Page 56 of The Light Within

Elliot nodded, and the boy took his hand.

In that moment, Elliot felt a sudden, visceral connection with the stranger. Where their hands locked, a jolt of electricity passed through. His breath was stolen, and the boy finally flashed him a dimpled smile, that brilliant, beautiful smile. And so began the theft of his heart.

By the end of that summer, Elliot was deeply and irrevocably in love with Julien.

Behind the lion statue, Elliot lowered the body of his best friend down to the ground. He couldn’t resist gently brushing Julien’s hair away from his face.

Elliot had been Julien’s shadow for that entire summer, and the one after that, and so on.

Then he’d followed him to Paris for college.

By the time Julien announced his plans to move to Auri, there was no question about where Elliot would go. He’d go wherever Julien—and Darcy, by that point—went.

Julien’s chest rose and fell shallowly.

Fuck. What if—

Panic surged through him, and his breath quickened as the world around him began to blur. Logic slipped from his grasp with every heartbeat, and all he could think about was Julien slipping away beneath his hands.

No!

Elliot shook Julien. Gently, at first, then more violently, shaking his entire body. “Wake up!” he said, voice cracking. “You don’t get to leave me! Remember our promise!”

“Elliot!”

A hand behind him squeezed his shoulder. He turned to find Cinn, still half-slumped on the floor, but awake. Alive. Alive, but alarmed. “Hey! Calm down!”

Relief coursed through Elliot, but it was the tidal wave of guilt that knocked the breath from his lungs. Partially because he’d just shaken Julien like a rag doll. Partially because he’d completely ignored Cinn’s equally lifeless form. But the largest source of his guilt was—

Fuck,Cinn had just heard the raw desperation in his voice as he cradled Julien, and Elliot had been trying so, so hard to show Cinn how much he supported their relationship.

Hot prickles behind Elliot’s eyes blurred the world. “Here,” he croaked, passing Julien to Cinn. “Take him.” A look of alarm crossed Cinn’s face as he reached out to grab him.

He rounded the statue, tipping his head back to rest on the cool stone plinth.

Cinn was awake. That meant Julien would surely soon be too. Any second now.

Chill the fuck down, Elliot urged himself, but it was difficult in the chaotic environment. Medical personnel and police flooded the road and pavement. The blue light of several ambulances spun dizzying patterns across the wet ground, illuminating the tumultuous scene as people dashed around.

He fixed his eyes on a stone on the pavement, willing his horrible, confused feelings away. He’d count to ten, then return to Cinn and pretend nothing had happened.

Darcy’s boots materialised. “I’ve got bandages.”

“Cinn’s awake.”

“Oh, thank God! Julien?”

Elliot sighed. “Let’s go see.”

He braced himself as he rounded the corner, plastering on a neutral expression.

There, on the ground, Cinn was holding Julien with a fierce tenderness that made the world around them fade into the background. Cinn’s lips were pulled into a wide smile as his gaze locked onto Julien, his eyes wide with a mixture of relief and intense emotion, as if he were afraid to blink lest this fragile moment shatter.

Julien reached up, fingers visibly trembling, and brushed against Cinn’s cheek.

Elliot swallowed. The air between Julien and Cinn shimmered with unspoken words, and he almost took a step backwards, until Darcy shoved him forwards.

Cinn’s head snapped up to lock eyes with Elliot, and Elliot tensed, prepared for any mixture of distrust, annoyance,hatredeven to be shot at him.

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