe you’re dating him. I mean, I can but…I’m sorry, I’m babbling.” Jax put a hand over Finn’s and his eyes glittered strangely, as if all his emotion were stored in them. “I hope he’s doing okay. There are chat groups dedicated to him, you know. Everyone is pulling for him.”

“R-Really?” His perception of Ollie’s internet presence reshuffled yet again.

“Can you give him a message?” It seemed that Jax wasn’t as shy or withdrawn as Finn had thought. Maybe it was because they’d met in person, or that Finn knew Ollie, either way, it didn’t matter. Looking down at his brother’s callused hand, all Finn could do was nod.

“Sure.”

“Tell him thank you.” Jax took a breath, looking sideways at Megan, who watched with concerned curiosity. “One of my friends saw his last Live and decided to get help. She’s doing better now because of him. He kind of saved her life.”

“That’s…” Finn tried to find the words, but a sniffle derailed them and they turned to find Megan drying at her eyes with a napkin.

“I don’t know what’s going on but it just made me cry.” She teared up even more.

With a soft chuckle, Finn patted Jax’s hand. “I’ll tell him. He’d love to know.”

26

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