Page 133 of Psync
“No, of course not . . . but . . .” How could he make Haruka understand that safety wasn’t the only thing that mattered to Eli?
Haruka’s phone buzzed.
“I have to go. I left in the middle of a meeting.”
Haruka moved like he wanted to kiss Eli but paused, waiting for Eli to come to him. Eli turned his face away. Haruka waited, as if hoping Eli would change his mind. After a minute, he walked stiffly to the door, his expression wooden. Eli couldn’t look at him anymore.
“I only have a ninety-day visa,” Eli said to his clenched hands, listening as the sound of footsteps moved away from him. Haruka would have to let him go after that, wouldn’t he?
“We can take care of that too,” Haruka said just before the door closed behind him.
Chapter Forty-Two
Eli
Eli moped on the bed for exactly six minutes before jumping up and running to the kitchen. He loaded his arms with as many cans of coffee as he could carry and ran back to the bedroom. Then he came back out to grab his laptop—and its charger—and brought them in as well.
He stood in the bedroom doorway and stared at the hoodie still lying on the floor where he’d thrown it. It was Haruka’s. It wasn’ttheblack hoodie he’d originally given Eli—that was out getting cleaned because reasons—but part of Eli still wanted it.
Finally, he darted out of the doorway and kicked the hoodie across the room, turned around and ran back to the doorway, stopped halfway, ran back, snatched it up and raced into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
He locked the door, but since he didn’t trust Haruka not to break the lock, the next half hour was devoted to shoving as much furniture in front of the door as he could. He had a bathroom, coffee, and his laptop. He could stay here indefinitely.
He had two hours of peace and quiet before there was a knock at the door. Eli put on his headphones and turned on his distraction playlist. The knocking turned into banging, so Eli turned up the volume and tucked his legs inside the hoodie he refused to admit he was wearing.
He ignored the dozens of phone calls from Haruka, but he’d had to switch his music over to his laptop because the calls kept interrupting his songs.
The calls stopped eventually. Then every few minutes his phone would chirp to let him know Haruka had sent him another text.
StupidStupidJerk:Let me in Eli
Or talk to me
Have you eaten yet today?
I see you took all the coffee, but not any food
Let me at least give you something to eat
I know you’re reading these, so at least I know you’re okay
Eli went into Haruka’s contact page and turned off his read receipts. Then he added another Stupid to his name.
StupidStupidStupidJerk:Do you need anything?
You don’t have to see me, I can have someone else bring it to you
Eli?
Tears pricked his eyes, and Eli turned his music all the way up.
Eli:How dare you take my best friend away when I need him the most?!
Eli threw his phone across the room so he didn’t have to see Haruka’s response. Then he put on the fluffiest anime he could think of and watched it until he fell asleep.
When he woke up from a long night of trash fire dreams, it was light out and the apartment was still. Eli climbed on top of the dresser he’d pushed in front of the door and pressed his ear against the door.
Nothing.
